CCW planning phase

[HippieMagic]

I should get a decent sized income tax check and I plan on using it to put towards a good CCW setup. I prefer a 4" barrel over a 3" or smaller and no less than 9mm in caliber. I was really wanting a 1911 but I have no idea where I could even find one for less than $750 because I want to still have enough left for a good IWB holster, CCW permit, and possibly a Ka-Bar TDI knife. I guess what I am asking is what would your suggestion be for a good handgun for around $500 no more than $750 because I would like to avoid going TOO high right now. I have an unused Weatherby Vanguard as well that I can get $350 out of so if it comes down to it I may trade that in towards the handgun as well if I can't find anything in my price range.

Any help is really appreciated since it has been a while since I looked into this. Thank you for any advice you give... The CCW permit is going to be $150 by the way... I will also take advice on holsters I have been looking at the UBG IWB holsters.

 

[mljdeckard]

Spend $100 at a rental range. Shoot a few different guns and calibers, you will probably answer your questions very thoroughly.

 

[deadhawg]

With your price range, look at glocks. A G19 9mm or a G30 45 would fit your budget. Not pretty, but they always go bang when you pull the trigger. Also, consider used guns, you might get lucky and find a 1911 for a good price.

But, before you buy anything, try to find a range where you can shoot the pistols you are interested in. Find one that fits your hand and that you can shoot well.

If you just buy something based on internet recomendations without trying it, you may be disapointed. Not that anyone here would recomend a bad gun, but what fits my hand might not fit yours.

For holsters, look at Comp-tac and Fist, both have good products at reasonable prices.

 

[loneviking]

See if you can qualify for your CCW with borrowed weapons. Here in Nevada, several instructors have weapons that their students can use to qualify with and shooting these can show you really quick what you like and don't like.

A carry gun is a very individual decision as what I like you probably won't like! So, taking a bit of time, doing research and shooting is well worth the effort. I'd also encourage you to find an IDPA club close to you and attend one of their monthly trips to the range where they run scenarios. IDPA is a club for shooters, many of whom have their CCW's, and the equipment along with the scenarios are designed to be useful to folks with CCW's. You find out that quite a few Ruger semi-autos have lousy triggers; or that the XD-9's can have their triggers lightened and the travel lengthened for better response when carrying. Lots of useful info to be found out and these folks can usually steer you away from problem setups.

Good luck!

 

[BullfrogKen]

loneviking said: I'd also encourage you to find an IDPA club close to you and attend one of their monthly trips to the range where they run scenarios.

I second that motion. All in favor say "Aye" . . . .


That's a great idea. Show up without a gun, no big deal. Go there with the intentions of making friends, having discussions, and $10 says you'll be offered to see what the guys brought with them. Just be polite, and I bet you'll be invited to join them for the evening (or day) to learn by watching and asking questions.

 

[Bud919]

I don't understand this "nothing less than 9mm" requierment. I have been carrying for 4 years, I started out with a .40 S&W Cheifs Special automatic, it broke 4 times before S&W replaced it, I attribute that to it's size for caliber, I then went to a Glock 19, too thick (I'm 5'10" 154lbs.). Then I decided to try a Beretta 85, best decision I've ever made (in the gun world). I carry it every time I leave the house, I can fire two rounds into the 10 ring of a B27-75 from my hip at 3 yards in under a second and can score 100% in the 5 ring at any distance up to and including 25 yards (never tried shooting SHO or WHO past 10 yards though), I have total faith in the 90 grain Hydra Shoks as they meet my 12 inch average penetration, .50 caliber requirement out of the 3.84 inch barrel, and I can hide it under a medium t-shirt IWB. Now I want you to pick whatever you want, but don't get too hung up on what the headstamp says. But that's all just my opinion, I'm sure 99% will disagree with me on many issues, for example, I can't stand 1911s! A police officer friend of mine carries an old Browning .380 IN UNIFORM not a BUG, he has to use Gold Dots though because the CPD has a contract or something with Speer.

 

[Timthinker]

Welcome to the forums! If you are new here, please use our search feature and it will direct you to various threads on "caliber wars." Last week, I was involved in one such discussion about the new .327 Magnum and its use in practical shooting associations. That thread, and many others, should give you a "flavor" about why our contributors prefer certain calibers. Enjoy our forums and, once again, welcome.


