Ultra Reliable Sub-Compact 9mm

Since the P938 and CSX have been mentioned (both great guns) and it's been asked whether the latter is a compact, this might be of interest.

365XL, or, I hate to say it, a 43x. Tried all the small Smiths at the indoor range. None were as good, accuracy-wise, and reliability-wise. Go up in size, and the Smiths hold their own, as does the Ruger RXM. Fatcat3's Smith reminds me of my mdl. 38. Best DA trigger of all my J's.

Carried a Kahr MK9 for years. Never had a malfunction with it.
It is heavy but would gladly give up a lighter gun for reliability and shooting comfort.

I carry a Ruger LC9S Pro and like it for a small 9 mm.
My Sig 320 Subcompact gets carried a lot also but it is a bit larger .
Ruger also makes the ECS which is just a budget version but also very servicable.

otis24 said:

I’m looking for my next EDC concealed carry pistol. I have a Glock 42 for pocket carry. I’m no “fan boy” of any particular brand. I’ve owned Glocks, Rugers, Sigs and S&Ws; with a preference for the latter.

I’m looking for a sub-compact 9mm that will be ultra reliable. I am considering the S&W Shield Plus (top choice right now) and the Glock 48. Are these two pistols pretty reliable out of the box? Anything else I should consider?

Trying to stay away from single action pistols.

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Glock 26, 43, or 43X.

I’m another fan of the 938 Sig. cocked and locked. It’s safe to carry, very accurate, small enough to pocket carry with the flush mag. Certainly one of the easiest small pistols to shoot accurately. I’ve also got an FN Reflex with manual safety. Great little gun as well, but I’m faster with the Sig. Suggest you go to a range and rent (or borrow from a buddy or two) and shoot various models to see what suits You. Frankly I can’t stand a Glock-can’t shoot them especially well, don’t like the grip, don’t think they’re particularly safe, however they DO go bang pretty much every time and lots of folks love ‘em. Different strokes for different folks.

Kahr PM9. Very accurate 9mm with 7 shots up front and the size of a 2" J frame.

Having been a gun collector, shooter and hunter for nearly 50 years I say we are now in the “golden age of firearms”. The quality and reliability of current firearms in general is just unrivaled in history. So, when it comes to selecting a subcompact pistol for EDC there are a host of good options. Here’s a list of pistols I have or have had in my carry rotation, all of them reliable and accurate enough at SD distance.

Walther PPS M2 LE 9mm - IMHO the most underrated of the bunch. Super accurate and easy to conceal with 3 different mag sizes. Can be had new for around $300.

Glock 43 - Currently one of my favorites with Ameriglo sights and Talon grips. Lots of good aftermarket mags to increase capacity.

Sig P365 - Not one of my favorites but an easy to conceal package with great for class mag capacity. Sig redefined the subcompact class with this uber reliable and highly accurate pistol. Lots of people swear by them.

S&W Shield - I have a Shield in every caliber they offer including 30 Super Carry. I’m also a certified firearms instructor and most of my female first time shooters select one of the 9mm versions for SD. Personally, I’m a big fan of 30SC because of the extra mag capacity it offers. This one is in my current carry rotation. Check out the impressive performance of the Speer, Federal and Remington HTP loads. You’ll be surprised.

S&W J Frame Revolvers - I’ve got the M37, M442, M640 and M60. All good candidates, particularly the lightweight Performance Center versions. I just don’t shoot them very well but you can’t beat the reliability and simplicity. There are some great 38 Special +P loads out there. I prefer the Federal 130 HST. Only draw back is 5 round capacity, so not a good candidate for high threat environments.

Walther PPK - I know, I know it’s just .380 but there are some good loads out there from Hornady, Buffalo Bore and Underwood. I like Hornady Critical Defense. The Walther Fort Smith (latest iterations) have been very reliable. A little on the heavy side and 6+1 capacity so doesn’t get a lot of carry time but it’s a classic nonetheless. And again, not a good choice for high threat environments. Not going to do many tactical reloads with this puppy.

Kimber EVO CDP 9mm - You hardly ever hear this mentioned as a candidate but is one of my favorites. Just feels great in my hand, has a great trigger, uber reliable with anything I feed it, and I shoot it extremely well. Extended mags available. What more do you want?

Sig P938 - As mentioned here, it’s a good option, but is SA with a safety so training is required. I like 1911’s, have a bunch in 9mm, 45ACP and 38 Super. My Wilson Combat Super Sentinel is one of my favorites and gets a lot of carry time when I’m staying local. Doesn’t qualify as a subcompact but it’s slim and easy to conceal either IWB or OWB. The Sig P938 pretty much stays in the safe and will go to one of my grandkids when the time is right.

OK, this is my list. Lots of good options. My advice is go to the range, rent and shoot them, see what you like. If you’re new to CC I’d stay away from the Walther PPK and the Sig P938.

otis24 said:

I would agree. However, I’ve found that my hands can’t handle the recoil of even .38 Special in a heavy revolver like a Ruger Speed Six or Colt Trooper. Time and health circumstances have forced me to admit that I just need to stick to 9mm or .380.

