RE: Looking for a good pistol for concealed carry
 

Thats a good question and one that I've heard at every CCW class I have ever taught. As an ArkansasCCW Instructor and a Part time Deputy Sheriff, I'll give you my observations on the subject and they may be different from the many opinions that you have already read.

Above all, make sure that whatever you decide to buy is absolutley 100% reliable. Some factorys suggest a minmum 200 round "break in" period before carrying to save your life. People have and will be continued to be killed in gunbattles where they expected a BANG and only got a "click". I know of one deputy in my hometown that owes his life to that fact alone.

Don't go cheap! How much are the lives of your loved ones worth? How much is yours worth? Go with a known manufacturer and leave the cheap stuff alone. You get what you pay for and its true with guns. It has to be accurate and reliable. See above paragraph.

In todays modern age, there is no sense handicapping yourself with the last centuries technology. You stated that you are a construction worker. IF you can use a skill saw without cutting your hand off or use a drill without drilling into yourleg you have the necessary skills for a good modern semiautomatic.

You are working near the border and are concerned about some of the recent events down there...and rightfully so. The drugrunners and alien mules always run in packs. Get a high capcacity pistol and keep a few mags in the truck. No one ever cussed themselves for having too much ammo. On the other hand, if you run out when you need it, you may not have to worry about it any longer.

Make sure that whatever you get fits your hand. Many folks handicap themselves with grips that are so big that they cant properly reach the controls with one hand. Dont make that mistake. Be proficent and practice,practice and then practice some more. If you ever actually NEED a gun, that is not the time to remember what this little lever does or what this button can do. It needs to be automatic,done without thought and that only comes with practice.

Make sure that the ammo that you by is reliable and the guns cycles and ejects everytime....not every other time or even 90 % of the time. Find a good ammo and stick with it. Just because Remington ammo works great doesnt mean that Winchester or Federal will. A small difference in the profile of the bullet can make a gun totally useless and it may not be apparent until it is actually fired.

Now lets talk about caliber. The ammo manufactures have come a long way in performance of bullets and in construction in the last 20 years. There is not as much difference as there used to be. The marginal differences between 9mm,.40 and .45 are small enough to be insignificant.The best bullets are close in performance and there is plenty of info on the net to study in actual shootings.I would rather have you be comfortable and accurate with a 9mm than a .45 that you could only hit with occasionally. With that being said, use the biggest caliber that you are comfortable and accurate with.

We hd a "suicide by cop"event here several years ago when a depressed young man went into a PDQ, left a suicide note on the counter, told the clerk to call the cops. He did and shot a 12 guage at the first cop that responded, luckily missing him from a range of about 8 yards.I belive that he missed on purpose. In the gun battle that ensued, he was eventually killed by a bullet that entered into his left arm above the elbow and entered the heart,killing him on the spot. The bullet performed exactly as it was suppose to. It was a 9mm Hornaday XTP. It worked. I do not feel handicapped with a high cap 9mm.

Forget about penetration on vehicles,If you are that worried about it, use your pistol to fight your way to the truck where you can migrate to a rifle, preferable a military type semi auto in .308 caliber. Its been noted here that auto windshields are hard to break. In fact, its not that they are so hard, its that the angle of them deflect the bullet so that the energy is spent elsewhere rather than on the glass. Another fact that is a good carry bullet with a hollowpoint will usually not penentrate the door. Although it can, it is not often that it does.

A pistol is a compromise of stopping power. A rifle is much better, but you arent going to carry a rifle with you everywhere you go. Many things that we never hear about much dictate how a pistol might "work" when you need it to. Mental attitude, stress, drugs, adrenaline and physical conditioning are all factors that must be dealt with. We've all heard of the hopped up crackheadthat was shot 14 times with a .45 and didnt die till he hurt someone. Likewise, someone that is extremely scared or pissed is goingto be harder to kill than someone that is sleeping in an easy chair.

Now, lets talk about carry methods. What works for your buddy may not work for you. If you are average, you"ll likely buy half a dozen holsters and setups before you find on that you like. You size has a lot to do with it. A fat guy wont feel comfortable carrying like a skinny guy does. Its a trial and error thing that you must go through to figure out what is best for you.

