Need help in choosing a 9mm

What should I get? ......

The "what should I buy"? topics come up on gun forums often.
There are a few basics to cover;

What budget or price range do you need? $300, $400, $600? Etc.
What skill training or background do you have? Can you handle or shoot a semi auto 9x19mm pistol? Load, unload, field strip, etc.
Do you want ambi controls? Shoot left handed? Some 9mm pistols work better than others.
Do you want and need a DA only or no single action format? Some say DA only models are safer and reduce the risk or fake claims of cocked hammers/unsafe acts.
Would you buy a LE trade in or used semi auto 9mm pistol?
Many police trade ins are good values and easy to upgrade or improve. New springs, new barrels, new magazines, etc.

Many forum members will list different models/brands.
In short,
Id look at; M&P full or compact size, M&P Shield no thumb safety, SIG P320, SIG P226R or P229R, Glock 19 9mm, S-A XDm, Beretta PX4 Storm, Ruger SR9 full or compact, Bersa Concealed Carry 9mm, Walther PPQ m2, Beretta M9/92FS, S&W 5906/3906/5946(3rd gen).

A little more spendy but well worth it are the H&K P2000 and the H&K P30. As someone else mentioned if you aren't looking for hi cap or new you can't beat the Sig P6's.

Glock 26. My absolute favorite pistol.

...Nice surplus P6's are still showing up for around $400.

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Where is this? I paid $319.00 for my West German Police surplus model PP6/P225 about 6 years ago, but I haven't seen prices this low in at least that long. I should have bought a second one for this price. Decent ones are more than twice that price now.

S&W Shield followed by Ruger LC9S.

Not a Glock fan, but....

I don't even have one or am not a big fan of Glocks in general, but it is hard to argue with the 19 or 26 for CCW. I have a 23 and when I lived in Illinois and was able to carry for about the 6 months I was there, i carried a SW Snub or the 23. 23 made me feel really good, safe and capable.

G19

Shoot. Buy two, one for each hand.

My vote goes to the CZ75D PCR too. Love mine.

brj3car said:

Thanks for all of the responses everybody. A lot of good suggestions listed here.

I’ve carried a G19 and a P99 OWB but about a year ago decided to carry IWB. Since then I’ve been looking for something slimmer that would lend itself more to IWB.

I’m currently carrying an XDS .45 3.3” but would rather have the added mag capacity and ammo affordability that a 9mm would provide.

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Slimmer and added magazine capacity don't go together.

Glock 19 is already one of the best sized 15 round double stack pistols you will find for CCW.

Not sure what holster you are using for IWB but hybrid holsters like the Aliengear 2.0 can be very comfortable for CCW. A good gun belt can also increase CCW comfort. I use a Beltman belt.

For a slim 9MM pistol my choice is the Walther PPS. It can hold up to 8 rounds in a magazine. The SW Shield can do the same but I prefer the Walther PPS over it having shot both.

I was fairly recently in this same boat. Also came here to help decide.

I was able to try a few out to see what I liked, and I'd definitely recommend you do the same if you can. It's also been suggested here to identify the features/setups you're interested in, also great advice.

I settled on the HK VP9 as my first pistol. I found it to fill all the same categories you're looking at as far as shooting nice and being reasonable to carry. I've raved about it a few times here. It sits in your hand and points well, has a very respectable trigger with a good break and reset, recoils light, and is accurate. It's not small, but also not big, not light, but not heavy either. I intend to change the sights and absolutely nothing else.

The others I tried were the S&W M&P9, Beretta 92fs, Ruger SR9, Glock 19, HK USP. I can blow through my perceptions of those real quick if it might help:

M&P9: Comfy, light recoil, TERRIBLE trigger

Beretta 92fs: Big and heavy but fun to shoot. The one I tried jammed a lot, but I don't think you could blame it. Probably hadn't been cleaned... ever.

Ruger SR9: Liked this a lot. Shot very well with it. I honestly think I passed it up mostly because the VP9 looks cooler.

Glock 19: Shot ok, but I found it to be very uncomfortable. I have larger hands with long fingers and they couldn't find a place to be. Slightly stiffer recoil than the others but not unpleasant or tough to control.

HK USP (in 9mm): Dreams were shattered. Video games lied to me. It's huge, and I didn't find that it pointed very well. It also jammed on me, but again I chalk this up to the range letting nine billion rounds go through it without maintenance.

Snowblind said:

Ruger SR9: Liked this a lot. Shot very well with it.

