Weapon and Round Count for CCW

I have a G3, not the G3c. I only have about three hundred rounds through but have not had one malfunction. Very good accuracy, too. Taurus has gotten a very bad rap from people who have never owned one and never even shot one. Make your own decision. I prefer a CZ Compact, but I would carry the G3 with no worries. You may not need more than four rounds but 12 or 14 makes me feel so much better.

Sell both Taurus guns and the Rossi. Don’t carry a revolver. That leaves the S&W Shield.

“Taurus has gotten a very bad rap from people who have never owned one and never even shot one.”

Sigh... There is so much wrong with this thinking that it is simply not worth the effort to refute. Sure, YOU go ahead and use one as a defensive gun if it makes you happy.

“As others have noted, I can't really answer for you because I don't know how you shoot and carry and what conceals, shoots and carries best.”

What the heck has gotten into gun people? This is such a lazy answer that you may as well tell them to buy whatever the gun store clerk pushes on them, load it up and stick it in the nightstand drawer. The lifetime round count of that gun will be at most 50.

The correct answer is:

Seek out training from a competent gun school. Learn their methods and use what they hand you if you do not know what to do in order to properly evaluate handguns for defensive use. You will learn specifics about that gun that you can then apply to your next purchase. However, this information is trivial in nature since the valuable training applies to shooting any handgun and applying it properly in the context of lawful self-defense with lethal force.

Then, do it again with a different instructor or company.

tomrkba said:

“Taurus has gotten a very bad rap from people who have never owned one and never even shot one.”

Sigh... There is so much wrong with this thinking that it is simply not worth the effort to refute. Sure, YOU go ahead and use one as a defensive gun if it makes you happy.

Click to expand...

See these guns? Each and everyone a Taurus I never had to send back or have I had a problem with. Since 1987. The Tx22 is on fire in the .22 market selling three to one against the Glock 44. The PT92 and 99 have fired thousands of rounds of 9MM of all types. Sigh. Just another poor schnook that believes everything he reads. By the way, your taking yourself way too seriously.

tomrkba said:

“As others have noted, I can't really answer for you because I don't know how you shoot and carry and what conceals, shoots and carries best.”

What the heck has gotten into gun people? This is such a lazy answer that you may as well tell them to buy whatever the gun store clerk pushes on them, load it up and stick it in the nightstand drawer. The lifetime round count of that gun will be at most 50.

The correct answer is:

Seek out training from a competent gun school. Learn their methods and use what they hand you if you do not know what to do in order to properly evaluate handguns for defensive use. You will learn specifics about that gun that you can then apply to your next purchase. However, this information is trivial in nature since the valuable training applies to shooting any handgun and applying it properly in the context of lawful self-defense with lethal force.

Then, do it again with a different instructor or company.

Click to expand...

Could you possibly sound more condescending?

The answer could easily encompass your elitist training requirements as part of not knowing the OPs competence level.

Plus, when choosing a CCW there's more than just skill level, you also have body style and physical limitations, of any, to consider when determining caliber, size, weight and various other variables that make a gun feasible for any given person to carry daily, instead of choosing what some trainer says and then leave in the safe because they can't or won't conceal it daily.

tomrkba said:

Sell both Taurus guns and the Rossi. Don’t carry a revolver. That leaves the S&W Shield

Click to expand...

Oh, I guess you can sound more condescending.

JR24 said:

Could you possibly sound more condescending?

The answer could easily encompass your elitist training requirements as part of not knowing the OPs competence level.

Plus, when choosing a CCW there's more than just skill level, you also have body style and physical limitations, of any, to consider when determining caliber, size, weight and various other variables that make a gun feasible for any given person to carry daily, instead of choosing what some trainer says and then leave in the safe because they can't or won't conceal it daily.



Oh, I guess you can sound more condescending.

Click to expand...

Yes, pontificating is the mark of a poor instructor. I hope he isn't one.

Tom Gresham of Gun Talk stated a few years back that he no longer recommends gun forums, THR in particular, as a source of valid information. Keep in mind, years before that, he recommended THR as the only forum to look at. He was right—on both counts.

***

JR24 just spent all that time writing a ludicrous response explaining why nobody can give any advice...because...”complicated”. Except, the guy could go to 16-40 hours of training where he can learn all that.

***

Good training is “elitist” and truth is “condescending”. Too many people seem to think buying a cheap gun and not congratulating the guy on it is a problem. Never mind adding the cost of those guns (and mags, accessories, etc) together and selling them in this market would allow him to have two higher quality guns and gear. Oh, wait, telling someone to choose one good carry gun and having a spare identically setup is folly, elitist, and probably racist. https://secureservercdn.net/45.40.1...t/uploads/2020/02/2020-02_RFTS-Newsletter.pdf

Maybe Tom Givens is not making sense to the average gun owner, which may explain why he wrote an article about how the gun training industry has trouble attracting new customers. Then again, it is a lot like work that has to be paid for, so the average person won’t attend.

Nahhh...let’s lie to the guy, tell him his gun choices are great, and that he really doesn’t need to do anything more other than check a few boxes at the local concealed carry class.

FL-NC said:

I carry a shield 9.

Click to expand...

