Get into a HK. But if you really wish to stay in the 500/700 range my choice would be a Glock or S.A.XD. .40sw or .45acp

Be sure to shoot them before you buy. I did not care for the Kahr because of the amount of recoil. Seems I also had a problem with jamming when I shot it.

Recoil may not matter to you if you do not plan to spend much time on the range shooting it. In that case just make sure it is reliable, with no failure to feed problems.

WM

Do you want something for the street or to pack out in the woods? If you got bears where you hunt I would have nothing less than .44cal 4"mag revolver. For the street there's a bunch of good guns that you can use. You just need to go and finger print as many as you can. You'll fine one that feels good to you. Try to fine it at a range and shoot it. Good luck.

I have and carry both the HK USP Compact and Springfield XD Subcompact, both 9mm. The XD is a great little gun and is pretty easily concealable. I like it better than the (very) few Glocks I've shot because it felt better in my hand, and I liked the added features (grip safety, firing pin indicator, chamber loaded indicator). When I bought my XD, it was $499 NIB.

I bought my HK because I wanted something similar to the XDsc's size, but something that also had an manual safety/decock lever as well. The USP Compact is only slightly larger than the XD. Its barrel is a little longer (which isn't much of a factor), and grip only a 1/2" or so longer than the XD (when the XD's 10rd mag is in). The HK and XD both feel and look to be about the same width.

They're both excellent shooters and are simple to operate and clean, and they're very, very reliable. The HK definitely costs a bit more, but it's still my fav.

The Kahrs and KelTecs you're looking at are, typically, a bit smaller than the two I mentioned. Your best bet would be to go to a gunshop and hold, operate, and compare everything you're interested in, and, if possible, shoot them all to see what you like.

Wow, two other guys jumped in front of me while typing, hehe!

Originally Posted by lone_hunter

I like to size, weight and slim design of the Kahr PM9, and Keltec. I know there are some mixed reviews. As for price, I am considering mid price ($500-$700) or obviously less if possible. I realize that I should try a number of options before I purchase, but would like to focus or eliminate some.

Thanks in advance

I'd stay away from the Kel-tec's. They are a good choice for backup only. I have three of them and enjoy them but only carry as backups.

CZ 2075 RAMI!!!

Originally Posted by Baldy

Do you want something for the street or to pack out in the woods? If you got bears where you hunt I would have nothing less than .44cal 4"mag revolver. For the street there's a bunch of good guns that you can use. You just need to go and finger print as many as you can. You'll fine one that feels good to you. Try to fine it at a range and shoot it. Good luck.

Very different question whether you want to have a handgun for protection from bears or humans. Since you're talking about a subompact in 9mm, I assume your concern is humans. I think it's a good suggestion to shoot some candidates and see what you like. You might specifically ask yourself whether you want a very small gun or something more in the 4" barrel range. I think the compacts are easier to shoot accurately over the subs. If you can compare say guns with a 3.5" barrel or so with some in the 4" range, you may get a better feel for whether you are willing to tolerate less concealability for the greater comfort and accuracy of a compact. Also, I suggest you compare steel with polymer. In the smaller guns, in my experience, the recoil is more noticeable with the polymer frames than it is with the bigger guns. If you can go to an indoor range and rent 3 or 4 handguns, you may save a lot of $ later by choosing the handgun that is right for you when you buy the first time. I think it's worth the $50 or so you'll pay in rental fees and range time.

Originally Posted by martial_field

Very different question whether you want to have a handgun for protection from bears or humans. Since you're talking about a subompact in 9mm, I assume your concern is humans. I think it's a good suggestion to shoot some candidates and see what you like. You might specifically ask yourself whether you want a very small gun or something more in the 4" barrel range. I think the compacts are easier to shoot accurately over the subs. If you can compare say guns with a 3.5" barrel or so with some in the 4" range, you may get a better feel for whether you are willing to tolerate less concealability for the greater comfort and accuracy of a compact. Also, I suggest you compare steel with polymer. In the smaller guns, in my experience, the recoil is more noticeable with the polymer frames than it is with the bigger guns. If you can go to an indoor range and rent 3 or 4 handguns, you may save a lot of $ later by choosing the handgun that is right for you when you buy the first time. I think it's worth the $50 or so you'll pay in rental fees and range time.

Should have added in my last post that if you are interested in protection from animals, a high caliber revolver or a 10 mm pistol in full size would be my suggestion. I wouldn't try any type of compact gun although a compact gun would be better than a walking stick and a prayer.

Originally Posted by martial_field

Very different question whether you want to have a handgun for protection from bears or humans. Since you're talking about a subompact in 9mm, I assume your concern is humans. I think it's a good suggestion to shoot some candidates and see what you like.

Umm, I'm not sure we can condone that on this forum.

Lets just let the elections take care of the candidates.

WM

Originally Posted by spacedoggy

I'd stay away from the Kel-tec's. They are a good choice for backup only. I have three of them and enjoy them but only carry as backups.

Though I have never shot a Kel-Tec I would stay away from them untill they work the bugs out. I've been researching a lot on a new gun for CCW and have looked into the Kel-Tec PL9 but it has had so many problems that I could not trust it. I like my Glock 23. I pull trigger- it go BANG!

Originally Posted by Wandering Man

Umm, I'm not sure we can condone that on this forum.

Lets just let the elections take care of the candidates.

WM

While we probably can't condone it, we can think about it with evil grins on our faces, can't we??

It's an alternative to primaries.

For starters, i would narrow it down to a sigarms p229, Walther P99, HK USP Compact or P2000, Springfield Armory XD and last but not least the Glock 19.
Sounds like either the P99 or HK P2K would be great for you since they have removable backstraps so you can adjust the grip to your hand. Either version is available as a sub-compact.
Anyhow, compacts vs subcompact usually doesn't make too much of a difference in concealability, especially since it is supposed to be for hunting primarly. Since it is a low thread environment you could easily pack the gun in a fanny pack or something similar.

You should also concider looking at a Ruger. There are several good choices for 9mm and .45acp. The P95 is worth looking at. If you want a larger caliber look at the P97 (now out of production) or the new P345. The bugs have been worked out from what I have seen and heard. You will be looking at a price $350 to $460.