Selecting a Handgun for Concealed Carry

Status
Not open for further replies.
Ive never really done the rotation thing, but have tried a few pistols.

My first gun was a SW shield 9. Good gun, reliable, and its small enough so i can always carry it as long as im wearing a belt and untucked shirt. Still carry it occasionally when i want maximum comfort (owb or iwb at 330) and minimum weight in a “real” gun.

I decided i wanted more capacity so i went to the local shop looking for a G19. They didnt have any glocks that day but they did have a Ruger SR45. The price was right and i liked the idea of a full size .45. While it was pleasant to shoot it was too cumbersome to carry on my 5’7” 150lb frame. Ditched it after about 2-3 months to finance the G19 i really wanted.

Not long after that i got the G19 i was looking for. Its been my go to for about 3 years and i dont see that changing. Its about the same footprint as the shield, so its only a little harder to conceal but offers twice the capacity. I started carrying (whenever feasible) AIWB with it and it pretty much disappears.

The only thing i have changed since i started carrying the G19 is to add a really small gun: a Smith & Wesson 642. Its literally 3 weeks old but really seems to do the job in the rare instance i have to picket carry or when im working out. That may change but for now i like it.

I have a 2.0 Compact, which is Glock 19 sized, and a Shield. They aren't even close too the same footprint as far as concealed carry is concerned. At least for me the Shield is a lot easier to conceal and carry.
 
Strangely enough, I was at the range today and was handling a S&W EZ9. I also handled the EZ model in .380. I liked them both, but I am not interested for myself. Compared to my GLOCK 42, they are to large for pocket carry and the GLOCK 42 meets my off duty needs.
My wife suffers from wrist problems due to her many years as a typist and now uses a GLOCK 42 as her home and carry gun. The S&W EZ in 380ACP may be perfect for her as a car and house gun and if I can find a range that rents the EZ, I will take her there to try it out.
I have bought a number of guns over the years and sold them after just one box of ammo. My mistake and I try to avoid it now by renting or trying before I buy. Some of the people I work with, swear by the GLOCK 27 in .40 S&W. It may work for them, but I found the GLOCK 26 which is the same gun in the milder recoiling 9m.m. to be more than I wanted when I tried someone elses gun.
I rented a SPRINGFIELD ARMORY XD9 Sub Compact and bought one as soon as I finished firing the rental. While they are nearly the same size, the GLOCK 26 and XD9 Sub Compact handle and shoot quite differently for me. One is good, one is a poor choice for me.

To me, it is more important how the gun will shoot and how comfortable it is at the end of 100 rounds of the ammo I want to carry. If it is very concealable, but difficult or even painful to shoot, then I think it is a poor choice to use or buy, at least for me.

For that matter, while at the range, I shot 90 rounds of 180 grain .40 S&W from my STOEGER 8040 and feel no pain, so it works for me, even though I prefer 9m.m.


Jim
 
I started out carrying a Shield in an OWB holster. A year later got an SR9c. I carried that in the winter months when it concealed easier. Did that for a couple years had trouble at times due to an old back injury. Then I got bit by the revolver bug. Bought a few range revolvers then eventually had to try out a J frame. Decided on a model 638 for pocket carry. It was great, but with gun in one front pocket, phone in the other, that left 1 back pocket for keys, change, pocket knife and whatever. My solution was to dress for my mode of carry. I went from jeans to Wrangler cargo pants. Pockets galore. Two front, two back, 2 thigh, with smaller pockets on the front of the thigh pockets, one of which now holds the phone. Been happily pocket carrying for almost 5 years now. Just bought a model 442. They were on sale and if my 638 was ever down for repairs or something, I knew I would be lost without a revolver in my pocket
 
A very subjective and individual choice to make. Opinion meets fact and reality. I won't bore you with MY reality, it likely won't mesh with yours. My opinion is worthless as I'm sure you have your own as well. My training also doesn't matter to you as you have (you guessed it) your own. What's perfect for me is useless for many. No two are cut from the same cloth.

While I value the opinions of top experts and trainers their opinions vary greatly . some agree on certain things but are opposites on other things. Every bit of information I gather I take with a grain of salt. The only info that I put greater credibility to comes from folks who lived it for real. A guy who shoots 100,000 rds a year running drills several days per week knows exactly nothing about being attacked. all he knows is putting a lot of holes in a tight group on a piece of paper when he hears the beep, a guy like that's opinion to me is a grain of salt. A guy who has defended his life against the odds with or without a firearm carries much more weight in my mind.

