A full size single stack 9mm?

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Willie Lowman

New member
Does such an animal exist? The only ones I can think of off the top of my head are 1911/9mm, P-08, P-38, HK P7 (if you want to call that a full size pistol).

I know there have to be lots more, but what are they?
 
C

carguychris

New member
S&W has made several TDA ("Traditional Double Action") pistols that fit this description.

1st-generation (initial design, introduced 1955 but few sold commercially before ~1960):
  • Model 39; steel frame and slide, long extractor, blued or nickel finish, a few thousand sold in late 1960s built from parts made in late 1950s, uncommon and pricey
  • Model 39-2; alloy frame, steel slide, most have improved shorter extractor, blued or nickel finish, much more common and inexpensive than steel-frame "no-dash" model
2nd generation (introduced 1983 IIRC, ambidextrous decocker/safety and firing pin block added, internal improvements to feed non-ball ammo more reliably):
  • Model 439; alloy frame, steel slide, blued or nickel finish
  • Model 539; limited-edition M439 with steel frame, uncommon and pricey
  • Model 639; stainless steel frame and slide
3rd generation (introduced 1988, 2nd-gen changes plus various internal improvements, redesigned grip frame and magazine):
  • Model 3904; alloy frame, steel slide, blued finish
  • Model 3906; stainless steel frame and slide
  • Model 909 "Value Series"; essentially a M3904 with less slide machining and no ambi decocker/safety to reduce production costs
The most common of these pistols is the M39-2 by wide margin because it had by far the longest production run. The M3904 and M3906 were only produced until 1991 due to the explosion in popularity of hi-cap "Wonder Nines" and consequent lack of interest in a low-capacity (8 or 9rd) full-size pistol. (Various compact models based on this design were much longer-lived; the last of them was discontinued in 2009.) The M909 was introduced post-AWB (1996 IIRC) but it too was unpopular and only lasted a couple of years; although it only held slightly less ammo than the comparable "post-ban" double-stack M910, that pistol could accept pre-ban 15rd 59-series mags.
 
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R

roman3

New member
Walther P5

Walther P4 (A modified updated P38)

HK P9S

Sig P6 (or P225 in civilan terms)

Star BM

Beretta 951 and the Egyptian version the Helwan
 
T

TDodge7

New member
Sig p6, Ruger 345, Tokarev TT33, there's lots of single stacks out there, I'm partial to the Walther P1/P38 because the grip is so nice on it, I have short fingers and can't hold a double stack and still reach the DA trigger, on the Walther it's no problem.
 
C

carguychris

New member
Forgot a S&W!

Ooops, forgot one! :eek:
  • Model 952; essentially an exquisitely handcrafted, accurized, and very pricey M3906 sold by the S&W Performance Center in recent years. A recent Gun Tests review remarked that their test M952 had better finish inside the slide than most pistols have on the outside. :eek: AFAIK most M952s have longer barrels than the earlier pistols (5" vs. 4" IIRC) and are SAO with a true non-decocking safety rather than DA/SA with a decocker/safety.
MSRP for a M952 is ~$1,400 IIRC. You won't see many of these. :rolleyes:

Also, since I'm detail-oriented, I'll add a word about magazine capacity. ;) All 1st- and 2nd-gen 39-series pistols had 8rd mags with metal floorplates. The initial 3rd-gen magazine was redesigned with a plastic floorplate and also held 8 rounds; it was later redesigned to accept 9 rounds. All M909s and M952s were shipped with this mag, and it's currently offered by S&W as a spare for any 39-series full-size pistol. (The 9rd mag will work in all generations; however, due to the grip frame changes, an early 8rd all-metal mag won't lock into a 3rd-gen pistol without modifications.)
 
G

gyvel

New member
Star Model B, Star Super 9mmP, Star BM, BKM, BKS
Vis 35 "Radom"
Luger P.08
Walther P.38, P.1, P.4 and variants
French MAC Model 1950
Astra Model 600
Astra Model 800 "Condor"
Benelli B 76
Yugoslavian Model 70 (Tokarev variant.)
MAB Model R
Llama III, IIIA
Lahti Finnish L35, Swedish M40
Beretta M 51 Brigadier, and Helwan Egyptian clone
Colt 1911 full size and Commander
Armscor 1911
SIG 210
Smith & Wesson 39 and variants
Steyr Model 1912 Nazi conversions
Hungarian Tokagypt
Norinco Model 213
Dreyse Military Model
Mauser Model 1912
Mugica, (A "house brand" made by Gabilondo for one Jose Mugica.)
Walther Model 6
Walther Model MP (enlarged PP copy, not internal hammer P. 38 type)

And probably some newer models that I'm not familiar with
 
W

WVsig

New member
Do not forget the Sig P220 9mm. I was orginally a 9mm gun...

Also I have to ask why people are recommending guns like the P239 or P225? I would put the HK P7 in the same same class. They are compact pistols not full sized guns IMHO.

