9 compact or sub compact?

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cjmorgan00

New member
My anneversary is coming up and I was wanting to get my wife a 9MM perferably compact not the subcompact but am still pondering the sub. I am leaning to MP or XD cause they both have the extended mags that extend the grip as well, you know what I mean. I appreciate all input and also no BICKER'N. All input is someone's oppinion and that is taken with a grain of salt so no BICKER'N
 
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cavediver27

New member
Walther PPS 9mm

I bought one back in January and it has been a fantastic pistol with zero issues or failures of any kind. It is very easy to conceal carry, is very accurate and the fit and finish is beautiful.
 
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sholling

New member
The size difference isn't that great but I personally chose the M&P. That extra 1/2" improves ballistics and 9mm needs all the help it can get.
 
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TailGator

New member
One of the wags on here likes to say that guns are like noses - everyone should pick their own. Good advice couched in that humor, and forgive the plagiary with the knowledge that imitation is the sincerest flattery. I imagine you want to surprise her with her anniversary gift, but consider taking her with you to shop. If you are a regular at the gun shop, maybe they'll let you take one home to gift wrap with the agreement that you can bring her back down the next day and show her her other choices.

If your wife's hands are smaller than yours, as most women's are, she might find less of a difference between grips on the subcompact and the compact, and then she might think the smaller size is a benefit in carrying, concealing, etc.

My wife and both my college-age daughters really enjoy shooting my G26, for example. All of them are pretty accurate with it, and my youngest daughter can shoot the eyelash off a humming bird with it. (Not pushing Glocks over your choices - it's just what I have, and both of your choices are highly regarded pistols and either should be fine if the fit is right.)
 
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rptrower

New member
After an attempted breakin to our home, my wife decided to brushup on her shooting skills. She had not fired a pistol for forty years.

I owned and M&P 9C & 40C. The 9C has Novak adjustable fiberoptics sights & M&P RSS laser sighting from ArmaLaser. After shooting the 9C, she decided that she would rather have a hammer fired pistol.

We went pistol shopping and she settled on a Beretta 92FS. Her decision was based on the fact that Beretta has a manual safety and she would feel safe leaving it loaded. After some practice with the Beretta she decided it was to heavy and she disliked the sights.

At that time she decided she would rather have a sub-compact so we went pistol shopping again. After looking at several pistols she settled on a Ruger LCP to which we added a CTC LG431 laser. After firing 4 mags through the LCP her hand was considerably bruised.

After her hand healed from LCP brusing, she fired about 40 rds in the m&p 9c and decided that was the pistol for her!

It was a costly, time consuming ordeal however on the upside I can now buy myself an M&P 45.

The M&P 9C has approximately 1500 rds through it with 0 problems. I have also fired a friend's XD which is a very good pistol however the M&P feels more comfortable in my hand.
 
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swmp9jrm

New member
I have an M&P9 full size and love it. When I went looking for a carry gun, the M&P9 compact was on the list, but I ended up with a Taurus PT-709. The M&P, being a double stack magazine, is a lot thicker than the single stack 709, so I opted for the slimmer one. Aside from that, the M&P is a great gun. I had S&W do the Pistol Action Package on my full size, and it improved the 'shootability' of the gun dramatically. Not quit a 1911, but close!
 
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madmag

New member
Good subject.

I have recently been doing some similar thinking, only in my case I already have an XD9 service (4") and have been thinking about a G26 or XDsc. I always like to have an excuse for my next pistol, but I have found that I can probably carry my XD service about as well as the sub compact. I find that barrel length is never the real factor when I conceal, it's the butt length thats the issue. But if you carry with a tilt forward carry, or in a waist pact, then that's not such as issue. Also, I am thinking to get the extended mags for a G26, then that pretty much makes it about the same as a normal compact.

Bottom line...it's personal choice. But if I am limited to one gun for a while I would pick the compact over the sub. Not to mention that the longer barrel does give some improvement in ballistics over the shorter barrel.

