I am looking to pick up a rock solid 9mm that I could use as a CCW and that my wife could also shoot. Only 9mm that I have ever shot is the one issued to me by the USAF 
I know most folks here are Glock and M&P folks but just looking for some options to check out. Thanks.
There are a couple of threads on this topic gathered here:
https://www.m4carbine.net/showthread.php?t=30221&highlight=reference
and here:
https://www.m4carbine.net/showthread.php?t=15243
Which Iâm sure you overlooked.
M_P
Thanks much. I am a little slow on the search button. 
I might be biased, but I say GLOCK 19âŚlol
SIG 239, 228, and 229 are nice choices tooâŚ
Go to your local range, rent a few and see what fits you best. Itâs all about feel and what you are comfortable with. Try different calibers. You might be suprised to find you are good shooting another caliber. Some of my fav 9mm CC pieces are the Kahr PM9 (though it is pricey), Glock 26, (please dont hate me everyone) Kel-Tec PF9, and S&W M&P. Those are just some of the CCâs I have shot and like. Your results/tastes may vary.
As for your wife, let her try some weapons of her own choosing. I remember taking my wife with me for the first time, she loved being able to pick what she wanted. Chances are what you are comfortable with might not be what she is comfortable with. If she hasnât shot, see if she enjoys it and if she does, get her in a class. You might even want to take the class with her as a refresher.
Good Luck, be safe, and have fun! Let us know what you go with!
Being a .45 guy myself I have recently picked up a P30 that I like a lot. I had to learn a different grip than I was used to on my 1911, but the transition has been pretty seamless so far.
The M&P line is also very nice and very reasonably priced. The new âProâ line I like a lot and will probably pick one up n the near future.
I also really like my Hk P7M8 but I wouldnât recommend it for heavy training, as it get as hot as a June bride in a feather bedâŚ
The first thing to determine, will be what the pistols primary use will be.
I am sure others that know much more than I do will be along shortly with all of their technical wisdom.
First nine or last nineâŚGlock 19, 26, or Kahr K9 or P9.
My first answer is ususally the Glock 19. That coming from a Glock 22/23 shooter.
But lately, I have been eyeing the Smith and Wesson M&P. It fits better in my hand than the Glock does. Also, I like the stock sights that come with it. Plus the M&P does have the changeable backstraps and the optional thumb safety.
I have no experience shooting the M&P, but others here seem to have good things to say about it.
I did notice that the magazines for the M&Ps were running about $8.00 more than the Glocks, the last time that I checked.
Personally, I will probably stick with the Glock for myself. But, the wife and I are looking for an M&P for her. Our only difficulty is that we are having a hard time locating one of the M&P 40câs with a thumb safety. (The thumb safety, and the .40 caliber, is something my wife is insisting on)
My suggestion is S&W M&P9 (fs). For options other than M&P and Glock you may want to consider the Walther P99.
I think you should go to a range and attempt to rent as many 9mms as possible and find out which ones work best for you. There are numerous handguns available that are high quality and have solid reputations. You canât go wrong with a Glock, M&P, Beretta, HK, SIG, CZ, Browning, etcâŚ
That said, I would look at the CZ line up particularly the CZ-75 or if you are looking to carry the CZ p-01. I have been extremely impressed with my CZ-75 and it is very reasonably priced.
However, if I had just one 9mm it would have to be the Browning hi-power. Out of all the 9mms that I have owned or fired, nothing quite matches the hi-power in overall accuracy, handling, or reliability although the CZ-75 does comes very close. The Browning makes it so easy to shoot well IMO.
I have been extremely impressed
Is there a reason why you would recommend those two pistols in particular?
Particularly over other available designs from HK, Glock and S&W?
Has anyone done any durability testing on recently on some other designs that youâve had a chance to review?
M_P
M_P, I think alot about choosing a pistol is based off of personal preference. I think HK, Glock, and S&W make great products. Actually, my sister is purchasing her first pistol soon and I recommended to her a Glock 19 because when we went to the range and rented a variety of pistols along with the ones that I owned, the Glock was the one the worked best for her and the Glock is a great handgun.
To answer your durability questions:
For the Browning Hi-power: Proven combat service in numerous wars and conflicts since the 1930s: WWII, Korea (commonwealth service), Vietnam (Australian service), Falklands war, numerous wars in africa and the middle east, Gulf war I and II, OEF.
For the CZ P-01
CZ NATO test
4000 dry firings
3000 De-cockings
Operator level disassembly 1350 times with out ware or damage to components.
Complete disassembly 150 times, this is all the way down, pins, springs etc.
100% interchangability, any number of pistols randomly selected, disassembled, parts mixed and reassembled with no failures of any kind including loss of accuracy.
The P-01 is now a NATO classified pistol and issued the NATO stock number NSN 1005-16-000-8619.
The CZ P-01 is the culmination of several years of exhaustive design and testing. Ceska Zbrojovka has always had some of the most rigorous testing requirements in the world but, the Czech National police has required that they go even further, the testing regiment for this new pistol was the most demanding anyone has ever encountered. There are almost 20 specific requirements covering everything from accuracy to interchangability, from safety to reliability/durability and everything in between.
The pistol: The CZ P-01 is a Gen 3 pistol that began as a requirement for a lightweight compact pistol that will deliver the accuracy and durability of a full size, full weight pistol. This was no small task, several manufacturers declined to even start the project.
The first thing you notice about this pistol is the M3 light rail on the frame, a first for CZ, the alloy frame is a little wider at the top than a steel CZ 75. This adds strength and rigidity for mounting the light and increasing the accuracy and service life of the pistol. The P-01 also sports enhanced controls as well as a drop free magazine and a lanyard loop.
