My small 9mm search is over

[Adam5]

I'm trying to consolidate calibers and since my other pistols are 9mm I decided to replace my Walther PPK/S .380 that I normally carry with a small 9mm. I have looked online and this week handled some.

Over last few days, I have fondled just about every sub$500 compact that I could get my hands on. I have had 3 or 4 people tell me to stay away from my choice, but ALOT of people tell me that they have one and love it.

I decided to get a Taurus Millennium Pro 9mm. At 1.125" wide it's not much wider than my PPK/S at .98, yet slimmer than the Glock 26 at 1.3. It was a good fit in my hand for a small pistol, was comfortable, and balanced very nicely. As a bonus, it’s inexpensive enough to order a nice holster for and still have a little ammo money left over

Here are some personal thoughts and feelings that helped my come to my decision, although your mileage may vary.

S&W M&P Compact: Didn’t feel as good as my full size and felt a little off balance.

SA XD-9 Subcompact and Glock 26: Felt chunky and too wide for my tastes in a small pistol.

Kel-Tec (several models): Looked and felt cheap.

Bersa Thunder Compact 9: Felt like a cheap knockoff of my PPK/S (I know, it is one).

Kahr PM-9, P-9, and MK-9: Hard to say. They just felt odd to me and not comfortable.

Springfield EMP-9: I don’t have that much cash, but couldn’t resist. It did feel and balance nice though.

Stoeger Cougar 9mm: To big for what I’m looking for, might be a future mid-size purchase though.

CZ 2075P: Heavier than I’m looking for, but nice.



Sorry for the long post, but I thought that I would share.

Adam

 

[WuzYoungOnceToo]

My small 9mm search is over

Yeah, that's what she said!

:::rim-shot:::

Thank you. Thank you. I'll be here all week, with two shows on Saturday.

 

[SouthpawShootr]

Actually, I see the Millenium Pro as a decent choice. This line earned itself a bad reputation when the Millenium series first debuted. They've gotten better over time and the newer ones I would trust (after a complete wring out at the range). Since the PT111 and 145 are the same size gun, I opted for the .45ACP myself.

If you didn't get the gun, already, maybe you should take a second look at the M&P Compact. Try it with all backstraps included with the gun, see if that helps.

The Beretta PX4 Compact should be coming out soon (maybe, possibly, potentially).

There's also the Walther P99 compacts out there (as well as the new Walther PPS). You might be able to scrounge up a S&W SW99 Compact NIB or like new for a good price if you look around a bit.

 

[MICHAEL T]

"Bersa Thunder Compact 9: Felt like a cheap knockoff of my PPK/S (I know, it is one)."

No more a copy of a Walthers 99 Than a PPK/S. The Thunder is more like a PPK/S.
Hope you never need warrenty work They don't have the best rep..

 

[ArchAngelCD]

My son's only handgun other than a .22 is a Taurus PT-111 Pro. I bought it used for him and he's had it for about 18 months. We have put well over 3,500 rounds through it without a failure other than a few FTF with Speer Gold Dot ammo. Federal Hydra-Shok and Winchester Silvertip ammo works flawlessly. Remington UMC and Magtech FMJ ammo for practice works well too.

I agree with the others, you made a good choice. It's a reliable gun that doesn't break the bank. Now go out and shoot it, and shoot it a lot...

 

[MPanova]

Great choice!

If you should ever need warranty work don't worry you will be fine. There reps are knowledgeable and courteous as long as you are the same way to them.

 

[tinygnat219]

I was happy with my Mil Pro in .45ACP (PT 145), until I used +P ammo in it. Then, it had all kinds of issues.

DON'T FIRE +P ammo in it.

 

[oscarswanson]

I have both the pt111 and pt145.
Both are great guns for the money.
$325.00 each N.I.B.

 

[Thunderbear]

You missed the best one

 

[JAB]

I have a pt111 mil pro, its a good carry gun. Not my favorite to shoot for fun being a dao, but great for carry. no probs in the 2+ years ive had it.

 

[03Shadowbob]

Hopefully you won't find your recoil spring assembly coming out of your slide. I do like the ergos and grip of the PT series the best out of all guns (that's only my opinion). As far as wringing it out at the range first, I shot close to 1k rounds or better before my assembly failed. This guy from Taurus said he would be sending me a new one earlier this week (even though I have been told they are on backorder). Have not received it yet though. All in all though, I do believe they are good guns for the money as most run flawlessly.

 

[jsebens]

Glad to hear you found what you were looking for. I had the same problem recently, and decided to upgrade my Sig232 to the Walther PPS. Good to know I'm not the only one upgrading from 380...I trust the round, but it's just too expensive to practice with, and I trust 9mm more.

