The Guns & Ammo Network

Pocket 9mms—Just Right Or Too Much Of A Good Thing?

by Ashley Dale • July 6, 2011 • 19 comments

A new generation of .380s got people thinking about pocket pistols, and it didn’t take long for makers to offer micro autoloaders in 9mm. Should you run right out and buy one? Tarr says it’s wise to study and try before you buy. He’ll be telling all about it in the September 20 issue of SGN.

With so many states on the CCW bandwagon, micro 9mms like this Ruger
LC9 are all the rage. Is the additional power compared to a .380 ACP worth
the added recoil?

The Kahr CM9 is a less expensive version of the PM9. It is supplied with one
six-round magazine and the front sight is plastic, but it functions just as well.

Tarr started out skeptical of the Kahr CM9, but found himself converted
after shooting sessions. It was very controllable, and had very user-friendly
sights.

While Kimber is best known for 1911s, the Solo Carry is a compact DAO
pistol with good sights and an ambidextrous safety that works like the one
on a 1911.

The Solo is a great-looking little pistol, but Tarr argues that Kimber may
have inadvertently overachieved in the goal of making it smooth and snag-free.

If, like Tarr, you find it hard to get a handle on the Solo, Kimber recently
announced the CDP with ample checkering on the front and back of the frame.

With the extended baseplate installed on the magazine, it is possible to get
all three fingers on the LC9, something not possible with any of the other pistols.

Being able to get all your fingers on the LC9 helps control recoil,.But Tarr
thinks the excessively long trigger pull makes extended shooting a chore.

In Handguns • Tagged
  • Bob Wow

    Where is the Kel-Tec Pf9? It is a rockin' pocket-popper that is, in my experience, accurate and reliable.

    • Randall Robinson

      The Kel Tec is a great weapon. I carried a 9mm version as an Oh S##T back up and it is well worth the money……I bought my father the 380 as a pocket gun and the same verdict goes for him……

  • MIke

    My Kahr PM 9 has been a very reliable and accurate combat pistol. Since 9mm is a carry caliber that is pretty effective, I am glad it can be had in a pocket sized pistol. I checked the other guns,llike the ones in this artice, but they did not have the quality of the Kahr. Of course the Kahr is more expensive, but is worth it to me.

  • Tom Lucus

    Does anyone know where I can find wood grips for Phoenix Arms HP 22

    • Ashley Dale

      You might try Eagle Grips.

  • Rich West

    What about the 9×18 Czech CZ82? They are just as small as what I saw in the article and hold 12 +1 rounds that are more potent than .380 and not much less powerful than a 9×19. They are inexpensive and are extremely well built. I have one myself but don't use it for carry. I have a Taurus PT140 that backs up my primary 454 Casull.

  • http://www.mdshooters.com Ruzo

    PPK/S All Day…

  • tony keel

    while the kahr is a good weapon, please beware I have had two a PM9 and a CW9 both fired out of battery blowing out the mag and extractor. And injuring my hand, while I know several guns (glocks, 1911, etc..) will fire out of battery the Kahr has a design feature that is a blow out plate (for lack of better wording) however it sits directly in the palm of a right handed shooter. Be careful……

  • Charles Carroll

    I have a Kel Tec PF-9 and it is the best little 9 I have ever shot. It is very accurate and does not jam. For the money it is the best you can get in my opinion.

  • Mark

    My Kel Tec P-11 fills the bill for me. I use a Fobus paddle holster. Only danger is forgetting its there. Never hiccupped on anything I've fed it. Very accurate for a small gun. More controllable than the PF-9. Holds 10 plus 1 ….almost twice the ammo. I like mine alot.

  • Rodrick

    I carry the HB45 ACP it is the most accurate pistol in the world, and the only one I carry. I like nines, a lot specially for good penetration. But I have a knock down power that only this mighty pistol can do, and no other can, or will compare too! But yet compact enough to take anywhere, and no one will ever know. The recoil is less that that of a 25 automatic! Get one you'll forget all about kimber solo, ruger LC9, Kel-Tec PF8, and P11's.

    • joe

      What is an HB45?

      • Carl

        Wish I knew too, Google doesn't know anything about an HB45 either.

    • mike

      i doubt it'll beat my warthog. just sayin. nice to hear all the good stuff about the kel tecs. i'm in the market for a .380 or mini nine.

  • Renaldo

    House Bill 45? hahaha..who knows. Anywho….That Kimber Solo is a beauty as are most of their firearms and I am sure of great quality. I did some research and shooting and settled on the CM9 Kahr because other than the polygonal barrel the function, size, features and purpose is the same. A back up or small pocket pistol for life saving purposes. As for the 9mm vs the .380acp? That was an easy choice. I already have 9mm ammo and other 9mm firearms, so forking out the bucks for another caliber especially one that is not as effective as the 9mm Parabellum but cost as much as the 45 acp did not seem very practical. Eventually I will either trade or just buy another Kahr in 40sw because I once had a P40 I loved as well for Off duty carry. I think the advantage to them over most striker fired poly guns is the design of the trigger and for carry the thin builds are hard to beat as well.. Look at the CM 9 or if you wan't to spend an extra $250 to $300 for a poly barrel a steel front sight and an extra magazine Look at a PM 9..forget about the .380 IMHO

  • Ronnie

    I like the 9mm as a carry, but what if you are going to an event or some other situation, and everything that you own that's chambered in 9mm is just too big to conceal? Would you then fall back on the 380 and smaller? Even the smallest 9mm would sometimes be a little too big for me to conceal effectively. I'm 5'8" and 175 pounds. Sometimes I'm a shorts and flip-flops guy and I need something that can just go in a pocket and I haven't seen a 9mm that I could carry that way. The Ruger LCP and the others in a current crop of slim 380's look really appealing for certain occasions…

    • Hodge

      try the Kahr K9 slid inside the side of your shorts, magazine butt facing forward. this eliminates it catching on your shirt when you bend forward giving you away, its less than an inch wide, and with a very little practice it draws smooth as silk, additionally when you reach for your side with your hand turned backwards it doesnt look like your drawing a weapon, by the time they see it or put it together……..too late!! oops lol
      good luck, oh 1 more bit of info; the K9 is all steel, has a polygonyl rifled barrel ( its a naildriver) and the factory paperwork tells you its designed for+p ammo ONLY. how appealing is that .380 looking now????

  • Hodge

    i bought a Kahr K9 when they first came out. it conceals as well as any 9mm carry and has an 8 round mag with finger extension available for those who cant control a shorter handled weapon. after the first 25000 rounds i sent it to Kahr for some tuning, blueing,and night sights. it continues to be the most reliable,accurate, and comfortable to carry weapon i've EVER owned. pay the few extra bucks, get over the weight issue, the heavier K9 re-accuires faster and if noise is an issue the all steel frame will knock someone out quickly and quitely, cant do that with plastic. bottom lines: you get what you pay for and there is no substitute for experience, so quit polishing the damn thing and trying to get it comfy and spend your time drawing it from someplace quick and shooting it. practice makes perfect!

  • mike

    I'm torn between a ppk/s..a Sig 232 and a Kahr 380. i see everyone here pretty much favors the Kahrs. any bad things with the 232 Sig?