As for the brand of guns...the best thing you can do is try them all out. One of them will appeal to you for one reason or another but it is a very personal thing. Do some research, get some hands on and come to your own conclusions. Dont be swayed by someone elses opinoin, they dont have hands like yours and their likes and dislikes are different. FWIW,I carry a Sig P220 .45 on duty and am partial to Sigs. I also carry a .40 P239,a .357 P226 and have been known to carry a P225 in 9MM. I can highly reccomend all of them. I also carry a Colt Combat Commander in .45. I love the single action Government models and own several of them.

You are on the right track. You already know that protection of yourself and your family is your responsibility and are asking the right questions. Hopefully I provided you with a few things to think about.

Good luck in your endeavors...

RE: Looking for a good pistol for concealed carry
 

Great post Hotguns. As a police firearms instructor myself I couldn't have said it any better. Welcome to the forum.

Reddog132

RE: Looking for a good pistol for concealed carry
 

Hotguns, You deserve an attaboy for taking the time to compose such a comprehensive and knowledgeable post. Attaboy!

You were more articulate than me in noting that the border gangs/smugglers/whatever run in gaggles and a high-capacity gun is a good idea. So is the fact that an encounter in a vehicle is probable and that's why I threw in the comment about a poor man's assault weapon in the truck and the auto glass.

A lot of talk on guns so far, but the best idea is to always keep your head on a swivel and stay out of harm's way.

RE: Looking for a good pistol for concealed carry
 

Hotguns pretty much summed up my opinion as well. I am not LEO, but I have been carrying concealed for a long time and have owned / tried no less than 30 different pistols. Though I carry a Wilson KZ-45 1911 Compact currently,that is not what I recommend for your situation. I too like the SIGs. Just a matter of which model / caliber fits your hand. I would stick with 9mm or .40 for optimum capacity and ammo availability. Don't worry about stopping power of the 9mm. That is a once valid, now obsolete report. There are newer loads out there that will get the job done well enough. If weight is very important, you will find the Glocks to be lighter to carry. The G19, G23, G30 are probably the most commonly carried CCW. None of us know your hand size so go to a gun show or well stocked store and try some on for size. Pick 2 or 3 you like best and try to find a range that has them for rental.I like shooting SIGs best, but I like carrying Glocks best (weight). You will find that all of them have weaknesses and strengths. If you pushed me for a rec, I would say G19 or SIG 228 for your purposes.Both are 9mm. Alsoif you are going to be out in the boonies, a beater SKS in the trunk would keep banditos movin along if you should have a break down on a very lonely stretch. Practice, practice, practice!!!

RE: Looking for a good pistol for concealed carry
 

Very good advice from Hotguns. Like gkellys, I'm not an LEO either, but have legaly carried concealed for as long as Texas has had CHLs, and carried when needed before that. Judging by the posts here, way too many people subscribe to the "magic gun", "magic caliber", and "magic bullet" theory.

Handguns can help you stay alive, but a rifle in the truck can be awfuly handy, too.Even a garden variety '94 Winchester or an SKS will shoot thru any cover badguys are likely to have at hand in S Texas, and they are both far more lethal than any handgun round.

RE: Looking for a good pistol for concealed carry
 

Cant argue with that. The brain is by far the best weapon one can employ. Unfortunately, some people have very small weapons...

As for the SKS, they are crude guns that look like they were inletted with a chopping axe. For the money you pay, they are hard to beat.They have good capacity and are fairly accurate. They are great for truck guns and do a fair job or penetrating things. They are common and they are ugly enough that you cant hurt the looks of one with rough use and abuse.Ive owned several of them and always seem to keep one in the safe. For a 100 bucks, one could do much worse...

RE: Looking for a good pistol for concealed carry
 

Think about it for a second....

It was mentioned that thekmack is more or less inexperienced with shooting a pistol. Therefore inexperienced with shooting or reloading a pistol under a stressful situation. That coupled by the fact that the odds of being out numbered, hence out gunned is very possible, do not present a favorable outcome no matter what pistol is used.

Please do not let the idea of carrying a concealedpistol give you the false pretence of protection. Use your head and avoid confrontation. Don't bring attention to yourself.