 

[rjohnson4405]

Oooh, I wanted you to get the 2075 and tell me all about it. I got my eye on a steel one, probably like carrying around a rock on your belt, but it's so pretty and just the right size for me.

 

[Roadwild17]

I had a lot of failure to fire problems with every type of ammo I could find. 3 months @ serive and the problem is gone.

 

[everallm]

Rjohnson,

I got the 2075 in polymer after swearing for years "I'll never go Tupperware".

Great pistol with a nice "pre-melted" feel to all the prominent edges.

Mine hated PMC 9mm FMJ but after break in now has no problems with FMJ, JHP or EFMJ although I still avoid the PMC. I had it's big brother, the SP-01 eat all that without problems.

3 things about my RAMI,

1. During shooting in it needed a goodly amount of lubrication, now just lube and wipe.
2. The "night sights" aren't, they are the type that need to be "charged" with ambient light and gradually fade without topping up. I moved around the problem with high visibility, high gloss white paint on the sights
3. I polished the feed ramp and smoothed the edges of all the magazines during the break in and that seems to have helped a lot.

The 10 round magazines are great for carry but the 14 are real comfortable for accurate shooting.

 

[Mr White]

You'll be happy with your Mil Pro. I have a 9mm MillenniumTI (Titanium slide, 10 rd mags) and other than hating the DAO trigger, its a good gun for its purpose, which is a CCW.

 

[outdoorman63]

i have the taurus and so does my wife "hers is titanium slide" and we like them

 

[.357 magnum]

Adam5

Actually Adam that is a very good choice. I still have my 24/7 PRO .45 acp and 9mm. I have owned two other 24/7 in the .40 caliber. Now that is Four 24/7's and never even one failure! [I had a couple of WWB with the .40 cal that did not go on the first strike, but on the second strike they both fired] I like the second strike capability. The Millennium Pro has a reputation now as being a reliable and accurate gun. As time goes by, if you maintenance the gun properly. I am sure it will serve you well. Take Care!

The Best to You and Yours!

Frank

 

[Storm]

Congrats Adam, you made a fine choice. All around I consider the PT MilPro series to be the state of the art for their class of weapon.

 

[Adam5]

Here are pics of the Mill Pro. I'll post a range report after I run a couple hundred rounds through it tomorrow.

I picked up a cheap nylon IWB holster for temp use. I normally use http://www.southernholsters.com, I love his Memohis IWB holsters. I just needed something to use for 4 weeks while they make me one.

 

[10-Ring]

In a small 9mm, I like the Kahr 9s, G26 & P2000sk but, the little guns are really polarizing guns w/ people that love'em or hate'em -- nothing in between.
It might come down to the one you shoot the best or the one that you can get the best deal on

 

[TNT.45]

The pro has multiple warnings in the manual to not shoot +P ammo. The newer ones are stronger in the corners where the original models were breaking. I love mine for bouncing around in my Jeep but the trigger takes some getting used too...or in other words it has a trigger not made for being accurate...lol

I have had only a few jams with my pro in 500 plus rounds through it. It has always went bang when I pulled the trigger the first time. For the price its hard to beat these small big-bores.

 

[PX15]

FWIW:

Not trying to be picky, but the Bersa Thunder 9 is actually a "knock-off" (more or less) of the fine, but expensive, Walther P88..

I have a P99/AS, P99c/AS and the BT9/UC and while the Bersa Thunder 9/uc is no Walther, it has been in my experience a very, very good 9mm pistol.. My BT9/UC has been poa/poi, 100% reliable right out of the box. The BT9/UC is approximately 1/2 the price of the Walther.

Best Wishes,

J. Pomeroy

 

[phaed]

i bought a taurus mllinium pro 745C. i had nothing but problems with it. brand new, but cleaned and lubed, i had about 1 in 10 failures to fire using any type of ammo, full time failures to feed when using HP, and failures to eject when using any type of ammo. it also failed to lock back on empty mags.

sent it back to the taurus. they replaced the firing pin, the barrel, then smoothed out the feeding ramp on the new barrel.

ran 40 or so rounds through it so i could have peace of mind, cleaned it, and sold it informing the buyer of its history.

it sucks, because it feels great in your hands, and has great dimensions for concealment. but, i'll never buy a taurus again...it seems they are cheap for a reason.

 

[camacho]

I decided to get a Taurus Millennium Pro 9mm.

About one year ago, I went through the same painful choosing of a small 9mm. I also, chose the PT111 Mil Pro for the reason of ergonomics. Don't regret the choice, I have fed this puppy with anything and it never failed. Great bang for the buck!