any opinions on build material and quality on compact pistols?

[Keven]

Hi, I am in the market for a 9mm compact carry pistol, and looking at p365, Hellcat, Ruger Max-9 and the M&P line (not sure what one maybe M2.0 or Shield PLUS). Out of these 4 what one might have better build quality or are they all using the same material and Metal injection molding (MIM)? I have handled all of these guns and would like to pick one over the other if I thought one had a quality advantage.

 

[whacko]

Hi, I am in the market for a 9mm compact carry pistol, and looking at p365, Hellcat, Ruger Max-9 and the M&P line (not sure what one maybe M2.0 or Shield PLUS). Out of these 4 what one might have better build quality or are they all using the same material and Metal injection molding (MIM)? I have handled all of these guns and would like to pick one over the other if I thought one had a quality advantage.

Of those 4 brands of semi auto compacts I'd say exclude the ruger......and I'm a ruger fan......their revolvers are excellent but there are better auto loading center fires out there. That's my 2 cents anyway.

 

[Wickedcoolname]

If I were in the market for one I'd probably buy a free state version of the Sig P365.
But I think I'll stick with my Glock 19. It's small enough to be concealed and big enough to handle well when shooting under stress.

 

[G4Y4HK]

Don't be poor. Get a H&K P30SK

 

[Tim_McD]

Obligatory “buy them all” post…carry on

 

[allen-1]

Shoot them all, see which one works best for you.

If that doesn't decide you, get the P365.
Or a Glock 43X.

 

[JDL]

M&P9c or Glock g19

 

[Marty McFly]

Oh man another one of these threads. Each is going to feel different. OP if you are near the cape I have most of those if you want to hold them and see what fits best.

 

[moojpg2]

I'm team G19 and P365. I carry a G19 75% of the time and a P365 the rest. Of your choices I'd go with a P365 or the new Shield Plus, they are both built to a professional standard and both companies stand behind their shit. Springfield Armory can go suck a fart outta my ass.

Buying a gun just because it "fits your hand" is BS in my opinion if you can shoot well you can pick up any pistol and shoot it about the same.

 

[Marty McFly]

I'm team G19 and P365. I carry a G19 75% of the time and a P365 the rest. Of your choices I'd go with a P365 or the new Shield Plus, they are both built to a professional standard and both companies stand behind their shit. Springfield Armory can go suck a fart outta my ass.

Buying a gun just because it "fits your hand" is BS in my opinion if you can shoot well you can pick up any pistol and shoot it about the same.

I agree on some points but the gun needs to be a comfortable carry. A 9c might be too big for someone. A bodyguard might be too small. It's important it doesn't become work. I have a few concealed carry size guns I won't carry because it It's work. And if it doesn't fit well it's harder to draw. I'm not saying the fit in your hand but fit for draw and target acquisition. Although I find hand fit to be important as I find smaller guns harder to hold on too. People stop carrying when it's work. That's why sometimes in the summer I have basketball shorts on and I throw a bodyguard in pocket. It's not ideal. But it's a hell of alot better than nothing. And not work for me. You need to be confident in what you carry

 

[MaverickNH]

Got My G19 Longslide and G43. I shoot them both well. But a P365 just feels right, carries well, and shoots great for me. Both the Glocks have RMRs, lights, aftermarket triggers, etc., but the P365 is OEM with Talon grip tape. Until Leupold comes out with a DeltaPoint Micro for the P365, it will be my deep carry pistol with no mods or extras.

 

[Keven]

Thanks for all the replies, I agree you cant go wrong with a Glock and S&W M&P's seem very well engineered too. But I did see an article where the Hellcat went 10k rounds with excellent results. But I do know that I do not want a large gun or a wide one for carry so this kinda rules out most Glock's in 9mm or any full sized one. I kinda like the p365 XL but these were all nice I thought as far as grip and feel, I will say the Ruger Max-9 pointed very nice also that stood out to me not sure if it was due to that awesome front site it has.

 

[Keven]

Oh man another one of these threads. Each is going to feel different. OP if you are near the cape I have most of those if you want to hold them and see what fits best.

yeah I am near that area where you located?

 

[Marty McFly]

yeah I am near that area where you located?

Falmouth. PM me

 

[Rick O'Shea]

Some buy two, so they don't wear out the model they carry with training,...

 

[weekendracer]

I'm team G19 and P365. I carry a G19 75% of the time and a P365 the rest. Of your choices I'd go with a P365 or the new Shield Plus, they are both built to a professional standard and both companies stand behind their shit. Springfield Armory can go suck a fart outta my ass.

Buying a gun just because it "fits your hand" is BS in my opinion if you can shoot well you can pick up any pistol and shoot it about the same.

Most people can't 'shoot well' though.

 

[weekendracer]

Some buy two, so they don't wear out the model they carry with training,...

I doubt most shooters will 'shoot out' a modern gun.

I put well over 10k rounds through a Glock in less than 5 months. I doubt anyone here is doing that consistently, yes, it was fun, no, I didn't pay for the ammo. There were no signs of wear other than holster scuffs and assorted wear on the outside.

 

[moojpg2]

Some buy two, so they don't wear out the model they carry with training,...

What's the old saying, two is one, one is none?

 

[moojpg2]

I doubt most shooters will 'shoot out' a modern gun.

