Great one and only concealed 9mm for Medium Sized Hand?

[Joe in PNG]

Let me jump in here. Some people soon tire of walking around with a heavy pistol. So keep that in mind. My opinion is that holster selection will be more critical than than choice of pistol. We have members who also are holster manufacturers. Each has expended great effort in designing outstanding products. Take advantage of their knowledge.

It's amazing on how much a good belt & holster combo can make a gun carry comfortably while being concealed. I've toted a Colt LW Commander 1911 all day in a t-shirt and shorts, and done so before with a Glock 19.

[Hot Sauce]

Gonna be contrarian here.

Out of the newbs I've brought to the range, particularly those with medium to small hands and occasional trigger reach concerns, M&P Compact seemed to fare better for initial results than G19.

Is it the grip angle? The trigger? Who knows. For whatever reason, people who were unversed found them easier to shoot well.

Don't shoot the messenger.

[claymore504]

A simple answer would be an M&P M2.0 Compact. You can go with eaither the 4.0 or 3.6 inch barrel. Thumb safety or not and they fit everyone's hands very good from what I have seen. My wife has had her 5 inch FDE 9mm since they came out and it has been great. I had a 4 inch compact 9mm for a few years, but recently sold it to a buddy looking to get his forst handgun.

For myself I went DA/SA and the CZ P07 and P09 is what I went with. However, if I was looking to get into a striker handgun these days, one I would really look hard at is the Beretta APX. I had a compact 9mm for a while and it was excellent. I sold it off only because I was thinning out the one off striker guns that did not get used.

[mmc45414]

I am an M&P advocate, but one thing about a G19 is if you change your mind selling a used one is like selling a used Honda Civic.

Sent from my SM-G892A using Tapatalk

[WobblyPossum]

I’m also going to suggest a G19 or a G26. I have small/medium sized hands and the Glocks fit me well. Especially the Gen4 and Gen5 ones with the slightly narrower frame without any backstraps added. The G19 would probably be more versatile since you could carry it concealed but also throw a weapon mounted light on it and use it as a nightstand gun. Depending on how dedicated to concealed carry you end up being, the G26 might be better because it’s easier to conceal than a G19. If you get a G26, I recommend the Gen5. If you get a G19, I recommend the Gen5 MOS so you can easily mount a red dot on it if you end up wanting to do so at a later date. There’s a rumor that an MOS G26 is coming to the US but no definitive info has come out.

[RJ]

I'm surprised even a great pistol manufacturer like glock does not have a hand size guide, or at least that I can find.. Do you any of you folks wear a medium glove?

I'll start calling my local gun shops to see if any of them have either the 43X or 19. Is the slimline and worth looking at? Considering everyone is out of stock I guess I shouldn't be picky as long as I have one with ammo by september.

Yes, I do. And yes, the slimline GLOCKS are worth looking at.

I've seen a lot of the above recommendations for a G19, and, while it can be the answer (and often is), circumstances may dictate otherwise. I shot my Glock 19.5 after approximately 6,800 rounds, carrying it on the road on extended RV travel for 2 years, several USPSA matches, training, and general shooting. It was reliable and accurate. I also owned a Glock 26.5, for carry, which augmented the Glock 19 at the time. I had it loaded 12+1 with a GLOCK OEM +2 mag. It was also reliable and accurate.

Oddly enough, I no longer own either gun. For a "one concealed gun" solution, I think there are better options out there, but it depends on your personal situation, which is why I asked the questions I posed.

I have one more: What would be your realistic estimate of how much training you would do with it?

[HCM]

Hello folks new here..

I own a Benelli Nova but also need a 9mm concealed pistol for self-defense. I don't have allot of time to target shoot atm because I live alone and am busy with two as-is properties and to many possessions. But I had a 22 when I was a teen, almost scored sharp shooter the first time I picked up a 45 in boot camp, and have shot my sons AK's etc. so it's not like I've never shot a gun. I can shoot at my property in the sticks, but its 45 minutes away.

But frankly, I don't know squat about what's available and hope I can get some recommendations because I'm tempted to order online because there's not to many gun shops in liberal Iowa City.

Someone on a different forum suggested a Sig P365 XL which looks like a great pistol. But what I don't like is the fact the grip is so short, your pinky finger doesn't grip it. I wear a medium glove (8 1/4" around, 7" length) and my hands and stature is the reason my score went down the more I shot the large powerful 45 in boot camp.

Considering I don't need or want more than two guns, I really don't have a price limit. But I don't want anything flashy bling bling. Just a super reliable, accurate no frills, minimalist semi auto pistol that fits my hand like a medium glove. Suggestions?

