Gun for conceal / carry

callmeBAM

There are so many options I am seeking all of the input I can get.

1) Revolver or semi-auto pistol?
2) Caliber?
3) Brands?

So, I plan to carry some, so I want it to be easily hidden and comfortable. I am a pretty good shot, so I'm guessing caliber isn't too important? I mean, I don't want a .22 or anything, but a .357 might be overkill.
I also want something easy to disassemble and clean. My Ruger Mark III was a ***** to work with because of all of it's "safety" features. That's why I sold it last year.

Thanks to all of you for the help. I am building a Google Doc from conversations had here, on facebook, email, in person, etc so I can really narrow it down to 3-4 guns so I'm not stabbing in the dark when I go shopping.

callmeBAM

Some guns that have been suggested so far:

Springfield XDM
Walther P99
S&W M&P
Sig Sauer P229
H&K 45
Glock 19

jfan175

Taurus Millenium Pro. Fits in a pocket holster but still hold 12 rounds. 9mm because the ammo's less expensive. I wouldn't go smaller than that.

I'm really liking the Beretta PX4 for a larger piece.

callmeBAM

Taurus Millenium Pro. Fits in a pocket holster but still hold 12 rounds. 9mm because the ammo's less expensive. I wouldn't go smaller than that.

I'm really liking the Beretta PX4 for a larger piece.

Thanks! Added to my list. Yeah, I hear a lot of people recommend 9mm for that reason.

digitalbill

Some things to consider:
1: Revolvers never fail but, you are limited to the number of rounds and they are bulky
2: Semi Automatics are sleek and easy to carry. Up to 15 rounds but, can(will) jam and you have to carry one in the chamber to be fast
3: While large caliber firearms are a "people stopper", you also have to consider the fact that there is a pretty good chance you will miss your first shot. If you have never shot a human before, it is nothing like what you see on Television. You need to consider how much damage that heavy round will do to the kid three blocks away.

You said you don't want to carry a .22
How come you have eliminated it?

Rocbola

The best one is the one you will carry.

Find one that is:
Reliable
Not too big/heavy/bulky
fits comfortably in your hand
doesn't have any levers or anything to snag when you draw
one that is worn/concealed comfortably
Something you can aim and shoot comfortably. (everybody seems to think that the bigger the caliber, the better the gun. Be honest with yourself. If you don't shoot a tight fast group with a .45, there is no shame in a 9mm. Get the RIGHT GUN FOR YOU)

There is a lot of debate about caliber/semi or revolver/ etc but ultimately it comes down to personal preference. I am a bigger guy, and i found an awesome IWB holster, (crossbreed holsters) so i usually go with my mid-size semi-auto.

callmeBAM

You said you don't want to carry a .22
How come you have eliminated it?

thanks for all the info (I didn't quote), very helpful and good points.

Why not a 22... i'm open minded, convince me! :P
maybe a 22 would be good to carry as a secondary firearm, or in certain situations. I wouldn't want it for home defense though. right?

I also carry for self defense in the wild. I have shot my fair share of big snakes due to the nature of my occupation.

Have you seen the... I think it's the Smith and Wesson Governor? It's a pistol that can fire .410 shot! I really should get one of those for the snakes

Rocbola

Some guns that have been suggested so far:

Springfield XDM
Walther P99
S&W M&P
Sig Sauer P229
H&K 45
Glock 19

I like them all! Try finding a local gun shop that rents guns, or a friend who owns one, so you can try each one out.

callmeBAM

Something you can aim and shoot comfortably. (everybody seems to think that the bigger the caliber, the better the gun. Be honest with yourself. If you don't shoot a tight fast group with a .45, there is no shame in a 9mm. Get the RIGHT GUN FOR YOU)

I have a lot of ligament and joint damage in both hands from cage fighting... ok, softball, basketball... but still I have weakened hands unfortunately. So that is good to consider.

I did my CC training with my dad's S&W .38 Special from the 70's. It was a lot for me to handle after 40 rounds. My hand was worn out.

greenbubblegum

I'm fond of my Smith & Wesson M&P Compact. (40 cal)
It fits my small girly hand.

