Every Day Carry; What are You Packing?

[ohiojerry]

or, if you want to make a statement.......

 

[Sigarett]

Lora,
This is always a difficult question because its different for everyone because every handgun like knives feel and shoot different for different people. Its common to hear a short barreled (snub) revolver be recommended as a first carry gun. What's funny is this also happen to be one of the more difficult pistols to shoot well so contrary to popular opinion its really more of an experts gun than a beginners or first time carry so I don't recommend one of those.

You basically have a couple decisions to choose from for a practical everyday gun for a female. Sure a 45 and a 40 are great but they recoil more and the guns are typically going to be larger than a 9mm or a .380 of the same model. I own over a dozen carry guns of various types, calbers and models and in my opinion one of the best all around carry guns for a reasonable price and value is the M&p Shield. It comes in 9mm or 40 and combines shootability and concealability into a very manageable package that is small enough to carry daily and large enough to shoot well and comfortably. I like my glocks as well and like others would recommend a 19 if you like a Glock but the M&P pistols have dovetailed front and rear sights as opposed to the pinned on front sight of a glock and while that may not seem like an issue to many, I say that it is easily possible to ding your front sight post and shift it on a Glock because it is only pinned on the slide (Speaking from experience). Where as the M&P Shield and other M&P models have a dovetailed front sight and that adds cost to manufacturing but also adds significant durability and reliability to shoot accurately IMO.

So if you want a carry 9mm I would say an M&P Shield. If you want a carry .380 I would recommend a Kel tec P3AT (don't let price fool you) and the Ruger LCP. These both weight about 9 ounces and are small enough to conceal and carry anywhere but you do sacrifice a little punch compared to the 9mm. They are both double action only as compared to the striker fired M&P and Glock which might be good because some people are more comfortable with a hammer even though its bobbed than than the always cocked striker fired weapons.

Now even though my name is Sigarett, I would not recommend the Sig P238 as it is a single action only carry gun and for a pocket pistol this doesn't make sense in a defensive scenario as its not a true 1911 design. Buy a M&P Shield in 9mm or a Kel Tec or Ruger LCP in .380 and you can't go wrong. If you don't like them let me know and I'll buy it from you.

Or lets organize a shooting party and I'll let you test them out yourself as well as many other potential options. Just sayin-

 

[Pulptruth]

Springfield XD40

Same here. IMHO I can shoot them better than a g23 or m&p40

 

[ohiojerry]

"Its common to hear a short barreled (snub) revolver be recommended as a first carry gun. What's funny is this also happen to be one of the more difficult pistols to shoot well so contrary to popular opinion its really more of an experts gun than a beginners or first time carry so I don't recommend one of those."

I wholehearted agree with this statement.

 

[tomthebaker]

Glocks didn't fit my hand until the Gen 4 with the smallest grip (no backstrap added). Mine all have Trijicon RMR's and tall suppresor sights. Remember, if the pistol is too small and light, it has more felt recoil and muzzle flip.

 

[W-457]

The best way to decide is to try them all out and see what works best for you (looks like Garth has you covered).

If you decide on semi-auto, I would recommend something chambered in 9mm. And if a revolver then one in 357mag or 38spl.

I've been carrying a Glock 19 Gen2 (no finger grooves) with me daily for the past 6 years. I like it better than anything else I've ever shot. My Wife's favorite is a S&W model 65LS... she really only likes revolvers and hates my 19.

There's a huge selection to choose from, I'm sure you'll find something you like

 

[T. Erdelyi]

I carry a Taurus 9mm PT111 IWB and a full size S&W 901 1911 style 9mm in a shoulder rig.

I like the pocket 9, (Taurus) as its DA only which makes carrying with one in the tube a much safer option.

One thing to consider is the weight difference from an empty pistol to one with a fully loaded magazine, 10-15 9mm rounds can add a substantial weight to the gun. Just something to consider.

 

[Father & Son Traditional Sharpening]

Oh, Glocks, revolvers, all firearms.....they're man made, they can and will break and fubar. Don't let anyone sell you a pistol under the notion that it will never break or never fail. They all do and can.

Yeah, the same could be said of knives. Busse's can break too, so why carry one of those silly things when a Mora is just as likely to break......

 

[high desert]

Any J frame S+W. The Ruger LCR copy is the same size with a light and smooth double action trigger pull. If you are not familiar with hand guns I think your first should be a revolver based on it's simplicity. With a semiauto you might ask yourself is the chamber loaded? is the safety off? will I have a hard time pulling the slide back to load the chamber?

 

[JackHammer]

I would like to carry a larger caliber such as my Colt Trooper .357 mag, but as our temperatures are already in the 90's, it's a tough job to conceal something like that under a t-shirt. And years ago I tried a Glock 19, Sig Sauer 229, and Colt Commander, all with similar results. So I downsized to a .380 but would not recommend a cheap one as they may not be reliable, especially with hollow point ammo. For years I carried the Walther PPK and last year moved up to the Sig Sauer P232 which has shot 6 different hollow points and never jammed. But your most important weapon is being aware of your surroundings.

