Gun Master
Member
Good choice. I usually carry a Model 638 (just the Airweight Bodyguard) since it's lighter.
Your #2 requirement of a carry gun?
- Thread starter HammsBeer
- Start date
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Comfort. Comfort. Comfort.
I have a Taurus 85 that is ridiculously accurate and, married to its holster, is comfortable to conceal. I keep a speed loader loaded in my consol but not often on my person. Assuming there are no extenuating circumstances I will carry it in that IWB for the rest of my life.
I have a Taurus 85 that is ridiculously accurate and, married to its holster, is comfortable to conceal. I keep a speed loader loaded in my consol but not often on my person. Assuming there are no extenuating circumstances I will carry it in that IWB for the rest of my life.
As to a pistol being concealable, one thing I learned the more belts and holsters I bought is that how well a gun conceals really can depend a lot on how one carries it. I have holsters that strapped on in certain locations make my single stack kahr stand out. I have set ups that allow me to carry a G17 with just a T-shirt as a cover garment. I'd suggest giving some time and effort to working out a viable carry system before writing off anything other than a tiny pocket gun as not concealable, comfortable or easy enough to carry. Particularly when considering how much some of those tiny guns give up in "shootability" and handling. It is amazing how much difference can exist just by switching to a different holster and/or different location on the waistline.
I would say the second most important factor is not the gun. It's my ability to use said SD/CCW firearm. It can be the the greatest SD/CCW pistol ever produced. Small, high capacity, perfect caliber (debated many times and no need to start that up again), flawless performance and function, etc. But if I can't clear leather, and put as many shots necessary to stop the threat with it quickly and accurately, it's useless to me.
Peter M. Eick
Member
For me the second requirement is carry-ability or conceal-ability. I play the odds in many cases and the odds say that I won't need to be in a firefight, I wont need a big caliber and I won't need to use it a lot. But I do need to carry it a lot and I might need to access it. So for that reason I want an gun that is easy to carry, fundamentally safe, can be concealed in a variety of clothes, and I can carry it all the time every day.
tomrkba
Member
- Joined
- May 30, 2010
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- 2,370
"Always goes bang!" is an impossibility since the gun must be reloaded periodically and all mechanical things have problems on occasion. A more correct requirement is that the mean round count between failures be sufficiently large that the odds are low that I will not have to use my skills to get the gun back into action, draw a second gun or engage the Sneaker Defense System.
I don't rank my requirements because there are many of them, all of which are important. Obviously, concealment, weight, height, length, capacity and sight radius are important. But, attributes such as: recoil pattern with defensive ammo, smooth/easy on the hands, sufficient mag well bevel, ability to do maintenance without a gunsmith, aftermarket parts availability, installing sights, cost of magazines (do you hear me SIG and HK?), custom grip availability, existing gear and reloading setup, lack of ammo sensitivity, and location of controls are all very important to me.
I look at the whole gun rather than review just a few items. Sometimes, I won't know that a gun is unsuited for carry until I take a class with it and fire many rounds through it on the range. The SIG P220 SAO is a perfect example. It is the SIG I always wanted. Unfortunately, the thumb safety is misplaced for my hand and is not adequate for my shooting style.
I don't rank my requirements because there are many of them, all of which are important. Obviously, concealment, weight, height, length, capacity and sight radius are important. But, attributes such as: recoil pattern with defensive ammo, smooth/easy on the hands, sufficient mag well bevel, ability to do maintenance without a gunsmith, aftermarket parts availability, installing sights, cost of magazines (do you hear me SIG and HK?), custom grip availability, existing gear and reloading setup, lack of ammo sensitivity, and location of controls are all very important to me.
I look at the whole gun rather than review just a few items. Sometimes, I won't know that a gun is unsuited for carry until I take a class with it and fire many rounds through it on the range. The SIG P220 SAO is a perfect example. It is the SIG I always wanted. Unfortunately, the thumb safety is misplaced for my hand and is not adequate for my shooting style.
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jrod
Member
Accuracy...
Controlability
After reliability, I go for control. This is a combination of grip size, grip shape, sights and trigger.
I carry 3 pocket pistols on a regular basis.
1. BERETTA Tomcat .32ACP
smallest, most concealable, but still easy to shoot and operate
2. WALTHER PPK
splits the difference between the Tomcat and SIG 232. Is very reliable, trigger and safety are acceptable, but inferior to the SIG 232. Sights just adequate.
3. SIG 232 is the largest gun I want to try to carry in a pocket. I can get away with some brands of loose fitting cargo pants, but that is it. On the plus, it is super reliable for a pocket pistol with a smooth trigger, great hammer dropping system, perfect grip shape for me and top of the line night sights. The aluminum frame makes it light, but bulkier than the PPK.
Jim
After reliability, I go for control. This is a combination of grip size, grip shape, sights and trigger.
I carry 3 pocket pistols on a regular basis.
1. BERETTA Tomcat .32ACP
smallest, most concealable, but still easy to shoot and operate
2. WALTHER PPK
splits the difference between the Tomcat and SIG 232. Is very reliable, trigger and safety are acceptable, but inferior to the SIG 232. Sights just adequate.
3. SIG 232 is the largest gun I want to try to carry in a pocket. I can get away with some brands of loose fitting cargo pants, but that is it. On the plus, it is super reliable for a pocket pistol with a smooth trigger, great hammer dropping system, perfect grip shape for me and top of the line night sights. The aluminum frame makes it light, but bulkier than the PPK.
Jim
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