I need advice on a small 9mm pocket auto...

[Artista_co]

Fellow firearms enthusiasts - I need advice. After traveling to the Left Coast from Colorado, and staying in downtown Oakland (not my choice, but that was where the company housed me) I was REALLY wishing that I had a small pocket sized 9mm with me. Talk about heightened situational awareness. I know I cannot legally CC there - but it sincerely got me to thinking about a hole in my inventory. I am thinking: 1) small (pocketable) 2) 9mm for decent power/controllability 3) quality 4) fit in my hand (I hate single stack)

So, a couple that have caught my eye and I like the feel - Sig 938, CZ 2075 RAMI. I like the feel of these because of the grips. they both filled my hand nicely - not so skinny as a regular single stack. I am not a Glock fan BTW. Putting aside what I just said about grip width, I shot and liked the XDs in .45 and considered it about a year ago (before the problems arose) but have not shot the 9mm. even though I usually shoot .40 or .357sig I think the control aspect of the 9mm would be good in this case because of the size. Anyways, any thoughts? Suggestions?

 

[Kino Wolf]

Link Removed

 

[Nick Burkhardt]

Smith & Wesson M&P 9c

 

[wolf_fire]

I think it is interesting that you say you are not a fan of Glock and then in the same breath you say you like one the biggest clones of Glock. Since you say you liked the XDs, I would highly recommend trying the Glock 26 in 9mm. It would have the fullness of grip you are looking for and it has been time proven to be of excellent quality.

Here's the specs on the G26: Glock 26 Gen4 | G26 Gen4 | 9x19mm | GLOCK USA

 

[jcreek]

Fellow firearms enthusiasts - I need advice. After traveling to the Left Coast from Colorado, and staying in downtown Oakland (not my choice, but that was where the company housed me) I was REALLY wishing that I had a small pocket sized 9mm with me. Talk about heightened situational awareness. I know I cannot legally CC there - but it sincerely got me to thinking about a hole in my inventory. I am thinking: 1) small (pocketable) 2) 9mm for decent power/controllability 3) quality 4) fit in my hand (I hate single stack)

So, a couple that have caught my eye and I like the feel - Sig 938, CZ 2075 RAMI. I like the feel of these because of the grips. they both filled my hand nicely - not so skinny as a regular single stack. I am not a Glock fan BTW. Putting aside what I just said about grip width, I shot and liked the XDs in .45 and considered it about a year ago (before the problems arose) but have not shot the 9mm. even though I usually shoot .40 or .357sig I think the control aspect of the 9mm would be good in this case because of the size. Anyways, any thoughts? Suggestions?

Lol I was gonna suggest the sig p938 but you hate single stacks. So I was gonna suggest the G26 but you hate Glocks, so..good luck!

If you do for some reason think the P938 feels different than regular single stacks then try it out. It's an awesome gun.

 

[Artista_co]

Thanks for the replies...As for 'hating' the Glock and single stacks for that matter, you read what I did not say. The Glock grip angle is not the same as the Springfield line...that is my reason for not liking them. A fine gun, just not for me. It just does not fit me right. The Sig 938 and CZ Rami (both single stack I believe) seem to have 'fuller' grips. Admittedly. perhaps my bias towards Sig might very well be influencing my 'feelings' here, they fill my hand better than typical single stacks.

I know that the slimness is preferred and better for pocket carry, and fully agree with that theory. My argument is if I do not feel comfortable with a slim gripped gun, and have better control with a bit fatter gun, isn't that worth the trade off?

So far Sig 938, CZ RAMI (thinking about the BD version) I totally forgot to look at the M&P - and will. The Bersa is rather hard to find in my neck of the woods, but I will look. I would like to test shoot them all at a range if possible. Wouldn't that be great if your local range had all of the mfgr's and calibers so you could compare side-by-side before shooting? . I am not made of cash, and dropping around 5 Bens without test firing is not wisdom for my budgetary concerns.

Thanks again.

 

[GB-Boater]

Put one of the sleeves on a single stack. You'll have fullness of grip and extra cushion when you fire it.
They have them for almost every gun.

 

[thru]

any hand can be trained to "like' any grip. that has been well proven, for decades now. I have loved, in succession, the SA revolver, 1911's, Llama .22 , Colt woodsman, Smith M39, smith k and j frames, lw Commander, p35 hi power, Star PD. Now it's the kahr CM9, not for its "feel", but for what it can do, while being superbly "pocketable".

 

[jcreek]

Thanks for the replies...As for 'hating' the Glock and single stacks for that matter, you read what I did not say. The Glock grip angle is not the same as the Springfield line...that is my reason for not liking them. A fine gun, just not for me. It just does not fit me right. The Sig 938 and CZ Rami (both single stack I believe) seem to have 'fuller' grips. Admittedly. perhaps my bias towards Sig might very well be influencing my 'feelings' here, they fill my hand better than typical single stacks.

I was just pokin fun, bud.

 

[wolf_fire]

any hand can be trained to "like' any grip. that has been well proven, for decades now. I have loved, in succession, the SA revolver, 1911's, Llama .22 , Colt woodsman, Smith M39, smith k and j frames, lw Commander, p35 hi power, Star PD. Now it's the kahr CM9, not for its "feel", but for what it can do, while being superbly "pocketable".

Except for the FBI who were forced to carry the large 10 mm. The impetus of that resulted in the formation of the .40 S&W round.

If this idea has been "well-proven" for decades now, could you please enlighten us with citation? Thanks.

