Posted on 08/18/2012 6:11:26 PM PDT by JaguarXKE
Vanity. Looking for thoughts/ recommendations on weapon for concealed carry.
That's why I've not really considered carrying the P-38. It's a real German WWII gun that was given to my father (who fought in WWII Germany) but it was given to him by a former German officer years after the war when my Dad was stationed in Germany again in peace time.
Ditto, though the 357 Magnum version is nice too. But really any 38 snubby, preferably with a shrouded hammer, is fine.
12 gauge, with 00 shot.
Under baggy clothing.
The new Springfield XDS has gotten a lot of attention and converts. It’s small enough to be a pocket gun, yet has 7 rounds of .45.
You're going to get a lot of people advising you to carry the next closest thing to Mjölnir. That's muy macho, but the objective here is to: 1.) get a gun that you will carry, so that you have it if and when you need it, 2.) can abso-fracking-lutely trust not to go BANG! unless you want it to, and 3.) if you must pull the trigger, will hit only what you want it to hit -- and that result is a combination of the gun's qualities and your familiarity with it, which means a gun that you can afford to get in a lot of range time with.
I recommend a Glock G19. But like others said it’s subjective. I shoot my Glocks well and feel like with their magazine capacity I don’t need a spare mag. Personally, I carry my G23 most of the time. Sometimes I carry my Springfield .45 and do carry an extra mag then. The best advice I can give is rent and shoot any gun you plan on carrying before you buy it. I have big hands so the Glock double stack magazine is not an issue for me. Some people with smaller hands feel the double stack Glocks are “chunky”. With modern ammo if you do your part the 9 mm is going to be fine as a self defense gun. I like the .40 and .45 just on the belief that more is almost always better. I know .380s are becoming popular again but I think the .380 is marginal at best for self defense. I have a Walther PPK/S and it sits in the safe unless I’m taking it to the range. Another gun worth looking at is the Kahr CM9, or PM9 for a couple of hundred bucks more. They don’t have much in the way of magazine capacity but they are extremely concealable. Just my opinions, YMMV.
It is hard to beat a Model 60, get a pocket holster, drop it in your pocket, and go. A Model 60 goes off every time you pull the trigger, even if you forget to clean it for a while, Which I do regularly.
I’ve carried a Rossi .38 5-shot snub for the last couple of years now everywhere I’ve gone. As to your dilemma, go with what a Freeper above me said - figure out which one is comfortable for you. Some people swear by Glocks, but there’s always been something about them I don’t care for, and it’s hard to put my finger on exactly what. But if you love it, go with it. The next sidearm I want is a Kimber 1911 of some variety.
Good advice. Where do you anticipate carrying it? What is your body shape? What kind of clothes will you be wearing?
I’m fairly slim and to carry an actually concealed large caliber in the summer is tough. Front waistband crotch carry pointing south is about the only way to do it.
Pocket guns, different deal.
There are two other advantages of a small handgun in home defense. The first is concealabilty. I’m not going answer the door with a shotgun every tome the UPS guy or some girlscout selling cookies comes knocking. And I’m not going to sling a shotgun over my sholder every time I mow the lawn. But I will slip a revolver into my pocket. Secondly, a long gun can be a disadvantage in a confined space like a hallway.
Just bought one if those (G3) and love it!
I have the .357 magnum version of that pistol ( M&P340pd) and I carry it all the time. It carries extremely well. It’s miserable to practice with though and even with the CT laser, it’s probably no good beyond 15 yards which is more than adequate for 99.9% of your CCW self defense situations; however, after Aurora, I have decided that I need to be able to make a head shot at ~25 -35 yards under duress so I’m working on carrying my full sized Glock 21 in .45 ACP. which will do that all day long. It doesn’t carry as well of course but it’s doable and 13 rounds of .45 acp from a Glock 21 is more than enough gun for pretty much any situation you might find yourself in.
He already has a handgun.
Whatever you choose to carry, it must be:
1. 100% reliable, it must fire every time.
2. It must be lethal. Carrying .22’s and .380’s is woefully optimistic. .38 Special and 9mm Parabellum are the minimum.
3. It must be concealable. Steer clear of the fat butt 40 round supermag Service weapons and look for something slim.
Beware of the carry expert with big ideas and no experience.
ps. I haven't spoken to my wife in over three months. We're not fighting...I just don't like to interrupt.
“It doesn’t carry as well of course but it’s doable and 13 rounds of .45 acp from a Glock 21 is more than enough gun for pretty much any situation you might find yourself in.”
Sorry. He has friends.
You can’t assume anything about a firefight.
Remember McGurk’s Theorem............
If lots is good, then more is better and too much is just enough.
Always carry spare mags. You’re counting on 13 rounds that may be lost when the floor plate of your mag falls out. Something I have seen on the range too often.
Guns that are good for concealed carry are usually not much fun to shoot.
A lot depends on your body size and the way you typically dress.
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