Switching CCW Calibers

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Joespapa

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Have carried an airweight J frame for a long time( over two decades) but have recently decided to switch to a "big bore" . I am spoiled by the 16 oz .38 and so seek the Lightest possible 44 or 45. I am primarily a revolver guy and shoot sass . However I am ready to consider the lightest non 1911 options.Have held the Kahr cw45 and all the 45 Glocks . The kahr is the lightest and best feeling and would love to hear from owners. What else isout there . I'd love a scandium S&W but don't want to pay the freight. A 325 pd snub would be my dream but they are virtual "unicorns" and very pricey !
All comments appreciated.
 
Not the lightest, but the Springfield XDS 3.3 in 45 might be something to consider.
Mine is fairly pleasant to shoot ( I don't shoot +P) for about 50 rounds or so. Surprisingly accurate. Relatively small but not light. Reasonably priced.

The Glock 30 has a good reputation but is too large for my hands. mike
 
Glock 36 lighter and thinner than the 30. Still more rounds than you snubbie.
 
Glock 30S, 36; S&W Shield.....

Id suggest the Glock 36 .45acp, the 30S(T&Eed by the elite detectives of the LAPD's SIS :cool: ) or the simple lightweight M&P Shield 9mm(no thumb safety).
The 36 sub compact has been around for many years. It's robust & able to work well for deep concealment.
The newer "no thumb safety" Shield is a modified version that offers a lot. It's not a .45acp but the 9x19mm can work great with modern defense rounds like PowRball, Critical Duty, Speer Gold Dot, HST, etc. The Smith & Wesson Shield also comes in .40 but most CCW holders/shooters suggest the 9x19mm.

RS
 
I have a CW45 and love it, I did a covert conversion, cutting the grip down to the 5 round PM45 size mag. mine has been 100% reliable and is plenty accurate for a gun it's size.
 
Third vote for the XDs. Carry my 45 often. Occasionally I get tired of the bulk and go back to my Airweight....then after a few weeks I start missing the warm fuzzy of a 45 and go back to the XDs....repeat.

Added in edit- OP said Kahr CW45 is the lightest- nope the XDs beats it by .2 ounces. The XDs is slightly smaller but gives up one round to the CW45

The Kahr CM45 is a lighter than the XDs by 2.2 ounces.
 
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Thanks all for the replies.....I think I'm going to hold out for a s&w, either 296 or 325 neither of which they make anymore.
 
I haven't shot an XDm 3.8" Compact in .45 acp, but I'd certainly consider one in your shoes. IMHO, it's a good combination of size, capacity and caliber for carry. Also, the XDs in .45 acp. A buddy has let me put a few mags' worth through his and it's a surprisingly soft shooter for being such a small gun with such a big bore.
 
I have a CW45 and love it, I did a covert conversion, cutting the grip down to the 5 round PM45 size mag. mine has been 100% reliable and is plenty accurate for a gun it's size.
Click to expand...

I have the TP45 that I used for a carry gun. I have considered doing the cut down to P45 length.

I think the Kahrs are some of the nicest polymer-strikerfired-single stack guns on the market. I'd also consider the XDs single stacks. They are nice.
 
It sounds like a 44 snubbie would be a good choice for you.

Taurus has an ultalight one. Charter Arms also makes them. Rossi 720's used to be popular. And there are some S&W.

I love my 44 snub.
 
I have both the XDS 45 and XDM 40 compact. Both are great. The XDS is obviously easier to carry as it's smaller and thinner, but it took a number of repairs to get it to feed consistently. The recoil is manageable, but much harsher than the XDM. The XDM is larger, but still conceals IWB easily. The recoil is surprisingly soft for a 40 and has double the capacity (5+1 versus 11+1). The XDM 45 compact is great as well, but I liked the thinner grip on the 40.

Take a look at Glock's 30S as well. Mine has been ultra reliable, and is only 23 oz. You notice the difference in weight when carrying it all day. The grip is much different than the SA's, and that's a personal preference. You won't go wrong with any of them.
 
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Keep in mind there's a huge difference in recoil between a 38 and 45 in the same weight gun. I rented a few compact 45's and soon realized the muzzle flip was much too harsh for my liking. I'll stick with 9mm in that size.
 
Have held the Kahr cw45
Click to expand...

The CM45 would be even lighter and smaller. However, I would caution that at a certain point lighter and smaller starts to adversely affect performance in terms of how well one can shoot and operate the gun.

I have a CW45 but honestly I think the CW9 (I also have 9mm kahrs) makes much more sense for a CCW gun. And in that size gun I think the PPS or a tuned up Shield are arguably better choices.

There are plenty of fine choices. Its more a matter of preferences and learning whatever gun you end up with.
 
I carry a Glock 30, "S". I had the 30 for 20 years, but it was very wide and even with large hands, it was a handful. I recently picked up the "S", and at 20 ozs and 11 rounds + 13 with the G21 mag, it is really the perfect overall handgun. When around the house I throw an XDS, or my Kahr PM9, with the 7 round mag. The Kahr is the lightest, and allows me to carry a spare mag or 2. in my other pocket or belt.
But for going out, I prefer either the 30, or two guns, the XDS and The Kahr.
There just is no gun that is lighter than 20 ozs and has enough rounds to stop a few bad guys, without counting rounds, which is a bad way to approach a gun battle. I always use night sights on my carry guns, and that's it. A light in my pack is also a must.
I would rather put up with the non cool factor, than get shot because I didn't have my gear.
By the way I never keep a gun in the fanny pack. Just everything else. This way if someone got the drop on me, I could gladly hand them my fanny Pack, and shoot them with the other hand.
 
One nice thing about 44 snubbies is that the recoil is less than you would expect.

And it's a revolver.

And it makes big holes in things. :)
 
I've got a Kahr CW45 and it's a great feeling and shooting gun but I have to be very aware of my grip or the recoil will cause my thumbs to actuate the slide lock.
I had a XDS 45 and hated it, seemed like the recoil impulse is focused on the pad of your trigger finger.
 
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