I'm sure no one here is tired of seeing these threads! I'm sorry for the life story below, but I feel that the more back story given, the more likely that the great members here will be able to help.
I have had my concealed weapons permit for some time now; I had owned (and still do) several handguns before I got my CWP, but none that were suited for the role of an everyday carry pistol. So after doing a lot of research, I decided that a 1911-style pistol was what I wanted. After more research, I went out and purchased a Kimber Pro CDP II from my local gun store. I love this pistol; it has been very reliable (I've only had two failures with it, and they were early out of the box; no problems since) and very accurate so far. I have carried it with an in-the-waistband holster for a few years now, and thankfully I've never had to use it outside of the range.
However, recently I've been giving a lot of thought to what I consider the ultimate concealed carry rig, and whether or not the 1911 platform is the right CCW for me. For several months, I got lazy with carrying my Kimber. I would skip out carrying sometimes due to the weight, how I was dressed, et cetera. It turned out that more often than not I didn't have my pistol with me! I caught myself on this about a month ago, and since I have been making an effort to carry 100% of the time. That got me thinking that, while I consider my pistol comfortable, maybe it's not so much...maybe it's just something I'm settling with. My Kimber, which features a 4" barrel and aluminum frame, weights in at around 28 ounces unloaded (and around 37 loaded).
Since I've had my Kimber, I take about twenty or thirty minutes out of my week to practice at home bringing the weapon to use (since my local range doesn't allow holstering/unholstering). I have a Galco IWB holster with a snap. So I practice (of course with an unloaded gun that is checked multiple times; all magazine and live ammo are kept away from my practicing area) by starting at a neutral stance, then swiftly lifting up my shirt, unsnapping the holster, pulling out the 1911 while disengaging the manual safety (in one smooth motion), getting a clear sight picture at a predetermined area/object (that's always in a safe direction from anyone else that may be in the house), pulling the trigger, assessing the target, engaging the manual safety, holstering my weapon, and finally snapping the holster.
So, what's prompting my whole thought about moving away from the 1911 as my CCW? A few weeks ago while practicing, I had something happen that's never happened to me before. While going through my standard drills of holstering and unholstering that I've been doing the same way for a couple of years now, I went through the same steps as always, got a clear sight picture, and pulled the trigger...but the hammer didn't drop. I was caught off guard for a few seconds before I realized that I had forgotten to disengage the manual safety. This frightened me. I have been practicing with this same pistol for years, and when I thought that using it was completely automatic to me, I forgot a step that could easily be life threatening in a real world situation. With no stress at home I still forgot a major step in using my 1911 pistol effectively.
While I love my 1911 and the platform, I just don't feel as secure carrying it as my CCW anymore. Of course the situation above has had a huge part in my change of thought. I am also aware of the shortcoming of the 1911 platform, such as its trouble at times with hollow-point ammunition. I unfortunately don't have the time and money to put hundreds of hollow-points through the pistol. So while I have it loaded with hollow-points now, I have only ran about twenty rounds of that particular brand through it. Of course I could run more through...but I think that not having the ramp as part of the barrel will always be in my mind as being more prone to jamming with hollow-points. I will keep the gun, and I will continue to use it at the range every time I go (it's just so fun to shoot!), but I need to find something else to carry concealed.
All of the pistols that I currently own and have owned have had a manual safety. I've never had anything particularly against handguns that don't have one, but they've never been my preference...until now. My new CCW will be required to have only passive safeties (i.e. no manual safety). I have been doing a lot of research as to what my new gun will be. Below I have a list of requirements for my new CCW:
One of the things that I won't compromise is the cartridge: .45 ACP. This cartridge is one of the main reasons that I chose the 1911 platform, and it is still a driving choice in which CCW I eventually choose. Of course the lack of manual safety is described above. I am also looking for something with a polymer frame; I have owned guns with polymer frames and I don't consider them inferior by any means (as long as the pistol is of high quality of course). A pistol with a polymer frame is more likely to comply with my weight requirement: under 28 ounces. That's the weight of my Kimber; ultimately I want something much lighter. I don't want to carry to full size gun; something that's considered compact or sub-compact is more what I'm looking for. And of course thin is better. My 1911, being a single-stack pistol, is of course pretty thin. However, even more thin would be fantastic.