I don't simply just believe, I verify. Much of what is "common knowledge" is nonsense . you may take that information and verify on your own and find that it is valid. No two will ever experience this life the same way. I know because I've done it. A trainer will guide you with their experience and corrupt you with their opinion . tactics change every few years but I can tell you that a man from the 19th century could kill you just as dead with antiquated tactics, arms and ammunition as a man in 2020 with the best training , slickest gun and super new ammo tech. Every individual must select their gear based on something and while one gun may be best of the best, some other guy just defended his family with the hi-point he scraped together every cent for a year or more to buy.
----now that my rant is done, sorry...

I only carry three guns. The brand is irrelevant . a small, a medium (but chunky) , and a large. All are from the same maker. All have an identical manual of arms. If I hadn't settled on this specific platform it would have been another (obviously). It isn't that I think that there is nothing better, I own better. It boils down to what can I make fast and accurate hits with. What is available in multiple sizes while maintaining an identical manual of arms. What I can reasonably afford to lose to an evidence locker should I need to use it. What I can trust with 99% certainty and I don't worry about getting scratched, scuffed and sweat upon. If mas ayoob came down from on high and told me my choices suck, it would mean very little to me (I don't think that would happen). There is only one you and when the chips are down YOU will be the only one there to protect your own skin. A carry gun should be one thing if nothing else - piece of mind. Comforting but not necessarily always comfortable. Sometimes the gun you want to carry isn't as fast or doesn't have the capacity someone told you is required. Nonsense, train for it. Learn to utilize the gun you feel is best regardless of what it is. There are guys out there that could kill you with a spoon, they aren't born that way. So for someone to disparage another cause the caliber is a little too small or a little too big or a little too anything is just them showing ignorance.

Be safe out there friends and do what you feel is right. Trust but verify, the misinformation out there is mountainous.
 
A very subjective and individual choice to make. Opinion meets fact and reality. I won't bore you with MY reality, it likely won't mesh with yours. My opinion is worthless as I'm sure you have your own as well. My training also doesn't matter to you as you have (you guessed it) your own. What's perfect for me is useless for many. No two are cut from the same cloth.

While I value the opinions of top experts and trainers their opinions vary greatly . some agree on certain things but are opposites on other things. Every bit of information I gather I take with a grain of salt. The only info that I put greater credibility to comes from folks who lived it for real. A guy who shoots 100,000 rds a year running drills several days per week knows exactly nothing about being attacked. all he knows is putting a lot of holes in a tight group on a piece of paper when he hears the beep, a guy like that's opinion to me is a grain of salt. A guy who has defended his life against the odds with or without a firearm carries much more weight in my mind.

I don't simply just believe, I verify. Much of what is "common knowledge" is nonsense . you may take that information and verify on your own and find that it is valid. No two will ever experience this life the same way. I know because I've done it. A trainer will guide you with their experience and corrupt you with their opinion . tactics change every few years but I can tell you that a man from the 19th century could kill you just as dead with antiquated tactics, arms and ammunition as a man in 2020 with the best training , slickest gun and super new ammo tech. Every individual must select their gear based on something and while one gun may be best of the best, some other guy just defended his family with the hi-point he scraped together every cent for a year or more to buy.
----now that my rant is done, sorry...

I only carry three guns. The brand is irrelevant . a small, a medium (but chunky) , and a large. All are from the same maker. All have an identical manual of arms. If I hadn't settled on this specific platform it would have been another (obviously). It isn't that I think that there is nothing better, I own better. It boils down to what can I make fast and accurate hits with. What is available in multiple sizes while maintaining an identical manual of arms. What I can reasonably afford to lose to an evidence locker should I need to use it. What I can trust with 99% certainty and I don't worry about getting scratched, scuffed and sweat upon. If mas ayoob came down from on high and told me my choices suck, it would mean very little to me (I don't think that would happen). There is only one you and when the chips are down YOU will be the only one there to protect your own skin. A carry gun should be one thing if nothing else - piece of mind. Comforting but not necessarily always comfortable. Sometimes the gun you want to carry isn't as fast or doesn't have the capacity someone told you is required. Nonsense, train for it. Learn to utilize the gun you feel is best regardless of what it is. There are guys out there that could kill you with a spoon, they aren't born that way. So for someone to disparage another cause the caliber is a little too small or a little too big or a little too anything is just them showing ignorance.

Be safe out there friends and do what you feel is right. Trust but verify, the misinformation out there is mountainous.


If I could like this 1000 times, I would. Best blasted thing I've read on the internet today, outside of The Good Book.
 
I have a 2.0 Compact, which is Glock 19 sized, and a Shield. They aren't even close too the same footprint as far as concealed carry is concerned. At least for me the Shield is a lot easier to conceal and carry.

M&P M2.0 Compact 4" .40.S&W
Shield .45 ACP
LCP Gen 2 .380 ACP

Despite my Shield being larger than yours I agree. Not even the same Zip Code for any of those three for me.
 