The pistol was required to pass a wide variety of tests:
The police required that the pistol ensure the highest level of comfort, an extended slide release was added as well as an extended magazine release and the trigger was reshaped to give a more consistent pull throughout the trigger stroke.
The pistol must be 100% reliable in extreme conditions, the following is a list of some of the minimum requirements.
Must be able to complete the following without failure:
4000 dry firings
3000 De-cockings
Operator level disassembly 1350 times with out ware or damage to components.
Complete disassembly 150 times, this is all the way down, pins, springs etc.
100% interchangability, any number of pistols randomly selected, disassembled, parts mixed and reassembled with no failures of any kind including loss of accuracy.
Safety requirements:
Drop test
1.5 meter (4.9â) drop test, this is done 54 times with the pistol loaded (blank) and the hammer cocked. Dropping the pistol on the butt, the muzzle, back of the slide, sides of the gun, top of the slide, in essence, any angle that you could drop the gun from. This is done on concrete and 0 failures are allowed! A failure is the gun firing.
3meter drop (9.8â) 5 times with the pistol loaded (blank) and the hammer cocked, This is done on concrete and 0 failures are allowed! A failure is the gun firing.
After these tests are complete the gun must fire without service.
The factory contracted an independent lab to do additional testing on guns that previously passed the drop tests. These pistol were dropped an additional 352 times without failure.
The pistol must also complete an environmental conditions test:
This means cold, heat, dust/sand and mud.
The pistol must fire after being frozen for 24 hours at â35C (-36F).
The pistol must fire after being heated for 24 hours at 70C (126F)
The pistol must fire after being submerged in mud, sand and combinations including being stripped of oil then completing the sand and mud tests again.
Service life:
The service life requirement from the Czech police was 15,000 rounds of +P ammo!
The pistol will exceed 30,000 rounds with ball 9mm.
Reliability:
The reliability requirements for the P-01 pistol are 99.8%, thatâs a .2% failure rate.
This equals 20 stoppages in 10,000 rounds or 500 âMean Rounds Between Failureâ (MRBF)
During testing, the average number of stoppages was only 7 per 15,000 rounds fired, this is a .05% failure rate, a MRBF rate of 2142 rounds! Over 4 time the minimum acceptable requirement.
The U.S. Army MRBF requirement is 495 rounds for 9mm pistols with 115 grain Ball ammunition.
Heritage:
The P-01 is based on the CZ 75, the most used pistol in the world. Over 60 countries use it as the standard side arm of their Armies, National police forces, National security agencies or other Law enforcement organizations. No other pistol can make this claim.
M&P9c gets my vote. They also can use the 17 round mags from my full sized M&P9, which I sometimes use in the 9c, while carrying concealed.
Sig 228 or the 239 great weapons I had both and the never gave me a problem,and real comfortable to carry
Hk P-2000 with LEMâŚ
This. The best gun in the world is useless to you if it doesnât fit you. Also take a look at the HK P7. Great gun and very affordable right now, mags are pricey though.
Hello,
The King of Nines is The FN-Browning High Power.
Browningâs High Power Page: http://www.browning.com/products/catalog/family.asp?webflag_=007B
FNâs High Power Page: http://www.fnherstal.com/index.php?id=269&backPID=263&productID=74&pid_product=295&pidList=263&categorySelector=5&detail
Steve Campâs High Power Page is Full of Good HP Info: http://www.hipowersandhandguns.com/HiPowerComments.html
Practical answer: Glock 17
Awesome answer: P7M8
Understand that when you ask âWhat is a good first 9mm?â people will answer âWhat is your favorite 9mm?â
My recommendation is to start with a simple self-assessment. The value of this self-assessment will be directly related to how honest you are with yourself.
[ul][li] What is your current experience level with handguns?
[/li][li] What is your current comfort level with handguns?
[/li][li] What if any training will you commit to receiving before and after purchasing your pistol?
[/li][li] How often will you shoot the pistol?
[/li][li] How comfortable & experienced is your wife with handguns?
[/li][li] How often will she handle the pistol?[/ul]
[/li]
Iâm always wary of recommending Glocks to first time shooters or those who may not handle the guns frequently. While perfectly safe in the hands of a perfectly safe shooter, the Glock has a short, light trigger and also requires you to pull the trigger as part of the takedown/cleaning process. The simple reality is that a lot of people have accidents with Glocks every year, and many of them are because someone forgets the proper sequence for taking the gun apart. With a Glock, that mistake leads to a very loud noise and potential disaster.
The best thing you can do is get an idea of what brands & models come highly regarded among the shooting community and the law enforcement community. These groups tend to weed out the guns which donât work well or are less ergonomic. Of course, if you look hard enough you can find a fansite for any model and probably find a LE agency issuing almost anything. But if you stick with the guns which are in widespread use in both communities, youâre on the right track. (itâs worth noting, in fairness, that the Glock is in very widespread use in both of those communities)
Once you know which brands and models you want to examine, find a rental range and put a box or two of ammo through each gun. Donât worry about how the gun feels, worry about how it shoots. Does it recoil a lot? Was it making tiny groups? Can you reach the controls properly?
Finally, keep in mind that for a CCW gun, the most important factor is finding a pistol you will actually carry. So while a huge, heavy pistol might shoot the best, if your CCW sits in a safe at home because itâs too big then itâs not really a carry gun.
I really appreciate all the information that was provided here. Once I get home from Iraq I will head to the local shop/range and fire all of the choices provided here and make my decision based on then. I will also have my wife join me and pick out what fits her best. I will of course let you all know what we come up with. Thank you again.