Rocbola

You said you don't want to carry a .22
How come you have eliminated it?

thanks for all the info (I didn't quote), very helpful and good points.

Why not a 22... i'm open minded, convince me! :P
maybe a 22 would be good to carry as a secondary firearm, or in certain situations. I wouldn't want it for home defense though. right?

I also carry for self defense in the wild. I have shot my fair share of big snakes due to the nature of my occupation.

Have you seen the... I think it's the Smith and Wesson Governor? It's a pistol that can fire .410 shot! I really should get one of those for the snakes

The judge! I was thinking that would be a good snake gun, too! And a good home defense gun to keep around.

A 22 can be a nice pocket gun. Easy to conceal in the summer when you are riding your bike or jogging, and don't want all that weight.

Defense in the wild: skip the 22.

lauleipop

Kel Tec p3at or p32
Glock 19

The Kel Tec p3at is what I've started carrying when I run.

_Stampede_

I absolutely love my Gen3 G19. Reliable, accurate, easy as hell to clean and maintain.

travisseger

I normally carry my S&W Model 642 Airweight .38.

It's extremely light - it doesn't even feel like I'm carrying - and I like the reliability of a revolver. Hopefully, I'll never have to use it in self-defense, but if I do, I like knowing that it's going to fire. There's always the chance that a semi-auto is going to jam.

callmeBAM

I normally carry my S&W Model 642 Airweight .38.

It's extremely light - it doesn't even feel like I'm carrying - and I like the reliability of a revolver. Hopefully, I'll never have to use it in self-defense, but if I do, I like knowing that it's going to fire. There's always the chance that a semi-auto is going to jam.

the airweight, that has the concealed hammer right?

callmeBAM

I absolutely love my Gen3 G19. Reliable, accurate, easy as hell to clean and maintain.

You are the second person to explicitly say the GEN 3 (as opposed to Gen 4) ... maybe can find one used...

digitalbill

You said you don't want to carry a .22
How come you have eliminated it?

thanks for all the info (I didn't quote), very helpful and good points.

Why not a 22... i'm open minded, convince me! :P
maybe a 22 would be good to carry as a secondary firearm, or in certain situations. I wouldn't want it for home defense though. right?

I also carry for self defense in the wild. I have shot my fair share of big snakes due to the nature of my occupation.

Have you seen the... I think it's the Smith and Wesson Governor? It's a pistol that can fire .410 shot! I really should get one of those for the snakes

Hello Bam.
Personally, I carry 1 small (pocket) .22 at all times. I like it because
1: It is smaller then my cell phone easy to conceal)
2: It is a revolver (never fails)
3: it is still a people stopper.
My only complaint with it is that it is a bit difficult to shoot because of the small size. As I mentioned, I carry it EVERYWHERE including places that I could not physically carry something bigger (like the beach or bike riding or work).
Many people will tell you that the .22 does not have enough stopping power and, if we were in Iraq, I would agree however, from 5-7 feet away, it WILL kill a human.
Now, in case you are wondering, I also carry a full size 9MM when I am able to. My complaint with that one is that it is a physically large weapon and therefore I have to pre-plan what clothing I am going to be wearing before I can carry that one. I could have gone with a compact but, the larger frame is easier for me to shoot.
And finally, I have my Fathers old .357 police special that I keep in the car. That is almost impossible to carry without being obvious.
The .357 is also my first line home defense weapon (I don't leave it in the car). My logic with that is that at 3:00 in the mornijg, even if my first shot misses a bad guy, hopefully the 4 ft flame from the Magnum will convince him that he should find a softer target and quite honestly, if I have not hit the guy within six shots, I might want to consider getting a claymore mine or something for the doorway.
You mentioned a pistol for the woods also.
My Father owns a "Judge" which shoots either a .45 or a .410
That seems like a perfect woods gun for me. You can get snakeshot for the .45 and either keep slugs or buckshot for the .410 rounds.
Also, you can get shakeshot for the .357 and the .22 either in long (which I carry) or for the .22 Magnum.
I am not sure if you can get it for the 9mm or not.