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Also, slimmer than a few single stacks (Sig 239 comes to mind).

1) Glock 19
2) Ruger SR9c
3) CZ P01
4) S&W M&P Compact
5) SA XDm Compact
6) Beretta PX Storm Compact

the best all-around 9mm in regards to capacity, ease of carry and conceal,
and easy to shoot.

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more capacity=big gun
ease of carry/conceal=small gun
easy to shoot=big gun

Listen to the people suggesting handling and hopefully shooting a large variety of choices. If it feels good you will shoot more accurately. If it looks good you will shoot more often. If it carries good you will carry more frequently.

In a related ease of carry detail, personally, I invested in a thick and stiff gun belt from Jim The Beltman, and that lone detail made carrying a bigger gun much more comfortable. And it also stopped the weekly buy another holster habit.

I have owned and carried my CZ-75D PCR for fifteen years. It is one of the finest all around 9MM's on the market. Concealable, but great for the range, and home defense. It is as accurate as my full size 75B, and only holds a few less rounds.

My choices for carry is the Glock 19, 26 and the Walther PPS 9mm which I plan to buy soon.

Laura

Small - Ruger LC9s
Medium - S&W M&P9c
Large - Glock 17

S&W Shield

In my humble opinion, backed up by plenty of testing, these are my favorites for "mid-size" carry (aka, ~15 rds)

1. Sig P320 Carry
2. Glock 19

I used to carry the G19, but I'm transitioning to the Sig. Probably one of the best Striker triggers out there.

Thanks for all of the responses everybody. A lot of good suggestions listed here.

I’ve carried a G19 and a P99 OWB but about a year ago decided to carry IWB. Since then I’ve been looking for something slimmer that would lend itself more to IWB.

I’m currently carrying an XDS .45 3.3” but would rather have the added mag capacity and ammo affordability that a 9mm would provide.

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The Bersa BP9cc should serve you really well. As always, check one out and see how it feels.

If you have XDS.45 with 3.3" barreled and are comfortable with the gun, Springfield has added XDS 9mm with 4" barrel and 8+1 capacity. If you don't like your Springer then you have many already suggested. Just find one that feels right

Glock 19, 26 and 17, Ruger's SR9, SR9c, LC9s and LC9s Pro, the Springfields, the Smiths, the Sigs, the Berettas and a new favorite of mine the CZ75. The CZ is a bit heavy but recoil is soft and it's been flawless through roughly 400 rounds.

Budget?
Capacity?
Size?
Weight?
Slide Safety?
Polymer or metal?
Barrel Length?
Without some idea of these you are going to get everyones favorite gun.

Well, it depends on what you want. Small, easy-to-shoot and powerful...pick any two! A few examples to get my point across:

1. Derringer in .45 LC - small and powerful but a beast to shoot.
2. HK Mk23- powerful and easy to shoot but enormous.
3. Beretta Bobcat in .22 cal - small and easy to shoot but very little power

The trick is find the sweet spot along the size and power spectrum. Enough power but be effective but not too much to manage. Small enough to conceal well but large enough to get a good firing grip. Ultimately it will be a compromise.

As others have said it will come down to what you prefer, what fits your hand and how you plan to train. But don't be too quick to judgement either. If something doesn't knock your socks off the first time you shoot it that doesn't mean you can't learn to use it well. So often new handgunners are told to find that gun that "feels like an extension of your hand". But what does that matter, really? After a few thousand rounds through a gun it will feel natural in your hand! It's kind of ridiculous to ask an inexperienced shooter to make an important decision when they have no experience to go on! I realize the OP isn't completely inexperienced, just making an observation that's general to the topic.

If concealment is a high priority the Beretta Nano, Ruger LC9S, Walther PPS, S&W Shield and Bersa BP9CC would all be good options. They're all under an inch thick and single stack, all chambered 9mm. I carry a Nano IWB quite a bit. I find it pretty easy to shoot well with any ammo and mine has been very reliable. All of these guns are in the 7-8 round capacity range (+1 of course).

If you are willing to sacrifice a bit of concealability in exchange for more capability then the HK P2000, VP9 or P30 are great options. So is the PPQ. While I don't like Glocks and don't own one anymore I'd say the G19 is a great choice if you don't mind Glocks.

I routinely carry a P30 or VP9 so it's not impossible to CCW a gun that size.

I want to say Glock 19, but lately I'm having more love for the 26.

It's pretty hard to go wrong either way.