Best concealed carry pistol?

[gunderwood]

The .45 is a good choice, but it isn't the only good one IMHO.

Agreed, but the .50 AE and .500 S&W Magnum offerings are pretty heavy and very difficult to conceal.

I presume you were joking, but just to clarify, that is not what I meant. From the same article:

With modern American ammunition, the 9mm is perfectly adequate. This means a 115-grain hollow point bullet in the 1300 foot second velocity range, or a 124 to 127-grain hollow point bullet in the 1250 feet per second range. The former is readily available to police as the Winchester “Illinois State Police Load,” the Remington equivalent that was long standard with the Secret Service, or the Federal 9BPLE round that was favored by the Border Patrol when that agency allowed the 9mm as an optional sidearm. The latter is available to police as the Winchester SXT Ranger +P+ 127-grain, or the CCI Gold Dot 124-grain +P+.

http://www.backwoodshome.com/articles2/ayoob83.html

Those are my two favorite loads, RangerT 127gr+P+ and 124g +P. Third best IMHO, is the Golden Saber. The best is what you shoot/carry best from a systems viewpoint. IMHO, the most powerful cartridge you shoot well and carry with modern HPs is best. If you shoot 380 well (accurate and fast...i.e. going with less recoil doesn't improve your speed or accuracy), but 9mm degrades your accuracy or speed, shoot the 380! Insert any caliber you want there, the results are the same.

[DWinter]

No one has come right out and said it, but ALMOST any pistol or revolver can be comfortably carried with the right set-up. Ok, so a Desert Eagle 50 or a 44Mag may be a little difficult but I find it amusing that many guys will spend $600+ on a weapon and carry it in a $30 holster and complain that it's not a good carry gun. IMO, The holster should be as well thought out as the weapon itself. If that means spending $100+ on a custom fit holster, then that's what I'd do.

[Jim]

No one has come right out and said it, but ALMOST any pistol or revolver can be comfortably carried with the right set-up.....

I agree. Quite often, I carry my 4 inch Judge in a belt slide holster. It sounds kinda' big, but it actually carries very close and I'm very comfortable with it.

[SELFDEFENSE]

Agreed. I carried a 6" Glock 17L for about 7 years.

[BLP1981]

I agree that the best gun to carry is the one you're most comfortable with and can conceal comfortably. I'm most comfortable with my Colt 1911 .45 but I carry a Glock 30, which I'm also very comfortable with, because for me the 1911 is too big for CC. It's just all about personal preference.

[SteveGT]

Okay, thanks for all the valuable information. I went to the Dulles gun show today and picked up a S&W Model 637. I got a great deal on it, and decided on .38 after firing my girlfriend's Model 640 a few times (she fires .38 as well).

[Mindflayer]

Gratz. Just remember that those Airweights are not easy to shoot, so practice, but not to the point you get overly fatigued.

[zephyp]

No one has come right out and said it, but ALMOST any pistol or revolver can be comfortably carried with the right set-up. Ok, so a Desert Eagle 50 or a 44Mag may be a little difficult but I find it amusing that many guys will spend $600+ on a weapon and carry it in a $30 holster and complain that it's not a good carry gun. IMO, The holster should be as well thought out as the weapon itself. If that means spending $100+ on a custom fit holster, then that's what I'd do.

It has been said in so many words...IMHO bottom line best carry pistol is the one you are most comfortable and proficient with (regardless of make, model, caliber, etc)...if you arent confident with yourself and your equipment then you may as well stay home and watch TV...

I often carry a Beretta .25 auto in the summer and feel just as comfortable as when I carry one of my .45s...

[CowboyT]

Mindflayer's point about practicing and lightweight guns is where handloading proves especially advantageous. I've got a featherweight wheelgun, too, and the .38 Spl "powder-puff" load that I have for marksmanship practice at the range is perfect for such guns. It makes them actually comfortable and fun to shoot frequently, in quantities of 200 rounds and more.

[TBob]

Ditto on the light hand-loads for practice. I used to load .357 cases with a small charge of shotgun powder to get a 730 fps tack-driver target round. It was easy to shoot all day and in matches. My defensive load was a maxed-out 1450 fps round that kicked like a mule. It's still important to practice enough with your full-power round to be accurate and comfortable with it.