Suggestions wanted: Single stack 9mm for EDC

dcmdon said:
Just to clarify for Varmint.

Kahr K(X) = Metal frame
Kahr P(x) = Polymer.

The K9 is a great shooting gun but its heavy. I used to have one that was tuned up by Wilson. But when the polymer guns came out I sold my steel Kahr.

The Polymer guns are lighter and slimmer. A K9 weighs 3 oz more than a Glock 19 and the grip is almost as fat. So for me the polymer Kahrs are the way to go for carry. But thats just me.

M1911 being a . . . 1911 kind of guy, probably prefers a steel frame.

I'm a wuss when it comes to carry weight. I don't really care about printing. So I don't care about the size of a gun. Its the weight that matters to me.

Don

p.s. Whenever I look at a carry gun, I always come back to the G19 for comparison. Often, when I am getting a desire to carry some kind of esoteric expensive gun, I come back to the G19, old faithful. Often the expensive exotic in question is heavier and carries much less ammunition than the G19.

For example, a couple of years ago, I was intrigued by the Springfield XDS. Then when looking at it, I realized that its empty weight was about the same as a G19. Yes, it is smaller than the glock.

But I already had the P9, which was thinner than the XDs and quite a bit lighter.

I guess what I'm trying to say is the P9 and a G19 (with a pre-ban mag) are a good combination. Ha.
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Interesting thanks. Even though my restriction won't lift for 6 years, I want to get started on getting experience carrying to the range in case (a) the state or town loses to Comm2a regarding restrictions, or (b) the world goes to crap and I need to start carrying, but probably still don't want to open carry even if it's a post-apocalypse situation. :)
 
Varmint said:
Interesting thanks. Even though my restriction won't lift for 6 years, I want to get started on getting experience carrying to the range in case (a) the state or town loses to Comm2a regarding restrictions, or (b) the world goes to crap and I need to start carrying, but probably still don't want to open carry even if it's a post-apocalypse situation. :)
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Post apocalypse I'm open carrying everywhere. Even to bed. No need to conceal from the zombies...
 
Sig P6/P225 is a great gun. Not too big, fits in the hand. If you get a P6 prepare to replace the hammer spring and get the feed ramp ground to work with hollowpoints, if that's your thing.

They're on the list so an FFL can bring them in. They were about $300 four years ago, but now closer to $500 from what I can find.
 
From a price point, it is hard to beat the Shield but you will want to do a trigger job to make it better than tolerable to shoot. Very slim, fits a lot of hand sizes, a bit slick if wet but if that is a big problem, I use a good grade of anti-slip tape in vital areas for a cheap fix or stippling on the higher end. If budget is not a concern as much, I have a Dan Wesson ECO in 9mm that I love. Fit and finish is remarkable, Commander frame is small enough to conceal. I have had the SA XDS in .45 and find the grips to be way to aggressive to do any "real" shooting with. Hope this helps and good luck on your search.
 
I carry a 3914TSW (pre rail) IWB and it's very comfortable. Unfortunately, it's also incredibly scarce even in free states. The CS9 is also nice, but also not easy to come by. The regular 3913 is also a good choice, and you do see them from time to time in MA. I carried one of those for a while as well. They are accurate and reliable and built like a brick outhouse. The Sig P239 is designed along the same lines, except a lot of people like the decocker better than the one on the 3913.

The one big draw back of the 3913 is that S&W support for parts is iffy right now. There is debate over at the S&W forum whether or not S&W has discontinued support. At best, there are long waits for parts and there are more and more parts that Smith has decided are "gun smith only" items and will not sell to end users. The good news is that the only parts that need to be changed routinely are recoil and magazine springs. You can still get recoil springs from Brownells, but for magazine springs the best source seems to be Wolff.

Someone mentioned the SCCY and I was impressed with the ones I saw at the NRA show. I don't expect we'll ever see them in MA, but if that's not an issue, you can probably find them.
 
M1911 said:
No. The trigger is the same as the free state trigger. They have a small, unobtrusive safety that can be turned off and then ignored.

Also, free state used Kahr K9s can be easy found.
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I think the mass PM9 with the saftey actually has the "enhanced" trigger, which is better trigger than the free state version. At least mine does. Most of the pm9 reviews complain about the long pull, but mine is similar to my "free state" glocks, maybe ever so slightly shorter and about the same weight.
 
mjp said:
I think the mass PM9 with the saftey actually has the "enhanced" trigger, which is better trigger than the free state version. At least mine does. Most of the pm9 reviews complain about the long pull, but mine is similar to my "free state" glocks, maybe ever so slightly shorter and about the same weight.
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I also have the mass version and the trigger is amazing. It actually takes some getting used to because the gun fires much sooner than you expect it to. IMHO if you ignore the useless safety, this is the best EDC gun in mass.
 
MarkT said:
I also have the mass version and the trigger is amazing. It actually takes some getting used to because the gun fires much sooner than you expect it to. IMHO if you ignore the useless safety, this is the best EDC gun in mass.
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Here's the problem with that plan. The safety can inadvertently be switched on. That means that you need to train to turn the safety off with every draw. To do anything less is to leave way too much up to chance.

The answer might be as simple as a little epoxy on the safety or the removal of a part. But either way. If the gun has a safety, you shouldn't "ignore" it.

