The formula is easy for creating a semi-auto carry gun that’s sure to be popular: Build a quality gun that’s lightweight and easy to conceal, make it compact and chamber it for potent cartridge with plenty of capacity. As easy as that sounds, it is something that has eluded many manufacturers. Para-Ordnance is one producer that followed this recipe for success when they introduced their Warthog in 2004. Weighing just 24 ounces unloaded, that new Para compact is chambered for the mighty .45ACP and boasts an amazing 10+1 rounds of capacity.

That’s some serious firepower for a gun that possesses a snubby 3-inch barrel! Before Para had even come close to stocking the dealer’s shelves, requests came for the same gun chambered in 9mm.

Those requests did not go unheard and just recently Para has introduced the Hawg 9, a compact carry gun that uses the same lightweight alloy frame as the Warthog and shares its same compact dimensions.

If you think about it, this gun chambered in 9mm is a natural for concealed carry. While the .45 Warthog is by no means punishing to shoot, there are many folks that don’t feel the need for that amount of power or recoil. While the unloaded weight of the Hawg 9 is the same as the Warthog, switching to the smaller caliber grains another two rounds of capacity for a total of 12+1 rounds. That’s more than twice the capacity of most snubnose revolvers.