CCW which pistol...

[Derby]

Ok after looking at all the features...

I think I might have to go with the XD I dont think the glock has as many features Some of the things I love!!!

Visual seeing their is one in the chamber, it is cocked, You have to have a firm grip on it for the safety along with the trigger one.


Now to go with 45 or 9mm


glock isnt out of the picture yet but its getting there LOL







Edit the thing that keeps me pulling for a glock is this statement


TORTURE TEST
Salt water, sludge, sand, merciless heat or arctic temperatures. What other pistol will come to terms with the most hostile environmental and operating conditions that are all in a day's work for a GLOCK pistol.
For professionals throughout the world, working under tough and dangerous conditions, the GLOCK pistol is the weapon of choice. They know that there is not a more robust and reliable pistol.

[Derby]

You guys told me to let you know what I picked



S&W M&P .40 Compact w/laser and night sights

No regrets I love it

[Palladin]

Congrats! Now do your own torture test!

[Derby]

Getting it dec 30th (my bday) going to shoot about 500 rounds that day LOL

[VirginiaXD]

XD with a SuperTuck holster. The ultimate CCW Package in my opinion.

[mikiebond]

Glocks are good. Basic, reliable handgun. Put ammo in, pull trigger. No bell or whistles, just bangin fun!

[gunderwood]

Concealed carry and guns
My family mostly carries Glocks, but my in-laws swear by the XDs. Barrow them and shoot them. Try some quick shooting drills; which do you aim and control better? Between the two I shoot best overall with the Glocks, hence my preference. However, I do find the trigger in the XDs to be better for rapid shooting. I have found, I have less trigger jerk when shooting quickly with the XDs then my Glocks...just means I have to send more rounds down range.

The most important thing is the ability to hit what you aim at. There is a saying about not being able to miss fast enough... The only way to get really good with any gun is practice. Thus, I generally recommend a 9mm over the other common defence calibers (.357SIG, .40S&W, and .45ACP). Practice ammo for the other calibers usually cost 50-100% more than 9mm. Buy the 9mm now, put a few thousand rounds of ammo down range. By then you will be ready to buy another gun anyway.

IMHO, the best low cost, not junk practice ammo is the Winchester USA available at Wal-Mart. White box of 100rnds, red lettering...slang is Winchester "white-box." The last prices I saw were approx. $20 for 9mm and $30 for .40/.45 per 100. .357SIG was $25 per 50 (never seen 100rnd packs). At these prices, for every 1k rounds of .40 or .45 you put down range, you could have put 1.5k of 9mm. Practice, practice, practice!

The only potential downside is that the 9mm white-box loads are lightly loaded, while the others do not appear to be; at least when compared to defence ammo. That means you have less recoil to learn with (good and bad).

I personally would not carry a cheap 1911. I have seen too many choke on defence ammo. I do regularly carry a Wilson Combat CQB 1911 besides my Glocks (19, 26 and 32, 33)

IMO the hardest part of a pistol to conceal is the grip. My wife (with smaller hands) prefers the sub-compacts, while I like the compacts. Despite the size of a full sized 1911, I do not have any more trouble concealing it over a compact Glock. The grip shape and angle help tremendously.

Ammo

Defence ammo is a touchy subject. I'll provide some generalized recommendations, but you really need to research it yourself. You always want a hollow point; if you can't carry those (like the military, even .45 is too small...). There is a lot of wrong information floating around concerning the testing of HP ammo. I think a lot of this has to do with the fact that while the name may stay the same, the designs change rapidly.

You can stop an attacker by shock, blood loss, and central nervous system damage. Shock is unreliable. If you have ever been hunting you know how far a deer can run despite a good hit with a big rifle. It was as good as dead as soon as the bullet hit, but that doesn't always stop it quickly. Blood loss takes time. The point of HP is to make it take less time. CNS at the right spot will stop just about anything right away, but hitting it reliably during an attack is very hard.

Most HP on the market today are very good. Some companies even make short barreled ammo for the sub-compacts. I prefer a bonded bullet like the Gold Dots. They tend to always expand even after encountering heavy clothing and/or a barrier. The trade off is that they don't expand as much as some of the newer non-bonded designs. Competing requirements. The only one I would not recommend is the Federal HydraShocks. They seem to clog in clothing way to easily. Their new HSTs are impressive as long as they don't hit something solid.

My preference is Speer Gold Dots:
9mm: 124gr +P for both compact and sub-compact. If I can't find the 124gr +P, then the 115 +P is better for the shorter barrels.
.357SIG: 125gr
.40S&W: Don't carry a .40
.45ACP: 230gr

Remember that guns like the Glocks require you to pull the trigger to disassemble them! Always clear the mag first, then the chamber...then check it again, and again...
A surefire way to have an "accidental" discharge is to clear the chamber, then the mag, then pull the trigger; It will go bang!

[CCFan]

The point of HP is to make it take less time. CNS at the right spot will stop just about anything right away, but hitting it reliably during an attack is very hard.

I would say that the point of HP ammo is that it is designed to transfer all of its energy to its intended target and to *not* over-penetrate and potentially kill an innocent bystander....

[zephyp]

I would say that the point of HP ammo is that it is designed to transfer all of its energy to its intended target and to *not* over-penetrate and potentially kill an innocent bystander....

Plus expand upon entry making the wound more severe...

[Quigley]

I carry the Glock 27 and love it. I carry it in the SkyOps holster which allows me to tuck in my shirt. When that is too big I go with my P3AT, not .40S&W but better than throwing rocks.

[Reverenddel]

Here's what you do? You go to a gun shop, you say "Hi! I would like to look at a .40 S&W/9MM sub compact polymer."

They should show you the Glock, XD, and M&P. You should handle EACH WEAPON, put it by your side, then come up with it fast. Which one points most natural for you? That's your gun.

I owned tons of Glocks, still own a G19 that I can make a Coke Can "dance", but I like the feel of an XD in .45.

[SgtBill]

Make sure you let the guy behind the counter know what you are doing and why or you might have a loaded gun put in YOUR CHEST!
Bill

[Palladin]

Make sure you let the guy behind the counter know what you are doing and why or you might have a loaded gun put in YOUR CHEST!
Bill

[Palladin]

Getting it dec 30th (my bday) going to shoot about 500 rounds that day LOL

Success? Or did I miss the report...

[guitarpicva]

Do not forget the S&W M&P. I tried Glocks and XD as well, but the M&P worked best for me.

Yea verily on the M&P!

Glock feels like Block. XD, not for me.

M&P - all the good features of the Glock. All the American Made-ness of S&W.

[burns]

If you are going to own only one "do it all handgun" the Glock 19 is the ticket. XD doesn't manufacture a comparable size / weight gun to the 19, do they guys?

I like XD's and they are solid, but the G19 just fits the niche so perfectly. I have over 2500 rounds through one without a single hint of a malfunction. They are so beautifully simple. Under stress, simplicity is a very good thing, and Glocks are about the closest thing to "revolver simple" in a semi-auto.

Originally, you said "sub-compact" which would be a G26, but a 26 isn't THAT much easier to carry than a G19 (which is mid-sized). If you plan to carry every day, you will end up with a second gun at some point anyway (for summer clothes carry, increased comfort, and a break from your bigger gun). When that happens, look to the Kel-Tec PF9 and Kahr PM9 (choose on budget). Or, a Smith 642!

Pick a caliber and stick with it as much as possible. With ammo prices where they are, if you plan to practice much at all, 9mm is the ticket. With the right ammo, it gets the job done in terms of penetration and expansion, you get a few extra rounds in the magazine, it's easy to shoot well, and it is cheaper than the other service rounds (especially if you aren't reloading). Ammo will likely continue to increase in cost. That said, if I believed .45 was a superior defense round for my uses, I would go to back to .45's.

Whatever you get, buy top-notch, proven ammo for carry and test it in your carry gun! F.E., in 9mm you could go with Speer Gold Dot 124 grain +P or Winchester Ranger 127 grain +P+, and there are plenty of other good loads.

Holsters also make a big difference. Just to warn you, finding the right holster can be tedious and expensive. As was previously recommended, the Crossbreed is a great one, ESPECIALLY for the sizes /weights of the guns you are looking at.

Just my 2 cents. Good luck, have fun and stay safe.