Next round of permits should be coming in about 2 or 3 weeks ( my PD is great) .

 

What I am looking for this time is a BUG. It needs to be 3" barrel . I want to use it for BUG matches if they come up..I have my J frame Model 60 5 shooter that will qualify , but would also like a higher capacity for the purpose . Also , I don't have a 9mm yet , figure if I am going to get one might as well be my CC sized gun.

 

I'm leaning towards the PX4 storm sub compact in 9mm. It has interchangeable backstraps for smaller hands , and a nice capacity for a sub compact. 13 +1 in 9mm. It looks nice too

 

Before I decide and start checking availability , I was wondering in anyone knew of an all metal sub compact with a maximum 3" barrel? I like heavier guns , personally. I was unable to find one by doing some minimal poking around on the web.

 

It has to be a max 3 inch barrel , and I would prefer a rail.

 

And as always , any other recommendations are welcome !

Check out the Kahr MK9. All metal and 3" barrel.

 

I am picking up the CM9 once my 30 days is up for the next permit. It's polymer though. The CM9 is the cheaper cousin to the PM9.

A rail might be hard, Also you mentioned (or it seemed like you mentioned) you want the higher capicity for possible BUG matches. As far as I know all guns in a BUG match are limited to 5 rounds.

 

If you can deal with a 3.3" barrel (still good for bug matches) then you can look into the walther PPK like as well as Bersa (.32 or .380) and possibly a P64 (my own personal carry gun in 9x18)

 

none of which are 9x19 though. The only gun I can think of that is 9x19 and a <3" barrel is the rohrbaugh r9 and thats pretty pricey as well as not very heavy at all.

BUG matches limit you to 5 rounds (at least in IDPA).

 

Px4 Storm SC is not all metal - it's a polymer framed gun just like all of the other Px4s. It's also rather wide - which means it can be more difficult to carry concealed.

 

Pretty much every 9mm subcompact is made with a polymer frame. The only one I can think of that's not is a High Point.... not sure if you want a Saturday Night Special.

 

When you look at it - CC guns should be light and easy to conceal - do you really want to be lugging around a big hunk of steel?

A rail on a 3" gun is probably a non-starter. Why do you want to attach something to a gun whose profil;e you are trying to keep as small as possible.

I held the all-metal Kahr at Shore Shot the other night.It was significantly heavier than the polymer guns. The other all metal gun I checked out was the Kimber Solo. Both are really nice, and their price tag reflects that. Don't be too scared off by polymer sub-compacts. The Beretta Nano does not have much more recoil than most compact 9mm guns I have shot.

I think heavy is a very fair trade off if it means controlling your shots better, My carry gun would be considered heavy by most but once its in pocket or IWB you forget about it rather quickly. The weight isnt a hinderance at all

Springfield EMP is ~3.25" barrel, alloy frame and slide (for 9mm anyway, .40 gets you steel parts). Costly though. IIRC Kimber has some similar models, for similar coin.

 

The P238 is all metal I think, but it's .380.

 

EDIT: no rails on these

I 2nd the Kahr Mk9 or 40

 

I also have a CM9 and its a nice gun....

I hesitate to say, "the only game in town," but fmtek pretty much hit it on the head - the Kahr series of metal pistols, notably the MK9 and MK40 and their variants. They are heavy and lend themselves better to holster carry than pocket carry, which is best left to their polymer counterparts.

 

Here's my MK9...

 

 

Adios,

 

Pizza Bob

 

ETA: Sig is now shipping the 938 - all metal single-action 9 mm...

 

http://www.sigsauer....8-rosewood.aspx

My vote is for a kahr

You might consider checking out the Springfield XD 9mm subcompact. I have one that I use as my CCW when I leave the PRNJ. It has a 3" barrel, and while it is not all metal, it's pretty hefty. Its capacity is the same as the PX4, which I had considered in making my choice. If you like, you're certainly welcome to try mine.

That Kahr is beautiful. I am comparing all the guns mentioned here , thanks That XD9 looks great too.

 

For IDPA purposes , if my gun has a capacity of more than 5 rounds , I can still compete as long as I only load 5 in the mags , yes? My want for extra capacity is for SD purposes . If I do CC , it would most likely be when camping or hiking in free states where allowed. Which I use to do often in another life I had long ago ..back in B.C ( before children) . Now that my baby is almost 1 and now that my 3 year old son is starting to act like a human child ( gotta love a super active boy), hopefully things can start getting a little recreational again.

 

Nick , I did not think about the double stack making the gun wide , thanks for pointing it out. My friend has a PX4 sub compact that I can try at the BH fortunately so I would be trying before buying. As for the other mentioned guns , I need to get a hold of them in the store before making a decision . The Nano is another I am considering , forgot to mention it.

 

keep the suggestions coming , I'll be going shopping with a list to get a hand on whatever I can before buying

I keep looking at a the pics of Bob's Kahr. Pete will thank you if I go for the expensive one lol

I'm surprised nobody said Sig 938. I saw one in Bullet Hole yesterday for about $700. 9mm, 3" barrel, 6 rounds, all metal.

At the BH? I'll go check it out too , thanks

 

Edited to ask - is it a 1911 ? Looks like a wee 1911..I like the grips on it.

+1 Very beautiful piece. And its single action sweet trigger

 

I'm surprised nobody said Sig 938. I saw one in Bullet Hole yesterday for about $700. 9mm, 3" barrel, 6 rounds, all metal.

Sandy,

 

There is a PDF comparing compact & sub-compact pistols. I also made an excel file to compare the ones i was considering purchasing. Does it have to be all metal?

