New Gun

[Hunter125]

Hey all,
I will be buying a new pistol for concealed carry in the next couple of weeks. I thought I had my decision made, but as I get closer to go time I keep thinking of other options.
My current choices are a Taurus PT740, a Kahr CW40, or a Bersa Thunder .380 Plus. Right now I seem to be leaning toward the Bersa simply because of the added capacity, but I really like the power of the .40. Hopefully I will never need more than what the two .40's hold, and I am not overly confident that .380 is a big enough round for SD anyway, but still...
I will probably at some point buy the Bersa anyway and probably one of the .40's, but for me there is a big lag time between buying guns, so I need to make a wise decision.
I know there are a lot of opinions out there, let's have 'em.

 

[MICHAEL T]

Bersa has a very nice 40 about same size as the Thunder + also in 9mm(my favorite) and 45acp

 

[VP]

.380's better than nothing, but read this:

http://www.tampabay.com/news/public...spect-outside-st-petersburg-applebees/1184869

"....Smith recalled shooting the robber four times. He fell to the ground, then yelled to Smith: "Don't shoot me anymore!"....."

I carry a 380 for when I don't want to, or can't "saddle up".

I hear great things about the Taurus. Haven't done much reading on Kahrs..... so I won't give an opinion of which firearm, especially since I've never fired either, just strictly caliber. 40 is my carry preference for 5-6 years now.

 

[Ala Tom]

I like a .40 and I am betting my life on one. I used to have a 380 before the .40 and never felt totally confident. I mean if you are going to apologize to the Bad Guy for shooting him you should not have a gun in your hand. If it is clear from the situation that the BG means harm to you and yours, nail him with confidence.

Many people say the 380 is more concealable. I thought about that one for quite a while. Then I thought about a small 9mm and then a small .40. They're all concealable if you work at it. I keep my .40 either at home or in the car under special circumstances when I am pretty sure I will be at risk. I am not going to wander around on the street with any gun. That is foolishly looking for trouble in my book.

I know I am in the minority on this Forum. But I feel strongly about that. Have you felt vulnerable walking down the street? How often?

 

[MICHAEL T]

The 380 did its job It stopped the threat and the robber never fired his loaded 25 auto .
We don't know if ball or HP used or where the guy was hit by the 4 rounds. But threat ended BG arrested..

Many people say the 380 is more concealable. I thought about that one for quite a while. I intend to keep my .40 either at home or in the car under special circumstances when I am pretty sure I will be at risk. I am not going to wander around on the street with any gun. That is foolishly looking for trouble in my book.

Then from now on only fasten seat belt when you feel at risk of accident . Just because you armed and on the street doesn't mean you FOOLISHLY looking for TROUBLE. No more than hooking seat belt means you FOOLISHLY looking for a accident. . I carry every where I can legal including in my home . If home invasion happens Pistol on hip better than one in other room. .

 

[Hunter125]

Ala Tom, I have to say I disagree with you, as I'm sure you expect. I'm a big fan of being too prepared as opposed to not being prepared enough.
Alas, I currently live in the only of 50 states that doesn't trust their citizens to carry a gun in public. I can, however, carry in other states that I often visit and want something a little more concealable than my XDm.
I wanted to get the Taurus TCP, but then saw some of the issues with the trigger only resetting to half cock and not firing after that and changed my direction. I have had my eye on the 740 for a while now and like it a lot, but the TCP thing has me a little gun shy i suppose. VP, what have you heard about the 740, and Michael T, tell me some more about the Bersa.

 

[VP]

I heard the 740 is great for intended purpose, especially for the price. I heard the safety is a little finicky to reengage. People bash Taurus a lot, but you'll have to try for yourself. I have a PT917C and I like it. My experience with it has been good enough that I'd consider getting another Taurus.

 

[ProCarryNAustin]

Making your list if the first step. The second step is to shoot the pistols on your list. Third step is to purchase the one you shoot the best. Getting an internet forum to pick for you is not a good solution.

