EDC Handgun Help...

TFin04 said:
I just had a thought pop into my head... What about the Walther PPK?

Aside from it being the famous 007 gun, how is it for every day use? Looks to be small and light enough to be concealed easily.

How is the .380 round compared to a 9 or a .40?

Are there any good websites with comparisions and pictures of a lot of pocket sized guns? I think that would really help me narrow down my ideas. I keep seeing random pictures and thinking "hey, that might work..."

Thanks guys.
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Bond's pistol was a .32 cal (7.65mm on the other side of the pond, .30 luger in germany) ppk. There are actualy two diferent ppk's made, one in the U.S. and one in Germany. I hear the one made in germany is superior. The modern high power .32's have better terminal balistics than the .380, but neither is a one shot stop unless you place it well. MUCH weaker than the 9mm, .40 guns, but quite conceilable. Of course the ppk comes with MI5 backup.
 
TFin04 said:
I just had a thought pop into my head... What about the Walther PPK?
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They're good little guns as well. I had one in the 80's and never ran into any problems. To have the option of .32 ACP you'll need to focus on the PPK/s- same basic pistol but with a slightly stronger frame. I'd also recommend the stainless version for concealed carry. Still, when comparing to the aforementioned S&W 340 series of revolvers, about the only advantage the PPK holds is a slight edge in terms of thickness and capacity. Otherwise the S&W will give you a more manageable D/A trigger pull and much more power at nearly half the weight.
 
The best gun for self-defense is one that no one else knows you have. In a fight for your life, any gun is better than bare fists.

The day you have to use a gun to save your life will be, by definition, the worst day of your life. Choose one that is light, carries safely and fires where you point it, (every time you pull the trigger,) and throws a hollow-point bullet larger than .32 and smaller than .454 Casull. Everything else is a style choice.

Practice with your gun often, and don't be afraid to trade your first gun in for new one if you make a bad first choice.
 
samwereb said:
The best gun for self-defense is one that no one else knows you have. In a fight for your life, any gun is better than bare fists.

The day you have to use a gun to save your life will be, by definition, the worst day of your life. Choose one that is light, carries safely and fires where you point it, (every time you pull the trigger,) and throws a hollow-point bullet larger than .32 and smaller than .454 Casull. Everything else is a style choice.

Practice with your gun often, and don't be afraid to trade your first gun in for new one if you make a bad first choice.
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Those are the ideas I'm thinking as well, but with SO much info out there about ballistics, calibers, etc, sometimes I wonder if they really make a REAL WORLD difference.

God forbid I ever have to use my gun to save me or mine, it's going to be a couple shots to the head which is going to stop pretty much anybody. Even if it isn't a lethal wound right away, I haven't heard of too many bad guys keep going with a couple extra holes in their head.

I'm going to head to a shop near me this week and just hold all the pistols I can. I think if I can find something comfortable enough I'll carry it more often, and have it on me should that day come.

Thanks for all the insight guys, lots of good experience/stories here. Anybody care to share if they've ever had to USE their edc? Shoot or just pull it?
 
You want thin? You want auto.
Glocks and Khars are great!
Khar PM9 is very thin and light, easy to carry IWB wearing shorts and T-shirt.
 
smknman said:
Bond's pistol was a .32 cal (7.65mm on the other side of the pond, .30 luger in germany) ppk. There are actualy two diferent ppk's made, one in the U.S. and one in Germany. I hear the one made in germany is superior. The modern high power .32's have better terminal balistics than the .380, but neither is a one shot stop unless you place it well. MUCH weaker than the 9mm, .40 guns, but quite conceilable. Of course the ppk comes with MI5 backup.
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the 30 luger is a bottleneck cartridge and was never offered in a PPK or PPK/s, its not the same thing as a .32ACP or 7.65MM.

PPKs havent been imported since the '68 gun control act, from which came the PPK/s which is the PP lower (frame and grip) with a PPK upper (bbl and slide) to meet the criteria for importation after '68. now S&W makes them in the US, in the PPK form IIRC.

some would say the .380 ACP is superior to the .32ACP, but the old .32 is pretty close anyway, modern ammo or not, neither one is too good for SD, certainly not anywhere near a 9MM.

and yes bond carried a .32ACP PPK, i have one exactly like he carried, my dad collected walthers, i have a .22 PP, .32 PPK, .380 PPK, .380 PPK/s,& a .22 PPK, all german, used to carry the .380 PPK a little, but since a kahr PM9 is virtually the same size/weight as a PPK and a lot more powerful i never carry it anymore, and if wanna carry .32 a kel tech is smaller (lots) and lighter, so the walthers no longer get carried much.

the PPK .22 i do carry occasionally when deer hunting, a great little woods pistol imho.
 
