Any word on a single stack 9mm Glock subcompact? I'm loving my G19 gen 4 for fun at the range and home defense, but I'm way too small/skinny to conceal it.
Does anyone have any experience with the DiamondBack DB9? It's a Glock-like gun, minus the grip angle, and is seriously small. It can't handle +P rounds, but I really don't care about that. Reviews tend to be mixed, but most reviews I can find are pretty poor in quality.
The Kahr PM9 looks nice, but it's crazy expensive. Used ones are listed for the same price, or sometimes even more. But I think that's due to the market right now, more than the gun itself. What's with people thinking their guns are made of gold?
The Glock would not be import-legal (barring some shenigans like putting target sights on it and calling it a 'sporting' pistol or something), so they'd have to make it in the US...so it'd probably cost more than a G19 or G27. The G42 is already hella-overpriced...
I have not heard anything exceptionally positive or negative about the Diamondbacks. But I'd rather avoid carrying anything that cheap...not that I live by 'expensive = quality'...I'd just want, at the very least, something a bit basic, but proven. Like the hammer-fired Kel-tecs. Next step up, Kahr. CM9 is smaller than a G42. CW9 is more like a Beretta Nano or Ruger LC9.
Personally, I don't really miss lost grip length on the CM9 while shooting. But it does make drawing more difficult. Other the dangling pinky, the other notable difference is that the CM9 uses a much better recoil spring assembly. Telescoping guide rod with the two springs, just like the PM9.
As far as P9/PM9 versus CW9/CM9...you lose VERY little going with the nearly half-price guns. Rifling is land/groove rather than polygonal. Front sight is pinned plastic instead of dovetailed metal. Those are probably the biggest two differences...and they matter very little on this type of gun. Oh, and I think the cheap guns have a cast slide stop instead of milled...never heard of one breaking, either way.
Being a Glock guy (I guess?), what you really need to decide is if you must have a Glock-esque trigger. I.e. your average partially-precocked striker trigger...relatively short travel and reset, 4-6lb pull, general lack of stacking or 'staginess'...
...you don't get that in a Kahr. Kahr triggers are long. On purpose. If you can't live with a long trigger (to me, it's a must for a small carry gun with no external safety), don't look at Kahr. Or any 'true' DAO's (Kahr calls their guns DAO, but they are not capable of restriking).