PS: I still want to get the G26. I have spent lots of effort in wearing down the wife and I don't want all that effort go to waste.:D
 
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MLeake

New member
Definitely take her to the shop

There are some gifts out there that should ALWAYS be chosen by the recipient. These include firearms, cars, motorcycles, and pets (be it a small dog or a large horse).

There are any number of excellent firearms/vehicles/animals out there that just won't fit a particular person for some reason.

It won't matter how nice the 9mm you choose may be, if it doesn't feel right to her.

Best advice from the above posts: Take her with you, let her try a few 9mm's on for size and fit.

Cheers,

M
 
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zwhit

New member
I wish I was that lucky

I have already been warned about getting my significant other a gun as a gift. She'd probably shoot me with it if I got her one for our anniversary :eek:

However, I did get her an XD9 subcompact to carry (made sure it was as far as possible from Bday, Christmas, and anniversary) to go with her XD9. She says she can't tell the difference when shooting them. But that is her and not your wife. By the way, she could not carry the XD9 SC other than in her purse.
 
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CWPinSC

Moderator
HER gun should be the one SHE likes:

The "best" gun is the one YOU like, not anyone else. It will be a compromise of:

1. Fit - It should fit in your hand like you were born with it there.
2. Reliability - It should go BANG about 99.8% of the time you pull the trigger.
3. Accuracy - In YOUR hand. It's how well YOU shoot it.
4. Concealability - It should be comfortable enough to wear and easy enough to conceal so you won't leave it laying on the dresser at home.
5. Cost - You don't want to scrimp on your "life protector" weapon, but you probably don't need a $1,000 Kimber, either.
 
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comn-cents

New member
I think both are a great choice, but I'd go with a Sig p250c. Just picked one up and the wife like it better than anything else she has shot. 15+1 is nice also in such a compact package. I had other choices for her to like sig239 9mm, sp101 38spl, h&kuspc 9mm & kahr cw9 but it was the 250 that won out. Good luck.
 
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peejman

New member
+1 to several others posts... she needs to pick it out. Find a range (or ranges) with handguns to rent. Try out several. I'm going through the exact same thing with my wife, but for her birthday.

She talked with a few folks and decided she wanted a .40 subcompact. Then she talked with a few other folks and decided she wanted a snubby. Then we went to the range where she fired my .45 subcompact and a rental snubby. The snubby bruised her hand (.38 target ammo) while the muzzle blast from my .45 was unpleasant.

Then I talked her into trying my full size 9mm which she swore was waaaay to big for her hands and she couldn't possibly shoot it. When the magazine was empty she turned around and said "Gee, this isn't bad after all. Can I reload it?" :cool:

So now we have an impending trip to another range with a wide(er) variety of pistols to rent. Hopefully after that range session she'll have a better idea of what she'd like to have.

At the end of the day, I'd much rather spend $50-$100 in range and rental fees and then buy her only one gun instead of having to fool with buying and selling 3 or 4 until we find the right one. YMMV.
 
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chris in va

New member
My anneversary is coming up and I was wanting to get my wife a 9MM perferably compact not the subcompact
Click to expand...

My friend likes my full size Sig 220 the best. Why?

"Because it puts big holes in things, and I like the kick."

Her least favorite? My all-steel J-frame revolver. "Too small and hurts my hands." But she adores my Kahr K9, and so do I.

Bottom line, she needs to choose.
 
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greyson97

New member
If she has particularly small hands, the Taurus 709 Slim. If she can handle it, the PX4 Sub Compact in 9mm. Its got good recoil, a hammer, decocker/safety, a nifty magazine that has a finger rest, looks good, etc
 
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plom

New member
take a trip with her at the shooting range and let her try some differents pistols. For exemple, in the gun shop, the one my wife had best in hand was a S&W MP9. When it ended to the shooting range, she shot much better with a Glock 19 and a CZ 75!
So sometimes the one that feat your hand is not allways the one you shoot best with.
 
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comn-cents

New member
Why on these threads do people always say the same thing "take her to the Range" "let her pick it out" Then 5 guys all say it, as if we all didn't see the first 4. I'm guessing that his wife has been to a range.:rolleyes:
 
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