Thinking about a single stack 9mm or .40S&W

[roo_ster]

Compact 1911 in 9mm

The smaller & lighter the weapon, the greater the perceived recoil. Given that, I think I'd go 9mm in a small auto for CCW for a new(er) or small(er) shooter. I own some seriously small CCWs in .357mag, 9mm, .40S&W, and .45ACP. NONE are appropriate for new(er) shooters other than the 9mm.
* Taurus 651 Total Ti snubby .357mag
* Kel-tec P40 .40S&W
* AMT DAO Backup .45ACP
* Springfield Armory Ultra Compact (1911) 9mm (actually, my wife's)

My wife was a new shooter when we met, but took to the 1911 platform like a duck to water. All other platforms had issues. At 5', > 100lbs, she has small hands and little mass to soak up recoil. The 9mm round allows here to carry her favored platform (1911) in a small enough for CCW package.

STI also produces a compact 1911-style pistol in 9mm:
http://www.stiguns.com/guns/ls/ls.html

This guy has an auction on one:
http://gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.asp?Item=47068472

 

[Daniel T]

To almost echo jfruser, STI also makes a .40S&W 1911 in an Officer's-sized package, and Gunbroker has one up for auction: http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.asp?Item=46809526

Looks like a beauty too.

 

[Black Majik]

SIG P225

 

[ARTiger]

S&W 908S

Real thin, 24oz empty. DAO with a decent trigger

 

[klover]

239 +1

try it, you'll like it.
There was a time when I would cringe to pay a higher price.
Ran into a couple of good deals. Now I would happily pay the premium price for a Sig (although there are good deals to be had here and there).
Put skate board tape on the grip.

 

[chaim]

I think I've made up my mind for now (I'll probably eventually own most of the guns on that list). I've got a bid in on a Kahr K9 and I'm the high bidder. If I lose that auction I will definately go for another Kahr unless I come across an unbeatable deal on one of the others. It seems to me that all I'm considering are good guns, but the SIG and Kahr are by far the top of the heap and the Kahr is so much more affordable than the SIG (not that the Kahr is cheap, even used). Though, if I lose this auction I may actually go with another catagory altogether for right now (I really want to get a Taurus Tracker in .41mag to go with my S&W 57, and also I'm about to finally get my .41mag reloading dies- we're coming up on camping season), but the Kahr will be added soon (probably before the end of May).

 

[ugaarguy]

Chaim,

I've been looking for a small carry gun myself of late. I was interested in the SIG P239 until I saw that it's 1.2" wide. On the other hand Glocks (9mm, 40 S&W, 357 SIG frames) are 1.18" wide, Taurus PT-111 Millenium Pro is 1.125" wide, and Kahr list the P9 & CW9 at .90" wide at the slide. I didn't know about Gaston Glock's political connections - its really disturbing actually. That info is making me lean toward a Kahr or Taurus. After some other Highroaders posted the link I like the prices I've seen from www.budgunshop.com. If you want a used Glock 19 www.kyimports.com has them at pretty good prices from what I've seen.

 

[chaim]

Hmm, I lost the Kahr. Someone has bid it up about 10% higher than my high bid and several bucks above the highest I may be willing to adjust. So, I won't be getting that one. There was another Kahr that was a bit more expensive but in much better condition that I was considering that someone else got also. There are a few decent ones on there right now, but most are a bit more than I'd like to spend right now (but I might anyway).

I also lost the Tracker in .41mag I was going to get as a second choice. Someone bid on it at the last moment. If I hadn't had the high bid on the Kahr when the sabbath began I would have bid on it. I was hoping that if I lost the Kahr no one would have bid on this gun and it would have been relisted. No such luck. Someone bid on it at the last minute during the sabbath. There are no other used .41mag Trackers online right now (and it has to be used since I need the factory fired shell casing on new guns since I live in MD).

I inquired at a local dealer what they want for new Kahrs and it is way too high (over $700 and I just don't have that right now).

So, I'll be looking out for good used Kahrs but there is nothing on the horizon at the moment.

I also got to thinking (while handling my PT140 Milennium Pro)...The Milennium Pros are pretty narrow despite being double stacks (more narrow than my .45ACP single stack Ruger KP345 or my 1911). While the .40S&W version may be a bit heavy in recoil for some shooters (and thus not best for an introductory gun) the 9mm is probably a pussycat. It would also be a heck of a lot less money than the other guns I'm considering, and since 9mm is cheaper to shoot than .40 it would be a cheaper gun to practice with than my PT140 but otherwise it is the same gun (ie. more practice that would easily transfer over to the PT140 I often use for HD and carry much of the time when I'm out of state in a state that allows CCW). So, maybe I should consider the PT111?

 

[Zen21Tao]

My Sig 239

I'd very much like a smallish single stack on a 9mm/.40S&W sized frame.

I have a Sig P239 in .40 S&W that I use for CCW and I absolutely love it. It is very accurate right out of the box, very dependable, and were comfortable to wear concealed. Also keep in mind that with the .40 you can also get a drop in .357Sig barrel as well.

Here is my CCW collection (far left to right... Glock 29 10mm, AMT Backup .45 acp, Sig P239 .40 S&W):

 

[LeonCarr]

chaim,

I did not know about that either. Thank you for that information.

Just my .02,
LeonCarr