_Stampede_

I absolutely love my Gen3 G19. Reliable, accurate, easy as hell to clean and maintain.

You are the second person to explicitly say the GEN 3 (as opposed to Gen 4) ... maybe can find one used...

I own a Gen4 G22 and while I like shooting it, the grip and function of the 3 just feels better. I bought mine used 6 years ago for 400 bucks.

JennaM222

LOVE GUNSSS!!

Fave to shoot - AR15

digitalbill

LOVE GUNSSS!!

Fave to shoot - AR15

Jenna,
The AR-15/M-16 is really hard to conceal.

JustJennie1

Big gun fan here.

I have a .38 that I haven't shot yet. My husband has a Taurus Ultralight .38 which is very light and comfortable to wear (I've worn it when I walked the dog). I agree that a .38 is a bit more reliable than a semi-automatic as far as misfiring goes however I have had misfires with a .38. With ours we typically keep one chamber empty so there are no "accidental" firings.

*sigh* Now I want to go take all my guns to a shooting range and just open fire. There is nothing like the sound of gun fire and the smell of gun powder.

GauchoMark

for home defense - a shotgun. period.

For carry? The options are endless. I have a Glock 22 (40 S&W) and I love it, but I think it is too big for everyday carry. Perfect for wearing on a thigh holster! For everyday, I would get a Glock 27 and shoot it enough to get proficient. I was never a Glock fan until I owned one. There are plenty of other handguns that are awesome, pretty, cool, etc., but for trusting my life with when I need it to work and being accurate, the Glock is pretty much unbeatable (compared to other semi's).

The main thing is to get something you are comfortable with carrying and can shoot well.

Side note, I read recently that more people are killed with .22 rounds than any other rounds. Just food for thought.

PittShkr

Walther PPS nice slim 9mm easy to conceal/carry!


Extremely reliable!

Cyngen

My primary carry is a Springfield XDM 9mm 3.8" and my backup / summer carry is a Ruger LC9 9mm.

My XDM is an outside the waistband holster carry while the Ruger is an inside the waistband carry.

It's not what we like or use, but what you will feel best using. Try them if you can, if you have friends with one that you like, have them give you a chance to shoot it. How does it feel in your hands and so on.

Sox90716

I carry the Glock 33 for a back-up weapon.

stephenglover

S&W 38 revolver will never fail you on reliability.S&W .380 Bodyguard for compact carry. I have it on most everday and you never no, has a pretty hard trigger pull that needs adjusting out of the box.

The Judge does sound more like what you want though as stated above you can get something for a snake type shot or a single large shot.

Go out and shoot, get something comfortable for you, my wife carry's the 38 revolver for trouble free shooting, while having accuracy and confidence.

PittShkr

wjkirby

I carry a Taurus PT109 Slim 9mm and my wife carries a S&W Body Guard 380 with a laser. I like her little gun but it's too small for my hand really. I'm not crazy about my Taurus and have been thinking about getting something else. It carries well, light and small but it jams a lot during target practice. Not something I want happening when I really need it.

victoria4321

I'm so jealous You can't carry a gun in NYC :sad:

RipperSB

Some guns that have been suggested so far:

Springfield XDM
Walther P99
S&W M&P
Sig Sauer P229
H&K 45
Glock 19

Guns, like guitars, come down to what is right for you so I would echo the other comments here about shooting all the ones you are interested in and find that one (or two) that you are really happy with... having said that...

Love the Sig... used by Canadian Special Forces, British SAS and waaaaaay too many US agencies to list here. P229 is avail in .22 LR, 9 mm or .357 Sig as well as .40 S & W .

PittShkr

Some guns that have been suggested so far:

Springfield XDM
Walther P99
S&W M&P
Sig Sauer P229
H&K 45
Glock 19

If you want to dump some loot on an excellent one check out the HK USP compact.... its sexy!