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Comparison: P365 vs. Hellcat vs. MAX-9 vs. M&P9 Shield Plus

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GunnyGene
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Comparison: P365 vs. Hellcat vs. MAX-9 vs. M&P9 Shield Plus

Post by GunnyGene » Fri Apr 16, 2021 5:01 pm

This is an interesting comparison of these 4 popular carry pistols, especially for anyone who is in the market for a new EDC. It doesn't substitute for hands on, but it may narrow the field somewhat. The one thing that wasn't mentioned is the modular design of the P365 (none of the others in the comparison are modular), but most folks aren't going to be interested in that anyway. I was, and it was the primary reason I bought the Sig last year, instead of one of the others. :)

https://www.thetruthaboutguns.com/heads ... ield-plus/
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Re: Comparison: P365 vs. Hellcat vs. MAX-9 vs. M&P9 Shield Plus

Post by bdbrown66 » Sun Apr 18, 2021 8:46 pm

Love my P365. Perfect EDC for me.
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Re: Comparison: P365 vs. Hellcat vs. MAX-9 vs. M&P9 Shield Plus

Post by Holiday009 » Mon Apr 19, 2021 10:51 am

They left out the Glock 43. The Ruger Max9 , although I haven’t seen one , appears to be a lil overpriced and Ruger is entering a already crowded market with the small 9’s.
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Re: Comparison: P365 vs. Hellcat vs. MAX-9 vs. M&P9 Shield Plus

Post by markiver54 » Mon Apr 19, 2021 3:12 pm

Mine is an XDS. I'm quite satisfied with the limited capacity of a single stack. The Helcat is interesting....just don't feel I need it.
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Re: Comparison: P365 vs. Hellcat vs. MAX-9 vs. M&P9 Shield Plus

Post by GunnyGene » Mon Apr 19, 2021 3:43 pm

markiver54 wrote:
Mon Apr 19, 2021 3:12 pm
Mine is an XDS. I'm quite satisfied with the limited capacity of a single stack. The Helcat is interesting....just don't feel I need it.
Tsk, tsk. You know it's not about need, right? ;)
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Re: Comparison: P365 vs. Hellcat vs. MAX-9 vs. M&P9 Shield Plus

Post by markiver54 » Mon Apr 19, 2021 7:10 pm

GunnyGene wrote:
Mon Apr 19, 2021 3:43 pm
markiver54 wrote:
Mon Apr 19, 2021 3:12 pm
Mine is an XDS. I'm quite satisfied with the limited capacity of a single stack. The Helcat is interesting....just don't feel I need it.
Tsk, tsk. You know it's not about need, right? ;)
I know, I know. Those are all nice weapons, but I'm satisfied.
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Re: Comparison: P365 vs. Hellcat vs. MAX-9 vs. M&P9 Shield Plus

Post by PNWguy » Fri Apr 30, 2021 10:15 am

I've handled them all in the LGS and own the P365. Dad owns the Hellcat. Both are great guns with no serious handicaps, like the Ruger and the S&W have, IMHO.

The safety on the Shield Plus is nearly useless. Way too small and too hard to manipulate, and requires changing your grip. It's just awful. Plus, the trigger on the Shield Plus is amazing for a range toy and target gun with lots of folks reporting it to be around 3 lbs. But 3 lbs is just too light for a defense pocket gun. Combine too light of a trigger with a safety that you can't hardly manipulate, and you are flirting with disaster.

The Ruger Max-9 is another crude handgun from Ruger that has a decent trigger, RMR capability, feels good, but owners are already reporting a weak finish. The one I handled already had chips in the finish with bare metal exposed. Ruger should stick to single-actions and revolvers; I haven't been impressed with any of their defensive pistols, and my first carry gun was a Ruger D90 .45 acp way back in `93. Clunky, rough, crude, and heavy pistol. Reminded me of a Soviet design. They haven't gotten much better, and the finishes have gotten worse the past 20 years.

But, people love them. My dad's carry pistol before the Hellcat was a Ruger EC9S. But he just couldn't argue with twice the capacity in the same size of pistol.

I don't think any of them are truly awful pistols, but some are definitely better than others.
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Re: Comparison: P365 vs. Hellcat vs. MAX-9 vs. M&P9 Shield Plus

Post by Ozarkwoodswalker » Tue May 04, 2021 4:22 am

Not all shields have a safety
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