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Sidearms & Scatterguns Thin Carry Pistol
- Thread starter Nosler243Shooter
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I carry a KelTec PF9, 8 shot, never had a failure, light & slim. I like the fact it has a hammer, you can't cock it but you can watch it's travel & know exactly when it will fire. Also you can pick them up on sale for $225 add the side laser & for $300 have a great carry gun. I own several Sigs & a couple Glocks but I think this is the best small carry gun made.
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I have a Kahr cm9 and a Kel tec Pf9. Both are excellent fire arms. You just have to get used to their triggers as they're both DAO.
Keltec PF9 is still the gold standard for weight and capacity. They suck to shoot though. If you buy one, be sure to validate yours works before trusting it, Keltec has put out some lousy ones. Good news is they stand behind them 100%.
I prefer the Kahr PM9. Its high quality, and its trigger is perfection for a pocket pistol.
Before choosing one of the MANY little 9s out there, you must decide your preferred method of carry. A shield or XDs9 doesn't reasonably fit in a pants pocket. Thus, they're really not comparable to a PF9, PM9 etc etc.
I prefer the Kahr PM9. Its high quality, and its trigger is perfection for a pocket pistol.
Before choosing one of the MANY little 9s out there, you must decide your preferred method of carry. A shield or XDs9 doesn't reasonably fit in a pants pocket. Thus, they're really not comparable to a PF9, PM9 etc etc.
My vote would be for the kahr. Great reliability and also pretty affordable. Pm9 or even a cm9 if your on a budget.
Thin Carry Pistol
I wouldn't carry a Kahr if I were you. I know a lot of guys that purchased them because they are light and small. All but one have had major problems with them and reliability problems after break in.
When they work, they are great, but if I carry a weapon it better work every time. Just look at the freaking feed ramp! A lot of people make the mistake to shoot ball ammo through them and call it good and reliable. Shoot your carry ammo through it and I mean a lot more than a couple mags. Just my 2 cents.
I primarily carry an M&P Shield in .40 with Trijicon HD night sights. I carry a S&W 340 PD as a backup at work, but I also still carry it off duty from time to time.
I wouldn't carry a Kahr if I were you. I know a lot of guys that purchased them because they are light and small. All but one have had major problems with them and reliability problems after break in.
When they work, they are great, but if I carry a weapon it better work every time. Just look at the freaking feed ramp! A lot of people make the mistake to shoot ball ammo through them and call it good and reliable. Shoot your carry ammo through it and I mean a lot more than a couple mags. Just my 2 cents.
I primarily carry an M&P Shield in .40 with Trijicon HD night sights. I carry a S&W 340 PD as a backup at work, but I also still carry it off duty from time to time.
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Based on [only] 2 pistols, I have not found this to be the case. Both my PM9 and my friends CW9 have been flawless* from round 1. We shoot WWB ammo, UMC, Federal 90gr LE Training ammo, Winchester PDX1 124gr +p and lots of handloads with Titegroup and 124gr Montana Gold JHP. I might point out my PM9 shoots the PDX1 124gr +p at just over 1200fps, which is an honest to goodness 400lb-ft of energy. I find that awesome for such a small and easy to shoot pocket pistol.
I've put a ton of rounds through mine, and it has lived in a pocket holster for years now. I used to pull it out of my pocket and fire a magazine through it once every couple months, but I don't do that so often now. It is always fun to see the cloud of pocket lint and leather dust puff off the pistol from the first shot after it's been carried for a good long while.
*Always a catch, right? It would be unfair to say "flawless" without qualifying. Fact is both Kahrs I've used have a quirk:
It's unreliable to put a round into battery using the "slingshot" method of pulling the slide back and letting it go. The pistol will fail to go into battery 50% of the time if you do. It works 100% if you use the slidestop lever as the manual states.
17874, I've shot many hundreds of rounds from my P9, of various types of carry ammo and yes, lots of ball too. I purchased mine new and have yet to have one FTF or failure at all. No reliability problems, so I'll take your opinion for what it is, an opinion.
Hodgen, Kahr is very upfront about not using the "slingshot" method to place a round in battery. It's in the owner's manual in more than one place.
Like any other weapon, it pays to know how yours works and then use it appropriately.
BTW, I also like the M&P family of carry pistols and will someday also own a Shield. You can't have too many...
