Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Handguns Best Concealed Carry 9mm?

I really like my single stack shield.

OP was looking for something thinner and lighter then Shield Plus. How does Sig 365XL fit into that scenario
Based on most suggestions I would simply keep Shield Plus and load it with fewer cartridges with bullets of lighter weight. There are lighter copper,zinc alloy bullets w/o lead out there. Companies like Underwood, Liberty,.... offer such loads. Naturally you have to search for info on expansion and penetration of such boutique loads.

I've tried all of these and more:



I don't really dislike any of them. However, not pictured is my Sig P365XL. It checks all the boxes and is as comfortable as a gun can get. It's more accurate than I am.

Thanks for posting pic of quality guns. I am tired of seeing plastic-framed junk. For revolver I would suggest Taurus Vue/Novue .38 Special. Couple issues with those are tiny grip and very short ejector rod. One would have to use .38 Special rounds loaded to .38S&W ballistics in that Taurus. No worries there are plenty of cowboy action loads out there. These lead slugs (usually .44-40 or .45 Colt) were very effective when used in typical Old West manner ie couple in the back in side or back alley. That is why they had gun control in many towns ie hand in your guns before entering bars and such. Obviously such setting of differences was wrong and would not be tolerated today.

Sig P365, I have tried a lot of the others mentioned with the exception of the Hellcat.

A new level of +P stupid drivel from Slavek...

You do what you do. I'll do what I do.. And part of what I do is make the OP aware of a different, maybe better for him mousetrap. Thinking outside the box isn't a bad thing.

A 365XL in a Milt Sparks vm2 is a very compact package. Very thin and disappears underneath a T-shirt. Never mind the fact that I shoot the 365XL better than any other gun I've carried during the last 15 years.

OP asked for suggestions. Not for some commie fugktard to make comments and criticize somebody else's suggestions..

Now go stand in a bread line, you commie ass sucker.

Like many, I've been searching for that ideal single stack concealable 9mm. I have carried both the Kahr PM9 and the Glock 43 and have liked them both OK.

But lately, I've been carrying a Kimber Evo. I really like it. It has the simplicity of the striker-fired Kahr and Glock, but offers a little more heft. Which for me is not a bad thing in a small 9mm. Also, the grip and trigger position are better for my large hands.

Carried in an OWB Garrett Silent thunder holster, I can wear it all day and forget it is there.

I carried one of those for a long time. Great little guns.
But I like my Sig P-365 much better. It’s a little wider and heavier. But not much. And has a much better trigger and sights c
Carry it with a 12 RD mag plus one in the chamber.
Plus a spare 15 RD magazine.

I’ve tried the Sig 365 m, the Taurus G2 (??) and the Ruger LC9s.

Single stack (Ruger) vs double stack (Taurus, Sig) makes a real difference in heft and weight. I prefer the LC9.

Specific to the LC9 though, takedown involves driving out a little detached takedown pin from the frame. Easy to misplace when you have the gun in pieces.

Thank you for the recommendations and suggestions based on your experience. I appreciate it.

Well, nobody will be able to tell you what is going to be best for you.

I recently sold my Kahr CW9 in favor of the 43X. I really like the 43X.

If you haven't shot a Kahr, you might want to give one a try. Compared to the Glock, it is a tad shorter in the grip, thinner in the grip and slide. The trigger is a smooth rolling stroke. Not the take-up and 'wall', like a Glock. CW9 has a 7-round magazine, and 8-rounder available that sticks out a bit further on the bottom.







The Kahr never bobbled once, from the day I first shot it. Accuracy was good. The target above was 20 yards if I recall correctly. I was just sawing the trigger going through the 200 round break-in that Kahr recommends. As I said already, it never bobbled.

There are others out there that are highly regarded. Sig 365 or 365XL seem to be what most people really like. also Springfield Hellcat, S&W Shield, Ruger quickly come to mind. I don't have any hands-on with any of them to share though. There are many others too, I just kind of hit the wave-tops. Try to handle and shoot as many as you can.

Yes I have. I drop it in my pocket and go. It weighs 18oz loaded with (8) 124gr +p Speer Gold Dot. It always goes BANG when I pull the trigger and I've put ~900 rounds through it over the last 3.5 years I've carried it. I've no problem putting holes in things at 30'.

It is the only 9mm I own anymore because it is a highly convenient carry pistol. The small size and light weight is still pretty much unmatched. It is a pistol for those serious about always carrying. It is not a range gun - I have other pistols for that.

I don't know if it's the best concealed carry 9mm but I'm pretty satisfied with my Beretta Nano. Beretta will probably drop this pistol from it's line up soon, the APX Carry and APX Carry-A1 seem to be its replacements. The Nano works well as a compromise gun for both pocket carry and IWB holster carry. If I were to have a dedicated pocket gun and a dedicated IWB holster carry gun I would probably take a Beretta Pico for pocket carry and a Sig P365 XL for IWB holster carry.

I bought a cw9 because of your post.

Pre-p365.

The cw9 works well*.


*low round capacity.


I like the long trigger on the kahrs. Ended up with a couple cw9. And a cm9.


Now days in the p365. Or p365X. Or xl.

Take your pick.

Yeah, the Kahr trigger pull is appealing to those who cut their teeth on S&W double action revolvers.

It's amazing how many new compacts have come available since I chose the CW9 just a very few years ago.

P365 all day everyday, 15 round mag with one in the pipe, two extra 15 rounders in hip pocket ride just fine beside can of Cope all day long, 46 125gr barnes copper hp's gotta count.

Yep, the CW9 was my favorite for many years and is still a fine choice. I just like the capacity and trigger on the P365 better now.

Another P365 fan here. I have about 5000 rounds through mine with no issues other than in an intentional attempt to make it malfunction shooting support hand only with under fifty rounds through the gun. I recently bought a P365X slide for it so I can mount a RDS on it. For an optics-ready gun, you may want to look at a Hellcat, although I have no experience with one.