 

[Lexi]

Great thread topic, Lora! I am also wondering which to choose after I get my CCW. There is a lot of great info here! I don't think I want a revolver, I'm leaning towards an auto.

 

[tuica]

And...Two points of controversy. You will find many folks dissing Glocks. Don't know about the midwest, but you will rarely see a police officer out here that doesn't carry a Glock. There might be a reason for this.

And...Never, ever get in an argument regarding the superiority of the following semi-auto pistol calibers: 45ACP; 45GAP; .357SIG; 40S&W; and the 9mm Luger.

It's a war that never ends.

Good luck in in exploration and discovery...Cheers.

 

[M67]

Yeah, the same could be said of knives. Busse's can break too, so why carry one of those silly things when a Mora is just as likely to break......

Ive been living and breathing guns for too damn long now. Every time a carry thread gets started, or hell even in my shop, people say that well I carry a glock or I carry a revolver because they never jam or break.

I hear that and I want to scream. Ive seen glocks jam and act like a cheap pos, ive seen a hamd break on a smith model 17 and lots of other. ..crap basically

All I was saying was that a gun shouldn't be purchased unde the false promise that it will never fail


And for police and glock carry. There are 2 reasons for this. Glock basicallygave departments free guns back in thr day to get their name out. Secondly, it doesn't really take a brain to operate a glock. A shat ton of police officers arent gun people

Great thread topic, Lora! I am also wondering which to choose after I get my CCW. There is a lot of great info here! I don't think I want a revolver, I'm leaning towards an auto.

Didnt you start a carry thread back in 2012?

 

[Bobber]

A long coat with a sawed-off mossberg 12 gage shotgunn in a sling.... loaded with buckshots would stop most predators lol.....

All kidding aside, I live in Norway so carrying annything (also knife) would get you in big trouble, but I have a full size S&W MP9 to take to the range. Love it and it has never let me down.

Maybe look at some of the mid size or compact versions of the mp line?

 

[qhunteraz]

Not sure if you said lora, but how do you plan on carrying it? purse or on a belt? outside the waistband or inside the waistband? my girlfriend has some curves so most holsters are made for a mans hips.
are you comfortable with very compact or midsize? very compact it the James bond style walther or ruger lcp9, I put a midsize as a Springfield xdm subcompact up to the xdm compact. How do you handle recoil? if you need a but more heft to tame it that changes the game a bit more. The most important things to think on after size is quality, after all your life my depend on it. never cheep out on the weapon , the mags, the ammo or the holster. you can practice with cheep plinker ammo but I am sure our lives are worth a dollar plus per round of the good stuff. fund what you like think about all the possibilities and practice practice practice. prepare for malfunctions as well, its the click when it should be a boom that really sucks. and without training and practice well it can ruin your day fast.

 

[lazy otter]

Mine changes from a glock 21 to a glock 27 both gen3 . You could get the 27 and swap the barrel and mag and now you have a 9mm or just change the barrel to 357sig I think the 27 mags will work with the 357sig round. There are even classes you can take to get glock armor certified and parts are everywhere most any 1 can work on 1 and if you get lucky like I did you can get your 27 with od green and black slide from the factory. Downside you gotta learn that trigger cuz it's also your safety but take a class and keep your finger in the register position until you need to fire. So my vote is glock

 

[Jonathan T]

And...Never, ever get in an argument regarding the superiority of the following semi-auto pistol calibers: 45ACP; 45GAP; .357SIG; 40S&W; and the 9mm Luger.

This....and this....and this. I am actually very impressed with the members here that no one has even mentioned "their superior caliber". Please don't, keep it to yourself

All kidding aside, I live in Norway so carrying annything (also knife) would get you in big trouble,

Sigh.....this makes me angry because I feel that where I live is heading in this direction too. Just had to move to the land of the oppressed known as New England, and I cannot wait til I can relocate again.

 

[Error 404]

Ruger LCR in .357, but shoot .38 Spl +P in it. The .357 version is a little heavier. I own one and carry it sometimes. That said, my primary choice is the S&W Shield in 9mm. A good choice if you must have a semi-auto. It's thin, carries well. Good luck.

 

[Lora7]

There are a lot of great suggestions in here. Now I just need to get with Garth and try out whatever I can to find out what I like and what will work for me. I have a feeling that I will end up with a nice collection of handguns by the time I'm done with this search.

 

[lazy otter]

And I can't forget my favorite ....my NAA 22lr mini revolver with the oversized rosewood grips they sell ... Great for days when you wanna carry light or want to have an extra gun on ya.