I put well over 10k rounds through a Glock in less than 5 months. I doubt anyone here is doing that consistently, yes, it was fun, no, I didn't pay for the ammo. There were no signs of wear other than holster scuffs and assorted wear on the outside.

For me, it's more about redundancy and higher likelihood of small parts or spring breakages on a high round count pistol than physically wearing out major parts of the gun like the slide or frame.

 

[weekendracer]

For me, it's more about redundancy and higher likelihood of small parts or spring breakages on a high round count pistol than physically wearing out major parts of the gun like the slide or frame.

No doubt, but parts break. I carried my HnK for 15 years, never had a breakage.

At the academy, I saw guns break all the time. From almost brand new, to old guns, never a rhyme or reason. Hundreds or thousands of samples, so it makes sense. Buy multiple guns, sure. Change springs every so often, there's definitely PM you can do to a firearm. But unless you are carrying 2 guns all the time for this reason, it's not something I worry about. I 'worry' more about mag failures, but I generally don't carry a spare. I did carry spares post Ida.

 

[jkelly1229]

If I were in the market for one I'd probably buy a free state version of the Sig P365.
But I think I'll stick with my Glock 19. It's small enough to be concealed and big enough to handle well when shooting under stress.

Of that list the 365 is definitely the best option

But I'm with you I'll stick with a bigger gun

 

[ReluctantDecoy]

I don't think any of them are using metal injection molding on the slides or barrels. They're typically tooled slides and cold hammer forged barrels. Between those companies, finishes and tolerances are fairly similar to the point that I wouldn't let that be the determining factor in selection. You won't see any tool marks on any of those slides and their polymers are close enough. It would be about hand-fit and personal accuracy/recoil mitigation. And for that, it would be hands-on testing if possible.

 

[Varmint]

Of that list the 365 is definitely the best option

But I'm with you I'll stick with a bigger gun

That’s why I like the G43X, it’s G19 size but narrower, and in mass the 10 round capacity works well. I have a gen 5 G19 and a 17 round preban but not too thrilled to carry a 30 year old mag. The P365 feels more solid than the G43X, it’s feels really well made. But not sure that matters.

 

[jkelly1229]

That’s why I like the G43X, it’s G19 size but narrower, and in mass the 10 round capacity works well. I have a gen 5 G19 and a 17 round preban but not too thrilled to carry a 30 year old mag. The P365 feels more solid than the G43X, it’s feels really well made. But not sure that matters.

Im not sure what your other hobbies are but i golf.

I bought a set of titileist irons because when you hit a shot pure its the best feeling golf shot you hit. I've played about 100 rounds with them and I'm still amazed.

There is definitely something to the well built feeling. You just have more confidence in what your doing. And with more confidence you usually perform better.

My 2 cents

As far as 43x's. Idk i tried ccw roulette for a while . But nothing was the right size for me. I like full size grips so i like full size guns.

Id always go micro 9... shoot it practice not feel confident i could get it out in an emergency

Then sub compact...feel like I'm being ninja kicked in the hand.

Compact... ok i can draw fast and aim well and accurately but not as well as i could with a full size and my hand is too big

Damnit just carry a 17 and be done with it

 

[PATRON]

I like the Ruger LC9s just the right size to fit any where, and still uses the 9mm.

 

[Mark from MA]

Out of those 4. Probably very similar build quality. All reputable companies. Shoot them all and go with what fits and what you shoot best.

My smallest 9 is a Taurus G3C. Extremely Reliable and very reasonable cost and I shoot it well. However I dont carry it that much its for when I need a very light no print piece only. One reason I didnt go high end on a small 9. The other is I love the ergonomic and its 100 percent reliable for me. It also has a good rep even though its a Taurus.

Buy whatever you want but
Like someone else said, small pistols are harder to shoot and grab out of the holster. I carry the G32 mostly or the G22 or G17 when I feel like owb ing it. I carry that small 9 very infrequently

 

[kalash]

I wouldn't buy Springfield or S&W, personally. As much as I like Ruger overall, I tend to dislike the ergonomics of they're semi-auto handguns. No feedback on the Sig. Do try Glock.

Don't be poor. Get a H&K P30SK

If the trigger on that is the same as on the P2000SK, no thanks.

 

[G4Y4HK]

I wouldn't buy Springfield or S&W, personally. As much as I like Ruger overall, I tend to dislike the ergonomics of they're semi-auto handguns. No feedback on the Sig. Do try Glock.



If the trigger on that is the same as on the P2000SK, no thanks.

Valid. My Sig with the SRT or even my 92FS are smoother and 'better' at the range, but for carry, I'd always go for my little HK No Compromise plastic fantastic.

 

[drgrant]

Buying a gun just because it "fits your hand" is BS in my opinion if you can shoot well you can pick up any pistol and shoot it about the same.

Lol, no, it's not, ergos are a big deal. Its easier to shoot better if you don't have to constantly fight an ergonomic deficiency of a given gun.

Would you buy a car that had seats that don't fit your body well? Guns that are annoying or ergo disasters don't promote use and training.

 

[CRSIII]

Lol, no, it's not, ergos are a big deal. Its easier to shoot better if you don't have to constantly fight an ergonomic deficiency of a given gun.

And that’s why;