Kahr, 1911, HK PSP and S&W various models.
Any other quality single-stack 9mm options?
Sig 225 which is a single stack 228 for the most part.
H&K P7M8 9mm pistol. Squeeze cock/safety, single action trigger pull, delayed gas impingement locking mechanism.
How about the Walther PPS http://video.google.com/videosearch?hl=en&q=walther+pps&sourceid=navclient-ff&rlz=1B3GGGL_enUS311US312&um=1&ie=UTF-8&ei=bre1SYWDB-DZmQfy0-H3Cg&sa=X&oi=video_result_group&resnum=4&ct=title#
Or the Sig P239 http://www.sigsauer.com/Products/ShowCatalogProductDetails.aspx?categoryid=9&productid=251
I don’t own either, but both look promising. I like the M&P9c. It’s very concealable for me, but not a single stack. What’s the intended purpose? Will this be an ankle piece, looking for something slimmer or special event/BUG gun???
Also, Sig 239.
Discontinued Beretta 92 M I think.
We issue the SIG 239 in .40 to some of our officers with small hands. I also have one in 9mm. I highly recommend it if you need a single-stack.
Big +1 on the 239
+2
Throw on some Hogue wrap around rubber grips and it is one very good handling pistol. Quite accurate and reliable:
Also a big fan of the p239!! The only thing that I was disappointed with was the grip. The front of the grip is flat as opposed to all other Sigs which are round. It is very uncomfortable. However some Hogue finger groove grips fixed the problem. I just wish I didn’t need to pay out of pocket for something like that.
The P239 is probably the best single-stack 9mm on the market unless you’re talking about high-end custom 1911’s (and all they bring to the table, good and bad).
The grip issue is a common complaint. The gun comes with the slimmest, squarest grips made. If they’re not comfortable, you can get Hogue rubber grips or even finger-groove grips. There is also a very well designed Crimson Trace Lasergrips for the P239.
Stay away from the 10rd P239 magazines at all costs. Unless something has changed recently, SIG won’t even sell them in the LE market. They are fun on the range but notoriously unreliable. A foreign government’s equivalent of our Air Marshals tested the P239-9 w/10rd mags and the result was … unpretty.
If you’re not a fan of DA/SA guns, keep in mind that the trigger pull on the P239 DAK is about a pound to pound-and-a-half heavier than on the P229/P226 guns. There is just less space to get leverage.
I’m not a huge fan, but the Kahr is also worth looking into, especially if you’re an avowed SFA fan.
FWIW, my personal take is that a compact double-stack gun is really only marginally harder to conceal and has the benefit of substantially greater firepower.
Sorry I should have explained more earlier. I don’t disagree, but it’s not for me, but my wife, she has a grip-reduced G19 and it’s still not quite doing the trick and she’s not quite reaching the trigger.
Same problem with the M&P which is why I was looking to a single stack.
I figured the high-end/custom 1911 might be the best option but wanted to explore other options.
The SW 3913.
I haven’t really broken this down with a tape measure or anything, but the reach to the trigger of a single-stack gun might be the same or possibly even longer on a single stack gun like the P239 than it is on something like a G19…and the DA trigger might make shooting for her much more difficult than a lighter consistent trigger like a Glock’s. Get her to handle the weapon before purchase (if possible) to make sure it will work for her.
A 1911 can be customized to grip, but the small 1911’s are notoriously finicky weapons and the most reliable 1911’s (5" guns) weigh more than a lot of people are willing to carry.
I’m leaning towards the Kahr for myself as a daily carry pistol. I think it may wind up as a bit of a project gun though as I’ve had several local shooters tell me they’ve had problems with them out of the box.
I find thickness to be much more of a concealment impedement than grip or barrel length, which is why I’m considering the Kahr.
If I went the 1911 route it would definitely be custom for reliability issues. Similarly I wasn’t thinking a shorter barrel than a commander and I’d probably go with a 5" for the reasons you stated. Alloy frame would be absolutely necessary. Like I said due to trigger-reach and other things, the high-end 1911 might be the best option.
I’m a bit skeptical of DA/SA guns like the 239, but we’ll get her to fondle one, maybe get it in DAK if possible.
I’ve heard similar negative reports about Kahrs but I’ve also heard good things and they do bring a lot to the table.
The P7/PSP has some appeal, but being a gas-gun, it might be too exotic and at $80 a mag…well you get the idea.
Rob,
from my experience (one of my carry guns is a Kahr MK9), the out of the box problems are common (maybe even normal) during break-in. My MK9 had a number of issues during the 200 rd. break-in period, but after that has been fine as long as I keep it lubed. If I don’t keep it lubed, this is what can happen:
When the photo above was taken, the gun had been in the safe for 4 months, and had not been lubed or cleaned in that time (I was testing the MK9’s requirements for lubrication). After this malfunction, a couple of drops of CLP on the barrel hood and the pistol ran fine after that; I think I ran another 100 rounds through it.
Obviously, if you keep it properly maintained, this should not be an issue. I have since switched to a dry lube (Eezox), and it has been flawless for the past 600 rounds. The Kahr is a great IWB pistol; I even pocket carry it in the summertime, as long as I have a good belt on.
My old 10rd 9mm, next to my XD9…
There are numerous good single stack 9mm out there. Some of the ones that I would look at include the following:
STI Ranger II or colt commander in 9mm
HK P7
Sig P225/P6
Walther PPS
Walther P1 (surplus)
Kahr
I’m sure their are other good single stacks out there. I think any of these would work well and you just need to determine what you are looking for and how much you would like to spend.
We had quite a few 3913 S&Ws carried by folks on my job back when we issued S&Ws for duty weapons.
The 3913 is a superb little gun, the 3953 was also nice, if you wanted a DAO pistol.
I have been using a Walther PPS as a backup for the last 6 -7 months. I have about 3000 rounds thru it. It functions perfect. You have a choice of 6 , 7 or 8 round mags. Very simple to tear down and maintain. Very thin. It works well in a front pocket, on the hip, inside the waist band or in a jacket pocket. Take a look at it.