What is your preferred concealed-carry gun, and why?

In My Humble Opinion
1

I will receive my concealed handgun permit soon, and I am trying to figure out exactly what gun to buy. I have a couple of guns that are fun to shoot but not suitable for concealed carry (a Ruger .22 and a Glock 19 9mm).

I am interested in reading about what my fellow dopers carry and why they chose that specific gun. Details about caliber, action and safeties are of particular interest to me.

The only thread I found that touched on this was this one, which contained some good information and opinions but which didn’t ask exactly what I’m asking.

So, what do you carry, and why that particular gun? Thanks.

2

Haven’t carried in a while, but when I do, it is my 25 year old Taurus PT-99 (9mm). Because it is the most reliable gun I own. It simply doesn’t fail. Carried it open carry for the two years I worked armed security.

3

I usually carry my Ruger LCP in a pocket holster. It easily fits into a front pants pocket or a jacket pocket. In a back pocket, it looks like a wallet.

4

I’m perplexed why you claim the Glock 19 isn’t suitable for CCW. It’s probably one of the most popular handguns made for that purpose. A Glock 17, I’d agree with you, though you can dress around it, but a 19 should be small enough to pull off. Especially with a good holster—not that you weren’t going to use one with a Glock anyway—and belt. I suppose if you like the Glock grip feel, then the 26 might be up your alley. Add +0 or +1 extensions to the mags if you don’t like the three-finger grip thing.

I have a Glock 30. It’s a perfectly serviceable tool and I’ve yet to have a failure with it. Accurate enough. You’re not going to be bullseye shooting with it, but the pistol’s still more accurate than I am. If you can’t shoot a possible with it on the Texas CHL qualifier, it’s your fault, not the pistol’s. The lack of manual safety doesn’t bug me. It does bug other people. If you carry it in a good holster with good retention, and don’t touch the trigger until ready to shoot, you’re good to go. I’ve finally figured out what Glock fans are talking about when they rave about its trigger reset. I find it makes it a lot easier to shoot faster, more accurately. Size-wise, the 30’s between the 19 and 26. The wide slide is supposed to make it more difficult to conceal, but I haven’t found it to be an issue. I guess you could get one of the S models. Or hold out for the new Glock 42, which is supposed to be a single-stack .380 ACP, a la the S&W Bodyguard, Kahr P380, etc…

I’ve a friend with the Kahr, and it is truly dinky. Like, fit into your palm, small. Enjoy spending the 500 rounds to break it in and figuring out what it will and will not run on though. At the end of it, it’s still a .380. Better than nothing. It’s striker fired, like the Glocks, with a very long trigger pull. Surprisingly accurate, and not that unpleasant to fire, especially compared to a snub-nose .38/.357 revolver. If you’re bound and determined to make your CCW a tiny pistol, this site has a load of reviews and data on them.

Any of the 9mm/.40/.45 family with proper ammunition will work as well as any of the others. Which is to say, not as well as a rifle or shotgun with buckshot. Shoot the one you’re most comfortable with. What’s “Proper ammunition?” This FAQ from Ar15.com will help answer that. I use the Federal HST in mine. Groups well, recoil isn’t that much more onerous than WWB, quite a bit of muzzle flash though.

Do you plan on practicing a lot with it, going to the range frequently? That’d be helpful if you were thinking of something with a somewhat complicated manual of arms (1911, the various things the H&K USP lever does, etc…) Or even for choosing a semi-automatic at all. All semis will fail (knock on wood) and you need to know what to do when it happens. That comes with practice.

What we did for my GF was go to a range that had an ‘as many pistols as you want to shoot’ rental fee, and tried out a bunch of pistols. So much of choosing a pistol has to do with feel, and you can’t get feel from a computer screen.

5

A Glock 19 is a compact, it isn’t entirely unsuitable for concealed carry, many people do so. If you’re comfortable shooting it it’s a consideration. Have you tried any holsters for it?

