Choice of Handguns

[Bedfordtec]

What level of training has your buddy had? What is his body type? What carry method does he currently use and does he want to continue the same?

Medium build and good/basic training. He is good to carry and we shot together on the range numerous time. Carries in a leather waist holster outside the belt. Carry would depend on piece such as a Glock

 

[Tilos]

Better ballistics? Better options for holsters? Better ____ ?

Double action revolvers are always my recommendation. The assumption is that they don't know firearms, don't understand the mechanics and don't have enough range time planned to develop their skills. If the person knew firearms, they'd be choosing their own instead of asking me.

The DA revolver order of operations is simple - point and squeeze... (*or whatever words describe these actions best for you)

Simple operation of point and squeeze also applies to DAO autos with slimmer profile and a higher round count.
One other thing, you can look at a revolver and see if it's loaded...without even touching it, not so with an auto.
jmt,
.

Choice of Handguns

My good buddy is a coin dealer in Virginia and attends many shows. He has a CCW and carries a polish clone of the Makarov (forgot the model). He wants something better to carry. What are your recommendations and why: Glock 42 (380) Glock 43 (9MM) Ruger LCP (380) S&W Model 38 (humpback and...

www.thehighroad.org

.

 

[redneck]

How did you come up with your original list? Are those guns he is interested in? Guns you have that he can try out?

I'd recommend he try shooting some of them before committing to anything.

I was interested in a glock 42 at one point as my LCP is just about a 2 finger grip for me and I'd have liked something just a bit bigger with actual sights on it. When I looked it up on handgunhero and found that it was basically the same size as my smith and wesson shield 9mm, I pretty much lost interest in it. I'd much rather have an LCP Max.

The 43 seems like a nice gun, but I have been on the M&P bus and never got into glocks and I would buy a shield or shield plus before I bought the G43. the sig 365 is also nice and I didn't mind the springfield hellcat I got to handle either. Too many good choices in this class to not go shoot some before buying.

The small revolvers I think take significantly more practice to be accurate with which to me over rides the fact they are slightly more simple to load and shoot for the casual person that's going to carry more than shoot.

 

[LV Gun]

I stopped recommending specific off-duty handguns to people at our agency, and to people in CCW classes, many years ago. Whenever someone came to me asking about what gun they should buy and carry, I told them I couldn't make such choices for them, and they needed to taken into consideration their honest assessment of their skills, and then become familiar with any guns they were considering.

It was easier to suggest they try different guns if I, or any of the other instructors on-staff, already owned examples they were considering and we could let them try them on our range. Or, they could go to one of the public ranges that rented guns. More often than not, a few minutes on the LE range might change or confirm the thinking of our people, especially if they did some demanding drills using them.

How could someone who doesn't know your friend, and his experience and skillset, think to recommend a gun?

Excellent reply I couldn’t agree with you more.

 

[bearcreek]

Medium build and good/basic training. He is good to carry and we shot together on the range numerous time. Carries in a leather waist holster outside the belt. Carry would depend on piece such as a Glock

I would forego recommending a handgun and recommend that he get some more advanced, professional training. Once he does that, he'll be much more confident with choosing a handgun that best meets his needs, since he'll have a much better grasp of the junction between his needs and his capabilities.

 

[Show Me]

1911 45 ACP all day every day, Colt Ruger Sig, take your pic.

That's great but I would think a salesman type would want small ,thin , light, for perfect concealing

 

[Jim Watson]

Someone already carrying a Makarov OWB does not have to limit himself to a pocket pistol.
i would lean toward a Plastic M&P Compact.
A Glock 19, or one of the many Glock Killers would have more and more controllable shots.

 

[Bedfordtec]

I would suggest that your friend..not you.. go regularly to a range where he can shoot a variety of handguns. Also, take some handgun classes using his present handgun. If he were really interested in this topic, he would be the one posting.

He never heard of this website and is not a member. He has been reading the posts.

 

[jstert]

does the coin dealer now carry a polish 9x18 mak p64? small, stout to rack, quite a handful from what i read. did he get it because it was a cheap milsurp pistol? as a coin dealer doesn’t he need something for his shop and while traveling to shows? he could well be jumped with his hands full, so a one handed, never fail, easy handgun seems better.

revolver guy that i am, strictly offhand, may i suggest a steel taurus 856 38sp revolver, perhaps with a concealed hammer? only $350 at most. swap out oem grips. just six shots but can be reliably mild to wild ammo, his call. pancake holster on a solid gun belt. a couple of speedloaders/strips. completely one handed, no safety other than his brain and a revolver’s trigger pull. if grappling with an assailant, body contact operational.

i don’t know alot about semiauto pistols but i wouldn’t discount a compact one in softer 380acp for an accurate one handed grip. while i have an 8 shot s&w shield ez 380acp and it’s not bad, i have handled a 10/15 shot ruger security lite rack 380acp pistol, which feels really fine and much better. ten rounds if he travels to an unfree state for a show, 15 for free states and shop. since he should carry a pistol with a round chambered, he might like the idea of the former’s (upside down & dumb, imho) grip safety, but could he comfortably carry the latter with its tiny safety disengaged?

i carry a nice keltec p32 when my ccw must be deep, but then again im not carrying $1000s worth of coins here and there.

