It does, indeed, depend upon the individual shooter, and upon the specific weapons. A Kahr K9 is an example of a pistol just a bit too small for me to shoot well, especially if I cannot get two hands on it to make the shots. I had thought the K9 might be the compact pistol to take the place of my SP101. In actual practice, the K9's trigger stroke begins, and ends, too close to my hand; the ergonomics were against me. I kept my SP101, and sold the K9.
I struggle to shoot "baby" Glocks as well as an SP101. My G27 was the next auto-loading candidate to displace my SP101. A G27 made plenty of sense, as I started using a G22 as a duty pistol in 2002. Well, the G27 was soon sold, and the SP101 stayed, soon joined by a second SP101, and then a third. (The third one has a happer spur, unlike my preceding two.)
Much later, about late 2015, I added a G26. It made sense, as I started carrying 9mm duty Glocks in 2015, shortly after my chief authorized 9mm to be an alternative to the .40 S&W for primary duty pistols. (I had switched to a P229 duty pistol in 2004, for better practical accuracy, but as I aged, sustained training with .40 Snap & Whip was becoming a bit much, and Gen4 Glocks fot me better than my earlier Gen3, therefore my somewhat-reluctant return to Glocks.) Time will tell whether the G26 will become the weapon that causes me to semi-retire the SP101 snub-guns. The G26 has, already, become my usual, established, concealed back-up handgun when on police patrol, but magazine compatibility with larger Glocks is a significant factor.
My LEO-ing being in its twilight, I am considering several single-stack 9mm autopistol candidates. The G43, in my hands, seems to be like the Kahrs, with a nice-feeling grip shape, but a trigger stroke that begins and ends too close to my hand, to be "natural" for me. I would have to train for a different trigger finger position, from beginning to end, to get a better result than I get with an SP101. I solve this too-close trigger-reach issue with the SP101 and J-Snubs by "more finger" on the trigger, and holding very high on the grip frame; these actions are "natural" for my hands. I have dry-fired a Walther PPS, which remains a leading contender for my next single-stack Nine purchase.
Another single-stack Nine I really like is the S&W Model 3953. The one I carried in the Nineties is now with a dear friend, who is now far away, so I would have to find myself another one, but I would be concerned with continuing support from S&W, and would have to verify that magazines are still available. (I see magazines as consumable items, needing replacement now and then.) The 3953 was a DAO variant of the 39-series Third-Generation pistols. They were never widely popular, but folks who have them tend to keep them.
In my case, other factors that work against single-stack Nines are compact double-stack pistols and single-stack .45 1911 pistols that are, usually, small enough to conceal. These are certainly not pocket guns, but then, I do not favor pocket carry, for autos, anyway; this is a niche really suited to concealed-/shrouded-hammer revolvers.
Last edited:
