Conceal Carry Preference (Vanity)

Me

[demshateGod]

Hi trusted Freepers,

Kansas recently passed a constitutional carry law. So someone I know wants to start carrying for protecting his family. He likes .40 S&W caliber because, well, it's superior to everything else in every way. He has a small frame .40 but it's a little too thick to carry comfortably (1.25"). In his search for a small .40 he's looking at either a Walther PPS or a M&P Shield. He has a few questions:

1. Does anyone know of anyone who has experience selling an 7-8 year old Taurus PT140? 2. How much should he ask for? 3. What is a good way to sale a pistol? 4. What are thoughts on PPS vs Shield? 5. He's looked at Slickguns, Cabela's, the local Sheels, etc. and there's a wide range in prices for these guns. What's a good/realistic price?

[Georgia Girl 2]

There are lots of good CC weapons. Sometimes it just comes down to personal preference. The XDS is a good one. S&W also makes a good weapon. Its probably a good idea to go t the gun range and try to demo a few before purchasing. That’s what we usually do.

[demshateGod]

Do you know anyone who’s had success selling on Armslist? My friend has a little concern with who might want to buy it.

[CrazyIvan]

And the original double action is still available.

[Pit1]

Second that gun. XDS.

[niteowl77]

I don't personally own one at present, but there's nothing wrong with the Smith & Wesson M&P Shield. I prefer a Beretta Nano due to the longer trigger pull (yeah, I'm the guy), but the Nano is still a 9mm only proposition. The drawback for either one is that the standard magazines do not have much more capacity than a revolver of comparable size.

While it is probably a bit thicker than what your friend is willing to put up with, The Beretta Px4 Storm Subcompact in .40 S&W is a little bulldog of a reduced-length semiauto that still manages to have a 10-round magazine. I stumbled into a Px4 Storm SC and ended up liking it a lot- so much so that I consider it one of the better handguns nobody seems to pay attention to.

Mr. niteowl77

[bk1000]

“Do you know anyone who’s had success selling on Armslist? My friend has a little concern with who might want to buy it.”

That is certainly a concern. A buyer would likewise question the history of his purchase. Like Craig’s list, there is no way to be certain who you are buying from or selling to. A local shop here takes guns on consignment, and that’s how I would sell. I bought once on armslist (BTTBA) and it was from a regular guy who just wanted to sell his gun. I feel sure most are like that just like most on Craig’s list are straight up.

[circlecity]

For a CC semi you can’t go wrong with a Ruger SR9c or a Glock 19. I used to carry a Glock 19 but I’ve converted to the Ruger SR9c. I just shoot it more accurately. Both are great guns though and chambered in 9 mm. I just don’t like .40 Cals and would go with a .45 acp before I would go to the .40.

[Jack Black]

The .40 is a good caliber, but it's not "the best". The .45 is larger harder hitting self defense round, the .44 Mag is far superior for defense against dangerous game. The .380 ACP can be chambered in a much smaller gun, etc. Horses for courses.

Still the 9mm and .40 S&W are two of the most popular calibers for concealed carry self-defense pistols. My take is that in a full size or mid sized gun the .40 is a great choice, but as you move down to smaller guns the .9mm starts to be the better choice. In my experience, and as recounted on various gun boards, when you have very small pistols the .40 presents both a lot of recoil and more reliability issues than the same guns in 9mm. If I were looking at something the size of the PPS your friend is, I think I would go for the 9mm version.

Among the many excellent ultra-compact 9mm / 40S&W pistols my favoite is the Beretta Nano. It's a bit smaller than the PPS.

The Nano is pictured on top of the Walther.

And as much as I like it, I still find I carry my Walther PPK/S more. However, I understand that they are no longer making PPK/S pistols.

[circlecity]

"Do you know anyone who’s had success selling on Armslist? My friend has a little concern with who might want to buy it."

I have had great success with Armslist. When selling I require that the buyer show a driver's license and an Indiana CCW. I always provide both to the seller when buying. I also require a signed sales receipt with a copy for the buyer and seller.

[Jack Black]

As for "best" cartridge and gun, I'd go for my Delta Elite in 10mm.

[Bryanw92]

>>We all have to have our irrational dogmas.

I agree with that, but the .40 S&W as superior is the most irrrational ever!

It is round created as a compromise in the wake of a string of bad decisions:

1) the idea that the .38 is not a manstopper, so cops needed more capacity>>cops move to 9mm.

2) They decided that 9mm required a hollow-point AND that heavy = better, so they got a heavy JHP that operated at a low velocity so they discovered that the 9mm JHP was not a good manstopper because the low velocity caused it to fail to expand.

3) “Smart” people in the FBI decided that the .45ACP was an “old” caliber and they needed to spend money developing something new and sexy. So, we got the 10mm.

4) The 10mm is a bad-ass round, so most FBI agents and many cops could not handle it. So, they cut the case length and powder charge down and kept the 10mm bullet but at a much lower velocity.

5) And that is how the .40 Short & Weak came to be...not because it is short and weak, but because it was designed for the short and weak.

It’s not superior at everything or really at anything, but it is the best that many committees of government “deciders” could come up with.

[aviator]

I have a .40 Shield and really like it. I can shoot it more accurately than any other pistol I’ve tried.

[bk1000]

“I have a .40 Shield and really like it. I can shoot it more accurately than any other pistol I’ve tried.”

I have one of those, too, and like it a lot. I was reading an article the other day that claims the .40 is all but dead due to more than adequate new 9mm offerings. They say the .40 can over penetrate, while the 9 will expand nicely to about the same size, and can be reliably fired from a smaller carry pistol, with much of the extra ‘umpfh’ from the .40 being lost with a shorter barrel. While I do like my Shield, I am considering one of the new 9’s just to be a bit more compact.