When I took my VA CHL training at the NRA Range in 2005, received a bit of advice…my instructor was an off duty LEO/retired .mil…he and I were admiring the plethora of handguns my fellow students had brought in to train with (my Walter PP was all I had) and told everyone something that sticks to me today…in the event of a CHL-involved incident, the firearm will be confiscated until the case is settled, so you might want to think about carrying a BBQ gun, or $$$$$ high end weapon…carry something you are comfortable and trained on all the time, but also something that is not an heirloom…so for me, a simple plain G19. YMMV, but key words were…comfortable, trained on, and with you!
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I am 70 now, been shooting for a number of years (a lot)… and a 5 year member of US CCA. I personally prefer almost everything Ruger. I have several auto’s and revolvers; I really like the engineering of this brand. The weight is usually mid-range compared with comparable mfg. models and the hand fit has always been comfortable (for me) in the mid-size to full size weapons. I have yet to find a sub-compact that I was really happy with… I have 2, and they are dedicated to back-up service. The Ruger is easy to maintain & clean. The fire rated on the auto’s with a firing pin (rather than hammer) is as fast as you can safely pull the short travel (draw) trigger. I have always found the Ballance to be good and seldom have any concerns or issues with any Ruger I purchase. Most of all the Ruger is reliable. The cost of most Rugers is in the mid-range… affordable… The greatest concern with the purchase of a new weapon is can you handle it with confidence in all levels. If not, it is not the right weapon for you.
JJ
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I considered the PPS, Sig, Glock 43 and others, but settled on the Hellcat after shooting most of them via rental at the range. The Hellcat just fit and performed better overall for me. Plus, I wanted the most rounds for the buck in a small controllable conceal carry pistol. It feeds any of the defense rounds that I use and seems to be the most comfortable for a big guy, like myself. It works well in ankle holster I am trying out also. Thanks for the reply and suggestions.
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I currently carry the Ruger EC9s. Has a capacity of 7+1 with the option of 9+1. Love this little 9mm gun 
I carry it whenever possibly and legally! I recently bought a Ruger Security 9.
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You’ve probably made your choice by this time, fwiw I have a Walther PPS I carry quite often. I find it thin and comfortable to carry because if the grip angle. It shoots well with rapid follow up shots. They come in 9mm and .40 s&w, have an under barrel mount for accessories like a light or laser. Their are multiple magazines which change the profile as well. The best answers I have seen here focus on how a weapon fits you, I agree with that 100%. It was years and many guns bought and traded before I found 1 I like to carry most of the time. However, worth mentioning , quality holsters make a huge difference as well. So the moral, keep looking, try out firearms if you can, spend time finding a holster.
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Okay, you’re not first guy I’ve heard say this about the Hellcat. I’ve been leaning toward a Glock 19 Gen5. Tell me why I should swap in my VP9SK with ambi controls for a Hellcat. Not a challenge, genuine question.
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By the way, Springfield Armory XD pistols are excellent. I have read that there are examples of the XD-SC at gun ranges having been shot 250,000 times with only spring changes!
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There are so many nice, good quality, weapons to carry these days.
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The best 9 mm I have found to carry is a double stacked Glock 30, or 41 with +p rounds 
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There is A LOT of suggestions in this thread but I would like to give a little different perspective.
A quick course review from Tom Givens’ Rangemaster Master Instructor Development Course back in May 2020.
“We had 27 students, from 14 different states. Thirteen candidates used an optic, while fourteen used iron sights. There were 18 Glocks, 4 M&P’s and a few other handguns used. Of the top three scoring students, two used optics and one had iron sights.”
These students are the top 1% of Defensive Firearms Instructors in the country. They were shooting 18 Glocks, 4 S&W M&P, 2 CZ P10 F, a couple of Sig 320s and 1 1911.
That should give you a good inclination of what you should be focusing on as a defensive firearm.
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Can you share any info on how students were scored or the challenges they faced? I know nothing about the range master course.
Right now the fact that 2 of the top 3 scoring students had optics and 1 had iron sights lacks context for me. Where they graded on how tight groupings were, speed, a combination of the 2?
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Sure! The Rangemaster Instructor Development programs includes 3 different levels. Instructor(3 Days) , Advanced Instructor (2 Days) and Master Instructor (3 Days) each of which has a higher level of difficulty. To pass the first level you must be able to pass the FBI Qualification Course of fire with a 90% or better, PLUS Tom’s own more difficult course of fire with 90% as well.
The top shooters is compiled from several different courses of fire
Honestly at this level, just about anyone of them could have been top shot on any given day. For this class, 2 of them just happened to be using dot guns.
Here is a complete course review of the Master Class I was in.
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Well FERNANDO10 I bought me a Sheild EZ 9mm and i love it! Easy to carry & the EZ I must
Say are made for all but especially go women cuz it’s so easy to cook. The aiming is Great! I also sent it through the machine shop to have it smoothed out!
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meant it’s easy to cock!
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Thanks Chad.
What I got out of it is this…the top shooters scored better than the rest. This includes doing everything mirroed with the weak side. For me that means those who are either naturally ambidextrous or those that have trained the most with weak side shooting did the best.
So for me it is more about finding a gun you feel comfortable with and practice like your life depends on it. If you want lasers or just iron sights that is fine as long as you practice that way.
That being said…I realize optics used correctly can make you more accurate. But if you rely on them too heavily…i.e. not learning the fundamentals before using them…you are not doing yourself any favors.
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The weak side shooting wasn’t part of the scoring for “top shot”. The overall topic of the post was “best 9mm to carry”. The top defensive shooters in the country are overwhelmingly shooting Glocks and S&W because they are the most reliable! These shooters have put the time, effort and rounds down range to realize the most important aspect of a carry gun is that it must be reliable! They also realized that the shooter is the weak point in accuracy. If you put the work into the fundamentals all guns are more than adequtly accurate. For most shooters, investing in how to shoot, by taking training classes, is a better investment than to keep buying or changing guns to try and fix fundamental problems.
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100% agree on everything you said.
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“The top defensive shooters in the country are overwhelmingly shooting Glocks and S&W because they are the most reliable”
Seems that is a bit of a leap. Did anyone ask them why they were shooting the guns they were shooting? If not, how do you know? If it was competition it would seem that they shot what they shot because they would score better that way.
They are shooting these guns, because it is what they carry. And they carry it because they know it is reliable. We see the same percentages year after year in defensive shooting classes with multiple classes/instructors.
We also host IDPA competitions and there tend to be more specialized/customized. guns in the matches, but these guns require ALOT more maintenance and usually won’t complete a 2 day 1,000 round course of fire without at least some preventative maintenance or cleaning. Stock Glocks and S&W usually have no problems with this level of performance.
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Maybe I am not being clear. Allow me to try a different tack. I see two errors in logic in this post. The first is a garden variety non sequitor. Your conclusion does not follow from the established facts. There may be additional facts that would support your argument but we don’t know what they are, if any.
The second is called an “appeal to authority.” I think that you are saying that their choice matters because they are authorities. “Appeal to Authority” arguments are always logical fallacies. Authorities can be as wrong as anyone else, singly and in aggregate.
Glocks and M&P may be the most reliable but your argument does little to advance this theory.