Is there no way for your construction company to provide some sort of protection? Better lodging or whatnot. How about your co-workers. Are you all staying in a group? How about staying somewhere better, and driving to work?

I'm not against concealed carry; I'm more concerned that you will not have the necessary skills in place in time.

RE: Looking for a good pistol for concealed carry
 

Sniper, I'm currently studying to obtain a criminal justice major. That doesn't make me much, but it avails me of some good knowledge from my instructors who have been police officers. One of my instructors worked as a police officer in Tennesee and in Ohio as well for 15+ years. He told me of some research he's done about shooting scenarios where police officers who shoot 100% on the range shoot about 12% in live fire situations. If a trained police officer who shoots 100% on the range can shoot 12% in live fire, how's the "average" shoot going to handle it? I've also seen a few videos of police shootings from the on board cameras of police cruisers. One video in particular was one in which a Georgia deputy sheriff was killed. From around twenty feet, the officer couldn't hit a guy that was around 6' well over 200lb (a big target). As the situation progressed, the deputy couldn't hit the guy from across his cruiser. The other guy shot somewhere around 20 times and hit the deputy around ten times. The deputy fired over 30 rounds and hit the guy once in the stomach, and it was a nonlethal wound. This was just one crazy motorist. There have been others in which officers stood just a few feet away and neither the assailants nor the officers hit each other. In a live fire situation, God forbid I ever find myself in one, I hope for one shot one kill. Reality has proven otherwise. That's why I would want more than just six rounds from a revolver.

Another thought is that there's a potential that the author of this post run into some drug smugglers. As Hotguns mentioned, they don't travel alone. They don't carry light either. Hopefully for his and everyone else's sake there won't be any such encounter. If, however, there should be, yes he is going into battle.

And I don't actually watch that much tv

RE: Looking for a good pistol for concealed carry
 

Nobody that starts out carrying a gun has the needed "skills" unless they practice and do it correctly. Fact of the matter is, the police train as much as possible and they can only hope that they are better trained than the guy that they are going up against.

Carrying a weapon is pretty useless if you cant use it proficiently.It dosent guarantee anything other than a fighting chance, and that is better than nothing...which is what you would have if you were unarmed and met a gang of illegals that didnt want to get reported.

Its a fact that the average person thinks that they are "good" shots if they can score well on a B-27 target. In reality, that means nothing other than the fact that you can shoot a target standing still that dosent shoot back. Sounds good and looks good, but it does very little to prepare one for an actual shooting situation.

Thats the reason why many depts have used "Simunitions" to train with. Basically its a modified pistol or rifle that shoots 9mm paintballs around 600FPS. They sting when they hit and its about as realistic as you can get and still bragg about how good you did or didnt. They try to induce as much stess as possible.

The first time I ever participated, I was amazed at how many shots were fired without hits. Its a different world when people are moving, shooting, running for cover and juking and jiving. A fumbled reload in the middle of a firefight or even a slow one will get you painted. On a simulated traffic stop, I actually had a guy pull out a little snubnose and shoot at me from a range of about 3 feet and miss. I drew my modified Glock and popped him. Prior to that, I would have argued that NO ONE could miss from 3 feet. Having looked at many actuall police shootings that were caught on camera, some of the events make the hair on your neck stand up.

There are occasions when everything is done by the book, everything was executed perfectly and the good guy still ends up dying. Its a risky thing and its dangerous to get in a gunfight. The best thing you can do is be prayed up, ready to meet the Creator on a moments notice and practice as much as possible in dynamic situations. Anything that one can do to get an edge on the competition certainly cant hurt.

First, we must remember rule no. 1 of gunfighting.

Bringa gun.

RE: Looking for a good pistol for concealed carry
 

since you're concealing it, check out a .32 semi-auto. almost all 9mm, .357, etc. are to large to be considered truly concealable. i know someone will argue my post but i am a cop. i don't argue with a construction worker on the proper pitch for a roof. alot of the officers i work with carry the .32 semi-automatics because they are small, concealable almost anywhere andlight. you are going to have to give up some knock down power to have a truly concealable pistol. it's all about shot placement, not how big the round is.

