Question for you who own Hand Guns

cowgirlashlee

I regularly conceal carry, since I go to college in a rather shady neighborhood. My gun of choice right now is a 9mm, and I absolutely love it. I own a conceal carry purse, and it fits quite well into my CC holster in there.

However, my gun prior to this one (still own it as well) was a 380 revolver, and it shoots like a dream, just kicked a little more than I expected at first.

Everyone that has suggested going to the range and trying a few to figure out what is going to work the best for you has definitely said it well I tried out several guns before settling on the two I currently have. I carry the 9mm now because I like having an extra clip, just in case. It was a little more difficult to carry a box of shells with me for the 380 without drawing a little attention with the shaking noise that they made as I walked. It's definitely a preference thing, and whatever you pick, I hope you enjoy.

ForeverIrish

I have my carry permit. I thought my Glock 19 was a great carry gun. I did get rid of it, but I did like it. I prefer my Springfield XDM, but it's a little large to carry.

Don't carry a .22 pistol. I had a Sig Sauer Mosquito. If you shoot someone with it, you'll just piss them off.

still_crafty

My current and ongoing love is our Glock 19(3rd gen). Just a very capable gun. I could rip clips through this bad boy all day.

I love anything made by Sig Sauer. Their guns feel like heaven in my hands.

You really can't go wrong with a good old 1911.

:flowerforyou: marry me?

seriously though, the Glock 19 for sure.

WingMan380

I carry every day. Like some others said, buying a gun is like buying a car, ya gotta test drive it!! Don't get hung up on caliber, if I shoot you with a .380 you will be as dead as if I shot you with a .45. My experience is people who insist on carrying a large caliber weapon are making up for short commings with their "other" weapon.

Dawnhasajeep

I have a Taurus .380 for my conceled its small so women tend like it. Also I have a Rugar .22 and P345 and a few others.

But you really need to go look and hold a lot of them see how they feel in your hand and if you like the lay out. See how easy is it to turn off the safety and such. If any other the guys you work with have them see if you can go to the range try theirs out see if you like them.

Dawnhasajeep

Get a pink one!

I LOVE my pink guns and they shoot just as well as any other gun.

Dawnhasajeep

Don't carry a .22 pistol. I had a Sig Sauer Mosquito. If you shoot someone with it, you'll just piss them off.

I disagree a .22 between the eyes will kill someone the same as any other caliber.

wareagle8706

Definitely depends on what your job is. I carry a .38 special 5 round revolver but it's hammer-less. This works well for me to have it in my purse in case i need to pull it out I don't run the risk of the hammer getting hung up on anything.

It's difficult to answer your question since we aren't sure what your job is. But if I had to take a stab in the dark I'd say a 9mm or a 45 of some sort.

warmachinejt

five seven

PeachyPlum

I concur with what many others have said. Go to the range, try out as many firearms as it takes until you find the right fit. I wouldn't buy anything without sending 100 or so rounds downrange first.

Heather_Rider

I have a CCP and i LOVE my .45 Kimber, but they are quite pricy. I paid ovedr 2K for it... You can get a nice Remmington .45 cal for like $700. (i also own one of those) I would not suggest carrying anything less than a .45

staps065

I agree with a lot of the posters; go to a range where you can rent and try a few. I also agree that either a .40, .45 or 9MM would be my preference for a duty weapon. I own, Glock, Taurus and Ruger; all very dependable and have different applications. I carry a .380 for ease of concealment but like the .45 or 9MM for accuracy (I have big hands!)

chuckyp

If this is a "duty" type gun, you want a full size frame in a serious caliber. Nothing smaller than 9mm or the .38 Special that you have now. A larger frame gun has more ammo capacity and a larger sight radius (distance between front and rear sights that allows for more accurate shooting). 9mm, .40 caliber, and .45 caliber are all good choices and are similarly effective rounds with modern ammunition.

As many have said, the specific gun is a personal choice, but I would stick to well-known reliable brands like Glock, Sig-Sauer, HK, Springfield, Beretta, etc... Also as someone else has said, don't spend $700 on a nice pistol and then carry it in a $19 nylon piece of **** holster. Spend the money on a good solid professional belt and holster that has retention features in the event you end up fighting with someone who is trying to get your gun out of your holster.

Also make sure to check with your employer to see if they have a firearm policy that specifies required or prohibited features on the guns you carry for work. They may require certain brands, calibers, double action only actions, external safeties/decockers, trigger pull weights, etc... If they don't specify, they you are going to have to decide what features you want or need and train with it until you can use those features safely and reflexively.

Drenched_N_Motivation

I have a CCP and i LOVE my .45 Kimber, but they are quite pricy. I paid ovedr 2K for it... You can get a nice Remmington .45 cal for like $700. (i also own one of those) I would not suggest carrying anything less than a .45

Why should he not carry anything less than a .45? So he can completly blow someones head off instead of just killing them? The dude is an inexperienced shooter(why he has a job where he has to carry without experience is another story) He needs nothing more than a 9mm for whatever his job might be.

swordsmith

My wife's suggestion was a Walther PPK aka one of the guns that James Bond used.