Hodgen, Kahr is very upfront about not using the "slingshot" method to place a round in battery. It's in the owner's manual in more than one place.
Like any other weapon, it pays to know how yours works and then use it appropriately.
BTW, I also like the M&P family of carry pistols and will someday also own a Shield. You can't have too many...
I'll have to give my 'opinion' also and agree with HodgdonExtreme and lash in the fact I have never had any issues with my Kahr pistols. 3 PM9's and a PM45 in my household and they have all been trouble free and amazingly accurate. I will add that these smaller pistol do require a better knowledge/familiarization of handgun fundamentals than a regular sized handgun. To expound, I have a friend that had nothing but issues with my PM45 when he tried shooting it. His words were, "This is a jammin POS" when it would fail to feed correctly for him. Yet I could get it out of his hand and easily empty the magazine without a hitch. I tried explaining that he needed a better hold on it but he was too set in his ways to listen. So in regards to your basic condemming of a single model I whole heartedly disagree. To me and many others, the Kahr series of handguns are a very valid choice.
My PM9 sucked. It wasn't the shooter. My Kimber Solo sucked too. The PM9 had to be sent back to Kahr several times until they gave up and replaced it. I sold the replacement. Same story with the Solo. My G26, Beretta Nano and Sig 938 all ran flawlessly. I still have the 938 and I have not had any issues with it after several hundred rounds.
Not everyone has had the same luck with the 938s as they too have been problematic for some. It seems like it is hit or miss with some of the smaller pistols.
Not everyone has had the same luck with the 938s as they too have been problematic for some. It seems like it is hit or miss with some of the smaller pistols.
Wholeheartedly agree Fuerte, as every manufacturer can turn out a lemon. Even the venerable Block....er...Glock. 
I have had some that were trouble free and others that were a POS. I also cannot get comfortable with their blockiness. They are not my choice, especially as far as accuracy is concerned.
Having carried a 1911 platform for 30 years I found the Kahr PM45 many years ago and have been carrying it almost exclusively since. Extremely accurate for such a compact .45, but it did take me a bit of shooting it to get used to the different type of trigger compared to the sweet trigger on my Colt's.
I will say though, I was so use to the 1911 style platform it was ingrained in muscle memory and I have been slowly rethinking going back to it. I may have to look at the Sig 938 since it does seem to be a nice looking pistol.
I have had some that were trouble free and others that were a POS. I also cannot get comfortable with their blockiness. They are not my choice, especially as far as accuracy is concerned. Having carried a 1911 platform for 30 years I found the Kahr PM45 many years ago and have been carrying it almost exclusively since. Extremely accurate for such a compact .45, but it did take me a bit of shooting it to get used to the different type of trigger compared to the sweet trigger on my Colt's.
I will say though, I was so use to the 1911 style platform it was ingrained in muscle memory and I have been slowly rethinking going back to it. I may have to look at the Sig 938 since it does seem to be a nice looking pistol.
I have the Kahr PM45 great firearm. Never have I had a problem with it shooting anything I put in it. The PM9 is also sweet from what I hear. The 40 cal I think comes in the same frame as the 9, but I hear it is a bit of a kicker. I am told it kicks harder than the 45.
My only criticism of the PM45 is the thickness of the slide release lever.
My only criticism of the PM45 is the thickness of the slide release lever.
Hardly light. I'll give it "somewhat diminutive," and grip-heavy, which makes for special needs when designing a carry holster.
My vote would be XDs 9 or Kel-Tec PF9 (if thoroughly tested). If Glock ever makes a single stack sub-compact in 9mm Luger, the world would be a much better place. Just sayin'. We'll have to make do without it until then.
Reviving this one as I picked up a new one a couple weeks ago: Beretta BU9 Nano. Sorry, no pics as I only got one day on the range for the last leave, and it was packed with running my gal through with her new S&W M&P 9C along with dialing in two new Annies.
Please don't take this as any type of review, simply a restatement of my limited experience with the new pistol completely from memory. This is my first experience with this type of pistol as I've mainly carried service pistols for the last couple decades. As a bit of background on myself, I mostly own Glocks, have a good bit of 1911 experience as well, and I am the kind of guy who doesn't badmouth the M9 as I've carried one in the Corps and private work for 20 years so I'm very used to it.
