Carry Pistol

[henschman]

Think of it this way -- you carry a gun in case you get into an all-out fight for your life and the lives of those you love. Carry something you would want to have in a gunfight... i.e. whatever you can best get hits with and that which holds the greatest amount of ammo. Carry a full size double stack if you can -- if not, carry the largest thing your situation and need for concealment allows. Try for a double stack if at all possible, and go 9mm instead of .380 if at all possible, and striker fire instead of double action only. I'm not a fan of the Glock 42, because there are pistols that small and smaller in 9mm. You can have vastly better performing self defense ammo with 9 than you can with .380. Wih .380 you either get adequate expansion or adequate penetration -- not both. With 9mm +p, you can have it all.

 

[OKCShooter]

Get a 1911 compact to carry. You'll love it over those plastic guns. lol

Yep, they will hurt someone when you throw it at them (since they aren't very reliable) - especially when packed full of those heavy, killer 45 bullets.


In all honesty, with the size of 9mm platforms, I am always surprised when people go with a .380; there doesn't seem to be any advantage i can think of...

 

[t_rae]

Ha. I have the 220 scorpion.

 

[t_rae]

Thanks for all the info everyone. I will definitely try a few out before I decide!

 

[Old Fart]

Buy all 3 and then carry all 3 all the time like mad dog patriot does.



Sorry I couldn't help myself.

 

[Glock_21]

Think of it this way -- you carry a gun in case you get into an all-out fight for your life and the lives of those you love. Carry something you would want to have in a gunfight... i.e. whatever you can best get hits with and that which holds the greatest amount of ammo. Carry a full size double stack if you can -- if not, carry the largest thing your situation and need for concealment allows. Try for a double stack if at all possible, and go 9mm instead of .380 if at all possible, and striker fire instead of double action only. I'm not a fan of the Glock 42, because there are pistols that small and smaller in 9mm. You can have vastly better performing self defense ammo with 9 than you can with .380. Wih .380 you either get adequate expansion or adequate penetration -- not both. With 9mm +p, you can have it all.

Great points. The G42 isn't usually my first choice to carry. But it fits the bill for me in certain situations. The biggest plus, I can get hits with it.

 

[rawhide]

This, but of the 3 the only one I wouldn't have is the LC9. HORRIBLE stock trigger ... HORRIBLE HORRIBLE HORRIBLE ...

Handled one of the new striker LC9s today and the trigger is much much better than the old LC9.

Normal carry is the G19 and I just traded for a Sig P938. I put a couple hundred rounds through it last weekend and was very happy with it.

 

[ripnbst]

To echo what's already been said, with as small as they make 9mm ' s now days there is no need for .380 unless you are in need of extreme concealment. I carry a S&W M&P9 compact. It's a double stack 9mm with 12 round mag +1 in the chamber. Carrying a spare mag gives me 25 rounds on my person. Its carried in a blue ridge customs camo IWB holster at the 4:00 position just behind my hip bone. That's enough for me to feel comfortable even in a bad part of town. I am 6' tall and about 150 lbs. If I can conceal a compact double stack 9 anyone can.


I know that is more info than you asked but for people who are new it's better to tell what is carried, how, where, and with what gear. That paints the whole picture.

Telling about the gun only is like telling a story to a buddy and all you say is "hey last night I met this chick and we did it." Is that all you say? No you tell your buddies how beautiful this girl was and where you met her and what her name is and how you introduced yourself and on and on.

Paint the whole picture. If people did that for me as a newb I would've gotten to where I am now as far as sorting out what works for me much sooner. I also wish I knew about .40 to 9 mil conversion kits when I started out too...so I suppose I should add that if you buy a gun chambered in .40 S&W it can possibly be converted to 9mm if you hate the recoil of .40 short and weak like lots of people do.

 

[DeeJay]

Glock 23 at home.
Kahr MK40 when out and about.

 

[cody6766]

One thing to remember the light guns are great for carry, but practicing with them might hurt some. I remember shooting a body guard 38, really light for carrying but after shooting +p 38s I got rid of it. They stung.

True statement. I only get through half a box, or less, with my Taurus TCP before wanting to be done with it. I always shoot a few for practice and luckily I'm pretty good with it. I'd hate to have to work at shooting that little gun well (well enough to do the job reliably, not win competitions). Recoil isn't terrible, but it's such a light gun that even .380 feels big after a while.

In all honesty, with the size of 9mm platforms, I am always surprised when people go with a .380; there doesn't seem to be any advantage i can think of...

