Looking for a Compact Pistol for Concealed Carry

[Dredly]

here are some pics:

(from top to bottom)
RIA 1911 Officers - 7+1 45 ACP
Bersa series 95 - 7+1 .380
Kahr CW9 - 7+1 9mm
S&W M&P SC9 - 11+1 9mm

All the barrels are lined up with the straight edge



here they are, same order but with the backs lined up (from edge of beavertail

[Dredly]

here are some comparison shots:

M&P on top of 1911 (lined up by both backs being even



and here is the Kahr on top of the Officers 1911.



And the Kahr on top of the M&P




Notice how the Kahr has a slightly longer grip then the M&P? That helps a lot in shooting it.

[JoeWilliams]

How's that Bersa .380 treating your wife? My wife is taking a liking to them because she keeps trying to carry bigger guns, but finds it a pain in the butt, and doesn't like shooting the smaller 9mm guns. She (and I) figure a gun she'll carry (and practice with) beats the snot out of the one sitting at home or in the glove box, though I very much feel the .380 is marginal.

[Dredly]

the round on the table is a .45 ACP 165 grain round. the camera wasn't moved and the bullet wasn't moved... this may give a fairly good idea of how wide the guns are the round is approx 1.25 inches long

The M&P



The 1911



the Bersa



And the Kahr

[Dredly]

How's that Bersa .380 treating your wife? My wife is taking a liking to them because she keeps trying to carry bigger guns, but finds it a pain in the butt, and doesn't like shooting the smaller 9mm guns. She (and I) figure a gun she'll carry (and practice with) beats the snot out of the one sitting at home or in the glove box, though I very much feel the .380 is marginal.

She likes it, but not as much as the Kahr CW9. Its a good gun but I agree with you. I don't have much faith in the .380 to stop someone that is having a bad day. The difference in recoil between a .380 and a 9mm is barely noticeable but the improved performance is worth it for defense in my opinion. I wouldn't carry a .380 for anything other then a backup gun.

[Dredly]

If I had to rank them in "preference" for carrying my list would look like this:

1. Kahr - Conceal is right in the name and they built in with that in mind, low drag sights, no frills, .9" thin, decent capacity (7+1), reliable, shoots well, points well... just an all around solid carry gun.

2. S&W M&P - Small and compact, great carrying capacity out of a small pistol (11+1) nice sights, no exposed hammer to snag on anything, good feel, adjustable backstrap, adjustable sight, and anti-rust coating. Decent weight as well. - only negative is that its fat and the grip isn't quite long enough without having the extended mag

3. RIA 1911 - Slim, great caliber, accurate, decent capacity (7+1), a bit heavy but the biggest negative is the exposed safety, hammer, and beaver tail, very easy to snag shirts and other clothing on, negatively impacts ability to Smart Carry. Also not a big fan of the GI sights but they assist in a quicker draw so thats sort of a neutral point. Complete lack of any anti-rust coating really sucks if you take it hiking or working in the yard as it will get wet - its a parkerized finish but it still oxidizes.

4. Bersa - Good size for carry but for the same size you can easily get a 9mm with the same capacity. Has a mag safety which I don't like. Good budget carry but personally I'd much rather have the Kahr CW series then the Bersa

[Mity2]

Dredly - pics would be appreciated! Is the M&P available without the magazine disconnect safety?

Yes it is. Infact, I hardly EVER seen one with it.



I carried M&P9 full size since it came out. It never failed me. It goes bang everytime I pulled trigger, and empties goes out everytime.

Its the gun I trust.

My M&P9C did require some breakin. Occasional FTE(may be one in every 10 or so?) This was first 200~300 rds or so. But after that, its throughly broken in, oiled, trigger got much smoother, and it is as reliable as my full size M&P, and pretty much replaced my full size as primary CCW of mine. My full size is now my main bed side defence weapon.

[QuakertownRich]

The one thing I noticed most about those pics, is how long your fingernails are. Before you invest in anything else, get yourself some nail clippers.

[Dredly]

The one thing I noticed most about those pics, is how long your fingernails are. Before you invest in anything else, get yourself some nail clippers.

Thanks for adding more useful information to this thread. you are dismissed now

[Dredly]

Yes it is. Infact, I hardly EVER seen one with it.

Yeah to be honest I didn't even know it was an option. every gun at Cabelas (probably 15 in the case) had the wording on it from what I saw