Timthinker

 

[moooose102]

go to the dollar store and buy a plastic 45 sized gun. experiment around the house to see where it is the most comfortable (just place it inside your pants since you want an iwb holster) the feel will be similar. i know that the most common place to initially start is on the right hip 1/2 way back. for me, this was ok standing, but when i sat down, it was uncomfortable. next i tried middle of the back, same thing especially when driving. where i ended up was on my right hip at about the 5 o clock position, using a LEFT HAND iwb holster. it places the handle in the right place to be easilly concealed (for a full sized auto) and it is easy for me to draw. i am using a bianchi iwb holster that works great. (http://www.midwayusa.com/eproductpage.exe/showproduct?saleitemid=198704&t=11082005) which one you would need would depend on what pistol you end up with. i ended up with a taurus 45acp 24/7 pro 12+1 round double stack magazine model. my wife opted for the same pistol, but hers is in 40 s&w, and has 15+1 capacity. hers does not have nearly as may rounds through it as mine. go figure.. it has been a good gun. i just sent the magazines and the main recoil spring back for free replacement, as they had gotten weak. this is after roughly 1000 rounds. imo, that is not a great service life, but, they are replaceing them for free, and i have other pistols i can carry in the mean time. you may also want to consider a back up pistol at some point in time. the ruger lcp or kel-tec p3at are both pretty good for that. they only shoot the 380 round, but i have had no one offer to be shot by it yet. do some checking to see if there is a range in your area that does rent guns, that would be the best way to decide what you like before you spend your hard earned money, and find out a month later that you made a mistake.

 

[HippieMagic]

My no less than 9mm comment just comes from me not wanting too small of a caliber. It is just my preference really... The only .40S&W I fired felt fairly sloppy but it was a springfield XD that my friend had... I really didn't like that gun.... I prefer to go with a 9mm or .45. I like 1911s though and I am just not sure why... something about them keeps getting to me haha. I have been taking a serious look at glock but I keep hearing everyone say they have a lot of problems with them and every gun shop owner keeps saying that you can't fire lead through it.

I have personally never owned or known of anyone owning a glock so I am pretty clueless on those. I know they are pretty reliable I just don't know how picky they really are. I would have done a search for this topic but I had no idea what to look for really since I already have the 3 caliber range I am willing to go with... honestly it will probably be a 9mm because of the ease of getting the rounds right now since my dad and neighbor have a ton of 9mm rounds laying around both places so it would be a lot cheaper to use.

I know that this is all preference but what I have been trying to do is get an idea of what is actually a good firearm for the money. I thought of a S&W M&P 9mm as well... I just don't know where to find one since the local gun shops are sold out. I have no issue buying a used handgun as long as it is in good condition. What sites would you recommend for buying used firearms from? I probably wouldn't use them unless I knew what handgun to actually purchase but it would give me an estimate of the price range.

 

[1911 guy]

My personal suggestions

My caliber requirements are .380 or larger in an automatic and .38 in a revolver. The new .327 may alter that, though.

Find a handgun that fits you well, you'll shoot better. An accomplished handgunner can make do with nearly anything, but it taks more effort. Try both revolvers and autos before making a decision.

Spend some money on a good belt, above all else. I like the Wilderness Instructor belt, but also have a couple good leather gunbelts. Emphasis on the "gun" part. A regular belt won't cut it for all day carry.

IWB holsters are a good choice, I use both IWB and OWB at times. If you carry a larger size handgun, don't count on it being of the "tuckable" variety. You'll look like a cossack dancer, as Clint Smith says. They do offer a bit more concealment, though, even when not tucked inside a shirt.

Speedloaders and extra mags are a must. Have a couple extra and carry at least one reload. If you wind up with a revolver and the round speedloaders are too bulky, there are such things as speedstrips, a rubber affair that keeps a reload handy but is flat. The rubber flexes to allow the cartridges to go into the chambers. If using an auto, buy a magazine pouch.

The TDI knife is a good choice, I carry one myself, along with a general use pocket folder.

If you like the grip angle of the 1911, also look at the Springfield XD series. The .45 is no larger than a 1911 and carries 13 rounds, the 9mm is slightly smaller and carries 17, I believe. Also avaiable in .40 S&W. Compact models have shorter grip frames, which helps in concealment. Too short, though, you'll give up control. It all depends on your hand size.

My personal carry set-up is a Wilderness belt ($40), Galco holster ($70) and mag pouch ($35) TDI knfe ($30) Streamlight TL1 ($90) Springfield 1911 ($500) and three magazines ($90) Total cost about $900. I did have a lot of work done to the pistol, but that was all wanted stuff, not needed stuff, so isn't in the price. Carrying a handgun that comes with two good magazines will lower your initial cost, as will buying a good $50 light instead of a good $100 light.

If I were getting set up for the first time, I'd look at Taurus (rev. and auto), S&W revolvers, Glock and Springfield autos, Sig autos, EAA autos if you don't mind large frame autos, as well as anything else that catches your interest. Don't forget to look at the used stuff, too. Some good handguns are traded in by the folks who have to change everytime a new model comes out.

A word about holsters. I like Galco because I can get one off the shelf and it's good quality. If you're willing to wait a bit (months) you can get a custom holster, mag pouch and/or belt for the same price.