 

[redneck]

does the coin dealer now carry a polish 9x18 mak p64? small, stout to rack, quite a handful from what i read. did he get it because it was a cheap milsurp pistol? as a coin dealer doesn’t he need something for his shop and while traveling to shows? he could well be jumped with his hands full, so a one handed, never fail, easy handgun seems better.

revolver guy that i am, strictly offhand, may i suggest a steel taurus 856 38sp revolver, perhaps with a concealed hammer? only $350 at most. swap out oem grips. just six shots but can be reliably mild to wild ammo, his call. pancake holster on a solid gun belt. a couple of speedloaders/strips. completely one handed, no safety other than his brain and a revolver’s trigger pull. if grappling with an assailant, body contact operational.

i don’t know alot about semiauto pistols but i wouldn’t discount a compact one in softer 380acp for an accurate one handed grip. while i have an 8 shot s&w shield ez 380acp and it’s not bad, i have handled a 10/15 shot ruger security lite rack 380acp pistol, which feels really fine and much better. ten rounds if he travels to an unfree state for a show, 15 for free states and shop. since he should carry a pistol with a round chambered, he might like the idea of the former’s (upside down & dumb, imho) grip safety, but could he comfortably carry the latter with its tiny safety disengaged?

i carry a nice keltec p32 when my ccw must be deep, but then again im not carrying $1000s worth of coins here and there.

The smith and wesson equalizer has very similar features to the shield EZ but comes with 10, 12 and 15 round mags. I don't know why it doesn't get more discussion. I didn't pay any attention to it until a friend took his daughter to buy her first pistol and they planned to get the shield ez and came home with the equalizer instead.

 

[bannockburn]

Semi-auto pistols in order of their preference:

1) Glock G43X-For me it's the better and more comfortable grip size versus the G43, That and the availability of higher capacity magazines give it an edge over it's slightly smaller brethren. Might also want to check out the SIG P365 and P365X, as others have already mentioned.

2) Moving on to the .380 choices the Ruger LCP MAX is a very nice upgrade in magazine capacity over the LCP II (and the G42). All this without adding all that much in height, length, and width as both of them weigh the same weight.

3) For a revolver two of the better ones for concealed carry are the S&W Model 638 and the Model 642. I have had a Model 638 (or a Model 649), in my CCW rotation for many years now and still use it sometimes when I feel like pocket carrying.

 

[P5 Guy]

S&W 60 (no dash) Was this the first stainless steel revolver S&W offered?

 

[Bedfordtec]

Thank you all for your comments and suggestions. He chose a Ruger LCP Max and we ordered it today on GunBroker. Also got a 12 Rnd mag. Thanks again.
Jim
Bedfordtec

 

[jstert]

Thank you all for your comments and suggestions. He chose a Ruger LCP Max and we ordered it today on GunBroker. Also got a 12 Rnd mag. Thanks again.
Jim
Bedfordtec

good on him. may i suggest adding a hogue rubber overlay grip? i have one or a bicycle inner tube equivalent on all my small ccw pistols, makes a happier shooting experience. let us know how he likes it after running some rounds.

 

[Mosin77]

That LCP Max will probably be a great improvement over the heavy, not so pleasant to shoot, and inaccurate (due to very heavy trigger) P64. And those have gone up in value as a collectible, so it’s probably something close to an even money trade now.

 

[kje54]

My good buddy is a coin dealer in Virginia and attends many shows. He has a CCW and carries a polish clone of the Makarov (forgot the model). He wants something better to carry.

What are your recommendations and why:

Glock 42 (380)
Glock 43 (9MM)
Ruger LCP (380)
S&W Model 38 (humpback and Perf. Ctr/+P)
S&W Model 642 (Perf Ctr/+P)

My recommendation is a Glock 42.

Am posting to both the Revolver and Automatic pages.

Thanks for your input.

Jim

If the "Makarov" he's carrying is the Polish Radom P-64 then he has an excellent pocket pistol. Ridiculously heavy DA that can be lightened with a #18 or #19 Wolff Spring. Mine is so accurate I joke about shooting it up in the air and hitting the target bullseye 7 feet in front of me. If it is the P-64 I would stay with it over any of the others mentioned.

 

[defjon]

I owned an lcp max. If he's like me, he will miss the accuracy from that fixed barrel p64

 

[Mosin77]

If the "Makarov" he's carrying is the Polish Radom P-64 then he has an excellent pocket pistol. Ridiculously heavy DA that can be lightened with a #18 or #19 Wolff Spring. Mine is so accurate I joke about shooting it up in the air and hitting the target bullseye 7 feet in front of me. If it is the P-64 I would stay with it over any of the others mentioned.

Accurate it is… in single action. Which is fine for the range or the woods but not so great for self-defense. And most coin dealers I know aren’t showing off their wares on public land to do a spot of rabbit hunting at the same time.

The LCP Max is a better gun for self-defense. Much better ammo selection too, and the 9mak may have a slight advantage over .380 ball, but not the specialized SD loadings available today. Back in the day a P64 was $150 and a fantastic budget option when you needed to buy a gun that could be a carry piece too. Nowadays they’re $350+ and they’re very heavy compared to the polymer options readily available.

I love my Makarov but I don’t think it’s as good a carry option as it was when they first came into the country in the 1990s.

 

[kje54]

Accurate it is… in single action. Which is fine for the range or the woods but not so great for self-defense. And most coin dealers I know aren’t showing off their wares on public land to do a spot of rabbit hunting at the same time.

The LCP Max is a better gun for self-defense. Much better ammo selection too, and the 9mak may have a slight advantage over .380 ball, but not the specialized SD loadings available today. Back in the day a P64 was $150 and a fantastic budget option when you needed to buy a gun that could be a carry piece too. Nowadays they’re $350+ and they’re very heavy compared to the polymer options readily available.

I love my Makarov but I don’t think it’s as good a carry option as it was when they first came into the country in the 1990s.

You have your mileage, others will vary........