Quest for the "ideal for you" carry gun

bluejeans said:

Sorry but I don’t get the ‘one perfect carry gun’ thing..

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Spats McGee said:

There was also the issue of moving towards identical controls on all carry pistols.

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From my point of view...and I'm not knocking anyone, this is just my tacticool armchair position... unless you are able to train very frequently, realistically, with your assortment of carry pieces, you are better off picking one system and sticking with it. At the Moment of Truth the only thing that will save you is your ability to draw and fire your weapon without thinking about it... fine motor skills and dexterity will be gone, let alone the millisecond of time it takes to remember which pistol you might be carrying today, and whatever holster and retention system you have at that moment. What I learned in my limited instruction drove me to replace my assortment of carry pistols for one dedicated platform, and the simpler the better.

Charlie98 said:

From my point of view...and I'm not knocking anyone, this is just my tacticool armchair position... unless you are able to train very frequently, realistically, with your assortment of carry pieces, you are better off picking one system and sticking with it. At the Moment of Truth the only thing that will save you is your ability to draw and fire your weapon without thinking about it... fine motor skills and dexterity will be gone, let alone the millisecond of time it takes to remember which pistol you might be carrying today, and whatever holster and retention system you have at that moment. What I learned in my limited instruction drove me to replace my assortment of carry pistols for one dedicated platform, and the simpler the better.

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I tend to agree. Or at least options with the same controls.

I favor SAO guns with the safety in the same location. Sure I might change between, say, a 1911 or Sig SAO, but the safety is in the same spot and they come out of the same style holster carried in the same location.

Works for me as my hands know what to do, though I do practice quite a bit as well.

My first CCW was a Smith #37 Chiefs Spl. 3” Carried that for many years until I got my Glock 27. Now since I like the .40 I added a Beretta Cougar 8040 to the line up along with a Smith #36 also for the days of I don’t know what fits or I don’t feel like carrying it’s a Ruger LCP
Since the 37 was the second pistol I ever purchased (1974-75) it more or less has been retired!

RovinOn said:

I don’t feel like carrying

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The concept of not carrying a gun because because "I don't feel like it" is completely foreign to me could you explain please?

If I’m going to make a quick run somewhere sometimes I just don’t leave the house carrying because I didn’t feel like getting one to go! For the most part I always have the LCP with me, too easy to conceal and carry?
The quick run might be just down the road to pick the dog up from the groomer.
I dont have a truck or a car gun because I don’t believe in leaving something like that locked in a vehicle.
Hope that answers your question

To get more specific on my first post, sometimes a compact .44 Spl. might make more sense out in the bush. But for every day, I don't think that I would want to trust something with a very small cartridge gun, or something very low capacity.

If I had to pick just one, I did pick up a neat little 9 mm. It's a polymer gun built on the CZ 75 platform. Though it is quite a bit smaller and lighter than an all steel CZ type gun. It's a Sarsilmaz B6C. Takes and operates well with the mags it came with, or MecGar CZ 75 Compact mags. I personalized mine a bit, rounded some corners, cut CZ scallops, and converted the mags it came with to a flat steel floor plate rather than a "pinky rest" floor plate. The extractor spring seems a little stiff at times, but have not messed around with it. Some sort of Tennifer or nitriding, stainless, and polymer make it pretty resistant to sweat. With a couple mags, it's pretty easy to carry a bit over half a box of 9 mm, and quick and easy to shoot.

Tactical, I bought one last night. It was only $229 and I really like CZ75's. I will find out in a few days how much I like it.

Upgraded to a S&W 442 Air Weight +P rated.
My Daughter taking my Charter Undercover as her carry piece.

Tallball said:

Tactical, I bought one last night. It was only $229 and I really like CZ75's. I will find out in a few days how much I like it.

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That's a killer deal! I enjoy mine, and like the way it turned out when I painted it. Got mine in black, but IIRC they were available in green as well. Does yours have the stainless barrel, or is it regular steel and chrome lined? Slide blued or nitride coated? Seems like there are a few differences between mine and the one I looked up, including the rear sight.

I do wish that I slimmed the trigger guard more before I painted it. Let us know how you like it.

To me the "ideal" carry gun is one that is powerful enough, light enough and reliable. For me that is the S&W M642 or 638 (Interchangeably). In the last 40+ years I have carried many duty weapons ( S&W M19, M65, M686, M5906, Sig P220, Glock 23) but one thing has always been constant; a J frame back up (M60, M640, M49, M638 & M642) and I wish I still had them all. Currently I just have the 638 and 642 and while I do think they are ideal I still do not entirely trust the air weight frame. I check them constantly for cracks etc. So I am currently in the market for an all steel j frame maybe a 36 square butt, but I will not sell the airweights.