I tried a few different 9mm subcompact pistols at the local Gander Mountain, including the Sig P290, Kahr PM9, and S&W M&P Shield. The Sig 938 and Ruger LCR were out of consideration due to my not wanting an external manual safety. The Kahr and Sig triggers were not to my liking, very long and heavy pull. I do understand the purpose for that type of trigger in a "pocket pistol", but I won't pocket carry without a holster shrouding the trigger anyhow. Additionally with all three Kahr PM9s they had, each were difficult and gritty on the slide operation. The S&W Shield was a bit bigger than what I was looking for, otherwise very nice but I would opt for a G26 instead if I was going slightly larger. The Beretta didn't exactly "wow" me, but it had the best qualities of everything I was looking for - 9mm, good trigger, simple operation, and liked by my girlfriend as well.
The pistol came with a 6rd mag that leaves the pinky dangling below, and a 8rd with an extension. The width was nice and the pistol was fairly light in the hand without being uncomfortable. The pistol does have an interesting feature to it: there is no external slide lock, it is internal and cannot be manually operated. What this means is in order to lock the slide to the rear, you must insert an empty magazine. This goes against the cardinal rule of remove the magazine first when clearing, but it's not necessarily a service pistol anyhow. If you are clearing a loaded weapon on the firing line, particularly if it's one where all actions must be open when not in use, you first have to remove the loaded magazine, clear the chamber, insert an empty magazine and then lock the slide to the rear. Fortunately I had the range all to myself that day, so I wasn't making fellow shooters nervous with the mag dance.
My shooting experience with it was limited, about 100 rounds of ball ammo and two mags of Hornady Critical Defense to confirm functioning for carry. The pistol is very comfortable to shoot, and I had no sore spots after the limited session. My targets were a pair of 1/2 IPSC size steel targets at 15yds. I noticed I had to focus on the fundamentals more at this distance than with my typical carry (Glock 19). The smaller grip is very unforgiving on lax trigger control and I was coming up with misses when I was firing faster shot strings. I even picked the Glock back up and rang a continuous 15 shot string of hammer pairs between the two targets just to see if I could still shoot... Towards the end of the session, I was getting continuous hits in the center of the target, but was still holding a <6" impact zone at that distance. My gal really liked the way it shot, but preferred her S&W for obvious reasons. The Hornady carry loads ran very well, only a touch more recoil but I wish it was lower light to see the fireball I'm sure it was spitting out the front. There were zero functioning issues on the day.
Overall, I like the little guy and will likely pick up another. Close distance-highly concealable defensive use is where this pistol shines, and will fill a gap for me in the warmer months when the G19 isn't ideal for carry. There's a few online dealers that have them for under $370 shipped, and will go that route next time.
Please don't take this as any type of review, simply a restatement of my limited experience with the new pistol completely from memory. This is my first experience with this type of pistol as I've mainly carried service pistols for the last couple decades. As a bit of background on myself, I mostly own Glocks, have a good bit of 1911 experience as well, and I am the kind of guy who doesn't badmouth the M9 as I've carried one in the Corps and private work for 20 years so I'm very used to it.
I tried a few different 9mm subcompact pistols at the local Gander Mountain, including the Sig P290, Kahr PM9, and S&W M&P Shield. The Sig 938 and Ruger LCR were out of consideration due to my not wanting an external manual safety. The Kahr and Sig triggers were not to my liking, very long and heavy pull. I do understand the purpose for that type of trigger in a "pocket pistol", but I won't pocket carry without a holster shrouding the trigger anyhow. Additionally with all three Kahr PM9s they had, each were difficult and gritty on the slide operation. The S&W Shield was a bit bigger than what I was looking for, otherwise very nice but I would opt for a G26 instead if I was going slightly larger. The Beretta didn't exactly "wow" me, but it had the best qualities of everything I was looking for - 9mm, good trigger, simple operation, and liked by my girlfriend as well.
The pistol came with a 6rd mag that leaves the pinky dangling below, and a 8rd with an extension. The width was nice and the pistol was fairly light in the hand without being uncomfortable. The pistol does have an interesting feature to it: there is no external slide lock, it is internal and cannot be manually operated. What this means is in order to lock the slide to the rear, you must insert an empty magazine. This goes against the cardinal rule of remove the magazine first when clearing, but it's not necessarily a service pistol anyhow. If you are clearing a loaded weapon on the firing line, particularly if it's one where all actions must be open when not in use, you first have to remove the loaded magazine, clear the chamber, insert an empty magazine and then lock the slide to the rear. Fortunately I had the range all to myself that day, so I wasn't making fellow shooters nervous with the mag dance.
