Looking for a small 9mm

[81aggie]

I'll also recommend the Sig P938. A bit longer than the P238 (about 1/2 inch IIRC) but I think height and width are the same. Feels nice in the hand, shoots well, recoil is surprisingly manageable for a 9mm of this size and very easy to conceal. Love mine.

[surprise_i'm_armed]

OP asbandr:

You may wish to update your forum profile with your hometown so that others in
your area will know that you are neighbors, each time you post.

That way they can recommend local ranges, gunshops, and meetups that will be
of benefit to multiple parties.

'Til then - where do you live? Either city/town, or at least a region.

TIA / SIA

[asbandr]

I'm near Houston. I'll update when I can later. Anyhow, I've shot the p238 but wasn't sure about it. May give it another try. I'm also considering getting a kel tec p32 solely for thigh carry when I have no where to out the sig. The sig is just too heavy.

[Syntyr]

Jumping in with another relevant question. Thanks to the OP. Does any one carry the Beretta Nano?

Thanks

[TexasCajun]

Jumping in with another relevant question. Thanks to the OP. Does any one carry the Beretta Nano?

Thanks

I carry a Nano every day. It conceals rally well & I don't sacrifice much capacity since it's a single stack. I use the 8 round magazines for a better grip.

[Jaguar]

My EDC is a Kahr K9 I picked up in the great NYPD sell off of Kahrs in 2012. The K line (K9 & K40) are the all steel line and they are great little guns (as is the T line, but those are larger). I picked it up a couple years ago, replaced the recoil and striker springs and added wood grips and it has been rock solid. I have shot lots of different ammo and it has not failed in any manner. The recoil spring is a bear, but I can manipulate it easily enough, the trigger is long but manageable.

I had a P40 from Kahr, and although it is a fine pistol the recoil was just too snappy for me. At 1.5 lbs. the K series makes recoil manageable. I considered going to the K40, but the K9 were readily available at the time. Mine shows some signs of wear, but no signs of wearing out.

[Songbird]

Another vote for the Walther PPS. Love mine.

[Grapevinebill]

I have owned 3 compact 9's and liked them all. I have had the S&W Shield, the Ruger LC9 and the Beretta Nano. Of all I liked the Nano the best and it is my EDC. The Ruger had problems and i had to send it back for repair and I liked the trigger better on the Nano than the Shield. Once the Ruger was returned (great customer service by the way) it was 100% though so I would have no problem with either of the 3. Good luck!

[Marty8613]

DB9.. bought one for the wife. Love it....

[kg5ie]

Try the Ruger SR9c too. Excellent little 9mm.

[Diesel42]

What Jaguar says, x2.
I like my K9 a lot.
Nick

My EDC is a Kahr K9 I picked up in the great NYPD sell off of Kahrs in 2012. The K line (K9 & K40) are the all steel line and they are great little guns (as is the T line, but those are larger). I picked it up a couple years ago, replaced the recoil and striker springs and added wood grips and it has been rock solid. I have shot lots of different ammo and it has not failed in any manner. The recoil spring is a bear, but I can manipulate it easily enough, the trigger is long but manageable.

I had a P40 from Kahr, and although it is a fine pistol the recoil was just too snappy for me. At 1.5 lbs. the K series makes recoil manageable. I considered going to the K40, but the K9 were readily available at the time. Mine shows some signs of wear, but no signs of wearing out.

[chocolate bayou]

I don't know your budget, but I have 3" colt Defender with stainless slide and alloy body.you don't even know you're carrying sometimes. I like metal guns with hammers carried cocked and loaded. I've haven't bought a gun with a polymer frame in a while.

[The Annoyed Man]

I have and occasionally carry a Kahr PM9, and my wife's EDC is a Kahr CW9. The CW is the same width as the PM, but it has a longer grip (with additional capacity) and a .5" longer barrel and slide assembly. Both are extremely reliable, with the CW (and CM) line of guns being Kahr's lower cost alternative to the PM line. The differences are mostly cosmetic, and the guns are mechanically identical. The PM9 is absolutely pocketable. It is quite tiny. The CW9 is at the very upper end of pocketable.

Recoil on both guns is what I would call stout, but nowhere near painful. Shooting the smaller PM9 feels to me much like shooting the 3" Kimber I used to own......in other words, not THAT big of a deal, and certainly easier than shooting my scandium-framed .357 snubbie. Accuracy for either Kahr is more than acceptable for a self-defense handgun, and so far, both guns have been dead nuts reliable.

Pricewise, a brand new PM9 is a very expensive gun for what you get (MSRP $958 for the black Melonite-coated slide with night sights like mine), but you can pick up a functionally identical CM9 of the same size for $399 or less.

However, it is worth noting that I also own an XDS-45, which I can also pocket carry when I want to, and it is my EDC. It is a much "nicer" gun than either of the Kahrs from a cosmetics/fit/finish perspective, and it also appears to be much more solidly made. I only carry the PM9 when I really need the gun to disappear.

I have not shot the XDS-9, 9mm Shield, or a Nano yet, so I am not qualified to comment on those. Whatever other qualities the P938 may possess, I think that its larger size puts it mostly outside of the pocket gun category, being more similar in size to the CW9 Kahr. Plus, I'm not one to pocket carry any pistol which has to be carried cocked and locked. There's just too much that can go wrong. However, if you intend only to holster carry, then this one becomes a viable choice.

[stavos]

I've currently got a Sig P238 which I love, but I'm kind of wanting a 9mm. I want something small and light enough for edc.

My EDC is a Glock 26. It's small enough to conceal easily and can use full size magazines as reloads if things go sideways.

[rentz]

i'll throw in my two cents based on experience.

I have a Kahr PM9 and a Shield 9 and I probably will never get rid of either one. The PM9 is easy to throw into a pocket holster and go, it's got a really stout recoil and a heavy but smooth trigger pull though the reset is kinda long on it.
The PM9 is a bit on the pricey side, mine's the black diamond coated version with night sites. Think I paid 650 but they are going for more than that now.

The shield is super slim but a little large for pocket carry IMO, but I find it very very easy to shoot. I'm more accurate with a shield than I am some full sized pistols.

To me when all things are considered and price is factored in I don't think the shield can be beat, they can be found for under $450.