I've certainly bounced back and forth. Here's my list, starting with the first CC gun I started with and down to the most recent and why I stopped carrying them.

1) LCP - wasn't accurate enough for my tastes but still carry when I need something small
2) S&W 337 j-frame - didn't care for the external hammer for pocket carry
3) S&W 442 - decided 5 rounds of .38 wasn't enough firepower
4) SIG P935 - loved the gun but I switched to carrying AIWB and am not comfortable with a single action sitting "there"
5) Ruger SP101 - ergonomics were off, always pointed high for me
6) Kahr MK9 - not comfortable with it at AIWB position so looking to replace
7) Back to the 442 because it conceals well and I shoot it well

Now my thought process is that a Kimber K6 will be "the gun" because the double action trigger will make me feel more comfortable carrying it AIWB and 6 rounds of .357 or very stout Buffalo Bore .38 sp beats 5 rounds of regular +p .38 sp. Who knows though, I may get it and not like it and end up going right back to a j-frame.

Makes me wonder if I can remember all the carry guns I carried.

Uniform carry is easy; S&W 10, Browning HP, BUG was a S&W 60.
All the rest? S&W 686, Colt 1911, Jericho, Glock 17, Kel Tec 32, Ruger LCP, Colt 1903, S&W 640, S&W 340, S&W 296, Charter Arms 44 Bulldog, S&W 642, Taurus Tracker 44 snub, Taurus PT25, Beretta 70, S&W 13, S&W 65, Beretta 92, Beretta 1934.
Maybe one or two more but I can no longer recall.
(Just remembered a Colt Mustang).

IMO, for the most part, a gun is a tool, and just like a tool one can improvise using a different tool but nothing beats using the right tool to get the job done. Over the years, on a personal level, my needs have changed as have my physical ability so walking around with an M9 or 1911 is just wrong for me. Fact is I hardly need most of my weapons anymore. It's nice having a 17 shot semi next to the bed but having two or three revolvers has done the same job. I just bought a brand new M9A3 and that was a huge mistake, habit I guess. Probably use it for partial trade for land or a vehicle.
I think my favorite handgun is one I never owned and probably never will because of the caliber but I really like the CZ83. Perfect size, holds 13, fits my hand, reliable but I don't trust 380 enough.

I have come full circle over time and my old S&W mod 10 is just as effective today as it was in 1963 when it was made. It’s not cool or fancy, but it makes my daughter feel safe when she sees it. She keeps threatening to bury me with it.

This is my first post on this Forum......

I’ve only been carrying a handgun for 9 years, so my history of edc’s is somewhat brief......Glock 26, Glock 30, Sig P220 Carry.....that was the first 3 years. Since 2013 I’ve been carrying an all stainless Ed Brown Commander-size 1911 in 45 acp. Last spring I added the exactly same configured (U-notch rear sight, gold bead front sight, short trigger and slim grip panels) Ed Brown in 38 Super. I rotate between the two pistols.

For the record, I’m nearly 71 and have been retired for 10 years, so I don’t have to worry too much about dressing around my gun since my clothing requirements are quite simple.

Oh....and I load my own so the 38 superb really isn’t that expensive to shoot.

Best Regards, Mike from Plano, TX

Bilbo463 said:

This is my first post on this Forum......

I’ve only been carrying a handgun for 9 years, so my history of edc’s is somewhat brief......Glock 26, Glock 30, Sig P220 Carry.....that was the first 3 years. Since 2013 I’ve been carrying an all stainless Ed Brown Commander-size 1911 in 45 acp. Last spring I added the exactly same configured (U-notch rear sight, gold bead front sight, short trigger and slim grip panels) Ed Brown in 38 Super. I rotate between the two pistols.

For the record, I’m nearly 71 and have been retired for 10 years, so I don’t have to worry too much about dressing around my gun since my clothing requirements are quite simple.

Oh....and I load my own so the 38 superb really isn’t that expensive to shoot.

Best Regards, Mike from Plano, TX

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Just another reminder that I really need a .38 Super 1911. Preferably a commander length barrel and bobtail frame.