I agree with everything in Post #29 except this:

A carry gun should be one thing if nothing else - piece of mind.

A carry gun must be effective in the hands of the defender, if it ever has to be used.

"Peace of mind" can be an illusion.

I do not really think that my handgun provided peace of mind at all.
 
I agree with everything in Post #29 except this:


A carry gun must be effective in the hands of the defender, if it ever has to be used.

"Peace of mind" can be an illusion.

I do not really think that my handgun provided peace of mind at all.
I see what you mean, perhaps confidence would have been a better way to say it. Generally the same idea to me. There are places I occasionally must go where I don't feel the safest , in those instances having a gun does give me confidence that I will be ok.
 
As a nuub several years ago I tried to put the square peg in the round hole also. I grew up with guns on the farm as tools. The gun my dad and I went halves on sat in his sock drawer from the time I was 11 until I was 31 (then he "borrowed" a 1911, go figure). My time in the military got me on the semi-auto kick and when I got out I tried so hard to get a good fit that I had a G32 Kaboom on me, still have the scar as a reminder. What I found out was a gun that I just carried around and shot really well worked. Its not pretty with 65% of the finished having worn away, and the fact that its a revolver which only holds 6 rds of 38 spec is seen as quantity deficient. But the key is to be able to hit what you shoot at and this gun lets me do that. So shoot as many as you can by renting borrowing or going out with friends to shoot. Then buy what works for you.
 
For some it’s the journey for others it’s just the destination.

Buying multiple CC guns seeking the “right” one is expensive.

identify your needs realize that humans are quite adaptable creatures and that proper training is a better path to accuracy then jumping ship from gun to gun.

also preconceived notions and prejudices can wrongly effect decisions and cost money needlessly.
 
As a nuub several years ago I tried to put the square peg in the round hole also. I grew up with guns on the farm as tools. The gun my dad and I went halves on sat in his sock drawer from the time I was 11 until I was 31 (then he "borrowed" a 1911, go figure). My time in the military got me on the semi-auto kick and when I got out I tried so hard to get a good fit that I had a G32 Kaboom on me, still have the scar as a reminder. What I found out was a gun that I just carried around and shot really well worked. Its not pretty with 65% of the finished having worn away, and the fact that its a revolver which only holds 6 rds of 38 spec is seen as quantity deficient. But the key is to be able to hit what you shoot at and this gun lets me do that. So shoot as many as you can by renting borrowing or going out with friends to shoot. Then buy what works for you.
What revolver would that be ?
 
It seems to be that nearly everyone is happy to repeat some version of "it's not the gun but the shooter" but that very few people truly believe it. In my opinion just about any of the guns mentioned on this thread would make an excellent carry piece for the shooter who is willing to really train with it.

If I had to get into a gunfight with somebody, I would much rather it be against the guy who never trains with his $5000 custom than against the guy who trains frequently and realistically with his pawn shop SP101.
 
If I had to get into a gunfight with somebody, I would much rather it be against the guy who never trains with his $5000 custom than against the guy who trains frequently and realistically with his pawn shop SP101.

There are old boys out there I wouldn't like to have to hunt down in the dark, even if I was fairly sure they didn't have anything more than a rock or a sharpened stick.
 
It seems to be that nearly everyone is happy to repeat some version of "it's not the gun but the shooter" but that very few people truly believe it. In my opinion just about any of the guns mentioned on this thread would make an excellent carry piece for the shooter who is willing to really train with it.

If I had to get into a gunfight with somebody, I would much rather it be against the guy who never trains with his $5000 custom than against the guy who trains frequently and realistically with his pawn shop SP101.
I think realistically, as long as you have a gun that works reliably, and holds up to regular practice, and youre comfortable with it, and practice to the point of not having to think about shooting it, from how you carry it when you do, youll likely be well ahead of the curve of most other people out there carrying a gun.

The gun is really just one part of this. The other parts are just as important, and actually more so. You can have the best gun in the world, but if you cant make it do what you need, on-demand, its not going to do you much good.
 
I think realistically, as long as you have a gun that works reliably, and holds up to regular practice, and youre comfortable with it, and practice to the point of not having to think about shooting it, from how you carry it when you do, youll likely be well ahead of the curve of most other people out there carrying a gun.

The gun is really just one part of this. The other parts are just as important, and actually more so. You can have the best gun in the world, but if you cant make it do what you need, on-demand, its not going to do you much good.
I forget where I heard it, but I recall some instructor saying something to the effect of "A firearm in the hands of most people is little more than an ornate ornament when it comes to putting it to practical use."

Meh. Something to that effect.
 
I forget where I heard it, but I recall some instructor saying something to the effect of "A firearm in the hands of most people is little more than an ornate ornament when it comes to putting it to practical use."