Size.
I carry my .380 more than my XDs, in 9mm, especially in the summer. It's too easy to toss the TCP in a pocket and walk out the door, no matter what I"m wearing. It's wallet-sized in its holster and not very heavy. I don't want to get a belt, and hang my IWB holster on it for a 15min trip to the gas station, or 1hr trip to the grocery store. It's also nice to have the little gun when I want to tuck in a shirt for a nice night out. The likely threat is REALLY low and the .380, while a little guy, still barks and bites enough for me to be confident in it. The XDs isn't much bigger, but it's enough to make a difference.
When I'm running around the city and will be out for hours, I'll take the few extra steps to strap on the holster and carry the XDs. It's a great carry gun, just not as easy for quick trips or when heading out for a birthday party. I always carry when I can, but probably wouldn't sometimes if my XDs was the only option.

As for my recommendations, I'd say you should start by doing what everyone here has said and shoot/hold as much as you can. I'd say you should look into 9mm first, then consider a smaller .380 if they're all too big. The Glock is no smaller than many 9mm guns, so I'd avoid that one. Like I said above, IMO, .380 is good for when you can't/won't carry bigger. Try for bigger first. I looked at the following before settling on the XDs. I'll put an x by the ones I shot first.

S&W 442 x (sold, bought G22)
Glock 22c x (traded for G23)
Glock 23 x (Traded for XDs)
Springfield XDs x (main carry gun now)
Taurus TCP x (secondary carry gun)
S&W Shield x
Springfield EMP x
Walther PPS
Diamondback .380 x
some of the smaller Sig .380 and 9mm guns...forget which
Kahr CM9
Glock 17 x
Glock 26 x
Glock 30 x
Ruger LCR
Ruger LC9
Ruger LCP
and maybe one or 2 others.

Here's my quick take

The Glocks - Great guns, but I fell out of love with the grip angle the more I shot them. My natural aim point was with the gun when I started shooting and then changed for some reason. The more traditional grip angle is right for me now. The 22/17 are too big for carry, the 26 was a little too small for comfort, the 23 was just about right, but a little too thick and I prefer to shoot 9mm over .40. The 30 wasn't as fun to shoot as the smaller calibres, and I'd go with 9mm if I wanted to haul the thickness around. The thickness of the double stack Glocks to the single stack XDs is small, but significant for IWB carry. They're all wonderful guns, just not what I want (shot side by side with XDs, except the .40cal models)


The Shield - the gun shot like a champ, but I didn't like the trigger (something about that hinge) and I liked the way the XDs handled, shot and felt more. I performed better with the XDs and had more fun doing it. (shot side by side with XDs)

The EMP - gun ran well, grip is fat, too expensive to justify when compared to the XDs. Other than the wide grip, I have no issues with the gun except price and MAYBE weight...but it's not that bad. (shot side by side with XDs)

The Diamondback, LCP and TCP - both ran really well, with no issues. The TCP shoots like the diamondback with no difference I remembered and none of the 3 really felt much different in the hand. They're all just really small. I didn't shoot the TCP and Diamondback on the same day, so keep that in mind. I chose the TCP over all of the pocket .380s because of its slide lock, price and good reviews. Most of the little guns had good reviews, so it was mostly the slide lock and a little of the price. The TCP isn't my main gun due to the extra round in the bigger gun and because 9mm is a better round than .380. If I had to have one gun, it would be the XDs. I bought the Taurus after I had my main carry gun.

Walther PPS - just fondled it, loved the feel. I was looking for one when a member offered a trade on the XDs. I held the two side by side at a store and decided that they were close enough. I think I'd be happy with either

Kahr - gun was a little too small, never shot it though.

442 - this was my first CCW gun. It kicked like a mule and only had 5 rounds. It was also the only gun I had at the time, so range trips weren't much fun. I wanted something range friendly and a good CCW. Once I learned to shoot it, I shot it accurately, but it wasn't as fun as an auto. I was funding-limited at the time so I sold it and bought the Glock. That trail led to the XDs, which is great at the range. Revolvers add a bit of simplicity to the equation that can't be overlooked though. The S&W J-frames are good options, as are the Ruger LCRs.


If I missed one, lump it into the 'good gun, but I preferred the ones I have' category. I didn't find a crappy gun in my search because I followed the recommendations on here and all over the internet. You'll see the same names come up in reviews and suggestions time and time again. You see that because they all work, you just have to find what works best for you.