I use Ruger SR9s in my NRA Basic Pistol Class. The full sized gun is a perfect example of a BAD striker fired trigger. The SR9 Compact is a perfect example of a GREAT striker fired trigger. (Why that is, is a topic for another conversation.) With both cases, I draw attention to the safety and explain why what I just said above.

Then I bring out a Glock 17 and we talk about the differences.

Its an interesting discussion because I feel that if you are going to put a safety on a gun you should make it easy to use, like a 1911s or M&P. The versions of the M&P line with thumb safeties are very well done.

(Question to the group - Do the M&Ps sold in MA that have the thumb safety have a better trigger?)

Either way, if its got a safety and you intend to carry with it, you should practice using it. That means that every time the gun comes up from low ready or out of a holster, the safety should be on and you should practice swiping it off.

Don
 
dcmdon said:
Here's the problem with that plan. The safety can inadvertently be switched on. That means that you need to train to turn the safety off with every draw. To do anything less is to leave way too much up to chance...

Don
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I understand your point, but have you ever handled this firearm? There is no way that you are going to inadvertantly switch on or off the safety. Its as stiff as they come.

-Mark
 
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MarkT said:
I understand your point, but have you ever handled this firearm? There is no way that you are going to inadvertantly switch on or off the safety. Its as stiff as they come.

-Mark
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I haven't. I've owned 6 kahrs in my life but never one with the safety.

Even still. The whole reason for carrying a gun is to defend against a once in a lifetime encounter. Why roll the dice on even a 1 in 10,000 chance.

I'm not saying you necessarily need to carry it with the safety on. Just train yourself to swipe it off regardless of where it actually is.

I do speak from experience here. I compete with both Glocks and 1911s. About once a year, I draw, come up and forget to turn off the safety on the 1911. For that reason I won't carry one. I don't trust myself. Anyway, I'm not looking to argue. Its just a point to consider. You could always come up with a way to fix it in place.

Don
 
mjp said:
I think the mass PM9 with the saftey actually has the "enhanced" trigger, which is better trigger than the free state version. At least mine does. Most of the pm9 reviews complain about the long pull, but mine is similar to my "free state" glocks, maybe ever so slightly shorter and about the same weight.
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It's the elite trigger, which is in their higher end models in all states. It has a 1/4" shorter pull than their original trigger. All 4 of my Kahrs have the elite trigger.
 
can you get an elite trigger in a polymer gun?

I had 2 steel Kahrs prior to getting the polymer guns. One was the K9 Wilson Custom, the other was the K9 Elite. Both had noticeably nicer triggers than the P9.

Don
 
dcmdon said:
Either way, if its got a safety and you intend to carry with it, you should practice using it. That means that every time the gun comes up from low ready or out of a holster, the safety should be on and you should practice swiping it off.
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Leave it off and assume it's on is a good way to go I think. The issue i have with the safety is that it's small and flip-up, which I don't care for, if it was more like the sig p238/938 I wouldn't mind it. It's a sweet little gun, in every other way and a much, much better trigger than the sig.



M1911 said:
It's the elite trigger, which is in their higher end models in all states. It has a 1/4" shorter pull than their original trigger. All 4 of my Kahrs have the elite trigger.
Click to expand...

dcmdon said:
can you get an elite trigger in a polymer gun?
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They call it the "enhanced" trigger:
http://www.kahr.com/Pistols/Kahr-PM9-w-External-Safety-and-LCI.asp

I've been comparing it to a Gen4 Glock 26 for the last 15 minutes or so and the Kahr enhanced trigger is better IMO. Similar pull length, but breaks a little crisper and feels a bit lighter. Also the take up is lighter and almost not noticeable as a result. I'd say the reset on the glock may be a tad bit shorter though.
 
M1911 said:
Glock reset is a lot shorter.
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I was going to disagree and got my calipers out to measure, but looks like your right! It was a little tricky to measure, but I was getting about .3-.375" with the Kahr and 0.1-0.15" with the glock. The Kahr is so small you don't really notice though, at least I don't, maybe if you have really small hands...
 
Thats good info. I love my Kahrs, but I've always felt that I'd never be able to shoot them as fast as I can shoot a Glock because of the long and imperceptible reset. I think the Kahr trigger is about perfect for a defensive gun.
 
dcmdon said:
Thats good info. I love my Kahrs, but I've always felt that I'd never be able to shoot them as fast as I can shoot a Glock because of the long and imperceptible reset.
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I find that I can shoot Glocks a lot faster. On the other hand, the fatter I get, the more I appreciate the slim Kahrs. TANSTAAFL.
 
I'm a big 1911 guy, It's my preference and works well for me. It was only natural for me to select a 1911 style for EDC. I finally arrived at the Sig P938 as a EDC based on shooting quite a few firearms.

The best advise I could offer is shoot as many and different models as you can, pick one that works for you.
 
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M60 said:
Single stack Glock 9mm coming in early2015. It's being announced at the Shot Show.
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i'm thinking of getting a pocket carry size single stack as i have a hard time easily concealing my g19 in warm weather clothes and even light fall clothing (i'm 6' 170#)...i have been carrying my sr22 as it's very comfortable to carry and better than nothing...i've been switching back and forth between the kahr pm9 and sig p938...i may just wait to see what glock has to offer before i make a choice
 

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