Replacement Carry Gun (Part 1)

The Premise

I've always wanted to get a subcompact like a Glock G26 or - later - a microcompact like the SIG P365. Well, I've never been too quick obtaining a sight picture with really short-barrel handguns. And by fiddling around with my Ruger P95, I realized that I don't have much of a problem with concealing a "full height," "full length" pistol. I canted the pistol just so and viola it disappeared. But it was the width that was giving me grief. The Ruger P95 just dug into me. The thing is just so damn thick with levers and stuff sticking out all over the place.

So I'm now looking for a pistol that is a just about as big but thinner. And of course, there will be other criteria. Let me see ...

Decent capacity. Let's say 10+.

Fits my hand.

Reliable.

Decent sights.

Weight.

Easy on the wallet.

Easy on the eyes.

The (Possible) Choices

Avidity Arms PD10

1911

SIG P365 XL

Ruger Security 9

Glock G43X

Kahr C9

NEXT POST : Replacement Carry Gun: The One To Be Replaced (Part 2)

KelTec's NEW P15 vs. the OLD PF9 (and, yeah, of course the SIG P365)

credit: KelTec

KelTec Joins The Fun

The #Micro9 craze has been going great guns, since SIG Sauer introduced the P365. Well, not really. It took the other players a few years to catch up. Unfortunately, KelTec was early to the party and sat in a folding chair on the edge of the dance. Let me digress.

KelTec had the P11 for years. It sort of took Smith & Wesson mags that were from S&W  old metal DA/SA pistols, but it came with a 10-round "proprietary" mag based on the S&W mag. It was everything the SIG P365 came to be. Don't laugh!

Before we get into the nitty gritty, who are the players in the industry?

Micro 9s (order of intro)

KelTec P11 (1995-2019)

SIG P365 (2018-now)

Springfield Armory Hellcat (2019-now)

S&W  M&P Shield Plus (2021-now)

Ruger MAX-9 (2021-now)

KelTec P15 (2022-now)

And to celebrate the P11 that was ahead of its time - a Viking funeral.

The Nitty Gritty

How does the KelTec P15 stacks up to the gun it sort of pretty much replaced - the KelTec P11? And how does it compare to the lightest 9 - the KelTec PF9? How does it size up to the SIG P365 - the quintessential micro 9?

Well, hell that's inconclusive! Is the KelTec P15 a SIG P365 killer, or is it just a little bit too tall?

NEXT: KelTec P15:  Glock-19 Killer!