The PPK is heavy when compared to modern compact pistols, it has poor sites & relatively small capacity for a relatively small cartridge.

When compared to the Kahr 9mm for example, you will find the modern gun far more comfortable to carry, easier to shoot accurately & just plain "better" for your intended purpose. There was a big spread in ShotgunNews a few years ago on the old generation of "pocket pistols" versus the new. It was very informative if you can find it...

I think the old guns were a baby Browning, the PPK and a .380 Baretta. The new guns included the Kahr, a new compact by Springfield and either the Kel-Tec or a small Glock - I don't remember exactly.

As for head shots, statistically you are far better off with center mass. Learning a good double tap. For more information and for allot of true stories check out John Farnam's website. Particularly this section: http://www.defense-training.com/quips/quips.html :thumbup: :thumbup:
 
I carry full sized handguns, personally(I'm also a big guy). Not a big fan of the smaller weapons. A cop friend carries his P3AT off duty, and that is all he will carry off duty. I have put about 50 rounds through it and it is just a pain to shoot. Not a bad back up gun, by any means. Reliable as all get out, but it is just not for me. Right now I carry a SigPro 2340 when I am out and about, and most of my wardrobe works just fine for carrying it. It rides on my right hip in a leather belt slide. My belt is a Galco rigger type belt. Very stiff and does a great job of supporting the weapon. I also have carried on a regular basis (just not at the moment) a fullsize 1911 in a leather IWB holster. Very easy to conceal with just a tee shirt.
The Sig is bulkier than the .45, but I do like the higher magazine capacity and reliability. I do plan on going back to a 1911 or to a glock 17 soon, however.
There are a lot of choices out there. Just make sure you can shoot what you carry, and shoot it accurately. If you have a chance, try one out at a range before you spend your hard earned dollars on something you can hit anything with, or is uncomfortable, or unreliable. Make sure it fits you. Make sure you can carry it concealed without excessive printing. Make sure you can afford the ammo to shoot it regularly. A 9mm you can actually afford to practice with is better than a .45 that you can't.
Another piece of advice for you- if it works, don't fix it. A lot of good guns are ruined by owners that want to tinker. 50 dollar pawnshop special? Fine. A piece that your life may depend on? No way.
Wow there is a lot to mention here. Whatever you carry, try to avoid switching back and forth with guns that have a different manual of arms too often. I sweep my thumb down on my colt and it disengages the safety. Sweep my thumb down on my Sig and it decocks the weapon. Completely opposite effects on the gun with the same movement of the thumb.
Sorry if this seems rambling, but I think its some good advice that has been handed down to me.
 
Has anyone mentioned the ruger sp101 yet? I just picked one up, 3in barrel .357, and it's great. No problem with full power 158 grain speer hp's, went through the whole box without much trouble. It's a little heavy but conceals easily enough.

I'm 21 btw, and for my first handgun bought myself a sig 226 40 cal. Both are nice, for CCW maybe one of the new rounded 239s?
 
Just three observations from my own experience....

ONE:
Shooting a .357 magnum in a very light-weight snub-nose revolver is NOT FUN!
I have shot lots of different calibers and lots of different handguns, but nothing has been so punishing to my hands as the snubbie .357 in a light-weight alloy frame.

TWO:
Glocks....
I love Glocks!
BUT, if you're the type to carry your pistol in your waistband or your back-pocket, be very careful.
More than one person has had an accidental discharge while drawing their Glock from their waistband or back-pocket.
We all know "keep your finger off the trigger until your target is in your sights", but it's just too easy for that finger to hook the trigger while drawing it from the waistband or pocket.

I think the Springfield XD series might be a slight improvement over the Glock for waistband carry.

And as much as I love the Glock 17, the best shooting 9mm I have ever fired was a CZ75B.

THREE:
I generally prefer autos over revolvers and my favorite calibers are .45 and 9mm.
Both are outstanding time tested rounds.

Good luck and good shoot'n,
Allen.
 
allenC said:
Just three observations from my own experience....

