Carry gun woes, which to pick?

Which one would you pick?


  • Total voters
    86
Status
Not open for further replies.
On the shield, I am looking at the 9mm and the 45, my thoughts being that 45 will stop someone with any ammo and the 9 just gives more shots. I usually use xtp or gold dot defensive ammo in the 9mm.

There is no statistical evidence to prove that statement. If there was every Police Department in America would be carrying 45s
 
I would not carry a Taurus anything for self-defense unless there was literally no other option.

Of what you listed I would go with the Shield and exclusively use the eight round magazines. I'm really not comfortable with less than 10 rounds but nine is close enough. Also, since I'm a cheap bastard I would find one of the 1.0s for under three hundred bucks.

Going off your list, I would consider a Glock 43 or a Glock 48.

As I mentioned earlier I mostly carry a glock 26. When I'm not carrying that I carry Glock 19 and I really don't have a problem concealing either one of those. That said, I'm also not carrying a one-year-old around with me.
 
Last edited:
There is something to consider before purchase that you do not see talked about much on gun forums. And that is carry weight. As some who ran competitively since high school, ran for decades, coached runners, saw hundreds of injuries etc.and that is weight and balance. Most people have no idea how carrying a heavy weight on one side of the body effects the entire skeletal system. And the dangers of this repetitive force over and over with each step throughout the day. Carrying a gun is a imbalance issues.Having one leg shorter than the other, example, will lead to a injury. I ended up having a slipped disc. Unbearable pain. Finally fixed completely by a Neurosurgical operation, but others not so lucky.
Weight matters. Just sitting down on a fat wallet over and over can lead to injury from repetitive use.
Most that know me on this forum, know I love small guns, and many reasons for that. Light weight carry is just ONE reason, but a important reason. The difference in just a few ounces is more significant that most people realize and not heeding the concern, can make you want to shoot yourself because of horrific pain in the back.

Before purchase of any firearm, consider other things than just what gun folks on the internet recommend. Holsters, belts, gun weight etc. Exercises to prevent injury and on and on. How much does you cell phone weigh? What gun will you be carrying this summer if you wear light shorts, and tee shirt? A heavy gun with Holster and belt? Extra magazines?

Some folks will spend money to balance the tires on their truck, but will never consider their own back. Ounces do matter!

Here is just one example. A fully loaded gun and holster.It is one of the lightest of the light. The gun itself only weighs 6.6 ounces. How much does your gun weigh? *I am not giving this gun or any pocket gun a recommendation, but only to the dedicated few that will train with them on a diligent schedule and program. Just for comparison.

knjOphd.jpg
 
Which one would I pick?

The Glock or the Smith & Wesson.

.
.
.


I’ve never had good luck with Ruger. The one exception is my latest 22lr.

And the Taurus is, well A Taurus. People do say that they have great customer service. I guess they have a lot of experience fixing their guns.
 
Jeb Stuart

Before purchase of any firearm, consider other things than just what gun folks on the internet recommend. Holsters, belts, gun weight etc. Exercises to prevent injury and on and on. How much does you cell phone weigh? What gun will you be carrying this summer if you wear light shorts, and tee shirt? A heavy gun with Holster and belt? Extra magazines?

All good points well taken! Another consideration is what does your gun weigh fully loaded, along with a couple of extra magazines? All that weight adds up quickly and can be a factor in someone deciding what they think they should carry versus what they can carry comfortably.
 
There is something to consider before purchase that you do not see talked about much on gun forums. And that is carry weight. As some who ran competitively since high school, ran for decades, coached runners, saw hundreds of injuries etc.and that is weight and balance. Most people have no idea how carrying a heavy weight on one side of the body effects the entire skeletal system. And the dangers of this repetitive force over and over with each step throughout the day. Carrying a gun is a imbalance issues.Having one leg shorter than the other, example, will lead to a injury. I ended up having a slipped disc. Unbearable pain. Finally fixed completely by a Neurosurgical operation, but others not so lucky.
Weight matters. Just sitting down on a fat wallet over and over can lead to injury from repetitive use.
Most that know me on this forum, know I love small guns, and many reasons for that. Light weight carry is just ONE reason, but a important reason. The difference in just a few ounces is more significant that most people realize and not heeding the concern, can make you want to shoot yourself because of horrific pain in the back.

Before purchase of any firearm, consider other things than just what gun folks on the internet recommend. Holsters, belts, gun weight etc. Exercises to prevent injury and on and on. How much does you cell phone weigh? What gun will you be carrying this summer if you wear light shorts, and tee shirt? A heavy gun with Holster and belt? Extra magazines?

Some folks will spend money to balance the tires on their truck, but will never consider their own back. Ounces do matter!

Here is just one example. A fully loaded gun and holster.It is one of the lightest of the light. The gun itself only weighs 6.6 ounces. How much does your gun weigh? *I am not giving this gun or any pocket gun a recommendation, but only to the dedicated few that will train with them on a diligent schedule and program. Just for comparison.

View attachment 841862

Thanks for posting this is good information
 
I recommend the 9mm Shield, either 1.0 or 2.0. Eight+1 (IMO) is enough capacity, they conceal well, accurate and very reliable. I chose 9mm because it's a potent enough defensive round, practice ammo is so cheap and I'd probably shoot it better than a 45. I foolishly sold my original Shield PC 9 to free up some cash for another gun and regretted it later. While looking for a used Shield recently I stumbled on Cabelas sale $269 for a 1.0 version and got a PC version w/night sights for about $100 more. It's not a gun I look at and admire, it's a tool that is good at what it is intended for. BTW, I added a Talon adhesive grip on my 1.0 because I found the grip slippery (too smooth) without it. Talons work great, cheap and look good.
 
