Gun for conceal / carry

Wow there is some horrible advice in this thread

From loading your shotgun with multiple types of rounds to revolvers never fail

I like the Sig P229 but it can be quite bulky in the summer, but if you can afford one try it!
Check out the FN FNP9, I got a screaming deal on one and its a bit easier to carry, never had a problem with it
Also check out some 1911s

Revolvers never fail.
Rounds fail to go off and I suppose that there might be some Tiwanese junk ot there that has hammers falling off but, if it were MY life on the line, I will take a revolver.
As a matter of fact, I DO take a revolver.
The advise is not horrible by any means.
And also, there is nothing wrong with loading your shotgun with different types of rounds. My 12 gauge is loaded with birdshot as the first round and slugs for the rest and there is a very logical reason for it.

i also have never been really big on shotguns for home defense. exp the people that load them with the home defense 3 in rounds i just think this packs a little to much punch then i would be comfortable firing with my 3 year old sleeping in any close range. also the recoil was always a problem to me the best shooter can miss under pressure in a chaos like setting while aiming at another human being and just waking up from a dead sleep. and its way easier to get a handgun back on target imo im sure a lot of other people would rather have that extra punch. im content with a handgun that fits well to me that is simple to operate and reload. also loaded with hollow points. to try and minimize collateral damage. but if u have someone breaking in and they hear that distinct racking of a shotgun most people would split lol

i also shake my head at this alot. the people that tell me they use their ar15s for home defense
don't get me wrong i love the weapon system and platform it did carry me home from a few combat zones ill forever be indebted to it.
but would not want to be firing it in a house with my child. i have seen first hand the crazy trajectories of entry/exit wounds

I agree with opening fire in the house being a danger.
My first round in the 12 is birdshot and that is fhr the exact reasons you mentioned.
I am well aware that waking up from a dead sleep is not going to make you an expert shot.
The birdshot has a pretty good chance of hitting it's target without penetrating walls.
While it won't kill the attacker, it will hopefully slow him down for that one second or give him pause. If he is still advancing, well, I should be wide awake by that time.

just curious: Why would a person feel the need to carry a concealed weapon? It's such a foreign concept to me. I realize that people will probably be upset by my questioning it but I just do not get it.

Do you fear attack all the time?

No I do not fear attack......Because I do carry!
I was attacked by an Idiot with an Axe handle in a public location and to this day am not sure of the reason other than mistaken Identity and drug usage. I can tell you that you cant always depend on others to come to your aide. I had a "friend" with me who Froze and never got out of the truck! I have better / more dependable friends now and a concealed carry permit!!!!
What I choose to carry depends on my activity and how I will be dressed. For running, walking or lightly dressed I carry a Kel-tec P3AT with a pocket clip attached. For less activity, more clothed I choose the Kahr CW40 or CM9.
The fool with the axe handle beat his wife in public (about 2 miles away) the next week and injured 2 officers before being detained and sent back to prison. If I had been legally armed at the time of my incident it may have saved the others from harm....

What state do you live in? Does depend a bit for what size/caliber/type you can carry

This is what I carry, a little Taurus snub nose 38 special. It's light, holds five and packs a punch.

This is essentially like the Lady Rossi .38 I picked up yesterday. Shot it for the first time. Really fun. It's too small for my boyfriend though...

This is what I carry, a little Taurus snub nose 38 special. It's light, holds five and packs a punch.

This is essentially like the Lady Rossi .38 I picked up yesterday. Shot it for the first time. Really fun. It's too small for my boyfriend though...

I almost bought that gun, but went with a S&W.

Why would you carry? Why do you feel the need?

I used to travel for work. I'd rather have a weapon and know I have a chance than no chance at all.

Gotta agree with others. Walther PPS 9mm is light and accurate. I love this gun. Also, Kimber Solo 9mm is pretty nice, too. Very accurate.

My fave to shoot is a 357 S&W, but too heavy to conceal. A 22 is a great concealed carry weapon because it can do a lot of damage to a person at close range (which is where you are in self defense) and is LESS likely to hurt an innocent by-stander who may be somewhere behind the "bad guy." It is not the gun you would take camping (you'd just tick off a bear), but if you are looking for self defense type gun, you can't go too far wrong with a 22.

