what to carry

These are very dependable, accurate, and easy to carry. Dan Wesson 9mm Commander with an alloy frame and CZ PCR's (I have two).

C.R. said:

So I'm not getting any younger almost 61 , and recently had open heart surgery . . .

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Tallball said:

. . . He has helped me recover from three surgeries in the past year. Off-topic, but true. Best wishes with your recovery.

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I can't even imagine what open heart surgery does to a person. My dad got the old fashioned ribs cut open type nearly 30 years ago. It aged him dramatically. Remembering what his condition was, he could have only managed a .22 autoloader for the first 3 to 6 months after the surgery. His strength had effectively evaporated for a long time.

Larry in wyoming said:

I kinda ruled that out based on the fact that compact 45s and MY hands don't really go together..
But you're right, he should consider it.

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Try the Glock G36.

One inch thick frame and slide, and although a different shape, the grip is almost exactly the same circumference as a compact double-stack like the G19/23.

Same form-factor as well.

Guns are handy.

Tote the gun just in case. But if you're handy with a blade, no need to waste ammo.



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tactikel said:

Traveling east to visit Kenosha or Racine I’d opt for the 1911.

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Or an M113, Ma Duce, and a squad of 11Bs.

I have no idea of your physical abilities or budget. Or, for that matter if you even want to buy a new gun.

Will carrying a full size heavy gun wear you out? Do you have any experience with striker fired gun?

The 1911 would be fine. I’d also carry the Vaquero loaded with Specials and feel decently armed.

If the .22 mag is double action I’d carry that too.

The choices in carry guns available now, is staggering.

22wmr is best left to rifles and longer-barreled revolvers (e.g. ruger single six or super wrangler). these two ruger single-action revolvers are great all-around sidearms but are a bit large and slow to be a ccw. in my own experience a rimfire double-action revolver has a stout trigger pull that can compromise accuracy and willingness to practice alot.

what will you practice with enough to become proficient? what is physically and financially comfortable? my answer to these two questions is invariably a brand-name 22lr semiauto pistol. mine is a ruger sr22. it carries well, is reliable, comes with a superb warranty. 300 rounds per session is easy on me and my wallet, and brings me to a level of comfortable proficiency that i will carry forward as i age out.

my next suggestions are a steel 38sp revolver (e.g. taurus 856) with a hammer or a bigger 380acp semiauto pistol (e.g. s&w shield ez). i have both. the new ruger security lite-rack 380acp looks intriguing. i haven’t personally encountered a 9mm semiauto pistol that is both sufficiently easy to shoot and small enough to be a ccw, to get lots of comfortable range and carry time; and at this stage in my life given my humble lifestyle i’m not looking. i do very much like the keltec p32 as a ccw.

it may be time for o.p. to trade away his 44mag revolver for something more useful in daily life.

jstert said:

it may be time for o.p. to trade away his 44mag revolver for something more useful in daily life.

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jstert said:

what will you practice with enough to become proficient? what is physically and financially comfortable?

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While I know many will disagree with my choice, this is why I got a NAA 22LR/WMR mini revolver, as well as laying in a supply of ammo for the other hungry children before I retired.

The 22 mag revolvers are popular among the professional trainer set for casual carry in the pocket. Some like the 327 Mag LCRs also. Are you looking for casual? The 1911 and 44 mag are serious carry guns and a burden at times. You probably can defend yourself with the revolvers. If you were looking for a serious belt gun, then the standard is a Glock 19, 48 or similar configuration from some other company. The Sig 365s are popular and easy to carry.

tomrkba said:

After all that, and you're still not sure, just go buy a Glock 19 Gen 3, 4, or 5.

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Yep. That's a close as it gets to a one-size-fits-all answer.

First of all, you carry what you have and not what you want... Since you have more than one handgun - pick up the one you can shoot best (speed, accuracy and deployment), it's comfortable to carry and of a sound caliber. That excludes any ISSF rapid fire pistols in .22 Short, or 6" .44 Magnums - you have to fit somewhere in between those two.

If you have a 1911 that you shoot well and is reliable you really can't do much better than that.

The biggest issue is finding the right holster and carry position that works for you.

As I mentioned above I have lots and lots of 1911 holsters (and that's true of almost every handgun I own) and I have those that work really well for me and those that are okay and those that worked well with one of the old me and may work well with some future me but don't work with the current me.

