looking for a small 9

Ruger LCP is a .380

I've been very pleased with my Kahr CM9

I have shot the Kahr (wife owns one) and Ruger - held the Nano.

I like the Nano, but think that it is really top heavy.
The Ruger's trigger sucks - Just my opinion.
The Kahr is the lightest, smallest (I think) of the three and has a great trigger.

Go hold or shoot them if possible, but I'll take the PM/CM series from Kahr every day of the week.

YMMV

I voted LC9 it is the one i own and carry. Have had it over a year now and no problems, other then rear sight getting loose when I first got it. Lot of people says the trigger pull is very bad but I really hasn't notice that but then I have carried DA revolvers for off duty/back up for many years befoe I went to the ruger.

Be safe

When the Nano first came out, I compared it side by side with the Kahr. I didn't really care for the way the Nano felt in my hand, like it was a bit top heavy and the grip section was too flat on the sides. I wasn't really thrilled with the trigger pull either, feeling that it was somewhat long and a bit heavy.

The Kahr, on the other hand (please forgive the pun), felt much more natural and comfortable in my hand, like they got the grip angle just right. Sights came up quickly for easy alignment and the DAO trigger was very smooth and clean.

Kel Tec, myself, but I like Rugers. I picked the LC9.

I have CM9 and it is accurate and reliable. It fits its role quite well.

Of those the Kahr

Curious why you wouldn't consider the shield?

Hard choice. I've shot them all extensively and from this list would probably go with the LC9. My current favorite mini-9 is the Sig Sauer P938, but it is single action. Lately I've been carrying the Taurus "Slim" in Simply Rugged pancake...I like the way it shoots.

Michael B

Lots of love for the kahr here

Out of the ones you have listed i would go with the kahr

The Nano has no external slide stop lever. No doubt it does clean up the gun's profile, but hopefully you will never have to clear a "double feed" stoppage, or have only one hand free for sending the slide home after a reload.

Lots of love for the kahr here

Click to expand...

Yep. All my PM9 needed was a set of Talon Grips (thanks Hickok45) and a holster(s). The DAO is like a nice DA revolver, plus they hardly have any felt recoil and are accurate as all get out.

As always though, YMMV.

The Lone Haranguer said:

The Nano has no external slide stop lever. No doubt it does clean up the gun's profile, but hopefully you will never have to clear a "double feed" stoppage, or have only one hand free for sending the slide home after a reload.

Click to expand...

Ayep. This takes the Nano out of contention for me.

I checked those out and went with the S&W Shield instead. Of your choices I might go with the Kahr, For just a little more I would choose the SIG P938. I may even sell or trade the Shield for the SIG.

Walther PPS

M&P Shield. Excellent single stack 9.

Kahr gets my vote.

Tiny, looks alright (better than the others), and still shoots well. Plus, I'm partial to that Glockish trigger.

Never shot the Nano, but as has been mentioned before, the lack of a slide stop and feeling of the grip weren't what I consider comfortable considering the size. Also, The top-heaviness of the pistol felt a little awkward but I imagine that after loading up the magazine that would change.

Shot the Ruger simply out of respect. I've never had a bad experience with a Ruger except for a busted extractor in my P95 that the company quickly rectified. It felt decent in the hand and the size and "melt" really make it ideal for carry. However, I just couldn't get past the trigger. I didn't like the return, I didn't like the break, if you could call it that. It wasn't a bad handgun for the price, I just didn't care for it enough to drop $350 or so.

I liked the Kahr from the get go, except for the short frame. I have fairly wide hands, and average length fingers. I'm sure a Pearce grip would remedy the uncomfortability of the grip frame, but I loved the trigger and sights on a stainless pistol as small as these come. I ended up with the CW9 for a little more than a song and couldn't be happier. Like others have noted, it came out of the box with a better than average trigger and the only thing I would change is the size/shape of the trigger guard to accomodate a slightly larger finger. It really was almost a toss-up between the Kahr and the Ruger but the trigger made all the difference to me.

I would suggest looking at a Sig P290 also. Almost identical to the Nano and CM9 in size. Here are some pics for comparision

I love mine, Smaller than a LCR and a little bigger than the LCP. Big enough to shoot comfortably. Small enough to carry anywhere (It is actually fun to shoot) Mine has had zero issues. It is about as small as you would want a 9mm (IMHO) but heavy enough to control recoil , but it is in no way too heavy in my opinion. Feels very good in hand. Also comes with night sights, a (removable) laser and an extra 8rd mag all for under $500

These photos are with a Ruger LCR (.22lr but same size as a 357 LCR) and a Tuarus TCP 738 380acp.

It is a little bit smaller than the LCR and a little bit bigger than the TCP. The only major differences are the Sig is heavier than both and both are quite a bit wider than the TCP. But keep inmind the TCP is a 380.











This one is interesting to me. The TCP is on top of the P290

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