[thechriskarel]

Hello, I am looking at moving on from my LCP and going up to a 9mm. I'm down to 3:

LC9S Pro: similar to the LCP in style and feel
G43: lot of ppl seem to love this gun, I'm partial to Glocks as well
Shield: only one I've shot of these 3 and I really liked it

In addition to being a reliable gun, it needs to be comfortable in a front pocket. That is how I carry 90% of the time.

Thoughts? Any guns not in my top 3 that I should consider?

Note: I know some will mention the P938, but it's too expensive for me at this time. Looking to stay at $450 or less.

 

[5lima30ret]

I have 2 Shields, one for me and one for the wife. Mine is w/o safety and my wifes has the safety (her choice.) My Shield replaced a Kel Tec PF-9, which was 100% reliable despite what the internet armchair commandos say. The PF-9 was brutal to shoot and not for the faint of heart! (I shoot a .357 w/ 2 3/4" bbl that had less recoil than the PF-9!) I shot the G-43 prior to getting my Shield. I also shot a regular LC-9. I preferred the Shield over the other two. The Shield had more capacity as well. FWIW, the Shield trigger "smooths" out quite a bit after about the 400 rds. None of the ones you mentioned are a bad choice, it becomes a matter of what works for you!

 

[BackcountryGuy]

I pocket carry my G43 and love it. It is definitely borderline too big for a pocket gun depending on your style of dress. I use a Kydex pocket holster from PJ Holsters, cost was $45 I believe and I received it a week after I ordered it. It works very well and I've never had the holster come out of my pocket still on the gun while practicing the draw.

Another close contender that is well priced and very fun to shoot is the Walther PPS M2! If I didn't already own a Glock I probably would have bought the PPS. But the G43 is also ever so slightly smaller dimension wise than the PPS so that also was a factor buying the G43.

I personally wasn't a fan of the Shield, XDS 3.3, or the LC9s Pro for what I intended to use it for. The G43 and the PPS M2 were my favorites.

 

[lebomb]

I have held all three......Shield, G43 and the LC9s pro. If you want pocket carry, the LC9c pro is the choice. Its just smaller in every dimension. If you have other reasons the jury is still out.

 

[Rambler]

I'll go ahead and say it...can you wait a while longer and save up for the 938? IMHO it would be well worth the wait.

OTOH, I'd love to have a g43, but can't get one in Kommiefornia for less than $1150 it seems...only available from LEOs who owned them first. The one at$1150 that I referenced was bought by a LEO (he bought two of them at the same time, at$499 or so) and he then turned around, and without ever even firing it, put it on consignment at the same store. This is legal, but the average Joe cant buy NIB.

Next, I have a Shield 40. Don't like it much. Part of the reason is that it is too small to handle the 40 S&W in my opinion...too snappy. BUT, my problems with it have been beyond that lately...sometimes it wont return to full battery, sometimes fail to feed, even after a thorough cleaning. I thought it might be the ammo, but its the same stuff I've been using for a while...maybe 500-800 round thru it now. Worked fine at first, but is not doing a great job currently. Some folks love the Shield. I don't. YMMV.

LC9s Pro is also not available in Kommiefornia AFAIK. My buddy had an LC9. I almost bought if from him before shooting it. Then I tried it...said now way, Jose. Didn't like it. Ive heard the LC9s Pro has worked out at least the most serious issues. Again, YMMV.

One more to think about may be the XDs. It is not a great range gun...the cheese grater grip gets on my nerves, but as a defensive gun, it should work fine. It is, however, a bit heavy, but close to the Shield. If you are looking for lighter, I'd say stick with the G43.

 

[RebelSoul]

All 3 of those are good pistols - can't go wrong.

Pocket carry? I'd pick the smallest lightest one.

 

[HoustonB77]

Personally I would go with the 43 out of the three you have listed. I really like the shield to but for me it is not a pocket gun. I would belt carry the shield.

 

[Old Man]

I have owned all three plus the XDS 3.3. In my opinion the Ruger LC9S Pro was the easiest to pocket carry and had the best trigger. In fact, the one I owned, for me, the trigger pull was almost "too good" for pocket carry in that it was about 3.5# pull. I shot it very well. The Shield was too large for me to pocket carry. The XDS was a little heavy and just didn't match up with my shooting very well, but I am looking at giving one another run with the current magazine deal that Springfield has going on. I still have the G43 and while I can pocket carry it, it is on the large end of my preference scale. I most often carry it IWB if I am going to use it for carry. For straight pocket carry in the Glock line I am more apt to use a G42 that I have. If I was just looking for a straight pocket carry pistol from the three that you listed, my choice would be the Ruger LC9s Pro.

 

[GPNP]

It's all a personal thing. For me it's the Ruger LC9s. Works very well for me either on my hip or in my pocket.

 

[mhl6493]

For me, the only one of the three you mentioned that I could actually carry in my pockets would be the LC9s.

 

[Gabill]

You have bigger pockets then I do if your pocket carry a Shield. Try a Sig 938. Sweet shooting and handling pistol.

 

[royal barnes]

I own a couple of Shields and have tried the other two you list in my pocket. All will go in easily and carry OK. NONE will come easily from the pocket in a draw situation. If I was really stuck on pocket carry I would stick with the LCP or save my money until I could afford the P938. YMMV.

 

[Doogie]

I have the LC9s with the safety

 

[Dave909]

For pocket carry, unless you're wearing clown pants, the LC9 imho.

 

[PJH]

I'll cast another vote for the Walther PPS.

 

[10thmtn]

Save your money and just get good with the LCP. The others are not really pocket guns.

If you really want 9mm look at the LCR in 9mm. Would draw better from the pocket than the others.

 

[G26Raven]

In addition to being a reliable gun, it needs to be comfortable in a front pocket. That is how I carry 90% of the time.

You need to try all three, with a holster, in the pocket of the pants you wear the most. The Shield does not fit in any pants that I wear, nor does the G43; and I like both of these pistols a lot. I carry a P938 because that's what fits and I don't want to buy a new wardrobe.

 

[CDW4ME]

I carry a Glock 43 in pocket of Cabelas hiker pants, Shield is too big.
You didn't list the Kahr PM9, it is smaller than the 43; I carry it a lot in pocket of Wrangler cargo pants.
I think the Glock 43 or especially the PM9 is as (more) pocketable than a snub 38.
PM9 / 38 pics:

 

[lebomb]

I'll cast another vote for the Walther PPS.

I had a PPS and it was nowhere near a pocket pistol. I could not get it in cargo shorts. That gun was the size of my SR9c except in width. The height and length were to much.

 

[lebomb]

Yes, the PM9, and cheaper CM9 are both pocket-able.