Best concealed carry pistol?

[SteveGT]

Hi all,

I just submitted my application and paperwork for the CHP today. Now I'm wondering what the best concealed carry pistol would be.

Anyone care to share their opinions?

Thanks

[chfaunce]

Oh, man, this thread is going to go on for pages!! We can only hope for lots of

Picked up anything yet (as in, held in your hand)? Got a preference for a revolver over semi-auto?

[VBshooter]

Not to make light of your request ,but the BEST pistol for you may be a POS for me... It;s going to be what you think feels and functions best, I will say IMHO a Glock 23 in .40 S&W makes an excellent carry weapon... Others will chime in here I;m sure and suggest more.. If you can go to a range that has handgun rentals and try a few out it will help you decide ...Each person is different,, I personally like sub compacts and have freinds that swear by full size 1911's ... Good luck with your search

[SteveGT]

Hey, thanks. Yes, I have owned a Glock 19 for about 8 years, and my girlfriend has a S&W .357 Mag that I really like. I'm thinking the Glock may be too bulky. I am open to both revolvers and autos. I'd just like to see what everyone else thinks, and may recommend for carry.

Thanks

[Jim]

I'm with VB on this one. I think the best choice is the one you're comfortable and confident with.
I have two "carriers", one a 4" blued Taurus Judge and the other a Ruger P345. The automatic is for the streets and the Judge is for the woods and rural settings.
I've been told by many that both are terrible choices. For those people, maybe so. For me, they're the best. I know both of those sidearms like the back of my hand and am very confident with them.
When you find a handgun that you know is the right one, you'll know it almost as soon as you pick it up. When you discover that, there's your sidearm.

[Chasbo00]

The pistol/revolver of at least 9mm/.38 caliber that you shoot the best, is totally reliable, and one that you will actually carry nearly all the time.

[CowboyT]

+1 to whatever you happen to be most comfortable with shooting. I would add to that, "whatever you're most comfortable with practicing with on a regular basis." Yes, I believe in practicing with your CC firearm regularly.

For me, this happens to be a snubby revolver. Why? 'Cause my Dad pointed out that you can shoot a revolver through your coat pocket w/o worrying about stovepiping, plus it'll fit in just about any pocket you choose (slacks, windbreaker, whatever). Also, .38 Spl ammo is pretty cheap, and it's probably the easiest round in the world to reload for (again, lots of range practice is a good thing). However, there are these pocket holsters for guns like the Ruger LCP that break up the firearm's outline in your pocket. It's hard to argue against that, too.

I know one guy who CC's a full-size 1911. He showed me how he does it, and it's very cool. That .45 ACP hollowpoint round that he carries in it will get the job done, too.

The Taurus Judge Ultra-Lite is also a pretty good CC firearm if you carry it in your coat pocket. It's light enough not to sag your jacket/coat, and the .45 Long Colt round is a proven bad-guy stopper for the last, what, 137 years?

Try as many as you can. Fire as many as you can. Then pick.

[Jim]

".....For me, this happens to be a snubby revolver. Why? 'Cause my Dad pointed out that you can shoot a revolver through your coat pocket w/o worrying about stovepiping,....."
One more reason I like revolvers.
"The Taurus Judge Ultra-Lite is also a pretty good CC firearm.....and the .45 Long Colt round is a proven bad-guy stopper for the last, what, 137 years?....."
You got that right!

Excellent points there, Cowboy!

[Jakeiscrazy]

Just some suggestions:
The biggest gun you can carry effectivly
that you enjoy shooting
that you will carry, the gun with you, is better than the gun left at home
in the largest caliber you can afford to shoot.
make sure it's reliable

[SteveGT]

All great advice! I have been leaning toward a snub nose .357, but like the idea of .357 SIG or .45 auto. I guess I'll have to look more closely at the next gun show.

again, thanks for the feebback

[ss313]

The short answer to this question is: The gun that you will carry in the largest caliber that you can afford to shoot so that you are comfortable with it.

There are lots of arguments about what caliber is the smallest that you should carry but if you look at what the people who carry guns as part of their livelihood carry, 9mm or.38 is about the smallest.

I carry a pocket 9 during the warmer months and a full size .45 when it gets cooler.

[Jim]

All great advice! I have been leaning toward a snub nose .357, but like the idea of .357 SIG or .45 auto. I guess I'll have to look more closely at the next gun show. again, thanks for the feedback

If you decide on an auto, get REAL familiar with it. Find a knowledgeable auto shooter to show you the kinks and drawbacks. I've seen too many people buy an auto then find out they don't know what to do if it stove pipes or jams.
When things go south and you find yourself in a SHTF situation, that's a bad time to discover you don't know how to clear it and get it back into battery.

[gunderwood]

There really isn't a best. There are certain formulas that work for lots of people, but not everyone. I'd provide the following generalizations.

First, get what ever you will carry. The best wiz bang .45 isn't worth anything if it is left at home. Weight is a big issue, but the proper belt helps. I highly recommend you get a CC style belt from a national manufacturer. I recommend leather so you can use it as a dress belt too. I use Galco's 1 1/4" contour belt (black/nickel) because it fits through dress pants, etc. The proper belt will help with CC comfort. Texture is another big issue. A Glock (or similar) is fairly smooth, but my 1911 has very rough grips in comparision. Wear the 1911 for a long time with no shirt between the handle and your body and you will notice!

Second, make sure you can shoot it well and afford to practice. A person who CCs a 9mm and practices with it regularly is far better off than the latest wiz bang magnum caliber that cost $5 a round. Remember, you want speed and accuracy. It isn't a good CC gun if you can't shoot is quickly and accurately. You need practice to do that well. Thus, I usually recommend the common calibers.