RE: Looking for a good pistol for concealed carry
 

So what, still doesn't make you an expert on concealing a handgun. Maybe your credibility would have been helped a bit had you mentioned the KelTec P3AT 380. By the way, I'm in the Air Force but that doesn't make me an expert on flying planes.

RE: Looking for a good pistol for concealed carry
 

.

You've got to be kidding

You're a cop and you are carrying a .32 for a backup gun ?

If you ever need a backup gun it'd better be up to the task. Call me simple... but the idea of wrestling a drug crazed junkie who feels no pain that is trying to grab your duty weapon and kill you with it would seem to dictate something more than a puny .32. In a case like that, I want all the "knock down" power I can get.

My dept. wont even let us carry a backup in anythingless than .38 special. Yeah...its all about shot placement all right, but a gun in the gut probably aint the ideal shot...and in a life threating scenario, in reality, you are gonna take whatever shot you can get whether its ideal or not.

As for being a "cop" Im not impressed. Mostof the ones I deal with are far from the "gun savy" types and know less about guns than many citizens do.Many ofthem barely qualify when the time comes and consider themselves well prepped because they shot some holes in the black on a B-27 silhouette.

In todays world of Metheads that are tweaking and care only about where their next "hit" comes from, Im going to use the proper tools for the job should the need be...

RE: Looking for a good pistol for concealed carry
 

Hey all,
I have to disagree with camocop.
No offense intended, but i carry an hk usp fullsize .45 and conceal it everyday with nothing more than a t shirt.
Listen to hotguns!
Nathan

RE: Looking for a good pistol for concealed carry
 

practice, practice, practice, training, training, training! put yourself in as much stress training situations as possible. i dont care what any cop non cop tells you, your not going to come out alive if you can not hit what your shooting at period and use as much gun as you can handle and shoot well!

RE: Looking for a good pistol for concealed carry
 

it all comes down to you use whats good for you. go to a local gun range/club and rent several pistols and see what you like. you can take my advice if you want, but i'm not going to defend my credibility to a bunch of internet rambo's who claim their the real deal.

RE: Looking for a good pistol for concealed carry
 

No, between your "advice" on the 32ACP and your post about shooting hogs at 100 yards with buckshot you really don't haveneed to defend anything.

RE: Looking for a good pistol for concealed carry
 

that kind of remark does not say much for the uniform you wear. some of these as you call them internet rambos have more combat in real life than you ever will.

RE: Looking for a good pistol for concealed carry
 

Dont be so touchy there camocop...


when someone claims to :



shoot a hog at 100 yards with buckshotthrough an extra full turkey choke...

reccomends a .223 for a deer rifle...

thinks that the only concealable caliber is a .32 ACP...

and dosent expect anyone to argue with him because he is a cop...



it just naturally raises the BS flagfor folks that know better than to even try such foolishness...:eek:

RE: Looking for a good pistol for concealed carry
 

look i'm sorry if i offended anyone, i did not mean to. all i was saying is more firepower is not always the answer. in south carolina there was a state trooper by the name of coates. he was killed in the line of duty from one shot from a .22. the subject who shot him was hit 5 out of 6 times center mass from his duty firearm, a .357 magnum. the suspect who took all 5 rounds of the .357 magnum in the chest is still alive in prison. all i'm saying is it's not always the size of the firearm as it is shot placement.

i hope your never have to use deadly force on anyone, because i hope i never have to. but to answer the one reply in regaurds to having to use it on someone hopped up on dope....there is narcotics such as PCP out there. it does not matter if you shoot someone with a slug, they won't feel it and will keep coming. i'm all for larger calibers for protection but it's only my opinion to use a smaller caliber for concealment.

also friz, if you don't think it's possible to take down a hog at 100 yards with 3 1/2" 00 buckshot through a mossberg 835 ulti-mag /w the extra full turkey choke, you're dumber than i thought. so don't judge me because you have never witnessed it yourself. i'm not saying this shot is makable everytime, i tried it once and made it. so what, get over yourself, i'm not bragging about being all that i was just explaining to that person that it has been done and mossberg is a great shotgun for the price.

since ya'll are going to do the research on me and my post, then put everything i said into works. i did not say the .223 was the best deer rifle, i said it would be a good start for a 15 year old (female) beginning hunter because it is capable of bringing down deer and has very low recoil.

i also did not say you could not conceal anything but a .32. i just through out a random caliber because of it's smaller size. common sense says the smaller the easier to conceal. hell if you wanted to you could conceal a .44 magnum, would i recomend it....no.

i'm not saying because i'm a cop that i know everything, i said i'm a copto let you know that i am familiar with some firearms. i'm sorry to piss everyone off, i did not mean too. but don't attempt to smear me in the forums just because you don't agree or believe something i have said.