 

[Hunter125]

Pro Carry, I obviously am not going to base my decision solely on what people say on this forum, but I find the people on this forum to be knowledgeable and have good insights. So I ask for opinions from people who are older, wiser, and/or have more experience than I do.

 

[jrod]

Personally I'd choose none of the above. My choice is Glock 19 or 26 and S&W J frames for ccw. The Glocks are the easiest to shoot well and are not hard to conceal. My $ .002.

 

[MedWheeler]

Ala Tom, one of the first rules for new carry-licensees is "don't go anywhere with your gun you would not go without it." Violating that rule is probably "looking for trouble."
If you do not wish to carry all the time, or even most of it, that is your prerogative, but to accuse others who do so of "foolishly looking for trouble" is the blather of those who would wish us all to be disarmed. I bought smoke alarms and fire extinguishers for the home with no indication we were going to have a fire and, if I really felt I was going to get in a car accident when leaving the house at a particular time, I'd cancel the outing.
If you can actually "know when you are likely to be at risk", you are either clairvoyant, or engaging in some high-risk activity. If it's the former, get with me; I could use some betting advice. If it's the latter, I don't even want to know.

 

[tnek13]

I have a Kahr K9, they are wonderful pistols. They have a rather long trigger pull sort of like a double action revolver. I can shot it more accurately than my Glock 19. That said, I would encourage you to see if you can shot the guns you are considering in the caliber you are choosing. If you carry it you want to it works and you have the responsibility to hit what you aim at. The smaller the pistol, the more difficult followup shots are as the caliber increases. 380 is a tad small IMO but if you hit well with it it is better than a 40 that you can not hit with. I chose 9mm as a compromise. Have fun I am sure you will make the right choice.

 

[Hunter125]

Thanks for the responses.
Jrod, the reason I am going for one of these guns is because I want something slimmer and more concealable than my XDm with a shorter grip, so that pretty much rules out double stack guns. I may well invest in a double stack sub-compact, but that is not what I am in the market for right now. I am planning on buying a small .357 at some point for carry purposes, but again, not right now.

 

[Shadow 7D]

Um, something you may not have done

SHOOT THEM
Sorry, but, what you like or think matters little
compared to the ability to put rounds on target.

as CLOSE only counts in horseshoes and Hand grenades

 

[jmstevens2]

I am hearing of trends showing that the .380 having next to no "knockdown" tends to be fired till empty. The bad guy is not incapacitated, but later will bleed out.A big .40 more often will inflict enough damage to cause them to stop in 1 or 2 hits. They have a better survival rate with a better stop rate.
Obviously shot placement is everything, but look at shooting stats and see how accurate people are in them. Not very, and it is adrenalin that does it. On average it is better to have more punch, at least 9mm quality HP's.

Your mileage may vary.

 

[mongo4567]

Of your list I would vote for the Kahr CW40. I have a PM40 myself and love it. The Bersa is a big, heavy, wide .380; you might as well carry a 1911 in .45 or your XDm with all the size and weight. I just don't care for any Taurus product that I've tried. You might also look at the Kahr CM9 or Keltec PF9 for something small and light.

 

[Shadow 7D]

Knockdown is a physics IMPOSSIBILITY (You do the math, simply put it's not there)

That leaves a hit of the CNS
or a Psyco-Somatic response (Ie. BG say to self 'self you have been shot, what do you do...' Self says 'they fall down in the movies')

Placement is King, penetration is queen
SO GET THE ONE YOU SHOOT BEST

in a small gun, .380 and 9mm are more than adequate

As long as you do YOUR part

 

[Jed Carter]

Is the Bersa Thunder a delayed blowback pistol? I find my SIG P232 to have a lot more recoil then my P238 with the tilting barrel. It may take lot more than one round to stop a threat, a more controlable pistol would be my choice. Something like a CZ PCR or Glock G19, a compromise on concealability, not on performance. Which pistol do you think you would carry, and would give you the ability to walk away from an armed confrontation? My choices, CZ 75D PCR 9mm, SIG RCS 1911 .45ACP, and a SIG P239 9mm. Last resort would be the SIG P238, a .380, when I just cannot conceal one of the others.

