Hello. I'm in the market for a nice small pocket 9mm. My ideal choice would be a Rohrbaugh 9mm. The price tag is a bit more than I'd like to spend though.

Any recommendations? Semi auto.. I have J frames out the wahzoo. Heck, even small .40s although I know they wont be as small.

Thanks,

JT

I have a Kel-tec PF9 that I bought for $300 with a spare mag and mag floor plate extension. If you have big hands, the extended floor plate is nice for added stability, I can still only get 2 fingers on it but my wife can get the pinky on.
It has been a nice gun to shoot, some say it has alot more recoil, similar to a .40 s&w but I don't feel much difference between it and my other 9mm's. It is very light when fully loaded, only about 18 oz. and it shoots very straight. I can get 4" groups at 20 feet rapid fire.
Only draw back is that it only hold 7 in the mag. and 1 in the pipe. Others have said that they get blisters from alot of shooting but, it is a CONCEALED GUN, you are not going to use this in any competitive shoots. This is what I carry now, the first day I packed it ***, I almost forgot about it after about an hour. I use a sticky IWB/ITP ambidextrous holster

__________________
Defend your family first!

I'd recommend a Kahr PM9; not much larger than Rohrbaugh and less expensive and the PM9 has been around longer. I've carried one in a front pocket holster for years, and more recently with CT laser attached.

+1 on Kahr PM9, have night sights on mine. It is very well made and works flawlessly with Federal +P+ 124gr EMJ loads.

AL in MN

+2 on the Kahr PM9, great size and quality. The PM9 has a really good trigger, good sites, is accurate, and mine has been 100% reliable. No offense to anyone that loves their Ketec, but the Kahr is a nicer quality gun. They are more money, so that may be a consideration. That's my 2 cents.

__________________
NRA Life Member

If I may add one more, +3 on the Kahr PM9. Kahr also has a PM40, although I've heard that it has a stout recoil. I've never shot it myself.

+4 on the Kahr's, I have both a P9 and a PM9, I like the P9 better- much easier to get a full "purchase"-grip on the gun if you are in a hurry to grab the gun. The P9 has never failed me,whereas I have had a few (2) I think FTF on the PM9 when it was brand new-none since it has been broken in a little.
The P9 if I remember is right around 15 oz.s unloaded, the exact same weight as my 642-the P9 holds 3 more rounds and is much more controllable with +P's than shooting the 642 with +P's. The P9 is fun to shoot at the range because you can actually hit what you are aiming at-the PM9 ia almost as easy to shoot , is maybe 1 ounce lighter and holds 1 less round-but the grip is definitely noticeably shorter- I carry either P9 or PM9 in various pocket holsters with equal comfort. If you have larger hands-I would recommend the P9, if you have medium to smaller hands the PM9 might work for you. I feel that it is very important to be able to
get a firm grip on the gun as soon as you touch it, for both safety reasons and shooting reasons. Hope some of these opinions are of some use to you.
Respectfully,
SM1357
P.S. I faled to mention that the PM9 has a little shorter barrel than the P9, which might make a difference to some.

Well... +3 on the Kel Tec PF9. Great gun for the price.

What I like about the Kel Tec over the Kahr is that it's easier to stage the trigger like a revolver. When you get to the release point on the trigger, it's much more noticeable.

The other big plus is the front sight. The diameter of the dot on the front sight is a little bigger than the rear dot sight making it much easier to pick out so to speak.

Recoil is a little stiff but no more or less than the Kahr. But neither of them are range guns.

Kel Tec also makes a pocket clip like the one for the P3AT and P32.

Around here I've seen the PF9 sell from $289-$319.

I had a PM9, not a bad gun, but too much money for what you get. The PF9 is a better option. It's been out long enough to have all of the problems worked out and it's been proven to be reliable and economical. The new Ruger LC9 might be an option, but it's too new, and needs some time to prove its self (remember the SR9?).

Kimber is coming out with a compact 9, the Solo. And SIG is coming out with the P290. I don't know about the P290, but the Solo is going to retail for about $725 (according to my local gun shop guy.)

I'm really thinking about the LC9...it may be new, but Ruger will make it right if there are any issues. I wouldn't use it for carry until it had been proven. I wish S&W would come out with something similar, like maybe a Bodyguard 9mm, but without the laser, or at least an option to have it with or without, for those of us old timers who don't like them.