RE: Looking for a good pistol for concealed carry
 

For one thing, I wouldnt recomend firing buckshot through and extra full turkey choke. I've seen several of them trashed out by shooting buck though them, they are just too tight. I'm not doubting you or the shot, you just got lucky. Ive got a few custom chokes that specifically warn not to shoot buckshot or slugs printed right on them. FWIW...Ive got an 835 and have killeddozens ofturkeys with it.

A 15 year old hunter ought to be capable of shooting at least a .243, which many people consider marginal for deer. I've helped several people track deer that have been shot with a .243 that werent recovered. The .223 is too light and not even legal to hunt deer with in many states.

Ill be the first to admit that even the pipsqueak .32 is better than NO gun at all. However, in the last few years, concealable guns in major calibers have come a long way when it comes to concealabilty.No sense inhandicapping yourself with a minor caliber.

I saw the Coates tape and all I can say about that is it was his time to go.An unfortunate tragedy to say the least.That .22 killed him as dead as any other caliber could have.

I dont think anyone was "offended" by what you had to offer. I know I wasnt. It just seems that some of your advice is contrary to good sense occasionaly.

RE: Looking for a good pistol for concealed carry
 

hot, you may be right, i thought it said you shouldn't shoot steel through the turkey choke though.

i also did not know that using the .223 in some states was illegal. i'm from and hunt in florida where anything centerfire is legal to use and our deer are small...lol. when i was very small my grandpa taught me how to hunt with the .223 and for our small bodied deer it did it's job. i guess a .223 wouldn't be too great of a choice for a 300 pound whitetail. i'm soory i did not take in account where everyone else hunts. i only comment from my own personal experience.

RE: Looking for a good pistol for concealed carry
 

I agree that it was Coates time to go. That .22lr bullet was indeed a "magic bullet". As to the shoots to the center mass, I thought they were to the stomach mostly and theperp had one heck of a gut on him. Granted taking one round from a .357mag would seem enough to anyone, his fat self took 5-6.

As to what is easy to conceal. Each person is differn't. That is why I said in my first post don't be cheap with your holster. I would also like to say don't be cheap with your belt. Both can make a huge differnce. I carry a Glock 27 off duty in a Sidearmor IWB modular with a Wilderness belt. I forget it's on, hides very easy, even in shorts and a t-shirt.

RE: Looking for a good pistol for concealed carry
 

We have gotten away from the question he asked.Biggest and most important things,comfort-if it doesnt fit your hand youll never be great with it--control, you have to practice with whatever cal you go for.
I used to work for a retired chicago cop who told me "A .22 in the tearduct does more than a 9mm in the collarbone". Which I agree with , but what about a .45 in the tearduct?
Good luck in your search
nathan

RE: Looking for a good pistol for concealed carry
 

[/align]


Para has been the leader in 1911 innovation, inventing the high capacity .45 and providing match grade ramped barrels in all of its pistols, creating integral plunger tubes and grip bushings in its frames and perfecting the bushingless recoil system in its micro-compact pistols. Now, the world’s most famous micro-1911, the Warthog, is chambered for the popular 9mm Luger cartridge. We affectionately call it the Hawg 9. This gem of a pistol holds 12+1 rounds of 9mm in the full capacity model, where legal.
Para Pistols Give You The Winning Edge:
[*]All Para pistols come with an integral ramp and supported chamber, match-grade barrel for exceptional accuracy out-of-the box.[*]Our exclusive Power Extractor (PXT) is a massive claw for the ultimate feeding and extracting reliability.[*]All Hawg pistols come with two magazines. The first magazine has an ultra-compact standard floor plate. The other magazine has a finger-extension floor plate. [/align]







Hawg 9 [/align]