Of course part of a proper CCW rig is to also have quality in the other parts, such as a holster. While I have a couple of holsters in mind, I don't want to settle on one until I have picked out the handgun. After many hours of research, the list below are all guns that are in the running:
My top choice right now is the Glock 36. It is of course chambered in .45 ACP and it's a single-stack handgun. Not everyone likes Glocks for several reasons; I was one of these people until very recently. However, I don't think many people can deny the reliability and accuracy that the brand has kept up for decades. Ultimately these two things are absolutely necessary for any CCW. The gun weights in at around 20 ounces unloaded (about 30% less than my Kimber), measures 4.76 inches high, just under 7 inches long, and a shocking 1.1 inches thick. While the capacity is one less than my Kimber (6+1 versus 7+1), I can live with that. In a close second is the Glock 30. While a bit thicker and heavier, it holds 10+1 rounds. My local gun range has both of these available to rent. I'm sure that they will both shoot well; it's unfortunate that I can't carry them for a day to see if the extra weight and thickness are worth the rounds. The unfortunate thing about both of these guns: neither are available as Gen4 Glocks yet.
While the Springfield XD-S caught my attention, it's of course not available yet. I'm not sure I want to test the new pistol. The Springfield XD(M) seems nice, but does have a hefty weight and thickness (thicker than my Kimber). The Smith & Wesson M&P has a hefty weight compared to some of the other choices.
The Kahr pistols have also caught my attention more recently, but I have never handled a Kahr myself. I have heard some pretty good things about them. The Kahr PM45 is tiny! But, of course, it only has a 5+1 capacity; while that's only one less than the Glock 36, it's a pretty big difference when dealing with low numbers to begin with. The Kahr P45 and CW45 have stood out though. I plan to check these out in person soon; hopefully my local gun range has these available for rent. One thing that I really like about the Kahr pistols: they are made in the United States.
So that's my rundown so far. What I'm asking of you find men and women are for your comments as to what my choices have been so far, along with pointing out pistols that I have overlooked that fit my requirements. I love to get input from as many sources as possible in order to make sure that I haven't overlooked anything.
I have had my concealed weapons permit for some time now; I had owned (and still do) several handguns before I got my CWP, but none that were suited for the role of an everyday carry pistol. So after doing a lot of research, I decided that a 1911-style pistol was what I wanted. After more research, I went out and purchased a Kimber Pro CDP II from my local gun store. I love this pistol; it has been very reliable (I've only had two failures with it, and they were early out of the box; no problems since) and very accurate so far. I have carried it with an in-the-waistband holster for a few years now, and thankfully I've never had to use it outside of the range.
However, recently I've been giving a lot of thought to what I consider the ultimate concealed carry rig, and whether or not the 1911 platform is the right CCW for me. For several months, I got lazy with carrying my Kimber. I would skip out carrying sometimes due to the weight, how I was dressed, et cetera. It turned out that more often than not I didn't have my pistol with me! I caught myself on this about a month ago, and since I have been making an effort to carry 100% of the time. That got me thinking that, while I consider my pistol comfortable, maybe it's not so much...maybe it's just something I'm settling with. My Kimber, which features a 4" barrel and aluminum frame, weights in at around 28 ounces unloaded (and around 37 loaded).
Since I've had my Kimber, I take about twenty or thirty minutes out of my week to practice at home bringing the weapon to use (since my local range doesn't allow holstering/unholstering). I have a Galco IWB holster with a snap. So I practice (of course with an unloaded gun that is checked multiple times; all magazine and live ammo are kept away from my practicing area) by starting at a neutral stance, then swiftly lifting up my shirt, unsnapping the holster, pulling out the 1911 while disengaging the manual safety (in one smooth motion), getting a clear sight picture at a predetermined area/object (that's always in a safe direction from anyone else that may be in the house), pulling the trigger, assessing the target, engaging the manual safety, holstering my weapon, and finally snapping the holster.
So, what's prompting my whole thought about moving away from the 1911 as my CCW? A few weeks ago while practicing, I had something happen that's never happened to me before. While going through my standard drills of holstering and unholstering that I've been doing the same way for a couple of years now, I went through the same steps as always, got a clear sight picture, and pulled the trigger...but the hammer didn't drop. I was caught off guard for a few seconds before I realized that I had forgotten to disengage the manual safety. This frightened me. I have been practicing with this same pistol for years, and when I thought that using it was completely automatic to me, I forgot a step that could easily be life threatening in a real world situation. With no stress at home I still forgot a major step in using my 1911 pistol effectively.
