Compact/Micro 9mm Suggestions?

I’ve owned a bunch. Still have a Kahr K9. It’s a very flat revolver with a great “DA” trigger. And, I can shoot a DA trigger.

Ounce for ounce, there’s nothing close to the Sig P365. As an old 1911 guy, I love the manual safety. It is, for all practical purposes, a cocked and locked pistol though.



I made a 1911 extended safety for mine. It’s awesome…for me.

I threw all the options on a scale. For an 11 shot 9mm pistol, It was the winner.


But, I feel good carrying a Ruger SP101. So…

I carry a Khar K-40 Black SST and a Kimber 9mm Micro black Ice both are great. The extra mag holder fits both 9mmand 40 cal.

Mike J said:

If you like Ruger I would suggest you look at the Ruger Max 9. I have one & like it. It has more capacity than a LC9s ...

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Love my Max-9 especially with the Galloway Precision 'Maxxis' short-stroke trigger for it ... out the door for 1/2 the price of a P365 (says me, the not a Sig fan ... )

cfullgraf said:

I like my Kimber Micro 9 for a compact 9mm. I do not find it objectionable to rack or shoot.

I like an H&K P30SK but for regular carry. It is not what I consider as “compact”. I have one with a DA/SA trigger and one with the LEM trigger. Great firearms.

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I think the Kimber might depend on what model you get.
I have 2 Micro 9s, the STG model and the Bel Air.
The STG is easy to rack, easy to hang on to and shoots like a dream.
The Bel Air is like handling a wet bar of soap. Hard to hang on to, really hard to rack the slide, and No where near as good a gun as the STG.
Just my observations.

As far as single stack micro-9’s go, I guess I have a couple.

I hate my Glock 43. It conceals very well, is reliable and accurate and is Glock simple to use. But; It slaps my palm and my trigger finger simultaneously when I fire it. So, I don’t shoot it very much.

My Glock 43X MOS I love. That gun does not do me wrong when I shoot it. (Same for my Glock 48, but that’s not a micro.) It wears a red dot sight and makes me look stupidly accurate at 15 yards shooting this little gun.

The Kimber Micro 9 I have is a stainless “SHOT Show Special” that I got new for a song. Other than the POI being very high past 10 yards, it has been a good, reliable gun.
I don’t ccw this gun as it is a single action, and I do not feel confident manipulating the safety under stress unlike a larger and more positive-to-operate Hi Power or 1911.

The Ruger LC9 has a loooong and stiff trigger pull. It carries well, is reliable and shoots ok despite the trigger. I ccw’ed this gun for many years, finally setting it aside for the Glock 43X when I bought that.

Other than these four, I’m afraid I am not much help.

Stay safe.

Cornhusker77 said:

I think the Kimber might depend on what model you get.
I have 2 Micro 9s, the STG model and the Bel Air.
The STG is easy to rack, easy to hang on to and shoots like a dream.
The Bel Air is like handling a wet bar of soap. Hard to hang on to, really hard to rack the slide, and No where near as good a gun as the STG.
Just my observations.

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Right,

I have a Kimber Micro 9, Kimber Micro (380), Sig 238, Glock 42 and 43, Colt Mustang and a S&W Walther PPK (380).

Except for the PPK, all recoil and rack about the same. The locked breech helps with the reduction of recoil.

The PPK recoil, a blow back action, borders on brutal but I like the DA/SA action. The gun is heavy though.

My Glock 42 is too sensitive to ammunition. My reloads that work well in other pistols do not function in the Glock 42 Not acceptable for a pistol that claims "perfection",

My Sig 238 is an early production model and before I got a flat recoil spring, it was unreliable.

My mid-1980's Mustang has been as reliable as a light switch. I could reliably hit an 8" diameter steel plate at 50 yards with the pistol. It has earned a well deserved retirement in the gun safe. While a Kimber Micro has assumed the role once covered by the Mustang, I do have a current production Mustang should the Kimber fail me.

I have a Glock 43. I just do not like Glocks. Nuff said.

P.S. I have a Beretta Model 84, another blow back action pistol. The pistol is larger than what is considered a "compatc" pistol and it handles the 380 ACP recoil well.

Another vote for the P365.