PS
Sig P6 (or P225 in civilan terms)
Click to expand...
The German P6 Sigs were police guns so I am not sure what you mean by civilan. The P6 was a contract version of the P225.
 
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D

Dashunde

New member
It looks like the list is complete, so now I gotta ask why?

Aside from being stuck in a 10-round-maximum state, why look high and low for a single stack?

I mean, if a "full size" is desired then why does the slight difference of a double stack 9mm matter much?
 
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new_scopeshooter

New member
There should still be a pic on here of my s&w 3906.. i posted pics of it after i bought it.... love the gun... great single stack 9mm!!!! full size
 
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roman3

New member
Do not forget the Sig P220 9mm. I was orginally a 9mm gun...

Also I have to ask why people are recommending guns like the P239 or P225? I would put the HK P7 in the same same class. They are compact pistols not full sized guns IMHO.

PS
Quote:
Sig P6 (or P225 in civilan terms)

The German P6 Sigs were police guns so I am not sure what you mean by civilan. The P6 was a contract version
Click to expand...


Well what determines full size gun? Capacity or overall size? The P7, P5 and P6 are all sort of compact in general but carry 8 rounds of ammo, the same amount as the Beretta 951 or the Walther P38 which are larger in size.

Most sellers and gun owners know the sig by the 225 number and not the P6 designation. So if he buys a 225 or a P6 he still has the full size single stack 9mm he looks for.
 
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WVsig

New member
Well what determines full size gun? Capacity or overall size? The P7, P5 and P6 are all sort of compact in general but carry 8 rounds of ammo, the same amount as the Beretta 951 or the Walther P38 which are larger in size.

Most sellers and gun owners know the sig by the 225 number and not the P6 designation. So if he buys a 225 or a P6 he still has the full size single stack 9mm he looks for.
Click to expand...

It has nothing to do with capacity. It has everything to do with barrel length and overall size of the pistol. I have never heard of anyone calling short barreled under 4" pistol "full sized".

IMHO a full sized pistol must have a 4.25" barrel and that is cutting it short. A lot of people would consider a commader sized 1911 a full sized pistol. This is the point of the gray area. Anything under 4.25" is a compact or semi-compact gun.

For example:

Sig P220 has Barrel Length. 4.4”.
1911 Commander has a barrel length of 4.25" (As stated this is a gray area.)
1911 Govt 5"
Sig P210 4.7"

Compare that to:

P225 which is 3.9"
HK P7 4.1"
P239 3.6"
 
G

gyvel

New member
Small hands wouldn't necessarily be the deciding factor in choosing a single stack gun. There are a lot of double stackers out there that have smaller and far more comfortable grips than the single stackers.

I have small hands, and personally, I find the CZ 75 (and its cousin the EAA Witness) somewhat easier to hold than a 1911 (although I dearly love 1911s).

Years ago I had a Beretta 951 and found it awkward to hold because, although the grip was narrow, it was also long front to back.

I also found the same to be true with the Smith 39, although I think it is a fine weapon.

As for 1911s, I have always found the 1911s to be more comfortable for me than the 1911A1s.
 
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jtb1967

Moderator
Well what determines full size gun? Capacity or overall size? The P7, P5 and P6 are all sort of compact in general but carry 8 rounds of ammo, the same amount as the Beretta 951 or the Walther P38 which are larger in size.
Click to expand...

Good question. Several of the pistols listed I'd consider compact versus fullsize such as the Sig 239, Star BM, etc. Or at least compared to the Sig 220 and Star B which I'd think of as full size models.
 
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carguychris

New member
Smll hands wouldn't necessarily be the deciding factor in choosing a single stack gun. There are a lot of double stackers out there that have smaller and far more comfortable grips than the single stackers.
Click to expand...
+1. My DSW has very small hands, and testing guns with her revealed that it has a lot more to do with grip shape and trigger reach than whether the gun was single-stack or not. For instance, she dislikes the single-stack SIG P232 and the S&W 39-series because she found the trigger reach to be excessive during DA fire. (See gyvel's comment about the 39-series; FWIW the compact 391x/395x guns are shorter, but they have the same cross-sectional dimensions as the full-size 39's through the grip and trigger.)

OTOH she really likes the double-stack S&W M&P9c with the "small" backstrap insert. Her other favorites, chambered for a full-power service cartridges, include the subcompact SIG P250 (another double-stack), the SIG P239 with the "short" (actually thin) trigger, and Kahrs in general. Throw in old .32s and you'll find her absolute favorite- the FN Browning 1910/1922. :)
 
H

Hunter Customs

New member
07232008i.jpg





Here's one, this was a custom shop project gun.
I sold this custom 9mm to a gentleman this year for $1500.00.
I have several other shop project guns to build one of them will be a custom 9mm commander size gun.
Best Regards
Bob Hunter
www.huntercustoms.com
 
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