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sroc112

Your choice of CCW handgun, and opinions

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I live full time in Florida having moved from NJ 6 years ago. One thing I learned real quick is that many who say they carry all the time really mean that they carry when they think they need to or when legally able. Carrying a gun is no fun. Most will start off carrying all the time and then more and more that gun gets left at home unless they are going someplace they are unfamiliar with or afraid of. I am usually the only guy with a gun on him when I am with a group of people who carry all the time. Of course they mean all the time when they are not in their own town. :)

 

Try running and doing physical things with a pound or more on your belt someday for more than an hour. You will feel it. Then after you put up with the gun for many years and never have had to use it, you start to carry smaller or lighter guns. Eventually as you reach my age you tend to pocket carry since it is just as easy to carry a 15 oz. gun as your wallet and keys. I always have a gun on me and mean always. My wife also always has a Ruger LCP in her pocket book wherever she goes. Our friends who just had to buy a big gun usually have their gun at home in their safe because why would they need one so close to home. :)

 

I have bought 60 guns in 6 years, maybe more than that number of guns. I lost count. I still have about 15 carry guns and a very nice collection of the popular ones. Here I go with my recommendations but first let me say that with modern ammo a 9mm is a good choice and even a .380 with Polycase ARX ammo will penetrate 12" and have light recoil. I do not worry about expansion because we are talking about fractions of an inch and expansion is not always reliable in flesh and blood. If I want a bigger bullet I carry a .45. 

 

You have a S&W M&P Shield in 9mm or .45 acp. I have the 9mm with a manual safety. I do not have to use the safety but I like it for when I store it and put it in or take it out of my holster. While in my holster the safety comes off  but I am so used to swiping a 1911 safety that I swipe imaginary ones on Glocks too.

 

My favorite for belt or pocket is the oft overlooked Sig P938. You will not find much wrong with this gun. Small, lightweight and SA. It likes 124 gr. ammo as Sig recommends. Some will have problems with 115 gr. weak practice ammo but not 115 grain self defense ammo. Comes with night sights and you can even put a CT laser guard on it as I do. Pocket and belt holsters to accommodate the gun and laser are easy to find.

 

My IWB gun of choice though is a Glock 43 in a VersaMax II holster by Milt Sparks. Just is comfortable for a few hours. At my age I am not out all day like the younger guys are. For short periods of time to dangerous places I carry a Springfield Operator Commander sized 9mm. 31 oz. and rides nicely in a VersaMax II holster too.

 

For a .380 my favorite is a Colt XSP which is a polymer version of their Mustang but with better ergonomics and sights. I also like the Sig P238 with night sights but it is a little heavier than the Colt. 

 

The Glock 42 is a good choice. Soft shooting gun that you can shoot all day at the range and enjoy it,

The HK P30SK is a great shooting gun but very fat. It is almost the size of a Glock 19 but holds 10 rounds. I added a pinkie grip mag floor to it so I can grab it with all my fingers. It will take its big brother's 15 round mags too. Well built soft shooting but too thick for my taste. I now carry single stack only because I no longer have fantasies about taking on terrorist or gangs and surviving long enough to need more than a few rounds. In my two close encounters, just showing my 5 round snub nose J-Frame was enough to scare the bad guys away, two of which were similarly armed.

 

The Kahr PM9 is a great carry gun, probably the best pocket gun I ever owned. However you can save yourself a lot of money and get the CM9 version. It does not have a Polygonal barrel or fancy roll stamping on the frame and only comes with one mag but add a mag and it is still much cheaper and the regular barrel shoots just as well at self defense distances. I have owned both and saw no difference out to 15 yards.

 

Kimber advertises a lot but myself and others around here have had problems with their Kimbers. Kimber is selling man jewelry as Sig does with its P238/P938 line. With so many guns available now, they know that most new gun buyers are going to look at crowded gun shelves filled with black guns until they all look the same so a gun that looks pretty will stand out. To me a gun is a tool and stays concealed so I do not care how it looks.