While the original request is for a single stack, the sig P365 is an off beat of the double stack and may be close to or as thin as several of the options being discussed. For me the trigger makes the pistol easy to shoot well. If not wanting the weight of 10 rds, just load fewer in it. The only change i made to mine was ditching the night sights, and replacing them with sig sites that brought the poi up.

sgt127 said:

I’ve owned a bunch. Still have a Kahr K9. It’s a very flat revolver with a great “DA” trigger. And, I can shoot a DA trigger.

Ounce for ounce, there’s nothing close to the Sig P365. As an old 1911 guy, I love the manual safety. It is, for all practical purposes, a cocked and locked pistol though.

View attachment 1196994

I made a 1911 extended safety for mine. It’s awesome…for me.

I threw all the options on a scale. For an 11 shot 9mm pistol, It was the winner.


But, I feel good carrying a Ruger SP101. So…

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I think this Hellcat comes close.

Armored farmer said:

I think this Hellcat comes close.View attachment 1197248

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The Hellcat is easy to hide and holds a lot of ammo. I love mine. I carry it and I picked up a Kimber R7 Mako recently. They are both very comfortable.

Alex Clayton said:

The really nice thing about so many states having CC law now is the market for compact pistols. There is so many now. The downside to asking on line is a ton of people have one they like but, it might not be what you like. So "best" choice? Find a range with rentals so you can test drive some. Failing that go to a shop or two and at least handle anything that looks like it would be to your liking. See how they feel, do they offer replaceable grips, sights, ect. Sadly a lot of people buy some gun because someone else likes it only with later wish they had made a different choice. Then they have to deal with re homing the first one. When I started to carry we had a handful of choices. Now its like a kid in a candy store we have so many.

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^^^^Best advice in the thread so far…

Explain what you prefer. Handle, rent, purchase.

Aside from that?

I currently carry a Ruger EC9s. I am completely satisfied with it in that role, and was truly surprised at the accuracy. But it has a manual safety which you said you didn’t want.

Before that I carried a Glock 43X. I like Glocks. ‘Nuff said.

Lol

Another pitch for the P365. Get the smallest version, a variety of gripframes are available...let's you adjust after the fact, if you don't get it just right the first time.
It can be had with or without a manual safety. Thickness wise, it's no thicker than many single stacks.
And, it's not hard to rack (I've arthur in my hands), nor is it hard to shoot.
Moon

Alex Clayton said:

The really nice thing about so many states having CC law now is the market for compact pistols. There is so many now. The downside to asking on line is a ton of people have one they like but, it might not be what you like. So "best" choice? Find a range with rentals so you can test drive some. Failing that go to a shop or two and at least handle anything that looks like it would be to your liking. See how they feel, do they offer replaceable grips, sights, ect. Sadly a lot of people buy some gun because someone else likes it only with later wish they had made a different choice. Then they have to deal with re homing the first one. When I started to carry we had a handful of choices. Now its like a kid in a candy store we have so many.

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Yep because on almost any forum you go to people seem to think what they own is the best in most cases...

sgt127 said:

Ounce for ounce, there’s nothing close to the Sig P365. As an old 1911 guy, I love the manual safety. It is, for all practical purposes, a cocked and locked pistol though.

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I'm a dyed in the wool 1911 guy as well, but will readily 2nd his praise for Sig's P365. I have the original version, the one w/o safety, and it's been a great carry piece for me over the past several years. Early reviewers often commented, "it shoots like a much larger, duty sized, auto". And I'd agree with that appraisal as well. All in all, it's the best concealed carry auto I've yet found. Plenty of capacity, good ergonomics for my size "L" paws, and superb accuracy due to it's great sights.

My only sort of negative comment would be that it's a bit on the heavy side for those who want to pocket carry with anything short of a jacket or parka. I'm a long time OWB carry guy, and find that the P365 is easy to dress around. Any long shirt tail/jacket/sport coat etc., will do nicely; but if your usual attire consists of a wife-beater t-shirt, Speedos & flip-flops, you might have a problem...

Like Sgt127, my other CC choice when in town or city is a Smith J-frame, M-60 with 135 gr Speer Gold Dots, (just so's you know how my thinking goes...)

Best regards, Rod....here's the gun, my usual carry rig and the OWB position I prefer.

Rodfac said:

I'm a dyed in the wool 1911 guy as well, but will readily 2nd his praise for Sig's P365.