Third, make sure you can conceal it. A full sized pistol is cool, has more ammo capacity, better ballistics (due to barrel length generally), but if you have to wear a winter coat to carry it, that is a problem. Unless you plan on OCing, small to medium guns are far better. Wheelguns are a good option, but I always found the cylinder too thick for my personal preference. The handle on a semi-auto is easier to conceal IMHO because of body shape. YMMV.

The most popular option seems to be semi-auto and medium sized. E.g. Glock 19. After that people tend to go down to a G26 sized gun. Most people shoot the smaller guns (G26 like) better in 380-9mm like calibers. If you go pocked sized, even 380/38 are a handful for most people.

The best CC gun for you is really hard to determine. Provide us with more details and I'm sure we can be more specific. Personally, I shoot my G19/G32 far better than I shoot my 1911. I need a lot of practice with the 1911 still. For some reason I find the recoil of a 230gr .45 harder to control than the snappier recoil of a full power .357SIG/Mag. A lot of people are the exact opposite. They handle and recover from heavy/slow recoiling calibers better than snappy. Everyone is different.

[DWinter]

I'm fond of and carry 2 actually. No not at the same time. My Glock 30SF in 45ACP is great and I also really like my Rossi 357 snub. The Rossi 46102 has 6 rounds and has the rubber Pachmyer style grip that is made for 3 fingers instead of 2 making it easy to hang on to. It has a very light trigger in S/A and is very shootable in D/A. And at 7 yards it's pretty accurate, 8 thru 10 rings all day long in D/A, 10 rings in S/A. One thing to keep in mind though, the POI is slightly different at 7 yards between 38 and 357, so you need to practice with both rounds and know your weapon.

As for the Glock, well I can cloverleaf all 10 rounds at 7 yards if I do my part. It's the sweetest shooting 45 I've shot, excluding a 1911 race gun. But then there's the price difference of $600 vs. $1800 and the size of a custom 1911 don't exactly lend itself to concealed carry. Bottom line the Glock 30SF is easy to conceal, accurate and at 45ACP, it's a proven manstopper.

[zephyp]

The best concealed pistol to carry is the one you are comfortable and confident with. No other advice required...if you dont trust yourself and your equipment then you might as well just stay home behind locked doors...

[Mindflayer]

I swap between an Airweight 642 (snubnosed .38 Special) in pocket carry and one of my XD|XDMs. The revolver is always in the same place; the autos are likewise. I practice drawing from both positions. I know some CC pundits say carry one, carry it in the same place, and never vary, but I believe real modern life has a way of making a blanket statement like that ridiculous.

The Airweight does make it quite obvious something is in my pocket, but most people won't think, "GUN!" Some people also find shooting a snubnosed revolver uncomfortable to painful; some people don't notice it at all. A friend of mine that has been shooting for a long time and shoots .357 Magnum from his Ruger SP101 thinks my Airweight is painful. I've only been shooting a few months and it doesn't bother me until I have worked my way through 50 rounds.

The holster makes a big difference. I can carry my .45 XDM really tight to the body in a pancake holster and no one notices. CowboyT can tell you I am not a big guy. OTOH, the Serpa for my XD subcompact does not work at all.

[Tweaker]

I am not a personal user of .45 ACP or .357 SIG shooters, but I have nothing to negative to say about those calibers.

I do think .357 Magnum is substantially overpowered and unnecessary for CCW. It will not stop a threat with much more effectiveness than .38+P loads and I doubt that you will practice predominantly with .357 Magnum loads. If you do, and find the increased recoil does not result in poorer accuracy or slower follow up shots, then I cannot speak against it.

.45 ACP means much bigger framed guns and much smaller magazine capacity. Thus you will not have more trouble concealing, be more likely to just leave it at home and have much less firepower (total round count).

.357 SIG is pretty tremendous, but really limits your choice in firearm and does cost a bunch more. It is also much more of a hassle to reload or even find cases for same.

I would recommend a Springfield XDm 4.5" in 9mm. Modern 9mm boolit construction and at +P pressures have made it every bit as effective as your other choices.

What you must do is handle (fondle) as many as you can, because grip and balance are almost entirely subjective. Then you must commit to shooting your carry piece regularly (and with your carry +P HPs) if you want to maximize your chances in a gunfight.

Finally, your mind is a much more significant part of determining whether you win/survive a gunfight. Read on the subject and practice being as alert as you can to your surroundings.

Also, get a tactical flashlight, because many fights are in less than bright daylight.

Be safe!

[Mindflayer]

I would recommend a Springfield XDm 4.5" in 9mm. Modern 9mm boolit construction and at +P pressures have made it every bit as effective as your other choices.

What holster are you using. I have a Crossbreed SuperTuck for IWB and this JBP for OWB. The Serpa, as I noted, sucks for conceal carry. The Comp-Tac paddle does not print as much but I think I am still sending it back.

[TheEqualizer]

The best gun to carry concealed is the one you are carrying! Most CHP holders do not regularly carry their firearm. "Oh, I am just going to the grocery store" etc. etc. Bottom line, you carry for a reason. To protect yourself and those you love. You can carry any gun you want. For CHP, anything from a full size 1911 on down will work. Whatever floats your boat. You have to be comfortable wearing it and then wear it all the time.

[raptor]

Taurus Slim....its thin, lightweight, has good trigger pull, accurate and it eats everything that you can feed it, atleast in 9mm. Only thing I would like to see is a magazine with one more round and place for my pinkie finger. Oh yeh and less than $400