Colt makes a good 3' 1911 called the Defender. Springfield Armory also has the EMP and a Officer sized 1911 in 9mm. They are all good guns and cheaper too. However, the recoil slows down your follow up shots in .45 so stick with the 9mm version. By my way of thinking I rather have a Shield than a heavier 1911 with the same round capacity.

 

For someone like you who cannot carry but may want to for special occasions or just to answer the door late at night, a snub nose is a good choice. Heavy trigger makes it safe to just toss in a pocket and you can stand at the door with your hand in your pocket holding the gun pointed at the person you are talking to and look natural while doing it. When I go shopping I like a snub nose in my pocket since I am standing most of the time. For when I have to sit down a lot, like driving, a pocket gun is not a good choice although you can make it work if you take your gun out of your pocket in the car and put it in your center console. Something you cannot do there but we can do here. You can also get a Sticky or Remora holster and move it to waist while you sit down at a restaurant and then back in the pocket when you walk around.

 

 

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Surprised nobody's said M&P Shield 9mm yet.

 

Glock 43 is another single stack 9mm, as is the Beretta Nano.

 

I actually just switched from a Shield 9mm (which is now my BUG) to a Sig Sauer P320 SC.Not that the Shield is bad... not at all.  I just find I get better groupings with the SIG. Slightly larger and heavier.

 

One problem being, though, it's hard to find a decent IWB for it as I had for the Shield (a Blade Tech). Most holsters still don't yet have the mold for a Sub compact... mostly a compact.  But I found one, and I now have a decent IWB for it

 

Ozarks Holster co.  - IWB - 6115-009.jpg

 

 

How lovely it was to buy this handgun without needing a P2P... :yahoo:

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I live full time in Florida having moved from NJ 6 years ago. One thing I learned real quick is that many who say they carry all the time really mean that they carry when they think they need to or when legally able. Carrying a gun is no fun. Most will start off carrying all the time and then more and more that gun gets left at home unless they are going someplace they are unfamiliar with or afraid of. I am usually the only guy with a gun on him when I am with a group of people who carry all the time. Of course they mean all the time when they are not in their own town. :)

 

So do I, now, and having just changed my EDC (see above post), I'm starting to carry more, daily, outside my home.  I just have to be careful of not carrying in "prohibited places."  Mostly, that would be the Post Office for my business address (which actually has magnetometers).  My "home" PO is a CPU (Contract Postal Unit) and I'm not certain if the same federal prohibition applies.  But, for now, either I don't carry inside, or I must ensure that "concealed = concealed." 

 

I have to keep reminding myself not to tug at my cover shirt (usually a "Aloha type" shirt - like these LL Bean "Tropic Shirts")  to keep it down because it will print.  But otherwise, just getting used to the new EDC. I'm at the point where I don't even realize it's there. 

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I use the Buffalo bore heavy 357 mag outdoorsman round. 180g. Yes it has more recoil and flash and yes with the short barrel on my 649 I loose some power but I still think a 180g hard cast ball round will penatrate a bear further than a 9mm gold dot would. I'd love to get a 10mm revolver and will have one in the future but for now I'll use what I have on hand.

I have a 610 but it's too long. I'm converting a GP100 to a 3" CCW 10mm. It's going to look and be bad ass.

 

I have a S&W shield 9mm with laser, Springfield XDS 45 and my favorite is my 340 PD with trijicon night sight and a trigger job. I added a wood boot grip and a pocket clip. It's scandium and weighs nothing and the clip keeps it a perfect spot in my pocket or wast band. It's my only CCW that's plain unnoticeable to me in anyway. When I get my 10mm Ruger finished I may only use the semi autos in the winter months.

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I'm not a big revolver guy, but if I carried a J Frame it would be the exact setup on a 340PD you describe Rob.

If you ever sell it, let me know ;)

I definitely will lol. There's lots of reasons I like revolvers none the least of which Is simplicity. And I have to honestly say it's not a burden to carry. I also have some speed strips and I use federal critical,defense .38 +P. I may have it hybriported making .357 a bit more of an option. Although I may do the work and keep packing the potent .38s. The ruger will def be bigger and will probably be as comfortable as the semi-autos. However till I get it back I won't know.

