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Compact 9mm

bowhunter1023

bowhunter1023

Owner/Operator
Staff member
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Appalachia
I'm in the market for a carry gun and will most likely be purchasing a 9mm. I've been looking around some, but was curious to see what you all are carrying along these lines. Or if you have any other suggestions, please throw them out. I'm really open to about anything at this point, just leaning towards what I am comfortable with...
 
I carry a Bersa Thunder .380. Great gun for the money.

I have been eyeing a Glock 19...

Buddy of mine just bought 2 Ruger SR9's. He hasn't shot one yet, but should be good guns.

I like the Bersa because the size, safeties and it was cheap enough that I don't worry about scratches or wear and tear.
 
jeremy44230 said:
I carry a Bersa Thunder .380. Great gun for the money.

I have been eyeing a Glock 19...

Buddy of mine just bought 2 Ruger SR9's. He hasn't shot one yet, but should be good guns.

I like the Bersa because the size, safeties and it was cheap enough that I don't worry about scratches or wear and tear.
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I second the Bersa .380, accurate little gun and have put a little over a hundred rounds through it with no problems yet..... It's actually the wifes but I like it too.... I added the Crimson lazer grips too it for her but man those things are sweet.....
 
Jesse said:
I'm in the market for a carry gun and will most likely be purchasing a 9mm. I've been looking around some, but was curious to see what you all are carrying along these lines. Or if you have any other suggestions, please throw them out. I'm really open to about anything at this point, just leaning towards what I am comfortable with...
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First go to a well stocked gunshop and hold as many different 9mms as you can. Figure out what feels good in your hand and what features you like or dislike about the different guns. Dry fire them to see what feels good that way. Next go to a good range and rent as many of the ones you liked from the gunstore as you can. Blackwing in Delaware has a lot of rental guns for a reasonable price, also check on here to see who may have what that would let you borrow or just meet you at a range to shoot. Figure out what you shoot well and what feels comfortable for you to shoot.

Then once you have that figured out you should be down to one or two firearms, figure out which you like best at the price point they are each at.

Dont' be TOO focused on the size and/or weight of a particular gun. With minimal effort on my part I can conceal a 1911 with just jeans and a tshirt and my wife rarely knows I have it on. A good holster and good belt designed to hold a gun's weight are also things to not save pennies on, especially if you are planning on wearing it regularly. You are also probably aware of Newton's laws, they still apply to pistols just like rifles/shotguns, the smaller the gun the less mass to absorb recoil so they smaller/lighter guns will be harder to hang onto and have more noticeable recoil which can make subsequent shots more challenging.
 
Suggestions to a particular gun I like may or may not work well for you. For example there are some pistols that my wife does not shoot well AT ALL including our former home defense pistol. Its because of where the trigger breaks and the force required at that point in the trigger pull makes her pull all the shots low and to the left. However the pistol she shoots well....lets just say I feel bad for the person who forces her to use her pistol.

Any of the well known brands will do well for you, just depends what you like and what you have shot before and liked.
 
I used to shoot a good bit back when I ran the Second Amendment Club at OU, but got out of it when I moved back home and started focusing on bowhunting. I have big hands, XXL style and rarely like the feel of smaller guns. However I am not looking for something to shoot in a pistol match, but something easy to carry and effective if/when I need it. For that reason alone, I may buy something that is less of a shooter and less comfortable to me for the benefit of being easy to carry. I wear jeans with western style boots or cargo shorts and that is about it. I would like to have something that will fit in my boot or the pocket of cargo shorts like a LCP or something along those lines.

Lots of choices thats for sure!
 
I had an lcp and the recoil sucked ass..way too light..trigger was average at best.
 
Kahr for me. Wish you were closer or would have taken me up on trying my rig on at the hunt.

Too each, his own especially in carry tastes. I went from Hi cap, 40cal to finally deciding on single stack 9MM but tried everything inbetween.

If I were to try something besides my Kahrs again it would be the S&W Shield or the XDS when theybhave them available in 9mm.
 
I concur with the LCP. TOO small for my hands. Felt like I was trying to hold onto a squirt gun. Not one of the cool/realistic ones either. I am talking the 3/99 cent squirt guns that we had as kids. lol

I still carry my Airweight mainly, but have a Kahr as well and do really like it.
 
LCP's suck.

I'd suggest a S&W MP sub-compact or S&W bodyguard (.380). The first also comes in a 'shield' single stack that I'd like to try.

Oh, and anything Beener says...man knows his guns.
 
Jesse, I went with the S&W M&P C last year. I think it was Charles that mentioned getting your hands on a good variety. That is the ticket IMO. For me, I liked how the M&P C fit my hand.
 
I carry a Glock 26 and Jessie carries a Walther pps (the pps thinner than my Glock). I looked at the M&P shield a number of times and really like it. I've come close to buying one a few times but I have a hard time seeing the need to purchase a new carry gun just because its 3/10's of an inch thinner than my Glock. The grip is also longer on the shield and it holds half the number of rounds. A new CCL handgun for me is a purchase I have put on the way back burner.
Im buying more magazines for my AR-15 (magpul p-mags) and Sig p229 & p226 first.
 
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Beentown said:
Kahr for me. Wish you were closer or would have taken me up on trying my rig on at the hunt.

Too each, his own especially in carry tastes. I went from Hi cap, 40cal to finally deciding on single stack 9MM but tried everything inbetween.

If I were to try something besides my Kahrs again it would be the S&W Shield or the XDS when theybhave them available in 9mm.
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I don't really know much about handguns, but I know if I were in the market for a carry piece the Springfield XDS would probably be the first gun I'd look at. I really like the entire XD line.
 
I carry a Glock 26 (9mm) and love it. Tough to beat 11 rounds in a carry gun this size. I shoot it well too so that's a big plus.

In winter I have no problem carrying it with my 15 round mags as well with a coat over top. Very versatile. Might not be the best looking gun out there but durable.

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