Quest for the "ideal for you" carry gun

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I carry a 1911, unless I need better concealment in which case it'll be an M&P Shield in 9mm.

I really, really wanted to like this but the Shield just shoots so much better. Honestly I'm embarrassed by the groups I get with this and I don't like it enough to practice with it like I should, but it's pretty. Maybe this week. I carry it when feeling patriotic...

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Yep. I don't know how many I've tried but I started out with a full sized XD-9 and about a box of ammo in a couple of magazines. It weighed about the same as a small car by the end of the day.

These days, I'm old and lazy. A Ruger LCP that I paid about $200.00 for, used, seems quite adequate.
 
View attachment 830595 My first CCW was a Smith #37 Chiefs Spl. 3” Carried that for many years until I got my Glock 27. Now since I like the .40 I added a Beretta Cougar 8040 to the line up along with a Smith #36 also for the days of I don’t know what fits or I don’t feel like carrying it’s a Ruger LCP
Since the 37 was the second pistol I ever purchased (1974-75) it more or less has been retired!
What are those books please?
 
Glock 42 with PJ's kydex IWB holster. I have a milt sparks summer special that I bought years ago for a sigma 380 (long gone now). The 42 fits perfect in it, but the pjs kydex is thinner, smaller and is a little more comfortable.
I also have a Taurus view (non-view) .38, fits in front pocket well and shoots better than most people gave it credit for. It has to be the smallest lightest 5 shot revolver ever.
 
I started with wit really small guns...NAA .22 and LCP. Then realized I could carry much bigger guns like a Glock 19, 30s.

I have settled on SW Snubbie for pocket carry. Glock 26 and recently added CZ75 compact for belt AIWB carry.

Yes the CZ compact is heavier...but it is doable with the right belt and right pants. I use a Galco Tuck N Go leather holster made for Glock 19. This minimalist holster is thin like skin on the gun .and clings to my skin just enough to take some of the weight of the gun.

Combined with Wrangler jeans with that stretching material...and a good gun belt, I really don't notice the weight of the gun.


As I get older, the more I like the all steel feeling in guns.

(Maybe I have been thinking of being able to pass on my guns to the kids...and maybe steel guns are more appropriate than plastic guns to do this. Or perhaps steel guns feel more like a real gun... Those thoughts my not be 100 percent logical...in any case I have noticed a shift in my taste for guns.)
 
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I have carried so many in the years gone by early in my career it was a snub nose while off duty. When I went to narcotics the snub nose was still my go to carry but also concealed 1911 Beretta 92 (our issued weapon) NAA .22 lr. just to have something on me at all times. carried a KelTec p-32 for awhile moved that up to a ruger lcp also have a LC9 and recently got a Taurus G2C. Now since I'm retired I carried the LCP mostly in my pocket if not that the LC9. I got the Taurus because i felt I needed something bigger with more rounds but I just fine it hard to hide as I don't dress like I use to now days it's shorts and t-shirts, on cold days I just turn the heater up and wait for a day for the weather to warm up love south Texas and it great being retired. ,
 
Interesting thread! My very first handgun purchased was right after I graduated and received my Army Commission, way back in 1994. I picked up a Sig P228 since the Army had recently adopted it. It was my "carry" gun for a few years...and I still have it.

I've been carrying various guns over the past two-plus decades now, and I hope I never find the "perfect carry gun", as I enjoy the continuing journey far more:D I would say my carry guns consist of about a half-dozen, all depending on the season, activity, dress attire, etc.

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There are another half-dozen or so added to the family, and I've concealed-carried just about everything shown at one time or another (even the monster CZ97 and FNP Tactical). I have a bad habit of buying pistols and not letting them go (only traded or sold a couple). While impractical since I now have boxes of holsters and magazine pouches, they come in handy when introducing new shooters to the world of self-defense and CCW...;)

I will say, before I carry full time, I must be satisfied with reliability, have a solid carry system, and master the manual of arms for various drills with the handgun, including timed presentation from concealment, FTE/FTF drills, mag changes, and shooting drills from arms-length out to 25 yards.

Currently, I rotate between a newer Sig P365, my Sig P938, and my Glock 26. For driving long distances, I add in my S&W J-Frame, and I recently finished a 106-mile Appalachian Trail section hike, with my dedicated Kahr CM9 as my CCW.

On thing I've just not been able to do is pocket carry. I've tried many variations, but it just doesn't work for me. It's uncomfortable to the point it drives me nuts, and I always struggle (regardless of the holster type) to draw from my front pants/shorts pockets (I'm okay with a back pocket or jacket pocket). Ironically, I can CCW the thicker Glock 26 even during the hot summer with an OWB while wearing shorts and a T-shirt. I prefer OWB, but some events are tucked-shirts and ties or polo (not always with a jacket), so a good IWB system is worth the investment. Thinner pistols make a big difference for me here...