My shooting experience with it was limited, about 100 rounds of ball ammo and two mags of Hornady Critical Defense to confirm functioning for carry. The pistol is very comfortable to shoot, and I had no sore spots after the limited session. My targets were a pair of 1/2 IPSC size steel targets at 15yds. I noticed I had to focus on the fundamentals more at this distance than with my typical carry (Glock 19). The smaller grip is very unforgiving on lax trigger control and I was coming up with misses when I was firing faster shot strings. I even picked the Glock back up and rang a continuous 15 shot string of hammer pairs between the two targets just to see if I could still shoot... Towards the end of the session, I was getting continuous hits in the center of the target, but was still holding a <6" impact zone at that distance. My gal really liked the way it shot, but preferred her S&W for obvious reasons. The Hornady carry loads ran very well, only a touch more recoil but I wish it was lower light to see the fireball I'm sure it was spitting out the front. There were zero functioning issues on the day.
Overall, I like the little guy and will likely pick up another. Close distance-highly concealable defensive use is where this pistol shines, and will fill a gap for me in the warmer months when the G19 isn't ideal for carry. There's a few online dealers that have them for under $370 shipped, and will go that route next time.
My personal choice is the beretta nano. It is small and very thin with no levers on the side to snag. Perfect for a little gun. It has been 100% with all ammo through roughly 750 rounds. The trigger is not as good as some other options but I prioritize other criteria for a pistol of this type and shooting primarily glocks has left me with an ability to use sub optimal triggers effectively. The little gun is accurate and I shoot it about as well as a g19, just a little slower. No problem maintaining centermass at 25 yards. I confidentially recommend this pistol. Keep in mind it does not have an external slide stop if that is a deal breaker.
Redmanss, I would recommend finding a plastic chamber flag to show clear on the nano. It will avoid the mag dance which could be seen as poor form.
Consider holster selection before purchasing any gun. The best pistol is worthless if there isn't a holster that works for you on the market. Pocket carry is seldom the best method to carry a pistol no matter it's size. If you stick to popular guns you shouldn't have a difficult time finding a holster. This applys to any accessory you have planned for your pistol such as sights or laser/light. I am a large proponent of viewing any firearm that you plan on carrying as a system, make sure you have a the parts to make it effective. It amazes me how many people will buy a nighthawk pistol a refuse to spend more than 50usd on a holster or belt.
Redmanss, I would recommend finding a plastic chamber flag to show clear on the nano. It will avoid the mag dance which could be seen as poor form.
Consider holster selection before purchasing any gun. The best pistol is worthless if there isn't a holster that works for you on the market. Pocket carry is seldom the best method to carry a pistol no matter it's size. If you stick to popular guns you shouldn't have a difficult time finding a holster. This applys to any accessory you have planned for your pistol such as sights or laser/light. I am a large proponent of viewing any firearm that you plan on carrying as a system, make sure you have a the parts to make it effective. It amazes me how many people will buy a nighthawk pistol a refuse to spend more than 50usd on a holster or belt.
Thin Carry Pistol
I will admit it here, and catch crap I am sure. But I carry the (roll eyes) DB 380. It was the baby glock before they came out with the 42. It is the newer updated style and has been 100% in 600+ rds. Early ones were hit or miss. But I love this stupid little gun. Better grip angle than the G42 and surprisingly accurate. IWB at 4 and extra mag in front pocket. This will be my 3rd year with it. Can't talk me out of it. Bash away.
I will admit it here, and catch crap I am sure. But I carry the (roll eyes) DB 380. It was the baby glock before they came out with the 42. It is the newer updated style and has been 100% in 600+ rds. Early ones were hit or miss. But I love this stupid little gun. Better grip angle than the G42 and surprisingly accurate. IWB at 4 and extra mag in front pocket. This will be my 3rd year with it. Can't talk me out of it. Bash away.
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GO to a gun shop and pick up and handle all of the pistols listed and the one that feels good in you hand is the winner. Make sure the PPS is in the selection a few friends carry them and they are small.