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2.5” 986, then ?



Note that I had to loktite the front sight and change the firing pin. Now it’s very reliable with all my ammo … and puppy approved

After a bit of mumbling and stumbling, finally settled on the 12 Round Sig P365x.
My hands are more like old hands than Large Hands.
And I already have that Kahr.
Like the SIGs so much I also have a P365 X Macro and a P322.
Back up- Glock 43x.
The 365x has short barrel, 3.1 in and 12 round grip.
It’s on the large size for pocket carry but I found it to be a very comfortable and pleasant size for shooting.
And since the 365 Mags are backward compatible, here is the 365x with a 17 round magazine.

All this talk yakety yak what a compact or sub compact handgun is gets crasy after a while . If your going to pocket carry a micro or some sub-compact can fit your needs but then some sub compact will not fit in a pocket unless its a cargo pocket . Heck what what someone call a handgun for size and go to Handgun Hero and compare different handguns to see what may fit your needs , handle a few in real life then try to read reviews from owners not gun rags or those that make a living doing reviews where most ever firearm is Great ! . Some gun rag writers call a hellcat pro s sub- compact ??

I do not pocket carry and my newest and smallest handgun is a hellcat pro comp with 15 and 17 round mags. Its oddly very easy to shoot guickly and accurate at 15 yards even with what I consider a heavy trigger for a striker fired pistol . It is a 20 ounce pistol empty , 1" wide and it is not that much larger than a s&w 442 being .50" taller and .30" longer than a s&w 442. My wife has a siggly p365xl with 12 and 15 round mags and a wilson grip model .

My standard cc now is a m&p 4.25 40sw full size and never had a issue concealing it or my old alloy frame commander In the correct holster of course . I rather carry my alloy frames commander but I'm not getting any younger and I'm slower with split times and mag swaps with my ole 1911 so having more rounds in my 40sw or say a my heckkitty or m&p compact 4" 9mm that are more controllable may be a future carry option for me , maybe with green dot on it too .

Well I guess I'm the only one who carries a Kimber Micro 9 Raptor stainless with an 8 round mag.
It's a little heavy but small and the weight helps with the recoil.

I liked my Shield Plus, but recently sold it to try out a Micro Dagger (G48X clone) that I currently have. I had two gripes about the shield, one was occasional the pinky rest would bite my finger and the other was the short barrel. I should have gone with the 4" instead of the 3.1. I also found that the springs on the 15 round shield/equalizer mags were a little weak when feeding on the last rounds. Also you need something like an Uplula loader when doing the last few rounds on the 10 and 13 round mags. Other than that, a great little gun. I've really been amazed at how much I like my Micro Dagger, having a full sized one is what turned me on to them in the first place.

I’m seriously looking at an all metal 9mm to help recoil. I prefer to avoid carrying cocked and locked so a Kahr K9 may be an option. Capacity is not a concern for me.

I bought the first Sig 365 I saw. I wasn't looking for a small 9 but the feel and especially the trigger sold me on it. I had recently bought a Glock 43 but it now lives the wife's car. So far it has been 100% reliable and I shoot it better than I expected.

Markmontana said:

Having been a gun collector, shooter and hunter for nearly 50 years I say we are now in the “golden age of firearms”. The quality and reliability of current firearms in general is just unrivaled in history. So, when it comes to selecting a subcompact pistol for EDC there are a host of good options. Here’s a list of pistols I have or have had in my carry rotation, all of them reliable and accurate enough at SD distance.

Walther PPS M2 LE 9mm - IMHO the most underrated of the bunch. Super accurate and easy to conceal with 3 different mag sizes. Can be had new for around $300.

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This is my choice. I bought one out of curiosity, then bought another because I was so impressed with the first one. This is what I carry most days.

Try an FN Reflex WITH manual safety. A very small cocked and locked SA auto pistol with 12 rounds on board (11 in mag, one up the pipe. Mine has been extremely reliable through more than 800 rods of various ammo, and is pretty accurate as well.

My EDC is my Ruger LC9s with an extended magazine. This small semi auto has never, ever had any failures of any kind. The extended mag makes it easier to grip and gives 9+1 capacity while it easily fits into my Desantis pocket holster for easy pocket carry. I considered the S&W Shield but preferred the trigger on this Ruger. I am not a great marksman, but this little 9mm is more accurate than I am really capable of achieving, and its reliability has been equal to that my totally reliable Glocks. Being a single stack magazine it is thinner and very easy to pocket carry. For whatever reason this model Ruger has never been very popular, so you likely can get one for a low price. The non "s" model lacks the good trigger that my gun has so I would not recommend the older LC9.

I kinda like that Ruger LC9, because it is hammer driven. I’m still an old fashion DAO/hammer kind of curmudgeon.