PM9, PF9, LC9...

Go find a 3913 and be happy with something that won't fly out of your hand and hurt you.

GKC, The Kimber Solo is out (at least one of them is.) A guy in another major gun forum did a review of it after purchase. Oh my, what a disaster...

Personally, I love the look of the Solo, but much like the Sig P290 (a really ugly gun, IMHO,) I think I'll wait untill they work out all of the bugs...

I'd echo the above, almost to the last detail.

I held and handled one at a local gun shop a week or so ago...the owner said he got one, and wasn't supposed to sell it until Kimber gave him the OK. Of course, all I could do was handle it and dry fire it...not shoot it for real.

I didn't say this in my earlier post, but I am not a Kimber fan. I liked the look and feel of it, but I wouldn't want to buy it for two reasons: I think it is overpriced (as are Kimbers in general, IMO) and I don't think Kimbers are very reliable.

Now, before I offend anyone, please read this as MY opinion..and everyone has an opinion, just like a certain other part of the human anatomy, and most of them stink.

I back pocket carry my PM9 and love it. I haven't had any of the break-in pains some have. Bought the gun and took it straight to the range and ran 200 rounds through it as fast as I could load the mags - flawless - no FTE, FTF, stovepipes, etc....

I put on the XS Big Dots and love them - they are so fast to acquire - put the big meatball on what you want to shoot and let-er-rip.

Or the DAO version, the 3953. Nothing to get snagged on when drawing from concealment.

Class III

A bit big for a Levi pocket but I like my Glock 26.

CS9 is good if you find one..

__________________
JR

A good point. I can't say anything bad about my PM9 except that it is not much fun to shoot. A 3913 is mild, comparatively. But if we're sticking to the compact 9s, the Kahr would be my choice. I've had good results with mine and rarely hear of an owner who hasn't.

Not sure you could pocket carry a 3900 series gun but I guess if you have really deep pockets. My 3953 was very reliable, it could feed empty cases from the magazine. I've had a PM9 and was excited about it's capabilities over my J frame until the FTFs and excessive peening started. Now if I want something more than the J frame I will pocket a G26.

Mr JT...let me go in another direction as your original post didn't say that the 9 had to be a semi auto? What about taking one of your J frames and having the cylinder made into a 9mm one. I've seen some sites, you can find older posts here, that can do it for about $200.

For work, when I need to carry something flat, my Kel Tec PF-9 is right at home in my front pocket.

S&W 908 concealed.

Thank you all for the replies. I still haven't come to a real decision, but I did come across a kel tec pf9 that will work for the time being. I was most impressed with the flatness of it. It fits in the pocket of two pairs of pants and is very comfortable for IWB carry.

I was NOT impressed with the sharpness of the ridges on the grip, so I sanded it down a little and it's very comfortable to hold.

It's too early to tell if it will be the answer, but for now I'm putting it through the test to see if it passes as a carry option. 100 more rounds and it will get the green light if it continues to perform well. The price was low enough that I didn't think twice about buying it while I continue my search.

I checked out the lc9 but wasn't too impressed. It felt nice in my hand but it seemed too big.

I have decided to carry my 3919 in a Bianchi Model 60 IWB instead of my Sig P239. The 3913 is reliable, accurate, easy to conceal and small/lightweight enough to almost forget you have it with you!

__________________
S&W 645, 3913, 59, 669

Been carrying a PF-9 for several years. I am amazed at how accurate it is, even in rapid fire.

If the pricepoint of the pm9 is an issue just wait a few more weeks for the release of the CM9. Kahr's CM9 is to the PM9 what the CW series is to the P series. A few mim parts, less refined machining on the slide and a standard rifled barrel instead of a poly one. Price should be in the $400 range. Kahr said April for a release date.

Review of the Kahr CM9:Kahr CM9 9mm Pocket Pistol

I like the P-11 Keltec. It fits in my pocket OK and holds a minimum of 10 rounds. Alternate with a S&W 642. Both fit differently in different clothes, so I go with the fit. Finally got the long trigger pull working the way I want and am fairly accurate with it, but I practice alot.