Concealed Carry Gun?
 

So what is your concealed carry weapon of choice? I am in the market for a CC gun. I prefer a .45ACP but a little concerned with the recoil on a compact frame. I currently have a Colt Commander in a .45 but it's a little on the large size to carry comfortably.

I have a Glock 30 SF in .45 and like it a lot. I definitely prefer a compact over a sub-compact but sometimes it depends on the limitations of your clothing options, surroundings, etc. If your hand size prefers a single stack mag, there are lots of good option available.

I have no problem with a full size .45 recoil, I carry one during the cold months when I am wearing a coat. The rest of the year I carry a Kahr .40 S&W on my hip. It is small enough not to show an outline and has enough power to do the job. Recoil has never been a consideration for me, I carried a gun for 32 years as part of my job and I carried and qualified with a .45 when I worked under cover and as a special investigator.

I was referring to the recoil on a compact frame, not a full size Oldtimer.

Cal, is the 30 SF a Gen 4 gun?

I carry a Springfield XDS 3.3 inch barrel in 45 ACP. I'm shooting Hornady Critical Defense 185gr. Total pooch to shoot & easy to carry.

Greg

If I have anything besides a Ruger LCP on me, then it's because I have 2 pieces at hand. The LCP is my EDC, if I want something else, it's in addition to the LCP.

Glock 27 in 40 is a new one for me. Love it so far. Have had a G42 for a few months, the only reason I don't carry it - in favor of the LCP - is that I'd like to keep this one, and could tolerate having the LCP confiscated.

Love revolvers though - Ruger SP101, S&W 60, Ruger LCR, and Taurus 85, in that order.

I like the Springfield you have and also the Walther PPS. Just over my budget thou.
Good Hornady ammo there-too Greg! But check out the range results of the Federal HSTs. The 45-ammo's are tested near the bottom of the page. You can click-on the pictured five bullets tested for each one too.

http://www.luckygunner.com/labs/self...llistic-tests/

Rob, It's about 5 years old and I believe it's gen 3 (has a light rail and night sites but the older checkering). It's the compact model with a slimmer frame although the mag is double stacked and carries 10 rounds. The compact Glock models are easier to carry concealed than the full size ones. The sub-compacts are a little smaller but still as thick. I like my compact Glock 45 and 40's for CCW. If I needed something slimmer, I think I'd look at a single stack 9mm. The newer 9mm ammo is supposed to be almost as good as the 40.

NM, one of the guys picked up a G42 and likes it. He said he would have got a G43 if he'd known they were coming out so quickly. I have to admit, that G43 looks mighty tempting. I have a Ruger SP101 and that gun is a mini cannon. It's loud, puts out a big flame pattern and packs one heck of a punch if you're shooting full-bore 357 loads.

Glock 23, but also looking for a smaller one for my pocket...

I carry a Kahr CW9, so light you don't even know its there. I carried a Glock 17 for a while but its just too darn big unless you are wearing heavy outerwear.

I here you jeepkid, i love my little light .380 M&P bodyguard, i found i would leave my other larger gun at home.

What I carry 70% of the time. Excellent little package.

Glock 43 is nice also...:rock:

I carry my little Taurus TCP .380 most of the time unless I have a jacket on then I carry my M&P 40.

Do you have one or know anybody who does? I am interested in learning more about them. how well does it shoot, conceal, etc.

I have owned and carried a lot of different weapons. I now carry a Smith and Wesson M&P Shield 9 mm. It is the nicest concealed carry gun I have ever carried. It is a single stack that holds 8+1. You can put it on your hip and forget it's there. The best thing about it is how it shoots. It's a compact gun, that shoots like a full size combat weapon. The first time I shot it, I couldn't believe how accurate it was. It is also priced very fairly. Don't believe me though. Check out the reviews on youtube. It will be my EDC for the foreseeable future.

Springfield XDS .45. But soon will be adding a glock43.
-Jake

I have the 43 and just love it and easy for CC! I use the Blackhawk Serpa holster..fits excellent and shoots just as good...:)

Les Baer Monolith in 45 ACP and a Kimber Ultra-Compact in 10mm. I just picked up a SA Range Officer Compact in 45 ACP. I carry Black Talons in all. Spare mags have BT's or Hornady CD's. When weather is really warm, I carry a .380 LCP with Horn. CD's.

Anyone have a Glock 30? What do you think? I want to fondle one and see how it fits in my hand.

S&W Shield 9MM

I carry the G30 SF on duty in a Safariland M-3 level 2 holster and off duty in a gun bag made by Anderson Enterprises. It conceals well and shoots almost as good as a full size pistol. With the full size pistol, you get a little longer sight radius for more precise aiming. It has 10-round magazines so I can carry 11 with 1 in the chamber without carrying an extra mag. I like it.

Prior to carrying the G30SF, I carried a G23 (.40, 13 round mag) and a full size G22 (.40, 15 round mag).

I suppose a lot depends on how you plan to carry CCW and what types of shooting situations you might be in. If I need to carry something concealed in a front slacks pocket, it's my Walther PPK/S in 380. Not my 1st or even 2nd choice in caliber for terminal ballistics but that's the kind of gun for max concealment and a shot or 2 to back somebody off so you can evacuate from the situation.

If I can conceal a pistol in a gun bag, I can use any of the compacts or full size pistols in a major size caliber (45, 40 or 9). Kind of the same if I'm concealing a belt holster under a jacket or thicker shirt untucked.

