No, the OP stated that an 8" bbl would be fine.
As would a steel frame.
I took those to be LIMITS not demands.
I was saying for the premise of this conversation there's no need for the choice to be either lightweight, or a short barreled pistol, such as the majority of poly firearms marketed today for concealed carry. An 8" barrel such as the old Wildey was just an example of the extreme end of the spectrum, it's not a suggestion or requirement. Most guns that fit the category are probably around 5" and what you'll see in a USPSA production match. I added the $4000 budget to eliminate some of the Open guns that are just silly expensive. I'm not necessarily looking for advice on my own purchase, I've shot competitions for decades and I know what I like, I just thought this would be an interesting topic as I see little market focus on big 9mm's. On that note, I am surprised no one has mentioned an old metal S&W's, 5900 I think was the model #.