 

Mine will be like the first one on the page only matte blued, adjustable rear sight and slab sided.

 

http://www.clementscustomguns.com/gp100.html

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I have a 610 but it's too long. I'm converting a GP100 to a 3" CCW 10mm. It's going to look and be bad ass.

 

I have a S&W shield 9mm with laser, Springfield XDS 45 and my favorite is my 340 PD with trijicon night sight and a trigger job. I added a wood boot grip and a pocket clip. It's scandium and weighs nothing and the clip keeps it a perfect spot in my pocket or wast band. It's my only CCW that's plain unnoticeable to me in anyway. When I get my 10mm Ruger finished I may only use the semi autos in the winter months.

a 3" 10mm you say??? Humm intresting. I would love to see some pics when finished. I'm a S&W fan boy but I wouldn't mind a gp100 as a carry gun to beat on and not worrie when it gets scratches and holster wear.

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Went with the XDS 9mm 3.3". Just felt right in the hand. The p30sk was just too big for me. I was torn between this and the g26. Although it's a little fat I did not think I would have an issue concealing it. I went with the sea due to the fact I am able to get most of my pinky on the grip and it also has the grip safety.

 

Now to decide on a holster. Any suggestions?

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My concern with guns in the commander size or g19 is the size of the gun compared to my physique. I am about 5 foot 8 and 165/175 pounds. My waist is about a 29. So i need something small or youll be seeing the butt end of the grip poking through my shirt no matter where i put it. This is why i considered a single stack and something in the xds size profile. Although, i would prefer a little larger handle.

Damn that was me in 8th grade you lucky schmuck.

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Damn that was me in 8th grade you lucky schmuck.

Haha same if not earlier. I've carried my shield aiwb when I can out of state, it just disappears and is easy to draw. I've fondled a few members j frames and will probably pick one up as an even deeper concealment gun

 

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I actually just switched from a Shield 9mm (which is now my BUG) to a Sig Sauer P320 SC.Not that the Shield is bad... not at all.  I just find I get better groupings with the SIG. Slightly larger and heavier.

 

One problem being, though, it's hard to find a decent IWB for it as I had for the Shield (a Blade Tech). Most holsters still don't yet have the mold for a Sub compact... mostly a compact.  But I found one, and I now have a decent IWB for it

 

Ozarks Holster co.  - IWB - 6115-009.jpg

 

 

How lovely it was to buy this handgun without needing a P2P... :yahoo:

How would you compare the quality of the blade tech to the ozarks? Looking for a low profile iwb kydex for my xds

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Im in looooove! That would make a great BUG!

Do those grips interfere with speedloaders?

Not at all! The first set did but this guy made them especially for the gun and easy use of speed strips or speed loaders. 40 bucks and the finish is great. Just enough pinky to make it nice.

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How would you compare the quality of the blade tech to the ozarks? Looking for a low profile iwb kydex for my xds

 

I think both are the same in terms of the holster itself. They both lock the weapon well.  The Blade Tech has leather belt loops which are a bit loose, and the Ozarks has the plastic belt clip. I kinda like the plastic clip a bit better as it's more stable on the belt. The Ozarks model is actually "carbon fiber Holstex"  slightly thicker than the Blade Tech. I like that as well. 

 

And, it's cheaper than a Blade Tech. :D

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I'm concerned about the angle at which the belt clip lines up with the gun. I am looking to wear at the 11:00 position so would prefer gun to be aligned straight up and not angled as would be desired with say the 4:00-5:00 positions

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I'm concerned about the angle at which the belt clip lines up with the gun. I am looking to wear at the 11:00 position so would prefer gun to be aligned straight up and not angled as would be desired with say the 4:00-5:00 positions

 

With Ozarks, you have the option to choose "straight up" or 15deg. cant when you place the order.

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I just went on to their site to build and add one to my cart. I selected the cross draw/sob holster but when selecting the options it won't allow me to select if it's cross draw or sob that I want, so it won't let me add to cart without a completed option marked off. Guess I'll have to call : (

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