 

[jmstevens2]

I'm sorry, you are right, I will forget everything I learned and saw in 30 years as a Paramedic and a combat medic.
Knockdown was in Quotation marks. I am not stupid enough to think it literally means knocking on over. Get over yourself.

 

[easyg]

My current choices are a Taurus PT740, a Kahr CW40, or a Bersa Thunder .380 Plus. Right now I seem to be leaning toward the Bersa simply because of the added capacity, but I really like the power of the .40.

I can't advise you on the Taurus or the Kahr as I have no personal experience with either of those particular pistols.
But concerning the .380.....
There is a rather significant jump in effectiveness when going from the .380 to the 9mm Para.
And there are quite a few 9mm Para pistols around that are as small as the Bersa, or even smaller.
So I can't see any good reason to choose the Bersa.
It's a rather large gun for a rather weak caliber.
Truth be told, I can't see any good reason to go with a .380 at all.

 

[ForumSurfer]

in the car under special circumstances when I am pretty sure I will be at risk.

If I know I'll be at risk, I'll know what I'm doing wrong and avoid being at risk. If I know I'll need a weapon, I'll stay home or at least bring a rifle. I don't understand that line of thinking?

There is a rather significant jump in effectiveness when going from the .380 to the 9mm Para.

I'd have to agree. I'd carry a 380 if it was all I could carry, but after looking at the small kahr 9mm and 40 caliber pistols...I don't see a reason to settle on 380. I understand why people may carry a 9mm versus a 45 acp due to increased capacity, as you are still carrying a highly effective round. With 380 you are getting a caliber that is so borderline that many knowledgeable people choose to carry FMJ to get more penetration. I wouldn't sacrifice caliber at that level just to get a few more rounds. That's just me, ymmv.

 

[ProCarryNAustin]

Pro Carry, I obviously am not going to base my decision solely on what people say on this forum, but I find the people on this forum to be knowledgeable and have good insights. So I ask for opinions from people who are older, wiser, and/or have more experience than I do.

I was not meaning to imply that you were going to base your choice entirely on the opinion of others. I did mean to imply that there is no one here who can tell you what you will shoot best. You have to determine that yourself by actually shooting the pistols you are interested in. Carry the one you hit fastest and hardest with.

 

[zdc1775]

While I personly din't agree with it AlaDan's line of thinking seems very common here in the south as I hear those type comments fairly often here in AL. It almost always comes from the one of the "more mature" generations and not the younger ones like myself though so I guess times are a changing.

 

[bgr2014]

380 for carry

I did a test on pistol loads back in the late 70's on 22, 25, 380, 38spcl. 357mag. and come to the conclusion I did not want a 380. I used a 2x4 for the test it was all hard grained and weighed about twice what a normal 2x4 should weigh. the 22lr broke through the back side. The 25 could be seen from the front about 1/4" below the surface. The 380 went half way through. All the rest went completely through and into the bank sand. Got rid of my 380 and now carry a S&W mod 642 Airweight that shoots +P's will never carry anything in 9mm don't like them. There's my 2 cents worth.

 

[788Ham]

I had a Browning .380 some years back, beautiful pistol, but couldn't get it to do what I wanted, even by hand loading. I could get more flash from using some powders, louder bangs with others, but couldn't get the round to perform like I wanted it to. As far as carrying for conceal, I carry a Ruger SP 101, 3.06" .357. It lies flat against the back when carried IWB holster, never prints. Now, this caliber is more than any .380 will get you, no matter what type of powder is used. Only 5 rounds in cylinder, but then I don't follow everyone else into dark places I know I shouldn't ! Peace