Para’s family of “Hawg” micro-compact pistols is growing rapidly because you keep asking us for new models. These pistols were designed around the powerful .45 ACP cartridge and, when you asked for us to chamber it in the popular 9mm Luger cartridge, our ramped barrel provided plenty of meat in the chamber - even for Plus P 9mm loads. In 9mm this baby “Hawg” is sweet shooting and it holds 12* rounds in the full-capacity magazine. A 10-round restricted capacity option is also available. [/align]




Specifications:





Order No.
Caliber
Rounds
Barrel
Weight
Length
Height
Hammer
Sights
Receiver
Finish

WHX129R
9MM
12+1
3"
24 oz
6.5"
4.5"
Spurred
3-Dot
Alloy
Regal












Warthog [/align]




The latest super-compact, high-capacity .45 with truly awesome firepower is the new Para Warthog. There is no .45 ACP ten-round, semi-auto in the world smaller than the Warthog. This extraordinary pistol is only 6.5 inches in length and 4.5 inches high, including the magazine. And the Warthog is remarkably controllable, thanks to its superbly engineered and contoured grip design. Add the feeding and extracting reliability of the exclusive new Para Power Extractor™ and you have the best super-compact pistol on the ground or in the air. [/align]




Specifications:





Order No.
Caliber
Rounds
Barrel
Weight
Length
Height
Hammer
Sights
Receiver
Finish

WHX1045R
.45ACP
10+1
3"
24 oz.
6.5"
4.5"
Spurred
3 - Dot
Alloy
Regal












Nite Hawg [/align]




Para's new special edition Nite Hawg has all the power of the super-compact Warthog, while boasting a non-reflective all-black finish and tritium night sights. Despite its small size, the Nite Hawg is also remarkably controllable, thanks to its superbly engineered and contoured grip design. [/align]




Specifications:





Order No.
Caliber
Rounds
Barrel
Weight
Length
Height
Hammer
Sights
Receiver
Finish

NHX1045N
.45ACP
10+1
3"
24 oz.
6.5"
4.5"
Spurred
Night
Alloy
Covert Black
this is the pistol i was talking about i wrote 10 oz sorry its 24
this is a very easy to conceal pistol and shoots great to there are many upgraded grips to allow a better fit to your hand
for size knockdown wieght and ability in my eyes its the best

RE: Looking for a good pistol for concealed carry
 

well i guess it didnt come out right the 45 is a 10 +1 i will get the rest of specs

RE: Looking for a good pistol for concealed carry
 

A .380 might be enough for you and the sig
P232 is a very nice personal protection or conceal carry gun. Small and reliable.

Some might dissagree with me, but the s&w Sigma might be the best bet for your money. 40 caliber, very light and only a little over 325 dollars.

RE: Looking for a good pistol for concealed carry
 

oouhguyguiguygygihjui9Warthokog [/align]




The latest super-compact, high-capacity .45 with truly awesome firepower is the new Para Warthog. There is no .45 ACP ten-round, semi-auto in the world smaller than the Warthog. This extraordinary pistol is only 6.5 inches in length and 4.5 inches high, including the magazine. And the Warthog is remarkably controllable, thanks to its superbly engineered and contoured grip design. Add the feeding and extracting reliability of the exclusive new Para Power Extractor™ and you have the best super-compact pistol on the ground or in the air. [/align]




Specifications:





Order No.
Caliber
Rounds
Barrel
Weight
Length
Height
Hammer
Sights
Receiver
Finish

WHX1045R
.45ACP
10+1
3"
24 oz.
6.5"
4.5"
Spurred
3 - Dot
Alloy
Regal












Nite Hawg [/align]




Para's new special edition Nite Hawg has all the power of the super-compact Warthog, while boasting a non-reflective all-black finish and tritium night sights. Despite its small size, the Nite Hawg is also remarkably controllable, thanks to its superbly engineered and contoured grip design. [/align]




Specifications:





Order No.
Caliber
Rounds
Barrel
Weight
Length
Height
Hammer
Sights
Receiver
Finish

NHX1045N
.45ACP
10+1
3"
24 oz.
6.5"
4.5"
Spurred
Night
Alloy
Covert Blackok there it is finally i got the specs right well like i said the grips can be changed to fit your hand it is light accurate has plenty of knockdown power and small (easy to conceal)