ROCK6
 
Interesting thread! My very first handgun purchased was right after I graduated and received my Army Commission, way back in 1994. I picked up a Sig P228 since the Army had recently adopted it. It was my "carry" gun for a few years...and I still have it.

I've been carrying various guns over the past two-plus decades now, and I hope I never find the "perfect carry gun", as I enjoy the continuing journey far more:D I would say my carry guns consist of about a half-dozen, all depending on the season, activity, dress attire, etc.

View attachment 843647

There are another half-dozen or so added to the family, and I've concealed-carried just about everything shown at one time or another (even the monster CZ97 and FNP Tactical). I have a bad habit of buying pistols and not letting them go (only traded or sold a couple). While impractical since I now have boxes of holsters and magazine pouches, they come in handy when introducing new shooters to the world of self-defense and CCW...;)

I will say, before I carry full time, I must be satisfied with reliability, have a solid carry system, and master the manual of arms for various drills with the handgun, including timed presentation from concealment, FTE/FTF drills, mag changes, and shooting drills from arms-length out to 25 yards.

Currently, I rotate between a newer Sig P365, my Sig P938, and my Glock 26. For driving long distances, I add in my S&W J-Frame, and I recently finished a 106-mile Appalachian Trail section hike, with my dedicated Kahr CM9 as my CCW.

On thing I've just not been able to do is pocket carry. I've tried many variations, but it just doesn't work for me. It's uncomfortable to the point it drives me nuts, and I always struggle (regardless of the holster type) to draw from my front pants/shorts pockets (I'm okay with a back pocket or jacket pocket). Ironically, I can CCW the thicker Glock 26 even during the hot summer with an OWB while wearing shorts and a T-shirt. I prefer OWB, but some events are tucked-shirts and ties or polo (not always with a jacket), so a good IWB system is worth the investment. Thinner pistols make a big difference for me here...

ROCK6
Regarding my initial post- thank you for making me feel better!
 
When I was a new Deputy the SO allowed us to carry anything .38 Spl or larger so I spent quite a few years and $$ chasing "magic bullets" with the latest handgun every eight to ten months or so.
In hindsight I should have spent that energy and $$ by improving my shooting rather than wasting it on buying hardware.
This thought colors my current mental state as a CCW holder, preferring to improve my abilities with what I have rather than switching ponies in response to gun writers and marketing hype.
 
I started carrying concealed weapons when I graduated from the academy in 1973. I have tried a wide variety of handguns and calibers and can say with some authority, based on experience, there is no ideal CC handgun. The ones I've carried the most were a Colt 45 ACP Comander, a Glock 30, and lately a Glock 36. None of them are ideal, they just work for me.

Dave
 
When I was a new Deputy the SO allowed us to carry anything .38 Spl or larger so I spent quite a few years and $$ chasing "magic bullets" with the latest handgun every eight to ten months or so.
In hindsight I should have spent that energy and $$ by improving my shooting rather than wasting it on buying hardware.
This thought colors my current mental state as a CCW holder, preferring to improve my abilities with what I have rather than switching ponies in response to gun writers and marketing hype.

That's exactly where I am at. I switched between 5 different carry guns the past 3 years and ended up going back to the M&P40c. I am now concentrating on shooting it as much as feasible and sharpening my skills and muscle memory with it.
 
Love the CZ 82/83 but hate the cartridge.
Ideal EDC/SD probably a Coonan 357 but I've never had one or shot one and have no idea it's reliability in combat.
I would have to say the closest to perfection would be a G30 but I don't own a Glock. Who can argue with 10 rounds of .45 in a G19 package?
As for the thousands of $ that went into my lifestyle and hobby, I've yet to find the perfect anything in one package.
Right now my HD is an M9A3 with 17 rounds x3. But truth be told I would be just as happy with a compact 45 and an M1 carbine and my 340 BUG, that and a few 22's.
 
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My Sig P365 has become my most carried gun lately. It is just as easy to carry and conceal as my LC9s and little nicer to shoot.
 
I've carried quite a few through the years, not sure I've ever found the "perfect" gun to tote.

For several years I carried a Kahr MK9 almost exclusively; loved that little gun and it went everywhere with me, until one day I admitted; I just don't shoot it very well due to the tiny grip. So I started experimenting; and found as the older I get, the larger pistols get most of my carry attention. Today I have an HK USP Compact on my belt.

I'm a fan of about any quality brand in handguns, so I'm always interested in something new or different coming down the pike.

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My idea of a concealed carry handgun is something that I can comfortably conceal. This for me is a five shot J frame or a PPK sized pistol.
 
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