6

I don’t often carry off duty but when I do its usually my Glock 27. It is a little bulky for me and I’m thinking about getting something smaller. Especially for the summer.

7

These days I’m mostly using a Sig P938. I’ll switch off to the P238 on occasion. If mode of dress permits I’ll use a Para 45 CCO with the LDA trigger.

8

Thanks for the replies.

I should not have lumped the Glock 19 with my Ruger .22 as “unsuitable” for concealed carry. The Glock 19 is at the large and heavy end of the scale in terms of what I would prefer to carry. I know lots of people carry it; I would prefer smaller and lighter if I can find one I can shoot well. I have held but not shot a Glock 26, which I need to try out as it is smaller and lighter than the 19.

9

When? Why? What am I wearing? Where am I going?

ARMY = big heavy rifle, or big assed .45.

.25 Berrata in High school.

Anything with over a 4" barrel is IMO not a CC weapon, I open carry a .44 Mag 8" barrel or similar types out in the open & real easy to get to because I am in bear country.

Today, mostly a .38 short hammerless breakover from the early part of the 20th century, or a .380 semi, or a 9mm S&W stainless semi if I feel I might need that much fire power. That does not happen often as I am old now & don’t go to those places anymore. Bawahahaha

Best CC weapon I have is between my ears.

10

Like I posted in the thread you linked. Beretta 9000S is a solid .40 gun. I prefer having a separate safety just for my own comfort. I’m looking for the right 9mm at the right price but that’s just a when I stumble on it kind of search.

Many people spend weeks researching the right weapon and not nearly enough time looking for the right holster to carry it in. Start giving that some thought now, most of the good ones will be available for the gun you ultimately decide on.

11

5-shot S&W .38 with sticky Uncle Mike grips, loaded with MagSafe ammo, mostly. It’s small enough that it isn’t a chore to carry, is jam proof, easy to clear a misfire, and about as simple to operate as a gun can be. The MagSafe ammo helps make up for the anemic .38 performance. If 5 shots won’t get me out of trouble, it’ll make them keep their heads down while I run away. It’s accurate enough at 20 feet, and further than that, the bad guys will have trouble hitting me while I run away.

When a new James Bond movie comes out, I put my PPK in my pocket, because, hey, 007.

12

Most everyone who is knowledgeable about handguns knows the ammunition is far more important than the gun.

For many years The Mossad used .22’s because they could use 22 Magnum ammunition and they could modify the bullets so they were highly similar to hollow point. How could you want anything more than that?

The reason The Mossad chose the .22 was because it didn’t make much noise, it had little recoil and it was fairly easy to conceal.

But that was back in the 70s and handguns have evolved a huge amount since then.

But, for versatility, it’s hard to beat the .357 magnum. I once saw a beautiful kit with 3 diff barrels (all diff lengths). You can use regular .38 ammo or .357 Magnum ammo in a .357. Good to kill a human and good to kill a truck. That is quite a range.

I would think your choice should depend largely on your primary goal. Is it:

  1. concealment (if so, you will probably get a a tiny gun with some big-punch ammo.

  2. stopping power (if so, you will probably get a Magnum of some kind that can use either magnum or regular ammo)

  3. versatility (if so, a revolver with a number of diff barrels (diff lengths) would be good.

Finally, please be careful not to shoot anybody by accident and please be careful that no one can ever get their hands on your weapons who you don’t want to (like your kids).

13

And … P.S. I would recommend a revolver over a semi because, when you are carrying a concealed weapon, reliability is the most important factor. If you ever need your gun and it jams, that could be the end of you. I would never take any chances on a concealed weapon jamming.

Oh! I once saw a tiny single-action 22 magnum revolver that was so tiny it would fit into the palm of your hand and anyone who saw it would think it was toy or a key chain ornament or something like that. But they would never, ever, ever think it was a real weapon and given that it was a .22 Magnum, it was a hugely deadly weapon. If concealment is your primary goal, this would be the weapon for you. I just wish I remembered the name or some way to ID this beautiful weapon. It was so small that I think there’s a good chance it could be smuggled through locations that most people think it could never be smuggled.