If I could find a 9mm with the same overall size as the Walther and with a smooth trigger, I think that would be my go to CCW for shorts, dress occasions, etc. That's why I'm curious to see how a G43 feels and prints under clothes.

If I were concerned about higher chances of being in a gunfight, I'd take the G22 full size in .40 every time (it's already saved me once). These are just my personal experiences but hopefully they get you thinking more about what you need and what would meet that need best for you specifically.

Thank you Calhunter. I appreciate the info.

its a little out of left field but there at one time i briefly owned a taurus mil pro pt, and i have to say it was a heck of a gun if you want a compact 45. I probably put 100 rounds thru it and it ran like a champ, seems like it held maybe 10 plus one. In the end it was just a little more gun than i wanted to carry and i traded it away but it might be worth a look. I know people either hate or love taurus's and ive had both good and bad experiences with them

S&W Shield 9mm in a G-code Incog holster appendix style :)

Size due to ease of concealment is important to me. Live in Florida where sneakers, shorts and tee shirts are the norm. Larger guns are harder to conceal with this dress plus, I prefer lite and small guns. I Carry a sw 642 hammerless featherwt and a keltec pt3a. Seems the keltec,s have fallen out of favor. I got when it was the only really small option, yrs ago. Loved the g42 I shot and carried in Texas.

I finally found the Ruger CLP .380 online and in stock. Kentucky Gun Co had them this morning for $209. Should arrive to my FFL guy in a week or two.

Glock 27 and sometimes the M&P Shield in 9mm. Had a Glock 43 for a while and found I could carry the G27 nearly as easy and I shoot the G27 more accurately.

My Taurus PT111 G2 has never even hiccuped yet - it's highly accurate and worn on my hip. After rebate,. I paid $149 brand new and it has the highest consumer rating of all the Taurus models right now. No break-in period required with this compact. Even dependable right out of the new cardboard shipping box.

The Ruger LCP has not arrived yet and it will be my front pocket carry, most likely my main carry during Michigan's May 1st to October 1st warmer months seasons.

Both of these 4star-rated handguns cost me $358 total. Perfect for my acclimation into conceal-carry M.O.
Who knows!..... I may never need to upgrade someday.

The Springfield XDs in .45 or even smaller is the Kahr CM-40. The Kahr CM-40 is the size of a lot of .380s and even smaller than some. It's the most firepower you can stuff in a pocket size pistol (ALWAYS use pocket holster!). It's NOT fun to shoot but when the chips are down and you need absolutely the most firepower you can get in that size, it fits the niche perfectly! After conducting extensive penetration & expansion tests on different cartridges on a variety of test medias, the .40 produces about roughly twice as much damage as a .380.

I ended up going with the Glock 26 Gen4. Thanks for all your input!

When I was shopping for my concealed carry gun I weighed 3 variables: cost vs. size vs. reliability. I ended up with a Kahr and have been very happy with it.

I got a 9 mm just because the smaller size is easier for a small guy like me to conceal, but every gun they make comes in .40 and .45 as well.

To break the gun in, I put 200 rounds of cheap ammo through it, and it did not malfunction a single time (and I bought their lower-end pistol). I paid $350 for it. Money very well spent.

That said, a CC gun is going to be a matter of personal preference, and what's good for me may not be good for you, but I am sold on the value and quality of my Kahr.

Glock 43 in a High Noon IWB holster on the right hip or an LCP in a Desantix Nemesis in the pocket.

How do you like your G43 for shooting and for CCW suitability?

Excellent. The 43 comes with 2 mags, one with a pinky extension, the other without. I prefer the mag with the extension. Have replaced the mag floor plates with Pearce +1 extensions which are nearly the same size as the original extension but gives me +1 in the mag. I have smallish hands so it feels great. Shoots, feels and acts like a bigger weapon at the range. Has proven to be quite accurate for me even though I'm not a great handgun shooter. As for carry, with the High Noon IWB holster at about the 4 o'clock position, almost forget it's there. In warmer weather in south Mississippi, I'm a shorts and t shirt wearer which can be challenging. LCP in the pocket on those days which is 6+ months a year.

If you want to improve your pistol shooting accuracy at the range, consider implementing the following things as they apply (or not) to you personally in your shooting style.
1. While using 2 hands (more stability), make sure your 2nd hand isn't pushing the gun.
2. Using a spent cartridge, dry fire your pistol at the target and see if your trigger finger pull (some call it a press) is moving your pistol a lot (there's almost always a little movement but that's okay). Adjust by moving your finger to the left or right on the trigger to find that sweet spot where you can pull the trigger smoothly and move the pistol the least. For most people with this issue, they're using too much trigger finger.
3. Focus your aiming eye or eyes (some people use both eyes) on the front sight, not the target (which should be slightly blurry). If your shots are hitting all around the intended aiming point in a circle or so, this is the sign that you're focusing on the target, not the front sight.
4. Breathe normal, let a little bit out and don't hold your breath while pulling/squeezing the trigger.
5. When looking at your target, if you notice some rounds have hit real low, that's usually anticipation of the round going off. People with this problem tend to jerk the trigger fast to beat the recoil. This is super easy to detect if you put a spent cartridge in the chamber and then fire normally. You'll notice the pistol dip down (anticipation) just before you finish pulling/squeezing the trigger.

FWIW, these are the five most common errors I've seen while training cops for many years at the range. They're all fixable and almost everybody's accuracy improves when they focus on them. Then you work on speed. :D

There is a #6, if the rounds are consistently high and the gun is sighted in the shooter is probably heeling the grip.

True dat. Less control of the pistol during recoil also.

Great advise guys!