I have a SIG P290R and like it alot, might not be the easy to shot well for a beginer, heavy double action trigger, just bought a M&P Shield and loved it the first time I shot it, 9mm
Some of the choices I like for a thin carry gun are the Glock 42 (the newest revision), S&W Shield, XDS 9, Sig P239 or 938 and PM9. I typically carry a Glock 19 every day in an JM Custom kydex AIWB holster, but when that's not possible I'm looking to occasionally carry a Glock 42 via pocket or from a very well designed clip on AIWB holster with a strong metal clip that does not need a belt to secure it.
Richard [MENTION=3594]CS[/MENTION] Tactical
Richard [MENTION=3594]CS[/MENTION] Tactical
I EDC a Sig Sauer p290rs. I really like it. The 290rs is a DAO single stack 9mm (rated for +p) with no safety at all. The quality of this pistol is worlds above the "bargain" variety .380's and nines. IE: bodyguard, lc9, lcp and the like. The fit of all the machine work is impeccable. The barrel to slide fit is rock solid. The stippling on the grip is the best I have ever felt. It doesn't dig into your hand like some raised square variations. It doesn't snag on clothes yet it feels sure and solid in your hand. The trigger pull is long but its smooth and its not overly heavy. I like the visible external hammer in this situation. I feel like it allows you to better anticipate the break while trying to take a careful shot. This gun is surprisingly accurate if you do your part. It comes with signature tridium night sights. My version came with a removable lazer and a sig branded paddle style holster. Im not big on lazers so I took it off for carry. I am a beretta fan and while shopping I looked at the nano among others. The nano is the opposite of what Italian engineering usually is(function following form). It is UGLY. At least to me. Also to take a loose quote from a review I read a while back on the nano "its like they designed a pistol to fit in a small box with no regard for ergonomics or a human ever having to operate it". I completely agree. It feels very awkward and I don't feel like having smaller or larger hands would make it any worse or better. One other thing I do not like about the nano is the absence of a slide release. You have to slingshot the slide. Not a problem to those who prefer to use this method but for me I just like one being there should I choose to use it. The gun feels naked without it to me. The pm9 was on my list as well but there is A LOT of bad reviews about ftf's and even the frames cracking around where the steel ears are for the slide. I understand hype is hype but the sheer volume of it scared me off. In 1000+ rounds so far through the 290rs I have not had even one FTF. This was everything from cheapo stuff on up to +p premium hollow points. It feels like how you would expect a full size Sig to just eat anything you throw at it.
As always these are just my opinions. I chose my pistol for my reasons. Choose yours for your own reasons. Cheers!
As always these are just my opinions. I chose my pistol for my reasons. Choose yours for your own reasons. Cheers!
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I had the right holster for my HK P7M8 (Iron Oak?) and it was a great carry gun. More accurate than any mortal needs and reliable. I never had any issues with mine but sold it like a fool.
You can just not use the safety. That's what I do, it's still a conventional striker fired pistol with all the safeties of a standard M&P or a glock, it works. good pistol.
Did someone already mention the G36? Anyway, yeah, slim enough and carries .45ACP. There's slimmer, but I'm not sure if they're ideal. Then there's that thing about 9mm's generally only holding 9-10rds. in a single stack and the G36 holds 6.
However, a good Milt Sparks VM2 rig and quality gun belt can easily hide IWB a G26-27 or even the G29-30 depending on your build and dress. I use 3 VM2 rigs and they rarely, if ever, print. Sometimes the holster is more important than the weapon selection in a carry setup.
However, a good Milt Sparks VM2 rig and quality gun belt can easily hide IWB a G26-27 or even the G29-30 depending on your build and dress. I use 3 VM2 rigs and they rarely, if ever, print. Sometimes the holster is more important than the weapon selection in a carry setup.
I just purchased the new one without the safety. My wife now uses the one with the safety. The MP shield is the smallest pistol I can carry and actually feel like I have a gun. Both of mine shoot great, reliable and relatively cheap.
The Kahr PM9 is just an awesome little carry pistol! I also carry a CW9, P380, G19, G21, G27, and a Bodyguard revolver. The PM9 is easily my favorite. It is very easy to conceal and I find it to be crazy accurate for such a small gun!
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