Meh. Something to that effect.

Jeff Cooper wrote to the effect that "owning a piano does not make one a pianist". I always liked that one.
 
What revolver would that be ?

S&W Model 10 square butt with a 3" bull barrel 10-4, I think it was a Chicago Detectives gun once upon a time that Grandpa traded something for. He never shot it and it wound up being gifted to me when he passed. Uncle Bob held on to it until he passed and as executor of his estate I was shocked to find my name let alone Grandpa's gun in his will.
 
Last edited:
I think realistically, as long as you have a gun that works reliably, and holds up to regular practice, and youre comfortable with it, and practice to the point of not having to think about shooting it, from how you carry it when you do, youll likely be well ahead of the curve of most other people out there carrying a gun.
The question is one of how much ahead. My objective is not to be "ahead" of most people ....carrying a gun".

I checked all of those boxes before availing myself of training, but having no idea about what kind of shooting might be required in the rare event of a dynamic critical incident, I would have been in a world of hurt had the event occurred.

The gun is really just one part of this. The other parts are just as important, and actually more so. You can have the best gun in the world, but if you cant make it do what you need, on-demand, its not going to do you much good.
Yes.

And the more important parts involve not having the need to use it in the first place.
 
The question is one of how much ahead. My objective is not to be "ahead" of most people ....carrying a gun".

I checked all of those boxes before availing myself of training, but having no idea about what kind of shooting might be required in the rare event of a dynamic critical incident, I would have been in a world of hurt had the event occurred.

Yes.

And the more important parts involve not having the need to use it in the first place.
Such as situational awareness and avoiding back alleys at midnight ?
 
The question is one of how much ahead. My objective is not to be "ahead" of most people ....carrying a gun".

I checked all of those boxes before availing myself of training, but having no idea about what kind of shooting might be required in the rare event of a dynamic critical incident, I would have been in a world of hurt had the event occurred.

Yes.

And the more important parts involve not having the need to use it in the first place.
My objective is to be as proficient as possible with what I carry, so if I should happen to need it, Im not winging it or counting on luck in the moment.

I would hope anyone carrying a gun was thinking along the same lines. From people I know personally who do carry a gun, the majority of them are not on the positive side of the curve. But, they do have a gun, and thinking about that sometimes, can be scary.

And I agree, if possible, it is best not to have to shoot. But, I also think, you have to be willing and prepared to shoot, should you have to, no matter how improbable that may be, and can back that up with some skill.

And hopefully, youve thought through some things beforehand, and have worked out some predetermined safeties or triggers, ect, that you are constantly running through, should things start to go along in a bad direction, that allow you to move forward, or back, or whatever, should you have to, as opposed to trying to figure it out what youre going to do for the first time as its happening.

There is a lot more to this, than just buying a gun, putting it in a holster, and calling yourself ready.
 
It seems to be that nearly everyone is happy to repeat some version of "it's not the gun but the shooter" but that very few people truly believe it. In my opinion just about any of the guns mentioned on this thread would make an excellent carry piece for the shooter who is willing to really train with it.

If I had to get into a gunfight with somebody, I would much rather it be against the guy who never trains with his $5000 custom than against the guy who trains frequently and realistically with his pawn shop SP101.

I have some guns that are less accurate than others but in the end the biggest issue is an incompatible software interface.
 
As useful as training is I think we sometimes underestimate the effectiveness of a determined untrained individual. Many of the successful Self-Defense cases involve individuals with little training. Thankfully well trained criminals seem to be a minority.

CCW Qualifying Course
20 x 3 yard
20 x 5 yard
10 x 7 yard
Pass = 70% Hit on B29 Silhouette

My Lil' Sister had roughly 100 rounds total experience INCLUDING the qualifying and got 100% with a .380 EZ.

In that class was an individual with a J-Frame that failed the qualifying course 3 times in a row (Was around 50%) before they had him shoot it with a .22 pistol and he barely passed. His total experience before that was roughly 40 rounds including 5 Rounds to the Chest of an irate former employee who was trying to kill him with an axe.
 
...an individual with a J-Frame that failed the qualifying course 3 times in a row (Was around 50%) before they had him shoot it with a .22 pistol and he barely passed. His total experience before that was roughly 40 rounds including 5 Rounds to the Chest of an irate former employee who was trying to kill him with an axe.

I try very hard to never look down upon someone for being untrained, or choosing a training method to which I do not subscribe. I have been humbled by too many students in too many gyms/courses/seminars to ever again believe I know enough to snub someone else's training, and if the above mentioned fellow did right under stress then I will congratulate him and ask for a lesson.

Having said that, I take every chance to train that I can, and it won't ever be enough as far as I am concerned.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top