14

I’m sorry. But I should have started my first post about the ammunition being far more important than the gun with “IMO”.

After all, many people will prob not agree with me and I haven’t kept up on the various guns available today. So, I could be wrong about that.

It really is just my opinion.

Did you ever see the movie “The Jackal” where the assasin shoots a watermelon with a 22 and the result is a tiny entrance would and a tiny exit wound.

But then he changes the ammunition to use some kind of hollow point (I’m guessing) and his next shot hits the melon and converts it into a big puff of melon juice. It entirely disappears. If you want to stop someone, that is the bullet to use. Tiny entrance wound but the result is complete devastation.

After all, IMO, if there is any legal trouble, juries just hear “he shot the victim once” or “he shot the victim three times.” They never hear the kind of ammunition used. If the name of the gun carries the term “Magnum” they may hear that. But in general, even smart lawyers often don’t realize the importance of presenting the kind of ammunition used to a jury. And it makes all the difference in the kind of wound suffered.

15

Are you counting on a head shot with a .22 hollow point?
I’d be shaking so much I’d be lucky to hit center of body. :slight_smile:

16

No. Not counting on a head shot. I have never been in that situation. But if I ever had to shoot someone, I would aim for the center of the chest. Why? If my aim is a little off, by aiming for the center of the chest, I have the best chance to hit them somewhere and with some devastating ammo, if you hit them anywhere, you are like to stop them good. And, after all, in this situation, stopping them is usually the primary goal.

17

Beretta PX4 Storm

18

Ruger SP101 .357 magnum 4 inch barrel

I can conceal it canted IWB with a quality holster and belt from Rob at Simply Rugged. The four inch barrel doesn’t rob the 357 of its fps that is sacrificed with a snub or three inch barrel. I can get nearly 1500 fps with 125 grain defense ammo. Hollow points need that speed to reliably expand. My wife can shoot 38 special and perhaps +P 38 special from it as well. It is a five shot revolver, so the cylinder is smaller, which conceals better. It is also significantly lighter than it’s six-shot GP100 cousin, yet it has enough heft to soak up recoil. Longer sight radius and adjustable rear sights are more accurate especially with various bullet weights, and snagging is not an issue for me.

19

I carry an S&W M&P 9 mm compact.

It’s 9 mm, which I can afford to train with.

And even though it’s a compact, I wouldn’t want to carry anything bigger.

20

I have two I use for concealed carry:

Ruger LCP .380 Auto
Pros:[INDENT] Largish caliber bullet, comparable in diameter to 9mm and .38
Small lightweight size makes it easy to conceal and comfortable to wear
Reliable
Popularity results in having a wide range of available holsters and accessories
Inexpensive Gun @ about $300 new[/INDENT]
Cons:
[INDENT] Ammunition has gotten harder to find in my area
Only 6+1 capacity
nearly non-existent sights (but may not matter in a close quarters, self defense situation).
lacks a safety (some may consider this a plus)
long, heavy DA trigger pull (see above, it’s considered the safety)[/INDENT]

Springfield XD Subcompact 9mm:
Pros:
[INDENT]Largish Caliber Bullet
9mm ammo is inexpensive and widely available in my area
13+1 (or 16+1) capacity depending on which magazine I load
Proven record of reliability/durability
Good easy-to-see sights (can be changed to night sights)
Wide range of holsters and accessories available
Easy to field strip and clean
Inexpensive gun @ about $550 new.[/INDENT]
Cons:
[INDENT] Largish size (with the 16 round magazine, I worry about the handle printing on my shirt.
(comparable in size to many its class, but feels huge compared to the LCP)
lacks a safety switch (but does have a trigger safety and a grip safety) (this may be considered a pro by some, depends on your preference)[/INDENT]

I also considered and liked several Glocks, Sigs, and S&W. I made my selections by firing several at the range, and I ultimately liked the ones I got. I carry whichever I feel like based on my clothing or my mood.