S&W Bodyguard 380. Built in laser, light, small, accurate. Most engagements with concealed carry are close in, .380 is good enough.
IMHO you have the best gun for concealed carry. Hopefully it is a hammerless snubnose. If not, you could cut the spur down on the hammer so it doesn’t snag on your clothes. Best method of carry, in your pocket, with or without a pocket holster. You can carry it that way even in hot weather, can slip your hand onto it without drawing undue attention, and you will be far more likely to carry it with you every day than other carry methods.
Grenades are easy to conceal. They fit easily in a parka pocket.
A .22 that hits, is way more effective than the .44 mag that misses. I know a grandmother that can empty her .22 LR revolver into your left eye at 25 feet and do it under combat shooting conditions. I did 6 years in the US Infantry and she is just scary good with that .22
That being said, if you want to know what is actually effective carry. .32 / .380 are all small and surprisingly effective. .357 (sig) / 9x19 and 9x23 are a bit larger, and more “BANG” requiring a slightly larger rig for control. However, they tend to do more damage.
Actual shooting reports tend to show that once you get into the .40 or 10mm range or higher, accuracy drops off and thus is not quite as effective as the smaller rigs.
As for carry, look at the cellpal rig (do a google search on the word, I'm at the office and they block "firearm" related sites). It is a cross draw but it can be worn in just about all situations and does not print.
If your standard clothing attire doesn’t really support carrying concealed, think about getting a conceal carry purse. Mine has a zipper compartment accessible from the side of the purse, which can be locked, and has a holster built in to keep the gun secure.
Carrying on your person is more secure, but I would rather have a gun in my purse than no gun.
I like my cc handbag. My glock 17 fits nicely. Also a ruger 380 for me works when I dont want to carry a purse.
However, for the CCL test, I always qualify with a semi-automatic so that I am not restricted to a revolver in case I ever do want to carry a semi.
The CCL class was actually pretty interesting. Not so much on handling guns, but on legal issues.
Glock 19 and M&P .45
My new favorite is a the Kahr P380. Depending on hand size, it is a fantastic choice for men or women. Stoked with buffalo bore ammo it is a potent weapon in a “forget it is there, carry it everywhere,” package. I especially like the 100 grain hardcast flat nose and feel comfortable with it against most critters (short of a black bear : )
It is actually pleasurable to shoot at the range with regular (not buffalo bore +p or +p+ ammo). It is incredibly accurate which a lot of concealable pistols are not due to short sight radius. Big hands make this less of a choice.
For the husband I would suggest the smith and wesson 340 sc (scandium lightweight hammerless .357) It also is a forget it is there and carry it everywhere package and can be loaded regular .38 special, hot, .357 or Really hot with .357 hunting ammo depending upon your need. I would not make a practice of shooting the hunting ammo out of it but it can handle it if it needs to. I put hunting .357 in it around the farm and slightly less punishing ammo in it for city duty.
I have not yet tried out the beretta px 4 sub compact in .45 but I have a friend who has it and swears by it. It might be worth looking at.
Good luck!
bttt
Ask what happens when/if you shoot someone. Ask about different scenarios, locations, circumstances, etc. Ask the instructor what he suggests is the best.
Really like my Ruger LCP. It has a smooth shape that makes it very snag free. I have never had a failure to feed and am using Federal Hydroshocks that would not work at all in another .380 I had. I polished the feed ramp, but it fed fine before that. My .02 worth. The main thing is get what works for you.
Do a lot of research, taking everything with a grain of salt but eventually you will begin to figure it all out.
If you are lucky enough to be able to borrow various guns from friends, relatives etc. and even more lucky in having a nice place in the country to check them out at your leisure then do it.
If you can do neither, get the largest most powerful one you can conceal and carry comfortably. If that turns out to be only a .22LR that is OK. At least you will have a gun that is accurate.
Do make sure it is reliable before choosing it. That is not too hard to accomplish now as most name brand guns are reliable.
Ruger SP101 chambered in .357 Mag/.38 Special or .327 Federal Magnum.
Glock 26,27 or 33(9-mm, 40 S&W, .357 SIG)
Sig Sauer P250C or P250SC (9-mm, 40 S&W, .357 SIG, .45 ACP)
Ruger LC9
Kimber Pro-Carry or Super Carry (.45 ACP)
Make sure that in a pocket or purse
that the gun is in a holster.
it will keep it tangle free and keep
the barrel free of obstructions.
Clothing permitting, I prefer a 686+ w/ 3” barrel. I love shooting it, and am completely comfortable shooting it with 357 ammo. It doesn’t matter if one prints in Arizona, so I can get away with bigger.
Otherwise, my Model 60 LS works OK. I use 38+P ammo, but it just doesn’t point as well in my hand. I use it in a cross carry holster.
If I was a woman, I’d probably carry the 686 in a purse. As a guy, I haven’t found anything that doesn’t just scream, “He has a gun!”
I do not pocket carry without a holster.
The other vital thing the article lists is proficiency. I used to carry a Phoenix Arms .22 semi-auto which held eleven rounds of hollow point ammo. I practiced with that weapon to the tune of thousands of rounds fired and automatic dealing with any glitch in firing (a glitch might happen once in fire or six hundred shots, usually due to dirty mechanism or a bad round from the magazine). The only reason I switch to the CZ82 is the size and impact of the rounds the gun fires. Tha CZ82 is a double action (just squeeze the trigger to fire the first round, then subsequent rounds are single action auto feed shots) single action semi-auto which holds twelve int he mag and one up the spout. It is extremely reliable, shoots the 9x18 round (equiv to a .38 special impact) and can be reloaded quickly with a magazine and provide an additional 12 rounds of fire.
No matter what you settle upon, practice shooting the ammo you will carry and practice often. Practice drawing and dry firing right out of the carry you end up relying upon. You can buy dummy rounds for such practice, to save the firing pin on your weapon, or use a spent round in the firing chamber for practice purposes.
I ran across the inventor of the “Gun Tee” for concealed carry at a show in Charlotte a few years back. There are quite a few different ones on the market now, but the original is used by several of the under cover cops in Charlotte for their backup piece. The shirt does a nice job of hiding the carry under a regular shirt, especially if you have a sport coat on and open.
We've both carried semi autos, but we always go back to keep it simple, a revolver doesn't jamb.