I'll throw my two cents in as someone who carries 99% of the time. I have two that I carry. Ruger .38 LCR and a Ruger SR9C. I prefer the SR9C because it does have a safety, and well, I'd rather be REALLY damn sure I need to shoot someone. It's a simple thumb safety so I can draw and have the safety off as I'm getting into a firing position. Also, it can hold a maximum of 17 rounds in the magazine (which is legal in Florida, along with the 1 in the chamber. It's light, it's reliable, it's easy to clean and maintain (in my opinion). The .38 LCR is exactly what you think it would be, a small, light, never failing .38. In my opinion you couldn't go wrong with either one.

Though, like everyone else has said, get out there, shoot everything you can get your hands on, and then pick what works best for you!

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

I carry a .380 Bersa Thunder, In my opinion I would go with a minimum of .380 caliber, something that you can conceal easily but still packs enough power. I also have a Taurus 709 slim 9mm . as far as revolvers, ive never owned one so im partial to semi-automatics

I am considering getting a conceal/carry gun (which seems to me to have distinctly different needs than an open carry that I might carry out in the wilderness somewhere). I have not gotten one yet, but there are a couple that are intriguing that I am considering. The points I'm keeping in mind:

- If I can't conceal it easily I won't carry it, and it won't do me any good.
- If I don't shoot it - often - it's liable to not be helpful if it's needed, and could be worse than not having one.
- For any gun in the house, everybody in the house has to know how to use it and actually be semi-proficient - for safety reasons if nothing else. (I have an uncle who was accidentally shot as a kid.) As such, they have to be able to handle it as well - youngest & smallest is 12 year old daughter.
- It has to be both affordable and reliable.
- In Texas there are two "versions" of conceal/carry. If you qualify with a revolver, you can only carry a revolver. If you qualify with a semi-auto, you can carry either a revolver or a semi-auto.

With that said, there are two guns that I'm considering strongly (though I will have to read the rest of this post to see if I should expand my sights). Both of them have single-wide clips, so they hold 7-8 shells. I'm willing to carry an extra clip - and if I can't be done in 14 shots, I'm probably toast anyway. :laugh: Still, if it's important to you to have more shots before you have to reload, neither of these would be your weapon.

The Kel-Tec PF9 is a gun my dad has. I had a chance to go shoot it a few months back, and I found it to be quite accurate and easy to use (within the limitations of its size). It's also very small and easy to conceal carry. It is a 9mm weapon designed as a light, flat conceal carry weapon.

The other one I'm considering is a Smith and Wesson M&P Shield - a fairly new offering from S&W that is also designed as a light, thin conceal carry weapon. It is available as either a 9 mm or .40 weapon. (The 9mm version has both a 7 and 8 round clip, while the .40 has both a 6 and a 7 round clip.) It is a little heavier than the Kel-Tec - 19.0 ounces w/o clip versus the 12.7 for the Kel-Tec. The extra weight comes from a slightly thicker and slightly taller frame - though it has the same length barrel.

FWIW.

I open carry a Beretta 92FS 9mm, its definitely not a conceal gun. But i've put about 1500 rounds into it and have only jammed once with a ****ty brand of ammo. Accurate as hell indoors and out. The dream gun i'd like to own one day is a custom carry kimber .45.

This is what I carry, a little Taurus snub nose 38 special. It's light, holds five and packs a punch.

This is essentially like the Lady Rossi .38 I picked up yesterday. Shot it for the first time. Really fun. It's too small for my boyfriend though...

TIMING...Geez!

I almost bought that gun, but went with a S&W.

So what changed your mind? I'm just test driving at the moment, haven't actually decided to keep it yet. I need to try it out a bit more, as I only had time to shoot two rounds yesterday which wasn't enough to really determine if it's a keeper. Though it felt great and had a nice smooth action with just the right amount of kick.

It was timimng actually. Nothing at all wrong with the Taurus. The one thing I would mention about these two guns....If you are planning to do alot of target shooting, the gun heats up really fast. By the time I had shot 100 rounds with my S&W, I had a blood blister on my thumb. So for target shooting, I borrow my hubby's gun - it's also a .38 revolver (old police service gun of his fathers) but with a 4" barrell. Didn't have the problem with his gun.

Bump for later