Fortunately though holsters are one of the easy changes.

More important are a really good belt designed to support a holster and just wearing the holster around the house over a weekend to get accustomed to the feel and where it fits best but still allows access to pockets.

Two next choices are in the belt or on the belt. I find in most cases on the belt is more comfortable for all day wear but slightly harder to conceal. However I also have in the belt holsters for my 1911s that are almost as comfortable and far easier to conceal. The Kramer shown in my other post is a great IWB example. My old Roy Baker Original Pancake that I bought back in the mid 1980sis almost as easy to conceal but mostly because it presents a gentle swelling that doesn't scream "gun" and presses the grip tightly against your body rather than poking part of your clothing out.



The attachment points are far apart that helps spread the weight out. The thumb snap also sits between the hammer and firing pin adding yet another layer of security. Roy Baker is long gone but the style he originated has remained popular and almost every holster maker will have an offering based on Roy's design. There is almost always used examples for sale so it can be a relatively inexpensive way to try the pancake and see if it works for you.

There's absolutely no reason not to at least begin with what you already have and know.

Of your choices.
I would go with the 1911.

You didn't mention the models that your 22lr and 22mag are. I am taking it that they are not ccw size revolvers. I'm in the better than a sharp stick crowd with the 22mag, but the 45 and 44mag are better choices....

I think you should look at a lightweight modern compact auto. Reliable, lightweight, easy to carry, easy to conceal. I like the S&W shield 9. The SA hellcat or Sig P365 are also excellent choices.

Welcome to the Sixties!

An all-steel 1911 is actually a quite good older-folks’ handgun. Steel damps recoil. The 1911 design has a low bore axis, compared to some notable modern pistols. The .45 ACP is a relatively slow-to-accelerate cartridge, so, all else being equal, not very “snappy.” The Govt-sized pistols, at least, have recoil springs that are relatively easy for aging hands to work against, to run the slide.

At age 61, I still like the 1911. A 1911 was my first handgun, at age 21. I may go to visit a nice 1911, tomorrow, and do some laying-away and/or gun-tradin’. The 1911 is a “lifetime gun.” When able able to dress in a way that allows me to wear an OWB holster with a bit of drop, I will still carry a 1911, on occasion. (Range-of-motion issues in my right shoulder can complicate drawing longer pistols from an IWB holster, or a high-riding OWB holster.) The way our region is experiencing “interesting times,” since early 2020, and particularly this year, have me wanting to dress around larger pistols, even if it means I must sweat more, in this Gulf Coastal Plain heat and humidity.

Due to the long-developed “point-ability” hard-wired into my brain and CNS, I like the 1911 for times when darkness or other conditions complicate using the sights. Once upon a time, while shooting a duty pistol qual, the front sight flew away from the slide of my Colt Commander. I kept shooting, and passed the qual, out to 25 yards. Of course, “pointability” is an individual thing. Others’ experiences with 1911 “pointabilty” may vary.

Little guns? Compact Nines? Not for me. They hurt to shoot, starting in my early fifties. I have aged-into favoring bigger guns.

G43x

Being a revolver guy the 1911 is one of the only semiautomatic pistols I do like. I have carried one here and there BUT, when I bought a Hi-Power I fell in heavy like with it. It's of course similar to the 1911 in 45 Auto but IMO much nicer. I truly like that 9mm and have been carrying if off and on. I usually carry a J frame daily but I find myself carrying the SA-35 more and more. The 15+1 rounds onboard isn't bad either lol.

If you even consider a 1911, you're too old for a gun.

I'd get a .44 just so you know it's x2 your .22 guns.

Rexster said:

Welcome to the Sixties!

An all-steel 1911 is actually a quite good older-folks’ handgun. Steel damps recoil. The 1911 design has a low bore axis, compared to some notable modern pistols. The .45 ACP is a relatively slow-to-accelerate cartridge, so, all else being equal, not very “snappy.” The Govt-sized pistols, at least, have recoil springs that are relatively easy for aging hands to work against, to run the slide.