 

[HippieMagic]

I am not really a fan of revolvers for carry... I know they are more reliable and if they do jam it's an incredibly easy fix but they just have never been something I have been into. I was looking at the SIG 226 for quite a while... oddly enough I first saw it in a video game then on a tv show and after looking it up and asking a few army friends I found out it was actually a really good handgun and it feels good to me. The only 226 I saw was at Cabela's though and was fairly steep coming in at well over $500. I was also told it was an amazing 9mm. I may pick one up since I have actually never heard a horror story involving a sig.

I didn't care for the XD too much but my friend said that when he took it to a gun shop and sold it to the owner the owner informed him that there was actually a defect in it. I know that I honestly couldn't hit anything with it and I don't know anyone who could. The only target I was able to hit was a target out at 100 yards just below the bullseye.

The gunsmith said that it had something wrong with the barrel and sights after he bought it. Said that he tried it out to see if he experienced the same issues as us and that he wasn't able to hit anything with it either. I wouldn't want more than a 9mm in the XD though. I wasn't happy with it in .40S&W.

If I were to look at Sig autos would I be better off with a 226 or is there a better/cheaper model?

 

[1911 guy]

Nothing wrong with Sig. I prefer a 1911, but my wife carries a Sig and I'd feel fine carrying it if I needed or wanted to. Good guns.

I'd look at the 226, 230, 239, 220 and if you felt like going smaller, the 232. Unlike several other makers, Sig realizes that not all of their customers are police or military. They have several pistols that are relatively slim with normal sized grip frames, well suited for CCW.

Really, it all comes down to what you like, what you can conceal and how much inconvenience you'll tolerate for carrying a handgun.

 

[cedjunior]

I'm glad you're asking. What ever you choose to do, make sure you've shot the gun before you take your class. When I took my CHL class, the guy in the lane next to me has his brand new, never fired Glock, which I also found out was the first time he'd ever shot a pistol before. I thought I was going to die standing next to him. Multiple times he turned the gun sideways (pointed at me!), with his finger on the trigger while he inserted a magazine and dropped the slide. The instructor was all over him for it, but still let him shoot.

 

[loneviking]

I didn't care for the XD too much but my friend said that when he took it to a gun shop and sold it to the owner the owner informed him that there was actually a defect in it. I know that I honestly couldn't hit anything with it and I don't know anyone who could. The only target I was able to hit was a target out at 100 yards just below the bullseye.

The gunsmith said that it had something wrong with the barrel and sights after he bought it. Said that he tried it out to see if he experienced the same issues as us and that he wasn't able to hit anything with it either. I wouldn't want more than a 9mm in the XD though. I wasn't happy with it in .40S&W.

I'm not a big fan of autoloaders, but it sounds like this XD9 had a very unusual defect. One of the guns I qualified on for my CCW was a XD-9. The trigger had been smoothed, lightened just a bit and the travel increased for a bit of safety. That was one of the very best shooting semi-autos' I've ever shot. Dead on accuracy, very comfortable recoil, not one malfunction. I'd try to find another one that's owned by somebody that carries and shoots the gun on a regular basis and try it. Again, stop by your local IDPA club meet and you will probably find one to look at and maybe test fire.

 

[BullfrogKen]

Junior,

It depends on the "class". CCW classes aren't designed to teach gun handling and shooting. They're designed to teach the student what he needs to get the license or permit.

Training classes are designed to teach the student how to actually handle his gun and shoot it. Certainly showing up having some passing knowledge of how to work that gun before a training class is recommended. But its not necessary. For plenty of folks, that's why they're taking the class.

 

[Isher]

Utility

All -

I dunno, to me a CCW pistol is like a chainsaw.

You just want it to work, day in, day out.

With the least outlay of $$.

Best I've found is the cz p01 in 9mm.

And no, it is not a perfectly finished Art Gun.

It is relatively light and small, 14 round mags,

And highly accurate.

I rate accuracy well above caliber.

You can beat the crap out of it and it still goes boom.

I gotta love those Yugoslavians -

Can you drop in in a mudpuddle, and walk on top of it,

And find it again, and fire it.

Just my .02


Isher

 

[peacemaker45]

1911s don't have to say Les Baer, Wilson, or Nighthawk on the side. The Rock Island Tactical is a decent gun with a few modern touches. Springfield Mil Spec or Loaded is good, as well. IIRC, both are available in Commander sizes. The Taurus pt1911 is also good value for money, though I would replace the locking hammer. I'm not really a kimber fan, but they're often available used in your price range.

I'd also recommend a look at CZ P01s, S&W M&Ps, Glocks, and XDs.

If you already know how to shoot, and aren't going to be trying to learn on your carry gun, you could also look at the various offerings from Kel-Tec (king of the budget ccw market) and Kahr.

~~~Mat