I decided to move to the Sig P365. Only have 250 down the tube but it's been reliable so far. Main issue is I shoot it better than the pistol it replaced.

Likely some other advantage to your P365 vs. your previous pistol as well, bgw45...like maybe larger caliber, or higher capacity, or smaller size, or better sights, or better trigger, and no trigger pull required for disassembly.
 
There is something to consider before purchase that you do not see talked about much on gun forums. And that is carry weight. As some who ran competitively since high school, ran for decades, coached runners, saw hundreds of injuries etc.and that is weight and balance. Most people have no idea how carrying a heavy weight on one side of the body effects the entire skeletal system. And the dangers of this repetitive force over and over with each step throughout the day. Carrying a gun is a imbalance issues.Having one leg shorter than the other, example, will lead to a injury. I ended up having a slipped disc. Unbearable pain. Finally fixed completely by a Neurosurgical operation, but others not so lucky.
Weight matters. Just sitting down on a fat wallet over and over can lead to injury from repetitive use.
Most that know me on this forum, know I love small guns, and many reasons for that. Light weight carry is just ONE reason, but a important reason. The difference in just a few ounces is more significant that most people realize and not heeding the concern, can make you want to shoot yourself because of horrific pain in the back.

Before purchase of any firearm, consider other things than just what gun folks on the internet recommend. Holsters, belts, gun weight etc. Exercises to prevent injury and on and on. How much does you cell phone weigh? What gun will you be carrying this summer if you wear light shorts, and tee shirt? A heavy gun with Holster and belt? Extra magazines?

Some folks will spend money to balance the tires on their truck, but will never consider their own back. Ounces do matter!

Here is just one example. A fully loaded gun and holster.It is one of the lightest of the light. The gun itself only weighs 6.6 ounces. How much does your gun weigh? *I am not giving this gun or any pocket gun a recommendation, but only to the dedicated few that will train with them on a diligent schedule and program. Just for comparison.

View attachment 841862
Jeb, thanks for the comments! I think about balance and skeletal effects of carry (just got done with some major surgery and lost some muscle) and you are 100% correct that weight, and where it's carried, matters. I carry keys and phone opposite side to my carry gun, and even the extra mag goes on the left side to balance it out. I will be building or buying a few different holsters once I have the gun nailed down, but I want that as a separate thought process once its in my hands.. Good info here!
 
To go off the list...

If the OP wanted a small pocket pistol that he could practice a bunch with, the Beretta Pico has innards made of stainless steel. You can put a lot of rounds through one, NP, and it is actually small enough for pocket carry. (Ask Jeb Stuart about them.) I have one, but mildly prefer my LCPII. I can carry it in any pants pocket, or even in the breast pocket of something like a flannel shirt.

I carry a 2" LCR in the pocket of my cargo shorts more often than anything else. My long ape arms put my fingers right on the grips easily. It's snag-free and has a great trigger.

For OWB under a cover garment in warmer weather, I used to carry a Glock 43, but it seems like my double-stack G26 isn't any harder to conceal.

I have lots of larger pistols, but carry the LCPII or LCR 90% of the time, if not more.
 
Last edited:
Likely some other advantage to your P365 vs. your previous pistol as well, bgw45...like maybe larger caliber, or higher capacity, or smaller size, or better sights, or better trigger, and no trigger pull required for disassembly.
You are probably right, but I'm not a good enough technician to determine exactly why. Do enjoy the results though. The most obvious difference between the two is trigger. I don't fight the trigger on the 365. That could account for the difference . I'm not sure.
 
I liked my Shield in 9 mm, period. Great weapon, easy to conceal and with 147 grain ammo I liked it a lot. BUT, I replaced the Walther PPS Model 1 with the Shield when the Walther started having hiccups after a couple of thousand rounds and became unreliable. I shot the Walther better, it was a better fit for me. I just replaced the Shield with the PPS M2 and have three thousand rounds through it with out a FTE/FTF. I'd suggest you check out the Walther and see what you think. YMMV
 
  • Like
Reactions: vba
You are probably right, but I'm not a good enough technician to determine exactly why. Do enjoy the results though. The most obvious difference between the two is trigger. I don't fight the trigger on the 365. That could account for the difference . I'm not sure.

Ultimately what matters bgw45, is that you carry, and you shoot what you carry well.
 
So I picked up a Taurus g2s (a single stack that feels a lot like shield) in 40 about an hour ago, 6 round mags, has a safety and a loaded chamber indicator. 20190523_181033.jpg

Comes with two mags, $224+tax.

Wife likes it a lot, gonna try it out, and I may get a shield 9mm too in a few days. Gotta shoot this one first and see how I like it..
 
The SIG P365, with flat magazine base plate, is the **same** size as a Kahr CM-9/PM-9! I have both and frankly, there's no need for the Kahr.
 
Now I'm huntin holsters... My Remora I got for my cz will work, and it is a lot more comfy to wear, but it still is just temporary. Been looking at the urban carry G2 under the waistband holster, and I checked out a few other iwb holsters. It's hard to separate the holster system from the carry gun sometimes! Luckily if I decide on another gun (like the sheild or the glock) it will fit most of the holster systems I am looking at. If all else fails I'll buy myself some leather and stitch one up.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top