ONE:
Shooting a .357 magnum in a very light-weight snub-nose revolver is NOT FUN!
I have shot lots of different calibers and lots of different handguns, but nothing has been so punishing to my hands as the snubbie .357 in a light-weight alloy frame.

TWO:
Glocks....
I love Glocks!
BUT, if you're the type to carry your pistol in your waistband or your back-pocket, be very careful.
More than one person has had an accidental discharge while drawing their Glock from their waistband or back-pocket.
I think the Springfield XD series might be a slight improvement over the Glock for waistband carry.
And as much as I love the Glock 17, the best shooting 9mm I have ever fired was a CZ75B.

THREE:
I generally prefer autos over revolvers and my favorite calibers are .45 and 9mm.
Both are outstanding time tested rounds.

Good luck and good shoot'n,
Allen.
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Try a 44 magnum S&W mountain gun in its lightweight alloy snub nose format. I cant shoot more than about 30 full house rounds till my hand is swelling. Anyway I have had an AD with a glock holstering it. A piece of my holster cracked and snagged on the trigger. Glad it didnt hit me scared the sh** out of me though. It was my Glock 20 10mm. I am carrying right now as I type a Glock 21 in a smartcarry invisible holster and theres no way it can do an AD due to a snag. Its made of denim with no seems. If it AD I would shoot myself after it blew off that part of my anatomy!!!(for those who dont know it carries your pistol in your groin area) Thats the only thing that could be considered a problem with the Glocks if you ask me. I dont find it a problem as I dont like having to remember to switch the safety off. I always assume safetys off on all my weapons.
 
Try a 44 magnum S&W mountain gun in its lightweight alloy snub nose format. I cant shoot more than about 30 full house rounds till my hand is swelling.
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NO THANKS BROTHER!
Anyway I have had an AD with a glock holstering it. A piece of my holster cracked and snagged on the trigger. Glad it didnt hit me scared the sh** out of me though. It was my Glock 20 10mm.
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I probably would have died of a heart attack.
 
In almost 20 years in lawenforcement I've carried a bunch a different hanguns concealed. One thing always happens. If it's not comfortable you won't carry it. From the replies I've read you got good advise on guns. What I may have missed is that you almost always get lint and sweat on/in the gun which Will cause problems. The best gun I've carried has been the S&W 340 .38 enclosed hammer, lightweight, stainless and always dependable. I also like my Keltec but you got to clean the lent out all the time. Always carry the gun in the same place every time. If you have to use it, a second of confusion may cost you your life. No ankle holster (you'll get your head kicked in) Good luck and lots of practice
 
In my opinon Berreta is the way to go, any of the 92's are awesome compact-full size. the elite's are nice also.

Ive never had any satisfaction from a glock, ive owned 2 after hearing what wonderful guns they were, i dont know if it was due to weight difference from my usual use of a beretta or what but even after 300+ rounds in each gun (17 and 19 i think, both 9mm) i couldnt hit even remotely close to my normal accuracy. as in like i couldnt hit a barn door.

one note : ive had the beretta i use daily since i was 19 so it may be that i was just used to a metal gun vs polymer framed gun.

Gave one to my mother for mothers day, and sold the other. they do retain value well though (glocks)
 
TFin04 said:
Okay, I've done a few hours worth of reading online.

I'm looking at the.. ..Kel Tec P11.
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Go check out http://www.ktrange.com and http://www.ktog.org for all forum info regarding Kel-Tec. I was unsure about them but learned enough at those two forums to make me at least comfortable enough to try one.

I got a P-11 2.5 years ago. I've only put maybe one thousand rounds thru it but, after initial break-in, it's done fine. You'll become familiar with a term called "fluff & buff." With a new P11 it's nice to get out the old dremel and do a little polish of the feed ramp then clean and oil.

Sure, this is something you won't have to do with a Kahr (or several other manufacturers) but it gets you comfortable with the gun quickly.

I also own a couple of S&W and a Colt. Currently trying to talk myself out of purchasing a G20. :o

Good luck and have fun!
 
hatchetjack said:
For small, light and thin, I like Kel-Tec.

7_9_06.jpg
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Another vote for the Kel-Tec .380. Slips into shorts pockets in the summer and, with a decent holster, looks just like a small wallet.

Have a look here for quality holsters for small guns: http://hedleyholsters.com/
 
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