While I love my 1911 and the platform, I just don't feel as secure carrying it as my CCW anymore. Of course the situation above has had a huge part in my change of thought. I am also aware of the shortcoming of the 1911 platform, such as its trouble at times with hollow-point ammunition. I unfortunately don't have the time and money to put hundreds of hollow-points through the pistol. So while I have it loaded with hollow-points now, I have only ran about twenty rounds of that particular brand through it. Of course I could run more through...but I think that not having the ramp as part of the barrel will always be in my mind as being more prone to jamming with hollow-points. I will keep the gun, and I will continue to use it at the range every time I go (it's just so fun to shoot!), but I need to find something else to carry concealed.
All of the pistols that I currently own and have owned have had a manual safety. I've never had anything particularly against handguns that don't have one, but they've never been my preference...until now. My new CCW will be required to have only passive safeties (i.e. no manual safety). I have been doing a lot of research as to what my new gun will be. Below I have a list of requirements for my new CCW:
- .45 ACP
- No Manual Safety
- Polymer Frame
- Weight Under 28 Ounces (unloaded)
- Compact or Sub-Compact Size (i.e. under 7.5 inches in length; under 5 inches in height)
- Thin is better (around or under 1.25 inches)
One of the things that I won't compromise is the cartridge: .45 ACP. This cartridge is one of the main reasons that I chose the 1911 platform, and it is still a driving choice in which CCW I eventually choose. Of course the lack of manual safety is described above. I am also looking for something with a polymer frame; I have owned guns with polymer frames and I don't consider them inferior by any means (as long as the pistol is of high quality of course). A pistol with a polymer frame is more likely to comply with my weight requirement: under 28 ounces. That's the weight of my Kimber; ultimately I want something much lighter. I don't want to carry to full size gun; something that's considered compact or sub-compact is more what I'm looking for. And of course thin is better. My 1911, being a single-stack pistol, is of course pretty thin. However, even more thin would be fantastic.
Of course part of a proper CCW rig is to also have quality in the other parts, such as a holster. While I have a couple of holsters in mind, I don't want to settle on one until I have picked out the handgun. After many hours of research, the list below are all guns that are in the running:
- Glock 36
- Glock 30
- Springfield XD-S, .45 ACP, Sub-Compact
- Springfield XD(M), .45 ACP, Sub-Compact
- Smith & Wesson M&P, .45 ACP, Compact
- Kahr P45
- Kahr CW45
- Kahr PM45
My top choice right now is the Glock 36. It is of course chambered in .45 ACP and it's a single-stack handgun. Not everyone likes Glocks for several reasons; I was one of these people until very recently. However, I don't think many people can deny the reliability and accuracy that the brand has kept up for decades. Ultimately these two things are absolutely necessary for any CCW. The gun weights in at around 20 ounces unloaded (about 30% less than my Kimber), measures 4.76 inches high, just under 7 inches long, and a shocking 1.1 inches thick. While the capacity is one less than my Kimber (6+1 versus 7+1), I can live with that. In a close second is the Glock 30. While a bit thicker and heavier, it holds 10+1 rounds. My local gun range has both of these available to rent. I'm sure that they will both shoot well; it's unfortunate that I can't carry them for a day to see if the extra weight and thickness are worth the rounds. The unfortunate thing about both of these guns: neither are available as Gen4 Glocks yet.
While the Springfield XD-S caught my attention, it's of course not available yet. I'm not sure I want to test the new pistol. The Springfield XD(M) seems nice, but does have a hefty weight and thickness (thicker than my Kimber). The Smith & Wesson M&P has a hefty weight compared to some of the other choices.
The Kahr pistols have also caught my attention more recently, but I have never handled a Kahr myself. I have heard some pretty good things about them. The Kahr PM45 is tiny! But, of course, it only has a 5+1 capacity; while that's only one less than the Glock 36, it's a pretty big difference when dealing with low numbers to begin with. The Kahr P45 and CW45 have stood out though. I plan to check these out in person soon; hopefully my local gun range has these available for rent. One thing that I really like about the Kahr pistols: they are made in the United States.
So that's my rundown so far. What I'm asking of you find men and women are for your comments as to what my choices have been so far, along with pointing out pistols that I have overlooked that fit my requirements. I love to get input from as many sources as possible in order to make sure that I haven't overlooked anything.
