I'm racking my brains and I can't come up with another gun apart from the HK P7 , which is chambered for 9mm. IIRC, they aren't cheap but what's nice is the squeeze-cock feature. It's truly a "grab and shoot" auto. I'm thinking it has close to the same dimensions as the Sig p239, though, which sounds like a downside. Never shot one so I can't comment much past what I already have.
Something else to look at, though.
I'll be honest: the kick on the Defender was a b!tch. The bad part about it was finding the sights after the shot, which I think accounted just about equal with the recoil in terms of displeasure. It just didn't line back up as quickly like a longer, heavier auto does. I only got to run 2 clips through the gun, so I definitely didn't have time to get used to it, but I probably could have had it the entire day and still wouldn't "click" with me.
Then again, you aren't looking for something to mount a scope on and snipe with, either. If you can handle the recoil, you will probably be as good with it as anything else up close.
