Next CC 9mm

Which 9mm

  • Kahr PM9/CM9

    Votes: 22 20.2%

  • Glock 43

    Votes: 23 21.1%

  • Ruger LC9s

    Votes: 19 17.4%

  • M&P Shield

    Votes: 45 41.3%
  • Total voters
    109
  • Poll closed .
The M&P Shield is one of the best options there, which also gives you a choice between 9mm/40sw, and a thumb safety or not. I always prefer external safety if available (although I carry Glocks also).

I used to carry the Shield40. Its a great cc pistol overall; can be pocket carried without a holster if you choose(with the thumb safety on). It handles quite nicely in the hand, has a nice finish/trigger, and gives you 2 mags (a second one with extended grip/ +1 capacity). It will kick a bit, so the 9mm is the better option if you don't like that. They have a 45acp I think, but I'm not sure if that has the same specs/size.

Another reasonable cheap alternative is the Taurus 709Slim for $200-250 depending on where you buy. It comes with one mag, has thumb safety, and a loaded chamber indicator. The trigger isn't that good, but if you can get over that, its a great ccw. I've owned both the 740 and the 709 slim, and now pocket carry the 709 because the 40sw just recoils too much for a small pistol. These pistols have been reliable for me (I've owned 4 in the past), although some people will tend to look down on them.
 
My personal rankings:

1. Glock 43 (It weighs a couple ounces less than the Shield and the grip portion is a tad smaller than the Shield, the Glock wins in concealability)

2. M&P Shield (Has a higher round capacity and seems to have a little less felt recoil than the Glock 43, could easily be ranked number one)

3. LC9s (The build quality seems a little lower than the Glock 43 or M&P Shield. I am not saying it's a bad pistol, it just doesn't seem as rugged as the 43 or Shield)

4. Kahr PM9/CM9 (The Kahr is the only one I would not carry from your list, spotty reliability track record)
 
Of the ones you'd listed, I'd go with the Ruger LC9s. The lowest one on the list would be the G43. I mean, why get a G43 when it virtually has the same dimensions as a G26 with 4 fewer rounds? BTW, I a G27 is in my carry rotation.
 
The Glock 43 is much lighter and thinner than the G26. Much better trigger usually also.

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I actually have owned all the guns you listed.

I voted for the Shield.

My Kahr CM9 and PM9 were both a bit finicky about what ammo they would run, how they were held. Never learned to trust them and got rid of them.

My LC9s failed to run reliably with both of the first hollow points I ran through it. Since at that time I had already had trouble with several other Ruger guns, I lost patience with the brand and dumped it rather than sending it back.

My Shield has run perfectly, has a nice trigger and is accurate.

I bought a Glock 43 recently at a gun show, because it had a nice Ameriglo night sight on the front at a good price, and I thought it might be small enough for front pocket carry.

The Glock IS a bit smaller and lighter than the Shield, but even the Glock, at this point, is maybe a bit big for most of my front pockets. Like the Shield, it's accurate with a good trigger. Felt recoil is a bit more than the Shield, but not horrible. No malfs so far.

Because it is a bit more comfortable to shoot than the G43, and mine has run perfectly through several hundred rounds, I voted Shield. But even though it may not work for pocket carry (that Holy Grail I have never found, the good pocket 9), I am keeping the G43 also.
 
Looked at and rented all those you are considering. I liked Kahr the best and ended up getting a CW9, which I carry daily. Just smaller than the Glock 43, slightly longer grip and easier to control than the CM9. Lighter and fit my hands better than the LC9 or the Shield. It's one smooth shooter.
 
I looked at the Shield, the LC9s and the CW9 Kahr. I went with the Shield. Fit my hand very good and trigger was good enough for a carry gun. Didn't care for the Ruger in hand. I liked the Kahr but at the time it seemed that they had a spotty track record. My Shield has about 6-800 rounds thru it with only one dud and that's not the guns fault. All your choices seem solid.
 
I have an XDs also but it almost feels like it is wide enough to be double stack. Shoots great but harder to conceal.

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no love for Springfield? bad poll
Click to expand...


I actually have a XDs 45... but the poll said looking for a smaller/lighter 9mm for 'summer' months. Love it, but want something smaller for when the clothes get a lot lighter, especially here in the TX heat!
 
I used to pocket carry an S&W 642, then I started carrying a CZ PCR IWB for the ability to make more accurate hits. Now my EDC is a 9mm Shield due to the increased comfort, lighter weight and the ability to carry while dressed business casual with my shirt tucked in.

My short list consisted of the Shield, the XDS and the G43. I shot both the Shield and the G43, but still have not had the opportunity to shoot an XDS.

Aside from costing a lot less than the others, I found the Shield to be a very controllable gun with a decent trigger. Shooting steel from 15yds to 25yds, I feel very confident in my abilities to make hits. The gun has good ergonomics and is very reliable. It also is a very popular gun and has good aftermarket support for holsters, sights and other accessories (though the XDS also seems to have good aftermarket support).
 
My Kahr CM9 is easy to carry,accurate, and has been 100% reliable. I don't see the need tospend twice the money on the PM modle for upgrades that are not needed.
Any of your candidates are worth further study. Especially if you can rent them totry out.
 
Not exactly what you are looking for but close… 

I have a Ruger LC9s Pro, S&W Shield, Glock 42 (the 380, not the 43/9mm), Kahr MK9 (steel version of PM9).

The Kahr MK9 has been my long time carry pistol. The trigger is very smooth and is often described as “revolver like”.
It has a long pull compared to the other three. It is completely stock. It has been very reliable with one exception: An ongoing issue is the tendency of the mags to shed a round or two if the mag is carried loose in a pocket. I’ve since retired it and will be putting it up for sale in the near future.

The Shield’s trigger was rather stout when new. It had a decent break but heavy trigger pull. We installed an Apex Duty/Carry trigger kit and it made a big difference. This is actually my wife’s carry and she likes it. I shoot it more accurately than I thought I would. I don’t think she has had any issues with it. I could be happy with it but after doing a bunch of comparison shopping/testing have gone with the LC9s Pro instead.

The LC9s Pro has a very nice factory trigger. I feel no overwhelming need to tweak it, unlike the Shield where I had an immediate desire to work on it. This is a fairly new purchase but I have not had to deal with any issues and am getting close to about one thousand rounds through it.

I won the Glock 42 in a drawing. It has a typical Glock trigger but it is on the stiff side. I have not had any trigger work done on it. It is a soft shooter compared to the others as you might expect given 380 vs. 9mm. Of the four it is the one I have the least experience with.

I think any of the four you listed would do the job; it’ll just depend upon which one floats your boat.

Good luck.
 
I voted for the Shield which I have. But I also have a Glock 43 which I like almost as well. Pretty much a horse apiece as far as I'm concerned.
 
Realize thread's a little old, but I would like to know what you ended up going with, OP.

Personally I would put in a(nother) vote for a Taurus PT709. I have carried and put over 200 rounds through mine over the past 5 years. Did just find a batch of Federal FMJ that liked to malfunction, but I've never had an issue with anything else as far as handloads, or commercially available JHP or FMJ. I just know that if I want some practice clearing malfunctions I can buy some more of that Federal, though it might have literally just been the batch and not Federal in general, so I'll have to do some more testing.

Buckeye, thanks for that G&A article. I've found that so many people count off Taurus due to other QC issues with many of their firearms, but I don't think I've actually found/read any negative reviews on the PT709 specifically.
 
Was that like 4 whole boxes of bullets? And no malfunctions at all, except for maybe a few? Fantastic weapon, sounds like. Congratulations.
 
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