 

[wolf_fire]

Thanks for the replies...As for 'hating' the Glock and single stacks for that matter, you read what I did not say. The Glock grip angle is not the same as the Springfield line...that is my reason for not liking them. A fine gun, just not for me. It just does not fit me right. The Sig 938 and CZ Rami (both single stack I believe) seem to have 'fuller' grips. Admittedly. perhaps my bias towards Sig might very well be influencing my 'feelings' here, they fill my hand better than typical single stacks.

I know that the slimness is preferred and better for pocket carry, and fully agree with that theory. My argument is if I do not feel comfortable with a slim gripped gun, and have better control with a bit fatter gun, isn't that worth the trade off?

So far Sig 938, CZ RAMI (thinking about the BD version) I totally forgot to look at the M&P - and will. The Bersa is rather hard to find in my neck of the woods, but I will look. I would like to test shoot them all at a range if possible. Wouldn't that be great if your local range had all of the mfgr's and calibers so you could compare side-by-side before shooting? . I am not made of cash, and dropping around 5 Bens without test firing is not wisdom for my budgetary concerns.

Thanks again.

You never mentioned any reason why you were not a Glock fan. This is why I posted what I did. However, your reasoning in this post for it is sound and makes sense.

 

[thru]

Sure, any long term instructor will tell you the same. they teach all over the world, and the techniquies all apply to ANY handgun. you think Cooper taught differently for the Browning, vs, the Sig, vis 1911, vs glock, vs PPK, vs revolver? Ayoob doesn't, Hackathorn doesn't. YOU quote somebody who claims that any given hand CAN'T be trained to "love" any grip.

 

[ezkl2230]

Sig 938 is a good choice, Beretta Nano would be another good one. I would suggest the Kimber Solo, but that one is getting really mixed reviews. XD-S will be a good choice (no, I'm not worried about the recall - I haven't cancelled my special order for the .45), as is the Shield. As to grips that fill your hand, that is easily remedied with Hogue or Pachmayr grips if the OEM grip is a little narrow.

 

[thru]

my prejudice vs 'fat" guns (even from ccw) comes from the fact that I ccw'd for a decade in a jurisdiction where nobody could get a ccw permit. If you have one, why care that the occasional person notices? you are legal.

 

[wolf_fire]

Sure, any long term instructor will tell you the same. they teach all over the world, and the techniquies all apply to ANY handgun. you think Cooper taught differently for the Browning, vs, the Sig, vis 1911, vs glock, vs PPK, vs revolver? Ayoob doesn't, Hackathorn doesn't. YOU quote somebody who claims that any given hand CAN'T be trained to "love" any grip.

I did... when the FBI forced its agents to carry the excessively large 10mm, a lot of the agents complained how large the gun was to grip, especially the female agents. The FBI, in term, developed the .40 S&W round to have energy comparable to the 10 mm, but in a more compact grip similar to the 9mm.

 

[telpinaro]

Sure, any long term instructor will tell you the same. they teach all over the world, and the techniquies all apply to ANY handgun. you think Cooper taught differently for the Browning, vs, the Sig, vis 1911, vs glock, vs PPK, vs revolver? Ayoob doesn't, Hackathorn doesn't. YOU quote somebody who claims that any given hand CAN'T be trained to "love" any grip.

Not sure how that answers his question... but my hand certainly CANNOT be trained to love every grip. I have super small hands, with extremely long, narrow fingers. The Navy almost got me to stop shooting forever before I even got started... The Beretta they had me using fit so poorly to my hand that after about 20 rounds I couldn't even pull the trigger anymore. The grip was uncomfortably large with the trigger placed far enough away I could barely get the tip of my finger on it. With some strengthening exercises I may be able to shoot it some day, but I will never "love" it.

Sure, the techniques may be exactly the same from gun to gun (with some adjustment on the part of my Chiappa Rhino... keep your thumbs low or get them burned), but there are plenty of guns that will never fit certain people.

As Massad Ayoob says in one of his blogs: "For equipment to work, it has to fit the user." Why I'd keep shooting something uncomfortable because I can be trained to love it someday is beyond me.

And hey, I have a source for the quote! It may be a blog geared towards women shooters and the men that need to understand them, but men's hands can vary widely as well, so the same principle applies. Tailoring guns to females by Massad Ayoob

 

[phillip69]

small super concealable pocket gun in 9mm... have you considered the 9x17mm size rather than the 9x19mm? Only 2mm shorter bullet but most of the guns are a LOT smaller, like the S&W Bodygaurd or LCP model..... very concealable, especially for one going where it is not allowed.

 

[jcreek]

Sure, any long term instructor will tell you the same. they teach all over the world, and the techniquies all apply to ANY handgun. you think Cooper taught differently for the Browning, vs, the Sig, vis 1911, vs glock, vs PPK, vs revolver? Ayoob doesn't, Hackathorn doesn't. YOU quote somebody who claims that any given hand CAN'T be trained to "love" any grip.

Ill quote myself, "Any given hand cannot be trained to love any grip." My 5''6" 140lb wife can't be trained to love a Desert Eagle because the grip is bigger than her arm. I don't feel like having it fly out of her hands a few more times is going to teach her to "love it" any more and due to the broadness of your ignorant and nonsensical statement, that one example is enough to discredit your entire theory. Better luck next time

 

[Artista_co]

jcreek, I just wanted to clarify...so many ppl out there do not actually 'hear' what others say. they just spout off. Thanks for the input though. I do appreciate it all. (maybe i will even take a peek at that Glock) BTW, I am leaning towards the Sig I gotta get some extra cash though..

 

[Adam42]

Small 9mm, you should look at Beretta's Nano, very good shooter and easy to carry.