RE: Looking for a good pistol for concealed carry
 

well maybe not sorry for all the space i took up

RE: Looking for a good pistol for concealed carry
 

Hey Ruffneck,
I just checked out the warthog at a gun show this weekend.What a cool gun. I wqant one for sure.Felt beefy in my hand.Never had a 1911 of any sort ,and I was going to get a kimber but after seeing and holding the hog I think it will be my next purchase.
Nathan

RE: Looking for a good pistol for concealed carry
 

The only real drawback to the ultra concealable guns is the grip is way to short for some peoples hand to grasp comfortably. If you have big hands,(which I do) you wont like the feel of the short little handle.

These guns are great to conceal, but not so great to shoot.

I carried a SigP239 but never could really get used to the short handle. I eventually wound up carring a 225 which was jsut a tad larger, but much longer in the grip which made it feel much better in the hand.

On the other hand, if you have average or small hands, it may be OK. In any case, you need to try one first before you spend money on one..and be advised that the short barrelled .45's generally have a problem with reliablity and usally need to be "tweaked" to be dependable.

RE: Looking for a good pistol for concealed carry
 

i agree about being short grips i have short hands but my hands are very wide the warthog fit good for me an you can get extended clips for a bigger hand
also true is the short barrell but like kimber para has perfected the ballistics on short barrell pistols i
the small model kimber is also a great choice it just didnt fit my hand right maybe to skinny on the grips
i think for the best carry gun for a experianced guy would be a full size colt 1911 but someone new to carying may feel it to be to big
i often carry my ruger 44mag redhawk with a 7 1/2in. barrell i conceal it good and its comfortable with the right holster
there is a lot of good cary pistols out there and its hard to pick just one maybe try getting a 380 as a back up gun while you try many other choices for the first draw weapon also s&w makes a nice 44special revolver small but only 5 shot makes a good back up gun
i would say if you live somewhere where you may run into gang bangers or illigels carry 2 pistols and a high capacity assualt 12ga in the car
if you go for a full size 1911 they make a fanny pack that conceals it nice easy acsess till you get used to a holster

RE: Looking for a good pistol for concealed carry
 

Pull tabs open gun pouch in an instant for fast access to gun. Works for right and left hand draw.
here is the holster i was talking about quick access looks a little gay but holds the full size pistols nice

RE: Looking for a good pistol for concealed carry
 

Talk about the thread that wouldn't die! Poro old kmack is probably been in the Valley for a week already, while folks are still argueing what is best for him!

As for the fanny pack type holsters, nothing screams GUN! in my area quite as loudly as one of those. Even my wife comments on men with those, usually along the lines of "I wonder what he's carrying?"
I've carried a Smith 45-16, a 1911, and now carry a Para-Ordnance P12. Nobody has ever looked twice at me, including every LEO I've dealt with.

RE: Looking for a good pistol for concealed carry
 

charley your right 100% but if not comfortable with the right holster it is much better than not having a gun when you need it

RE: Looking for a good pistol for concealed carry
 

that fanny pack thing is gay, id rather carry a gun in mypocket than in that freakin thing.

RE: Looking for a good pistol for concealed carry
 

i thought you was a ruff neck??!!

RE: Looking for a good pistol for concealed carry
 

I am not saying it is an impossible shot, just a stupid and unethical one to attempt. Especially for the reasons you stated.

Piss poor reasoning if you ask me.

RE: Looking for a good pistol for concealed carry
 

i said off the bat it was gay i personally dont use one but if you need to carry and its the only comfortable way its better than getting souronded by mexican border jumpers without a weapon i knew i would here crap about this but hey if it may save your life what the hell its the hommies that would rather look good and die than look bad and effectivly deffend off an enemy lol
as for being a rufneck my carry weapon is a ruger redhawk in 44mag 7 1/2 inch barrel carried concealed under my arm and sticking into my pocket a little not to many guys would consider concealing it but i do it comfortably lol i rotate my rounds one platinum hollow point one shot shell aroud the revolver shot shell is effective in a battle

RE: Looking for a good pistol for concealed carry
 

Out for the kill oh by the way i agree the south will rise again
not being a smart asss i mean it