In a word- no.

Do not go lower then a 9mm or 38+P for a round.

If you are transporting money then anyone who is going to hit you will be packed for bear. You will need decent rounds- if you go revolver dont go lower then a 38 (I would suggest 357). For a semi dont go lower then a 9mm.

Invest in high quality defensive rounds (how much is your life worth?) Use ball ammo of the same grain to practice with.

Go to the range if you can and practice. The four base methods are standard defensive response (two to the chest), immediate stop (one to the head), delayed stop (two to chest and one to head) and body armor (4 rounds across the pelvis). FOr head shots you are going for the triangle formed by the eyes and mouth- that is the weakest area of the skull. If/when you can practice I would spend some time on head shots and body armor shots- because god forbid someone hits you but if they do it is almost a guarantee they will have body armor for a high risk attack like that.

If your company allows you too- carry a fooking carbine either in the truck or on your body.

nascarted10

I love my 9 mm Ruger SR9 personally. For concealed I carry a Ruger LPC .380. It is all about preference. Go to a range, rent a few or shoot a few with friends then make your choice.

tcbutler

I carry a Dept. issued Glock 37 .45 G.A.P. at work and off duty a Glock 27 .40 cal., although thinking about getting something a little more concealable.

ScottyNoHotty

What are you carrying for? How much do you want to spend? Everybody says " Buy a glock" Personally, I don;t like the way the grip feels, too upright for me. Tell us what your purpose for carrying is, then we can steer you in the right direction. I own or have owned: Glocks, Rugers, Kel-tecs, Bersas, Taurus, and Springfield handguns. I am a competitive shooter in IDPA, USPSA, and tactical 3 gun.

ScottyNoHotty

Dont try and get fancy. Get a standard issue 9mm Glock.

What is a "Standard Issue"? Go back to playing Call of Duty.....

ForeverIrish

Don't carry a .22 pistol. I had a Sig Sauer Mosquito. If you shoot someone with it, you'll just piss them off.

I disagree a .22 between the eyes will kill someone the same as any other caliber.

You can disagree all you want, but statistics have proven that police, who are trained to shoot in high stress situations, often miss their targets when confronted with a life threatening situation. A .22 is a great handgun, but for me, if I'm confronted with a situation that may result in the loss of life of my family or myself, I'm going for something with more stopping power than a .22. Trying to hit someone 'between the eyes' when I have hands that are shaking and adrenaline is coursing through my veins may be a tall order. I'm impressed that you have the nerves of steel necessary to do this.

brett1117

I'm a police officer. Department issues Sig P229(12 round +1) . I also carry Springfield XDM40 sub compact pistol, as my back up weapon. If THAT doesn't work then i have an AR15 rifle ) LOVE my rifle

ForeverIrish

I'm a police officer. Department issues Sig P229(12 round +1) . I also carry Springfield XDM40 sub compact pistol, as my back up weapon. If THAT doesn't work then i have an AR15 rifle ) LOVE my rifle

I've got the XDM 45. Love it--easy to clean, fun to shoot. I'd like to get rid of my Springfield 1911 A1.

Easywider

Personally the only thing I like about a .38 special is when it's a wheelgun .357 that accepts .38's for cheap range time.

I'm unimpressed with the ballistics/recoil ratio of the round and the limited muzzle velocity.

If this is a duty pistol...I suggest something cheap and reliable, and you really cant go wrong with a glock. a G30SF makes a nice 10 round .45acp, but not everyone can control a .45 with accuracy and sound followup shots. Thus the G27 .40 would be a happy medium.

Springfield, HK, S&W, F&H, ect make their own poly frame variants but for the price and simplicity of the glock I just don't think there is a better option for a service sidearm. You can have a lightly used G27 for under 400 shipped and taxed any day of the week.

digitalbill

Thank you all. i'll take all your suggestions into consideration. Especially the one about testing out guns first. Especially since most of you are suggesting guns with clips and not sure if i would like that better then a revolver or not.
Thank you all again.
BTW my job is an armed guard for a security company that transports money for financial institutions and the federal reserve/mint here in the upper midwest.

If I was doing your exact job, my primary would be a .357 Magnum. I would absolutly use the Magnum rounds and not the .38 rounds. Go to the range and pratice, pratice, pratice.
There is a HUGE difference between the .38 and the.357 even when fired from the same weapon.
As a backup, I would carry a 9MM.
The reason I have selected this configuration is:

1: No need to hide the weapon. You will be carrying on your hip and the revolver will not jam up or fail on you.
2: The .357 has a LOT of stopping power.

3: The downfall of the revolver is the reload time. Now, my Father can reload a revolver using speed loaders as fast as I can reload a semi auto however, he has been doing this forever. It still takes me a full six seconds to empty and reload the revolver.

4: That brings us to the 9MM. Just in case the gunfight lasts longer then six rounds, you can fall back and draw the 9MM and continue the fight if needed.