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With just a little work. It feels like a baby 1911…even a safety you can shoot thumb high.

Another vote for the SIG P365. I pocket carry mine and it’s just fine in a Sticky holster in loose, stretchy jeans (Dad jeans) or cargo shorts. For anything else it’s IWB appendix carry. I even put a Shield RMSc red dot on it and that didn’t make it harder to conceal. I’ve been carrying a Glock 42 a lot lately as it’s just thinner and lighter enough to be a little easier, but I feel more comfortable with the increased power and capacity of the SIG. I also LOVE carrying my Colt Cobra (new version). It shoots like a Python and PPU 158 grain LSWCHPs come out of that thing at 850 fps.

I have XL+ size hands and body, so I can easily conceal big iron, and full-sized-ish handguns fit my hands best. Most tiny single-stacks designed for pocket carry just don't set my Jell-O.

But I have tried a couple of the little guns just for fun. And I've done a fair amount of work with Mrs. Luzyfuerza's EDC, a Shield EZ9.

I discovered that the EZ9's LOP and grip size is big enough for me to reliably form a firing grip on the draw, and I don't have to shift my grip to move my trigger finger in and out of the trigger guard. As a result, the grip safety has always worked perfectly for me and I don't have to reform my grip between shots.

And the EZ9's stock trigger and sights are very nice.

I scored a 98% with it on the "new" FBI qual. If I ever have to borrow her gun in a spicy situation, I can be confident that it'll do the job in my hands.



I've also shot my daughter's P365 a bit, but haven't run it through any quals yet. My first impression is that the P365 deserves all the good press it has received. I'll get a chance to really test it in my hands this summer. But I agree with others who have recommended that it be carried with a manual safety...that trigger is awfully short and light.



OP, my most important suggestion is that you look beyond just how the guns you're considering "carry", or how they shoot in slow fire.

Instead, test each one to see how it really performs, in your hands, in the activities that you might need in a real defensive encounter, like:

drawing from the holster,
shooting controlled pairs/triples, etc.,
at both the body and the head,
using two hands, plus dominant and non-dominant hand only,
at distances both near and far,
including an on-the-clock reload,
consistently activating any safety devices or levers,
against some kind of recognized time and accuracy standard.

The OP is a 1911 shooter so he likely has these skills already. But others may want to seek out some coaching here.

This is the only way I know of to be sure that I'm carrying a reliable gun that really works in my hands should something horrible occur and I desperately need it right now to save my life.

Riomouse911 said:

I hate my Glock 43.

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Riomouse911 said:

My Glock 43X MOS I love.

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I own the 43 and 43X (non-MOS), and don't I shoot one better than the other (that's on me).
The X gets the upper hand due to capacity, but it doesn't conceal as good as the other.

Walkalong.... If you're looking for a good practice load for your 365, you might try Missouri Bullet Co's 124 gr LSWC for the 9mm. I've had great success with that bullet over Unique, a cpl tenths below max with F-C brass and Fed primers. Seated to 1.110" OAL, my load is 4.5 gr but work up to it. It'll do right at an inch for ten shots at 10 yds from an unsupported Weaver Stance with my 77 yo eyes doing the sighting. It's a hellofa load in my gun, and as good as I can hold without a rest. I've not chrono'd that load but estimate it's ~1000 fps. And BTW, it's also my most accurate load in my Springfield SA-35 Hi Power.

It's become my standard auto carry piece over the last five years. I have ~1500+ rounds through it now with virtually zero malfunctions. The load above, a lead semi-wadcutter feeds just fine and doesn't lead the bbl. either. I do swirl lube this bullet with Lee liquid alox thinned 30% with mineral spirits and that's a partial reason for no-leading.

Best regards, Rod

InTheSwamp said:

I own the 43 and 43X (non-MOS), and don't I shoot one better than the other (that's on me).
The X gets the upper hand due to capacity, but it doesn't conceal as good as the other.

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Ya, the 43X and 48 have a great grip for my paws, they fit me perfectly.

The 43 hurts my trigger finger when I shoot it..

Stay safe.

Riomouse911 said:

Ya, the 43X and 48 have a great grip for my paws, they fit me perfectly.

The 43 hurts my trigger finger when I shoot it..

Stay safe.

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Small paws here, so that could make the difference.