I have only carried since 2007.
I started with a Ruger P94 chambered in .40 because it was the handgun I owned when I decided to start carrying.
I spent a lot of time dry firing, learning the DA/SA trigger. After a while I decided I didn't like the slide mounted safety. The solution I saw posted online was to just leave the safety off. That was fine until one day when I was hunting & had it on. I had just finished going up a tree in my climber when I realized the safety I thought was off was on. So I decided to go striker fired.
My next was a XD-40. Slightly higher capacity than the Ruger (it was bought during the assault weapons ban) & the grip safety. I liked it a lot for a while.
Then I decided I wanted smaller so I picked up a Kel-Tec P-11. I messed up the mag-catch trying to make it where the magazines would drop free. Bought a metal mag catch from a member at KTOG. Then I trusted it. Not a good trigger but the pistol worked & was accurate once I got used to it.
A couple of years ago I got interested in the Taurus PT 111 G2. The low price & smallish size appealed to me. I picked one up and after shooting it a while gave the Kel-Tec to a friend & alternated between the XD & Taurus. My biggest gripe with the Taurus was the trigger.
Somewhere in here I decided I wanted a pocket gun. I picked up a Kahr CM9.. It works & I can hit decent with it out to about 15 yards but it is harder to shoot well as there just isn't much to hold on to.
A while back I got to thinking that the grip on the little Taurus is roughly the same length as the grip on a Glock 19 while the slide is about the same length as a G26. I did like how easy it was to hide the Taurus but didn't like some other things about it. I got to thinking that the grip is the hard thing to hide not so much the length of the slide.
So my latest is a M&P 2.0 40 compact with a 4" barrel. I like that it is roughly the same size as a G19/G23 has 13 round capacity with the short magazine & has a nice trigger. I believe I will stay with this one for a while. Of course I still have the CM9 for when it just isn't workable to carry anything larger.

I sold the Taurus & the XD as for my purposes I believe the M&P 2.0 compact replaced both of them.

It is interesting that of all the handguns I own I would consider my SR 1911 & my old Dan Wesson model 15 the nicest but I tend to use polymer framed striker fired pistols for carry.

Since we all like this brand or that, shoot different calibers, want more or less in magazine capacity, have different sized hands, prefer different actions, experience different reactions to recoil, and enjoy varied modes of carry the ultimate CCW is a dream floating in weightlessness.

In my l-o-n-g experience as a veteran shooter with little girl hands (the rest of me is not so cute) the P-365 and G-42 come closest. But, that is just me....

Today, it is a Remington Lightweight Executive 45 acp. Carried in a CrossBreed IWB holster, paired with Ready Tactical kydex mag carrier.

And, as always, a Smith 43c in my pocket.

BOARHUNTER

I started carrying a full size 1911(only thing I owned besides a Ruger BH) and didn’t have a lot of money then.
Decided I wanted something easier to conceal after having to change a flat and some ppl saw my gun IWB and freaked
Got a 642, then an LCP for slightly bigger capacity- then decided to get an XDs45 when came out bc I really like the caliber- stuck with that for 6 years now have a colt new agent to mix in rotation-
I still carry the LCP or 642 if dressing up and going to more upscale areas

Holkmike- Your signature line is so true today! I love it!
Today the closest most ever get to sending a ship out is buying a lottery ticket!!!!

Hokkmike said:

Since we all like this brand or that, shoot different calibers, want more or less in magazine capacity, have different sized hands, prefer different actions, experience different reactions to recoil, and enjoy varied modes of carry the ultimate CCW is a dream floating in weightlessness.

In my l-o-n-g experience as a veteran shooter with little girl hands (the rest of me is not so cute) the P-365 and G-42 come closest. But, that is just me....

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I also have little girl hands with slim, long fingers. The P365 works best for me, with the small-frame P320 when concealment is less important. The small-frame P320 is really fantastic. It's actually a bit more ergonomic than the P365 to me Fills my hand just right.

George P said:

Easiest to carry is my LCP in my pocket; easiest to blend in in my pocket is my j frame.

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I have found the same. The lumpy, irregular profile of the revolver may be visible, but it's not making an obvious "gun outline" in my pocket.

I dont know that anything I purchase next will match the pistol I broke my cherry on, a beretta 92fs.

This is based on controls, reliability, and accuracy (learned I assure you!) .

I'm not a fan boy so much, as I need a smaller carry, and the compact 92fs isnt in the running.

From my research the Wilson EDC X9 would be what I'm looking for but I'm just not a fan of the 1911 platform.

Very frustrating indeed!