Thanks!

Any of the guns recommended in this thread will work. That’s not the issue.

Most service / defensive guns today are modular and can be fit to multiple hand sizes. You seem very focused on gun fit and I get the impression you think it would somehow substitute for skill.

Pick any one of the recommended guns and then take a day or two and get some professional training, even if you need to travel to do it.

You mentioned you don’t have a lot of time to “target shoot” but carrying snd using a firearm for self defense is not “target shooting.”

If your time is limited, then a day or two of professional training will be the most efficient and effective use of your time vs messing around on your own.

[Earlymonk]

Can't reemphasize enough the advice to rent and shoot as many of the recommended guns as you can. While "fondling at the counter" is fun, it can only give you insight on things like LOP and whether the girth of a given grip will work for you. Beyond that, it can't tell you how the gun will shoot for you.

When I transitioned from a full-size carry gun to a compact—and as a fellow medium/small-hander—I learned that the G19 doesn't work for me. There is something about the grip shape that gives me a terrible hot spot at the base of my dominant (right) hand. I would never have learned this if I hadn't shot it.

A PX4 Compact is dimensioned differently enough (plus I wanted SA/DA) that there is no problem. These are the kinds of things that you really can't tell by looking at a comparison chart of measurements or handling it in the LGS.

Good luck with your search.

[spazatak]

I live in the Iowa City/Cedar Rapids area. There are some good shops here, even if they aren’t actually in IC (aside from Fin and Feather in IC and Scheels in Coralville, neither of which are my first choice). Try Midwest Shooter’s Supply up in Hiawatha - they have an indoor range and rental guns. There’s also Cedar Valley Outfitters in Marion - no rental but a good selection considering the times and good people to work with.

Even ordering online, you’re going to have to have a local FFL for the transfer.

Also if you’re in or around Iowa City, the West Liberty gun club isn’t far from you and is a great place for outdoor shooting once you have a gun. PM me if you want more details.

Edit - sorry Gato, commented before realizing you had beat me to it (also didn’t know you were a local). I’ll leave this unedited as a second endorsement of these places.

Thanks everyone.

I apologize for not getting back to this thread, but I got wrapped up in other forums. Got banned from one for mentioning a link that I regret, but I really have a problem with censorship lately..

What Ive learned from my research, is that I'll probably never actually find the pistol I really want during these times because the only pistols in the shops are left overs knowledgeable people don't want. Ive narrowed in down to full size single stack DA/SA pistols like the Wilson Combat, Nighthawk, Ed Brown, colt 1911 and the Sig P225 A1 and P220.

All I can be happy about is that Ive got my benelli nova and 40 Hornady Critical Defense 00 Buckshot shells.

Would I carry? Depends on the circumstances. I feel there's a good chance S may HTF here in september october because of what Dr. Reiner Fuellmich believes might happen.

[Duelist]

Thanks everyone.

I apologize for not getting back to this thread, but I got wrapped up in other forums. Got banned from one for mentioning a link that I regret, but I really have a problem with censorship lately..

What Ive learned from my research, is that I'll probably never actually find the pistol I really want during these times because the only pistols in the shops are left overs knowledgeable people don't want. Ive narrowed in down to full size single stack DA/SA pistols like the Wilson Combat, Nighthawk, Ed Brown, colt 1911 and the Sig P225 A1 and P220.

All I can be happy about is that Ive got my benelli nova and 40 Hornady Critical Defense 00 Buckshot shells.

Would I carry? Depends on the circumstances. I feel there's a good chance S may HTF here in september october because of what Dr. Reiner Fuellmich believes might happen.

I’m not in your area, of course, so I don’t know what your local market is like, but I’m not sure it’s as bad as all that to find a desirable gun.

Most of the pistols you listed after stating you want a full-size, single stack, DA/SA are single action 1911 types. There is nothing wrong with quality single action 1911s, but I would rather have a Glock or S&W M&P for a one-and-only, “stuff is about to get real” pistol. The SIGs are single stack DA/SA, but the P225 is a compact, and both the P225 and P255-A1 are out of production. Only the P220 meets all of the criteria you listed, and I’m not sure it is still in production, either.

Truthfully, in most cases for most users, the exact gun doesn’t matter too much. Get one that is reputable, and learn to run it and hit your target. I feel that, for many non-dedicated users who have had little to no training, a medium frame revolver in .38 Special is still probably the single best answer for a myriad of reasons. Things like the S&W K frames, Ruger GP100, Colt D frames.