At age 61, I still like the 1911. A 1911 was my first handgun, at age 21. I may go to visit a nice 1911, tomorrow, and do some laying-away and/or gun-tradin’. The 1911 is a “lifetime gun.” When able able to dress in a way that allows me to wear an OWB holster with a bit of drop, I will still carry a 1911, on occasion. (Range-of-motion issues in my right shoulder can complicate drawing longer pistols from an IWB holster, or a high-riding OWB holster.) The way our region is experiencing “interesting times,” since early 2020, and particularly this year, have me wanting to dress around larger pistols, even if it means I must sweat more, in this Gulf Coastal Plain heat and humidity.

Due to the long-developed “point-ability” hard-wired into my brain and CNS, I like the 1911 for times when darkness or other conditions complicate using the sights. Once upon a time, while shooting a duty pistol qual, the front sight flew away from the slide of my Colt Commander. I kept shooting, and passed the qual, out to 25 yards. Of course, “pointability” is an individual thing. Others’ experiences with 1911 “pointabilty” may vary.

Little guns? Compact Nines? Not for me. They hurt to shoot, starting in my early fifties. I have aged-into favoring bigger guns.

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I'm with you, and I'm in my mid 70s. I live on a retired horse ranch in an Arizona border county, 'stuff' happens here that never makes the news, so I understand 'stuff' that happens where you live. The OP has 1911 experience, which makes choices to carry easier...I like 1911s in .38Super, 45auto and 10mm, Delta Elite Winchester 175gr Silvertips recoils like many 45auto ammunition loads, (Double Tap's 155gr Barnes XPB-TAC bullet shoots quite soft too, and it expands upon contact with large bone) and it's my current OWB carry...but I just finished a 90 round range session with a Python 3", only shooting double action with factory .357mag ammunition, it conceals well under a t-shirt. Like yourself, one of the major reasons I carry 1911s is their natural pointability, I've made countless headshots on moving/coiled/striking rattlesnakes, focus behind the head, point, shoot and one shot kills...high percentage hits most of the time.

The flat, narrow slide of 1911s make for easy IWB carry for those times when concealed carry is needed. Personally, I tend to wear Wranglers, they have 1.75" belt loops which makes wearing 1.75" leather belts a good choice, which makes 1.75" OWB holsters easier to cinch up close to the body, forward cant advised IMHO.

As a handloader, I developed a 44mag load using VihtaVuori N105 powder and Hornady 200gr XTPs, this is a recommended powder by Hornady for this bullet. What is significant about this is a less than full powder weight load, yielded over 900ft/lbs energy from a S&W M29 Mountain gun, this Smith model weighs about the same as a 1911 Gov't, and this loading is a soft shooter for 44mag, just a thought to consider for the OP's 44. Should I ever find myself in a shootout, I choose a combination of felt recoil (for relative split times), crush cavity size and penetration that brings about involuntary incapacitation in the shortest time possible. Even back in the day, POST quals with the .357mag included double and triple taps (some would say controlled pairs)...I still practice these over 5 decades later.

There have been times when I've needed to protect myself from harm, Colt 1911s (what I was carrying at the time) are the fastest, for me, to put into action to first shot, when there wasn't enough time for a two-handed grip and not enough time to focus on sights...there's a reason WW2 combat 1911 training taught point shooting out to 15 yards.

hso said:

What you are best with in a hurry.

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This is something that may often trump simple convenience ... but everyone's got to make such calls for themselves.

Having entered my 7th decade, I'm less willing to lug around heavier guns, and a career of carrying big guns OWB & IWB has made me a bit less eager to always tote a belt-scabbarded weapon. Some lingering, easily aggravated hot spots on a hip and my lower back make lighter choices preferable, and that often means pocket-holstering a snub .38/.357. Yep, that also means continuing to make sure I can shoot them well enough to mean something. In recent years I've even gone to sometimes slipping a LCP .380 into a pocket holster, when a J-frame is a bit too large for some front pockets.

Well, you do enough range work and demanding drills, and you may decide for yourself where you're willing to draw the line when it comes to being able to run different size and caliber short guns. I typically refrained from making recommendations to our folks when they asked about an off-duty or retirement weapon, preferring to get them out on the firing lines and having them try out various guns/calibers they thought interested them. It was their call whether to choose poorly or wisely, and picking the reasons why.

Having "too much" gun can have problems, just like having "too little" gun might cause problems. What can you use well under stress and duress, and use to make accurate hits under chaotic conditions? Hits matter. Accurate hits arguably matter more. Misses matter, too, and seldom in a good way (unless they're incoming toward you).