 

Here is the link to my excel doc if you want to check it out...

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AkG7ZGJOjNtidDJacmJfUnBLSXhxalg4YnJSWm9wOXc&authkey=COCNhaQK&hl=en_US&authkey=COCNhaQK

 

let me know if the link doesnt work. I'll have to fix it tonight, cant view google docs at work...

 

Edit: here is the PDF too

http://www.mouseguns.com/PocketAutoComparison.pdf

+1 Very beautiful piece. And its single action sweet trigger

 

Yea - I don't think it's going to be there long. I almost put a deposit on it.

At the BH? I'll go check it out too , thanks

 

Edited to ask - is it a 1911 ? Looks like a wee 1911..I like the grips on it.

 

Yes - it's SAO, 1911 design. Just like the P238 except it's 9mm. This is the first one that I've seen in a store.

Thanks !

 

And thanks Wayne , I'm pouring over those docs now..very informative , thanks for sharing !

Yes - if your mags hold more than 5 for IDPA BUG matches, you can download to 5 rounds.

 

Just food for thought - do you REALLY want a SAO pistol that's going to be carried IWB or Pocket? I opted for a longer, slightly heavier (but very smooth) trigger pull.

Feed my brain ( remember , I'm pretty new to firearms) on why you may not want a SA IWB or in pocket . Or in that pouch in your diaper bag that you can never figure out what to put in there..

Yes - if your mags hold more than 5 for IDPA BUG matches, you can download to 5 rounds.

 

Just food for thought - do you REALLY want a SAO pistol that's going to be carried IWB or Pocket? I opted for a longer, slightly heavier (but very smooth) trigger pull.

 

+1. I would've bought the Walther PPS because it felt so nice in my hand. It was the light trigger pull that scared me off. Having a really sweet trigger on a concealed carry piece increases the likelihood of an accidental/negligent discharge, IMO. I read a story only a month or two ago about a man who accidentally died because his carry piece got caught in a seat belt in his truck and it discharged into him. Basically, if a gun's weight is enough to pull the trigger, then it is too light for me. If the length of pull on the trigger is really short, then it's not for me either. I know that many companies make the bladed trigger safety (i.e. think Glock), but that can easily be deactivated by any rigid object other than your finger. I opted for a gun with a pull much more like a light double action revolver, the Beretta Nano. I am not telling anyone what to purchase, but that is my semi-informed opinion.

Why not just use a safety? I know a lot of people dont like them, but i would rather have one in the chamber with the safety on and a nice trigger.

OK - I don't want to derail this thread into a "what's best safety" or "safe to carry" thread, but think about this. The Sig 938 has a trigger pull of 7.5 - 8.5 lbs trigger pull. This is not a "light" trigger pull for SAO. It also has two manual safeties to activate before the gun will go bang. I'll take this over a standard trigger blade safety striker fired pistol. The exposed hammer may "look" unsafe, but is it really?

Why not just use a safety? I know a lot of people dont like them, but i would rather have one in the chamber with the safety on and a nice trigger.

 

Sorry, I forgot to mention I am a lefty. I agree with you, but you don't see many lefty friendly safeties on micro pistols. Even S&W, who is excellent with their completely ambi M&P line, has a left side only safety on their new M&P micro 9.

...It also has two manual safeties to activate before the gun will go bang.

 

Sorry, but you opened the door - it has only one manual safety - ambidextrous though it may be, it is still only one. Ther are other passive safeties, but only one manual one.

 

That being said, I wouldn't hesitate to carry it cocked and locked in a proper holster - be that a pocket holster or IWB. Another nice feature about the safety is that the slide can be racked with the safety engaged, for safer unloading.

 

Adios,

 

Pizza Bob

Not sure how most people feel, but for me, I like to have a DA first pull at least and one with a longer pull being I like to pocket carry and my S&W BG380 fits the bill well. No problems with keeping one in the pipe and safety off.

OK - I don't want to derail this thread into a "what's best safety" or "safe to carry" thread, but think about this. The Sig 938 has a trigger pull of 7.5 - 8.5 lbs trigger pull. This is not a "light" trigger pull for SAO. It also has two manual safeties to activate before the gun will go bang. I'll take this over a standard trigger blade safety striker fired pistol. The exposed hammer may "look" unsafe, but is it really?

 

Good points on light trigger pulls. With kids around me often I don't want any chance of something besides my finger pulling anything and making it go boom. I noticed right away that the Sig had a decent weight to the trigger pull ( my Model 60 has a 9 or 10 pound DA pull and I like it) Plus I am familiar with the 1911 platform ..I like the safety type where if your hand is wrapped around the backstrap it will fire. I do not like safeties you have to otherwise switch on and off. I do not use the one on my Combat Elite. IMO the pressure pad thing on the backstrap is good enough for me.

Sorry, but you opened the door - it has only one manual safety - ambidextrous though it may be, it is still only one. Ther are other passive safeties, but only one manual one.

 

That being said, I wouldn't hesitate to carry it cocked and locked in a proper holster - be that a pocket holster or IWB. Another nice feature about the safety is that the slide can be racked with the safety engaged, for safer unloading.

 

Adios,

 

Pizza Bob

 

All this is making me like that Sig

As a side note , I have a Remora holster for my model 60 and I love it. It stays put , it covers the hammer nicely..it draws out effortlessly and safely . It is not as easy to re-holster as I would like , minor nit. If you want to reholster as fast as you draw you probably would not like it. For 24 bucks though it does the job even with athletic or yoga pants/shorts on ..the draw really is effortless and I feel safe with the way the gun has the hammer well covered and I feel safe drawing . Works for me.