I used to carry an original Shield 9MM. I’ve since replaced it with a G43X and 15 round mags. But I did like my Shield...

tomrkba said:

JR24 just spent all that time writing a ludicrous response....

Click to expand...

Some same reasons of which Tom Gresham has said himself.

In fact, Gresham has cited his short fingers and his solution of grip reductions in order to increase his proficiency; it wasn't training.

tomrkba said:

The correct answer is:

Seek out training from a competent gun school. Learn their methods and use what they hand you if you do not know what to do in order to properly evaluate handguns for defensive use. You will learn specifics about that gun that you can then apply to your next purchase. However, this information is trivial in nature since the valuable training applies to shooting any handgun and applying it properly in the context of lawful self-defense with lethal force.

Then, do it again with a different instructor or company.

Click to expand...

If that IS the correct answer, I'm curious as to why it wasn't your first answer?

tomrkba said:

JR24 just spent all that time writing a ludicrous response explaining why nobody can give any

Click to expand...

Nope.

What I said was you sounded crazy condescending when the question asked was:

357smallbore said:

Am proficient with these handguns. I am going to pick one as my main ccw weapon. Right now I rotate a few as I feel the desire to carry a different application from time to time. But I feel that I just want to start carrying just one on a full time bases. What do you all think? What would you choose?

1.S&W Shield 9mm / 124 HST 8 rounds
2.Taurus G3c 9 mm / 124 HST 12 rounds
3.Taurus 85 38 Special / 130 HST 5 rounds
3. Ruger Speed Six 357 mag / 125 SJHP 6 rounds
4. Rossi 720 44 Special / 200 wadcutters 5 rounds

Click to expand...

And without knowing anything about the OP except that he considers himself proficient with all of these and is wondering which other folks would choose. For all I know he HAS taken extensive training with the elite masters with these very same guns and finds them reliable and accurate.

What you said boils down to "go buy expensive training and let them tell you". Then you insulted most of the other posters as part of the answer.

Which, frankly, is as lazy or moreso than any other answers.

But, whatever dude, if being a jerk gets your jollies up that's cool, I'm done here.

No JR24. You refused to tell the truth. You decided that playing politics was better. You are focusing upon your emotional response rather than the content. There are plenty of local trainers who are good at what they do that are not at the price point of Gunsite, Thunder Ranch, etc. If telling the truth to the OP, and calling out people who prefer “gun political correctness” over truth is “being a jerk”, then so be it.

357smallbore said:

Am proficient with these handguns. I am going to pick one as my main ccw weapon. Right now I rotate a few as I feel the desire to carry a different application from time to time. But I feel that I just want to start carrying just one on a full time bases. What do you all think? What would you choose?

1.S&W Shield 9mm / 124 HST 8 rounds
2.Taurus G3c 9 mm / 124 HST 12 rounds
3.Taurus 85 38 Special / 130 HST 5 rounds
3. Ruger Speed Six 357 mag / 125 SJHP 6 rounds
4. Rossi 720 44 Special / 200 wadcutters 5 rounds

Click to expand...

I say the Rossi.

My theory (and I change theories weekly) is that the #1 biggest factor in handgun effectiveness is Who gets the first lead on target and What did that lead do.

Short barrel revolvers are real fast out of the holster and always give you the right grip for your first shot. And a 200g wadcutter at 825 fs (Charter Boomer) will hit as hard or harder than just about any handgun load.

Of course, when a man’s ccw is as eccentric and weird as Two Charter Boomers, then that man has to come up with a lot of theories to justify the choice.

But still, I say that if you are facing a guy with a Glock 19 holding 16 rounds, and you are holding a smoking Rossi 720 with 4 rounds — the fifth round already making its slow transit through Glock man’s thorax — then you are at an advantage in this particular gunfight.

OTOH, I have investigated enough vage’s to know that hi cap semi auto usually beats revolver.

*a vage is when you jack up a dope dealer and walk away with both the money and the birds

Ruger LCP for warm weather pocket carry wearing shorts, and Ruger LC9 for wearing blue jeans with a belt.

though i have the necessary ccw permits, my locales are socially gun unfriendly, yet generally tame, so choices must generally be unobtrusive: naa mini bugout 22lr, keltec p32, bond arms derringer (trigger guard removed to accommodate gloved hands). otherwise a ruger lcr 22lr, or s&w or taurus 38sp snubbie revolver.

I would carry what is the most comfortable to carry. I like pocket carry so I would go with the Taurus 85. The Shield would be #2.
I don't remember how small the Rossi is? It would be 3rd.

chicharrones said:

In my experience, what you choose to carry the most out of what you already own will happen naturally and can change over time (even back and forth). This is usually somewhat, if not mostly, dependent on what clothes you wear on a daily basis.

Shootability is most important, but most on that list are likely not too hard to be proficient with.

Just looking at your list, I would think #1 would be #1. But that's just me looking in from my point of view.

Click to expand...

THIS is by far the best answer for anyone trying to figure out what to carry!! Sometimes it can take years to find your "Holy Grail" of a carry gun.

JCooperfan1911 said:

I think if you do your research you’ll find even 5 rounds is enough something like 99% of the time for civilian personal defense encounters.

Click to expand...

Please cite the source(s) of your "research". I'm all ears.

WheelGunMan said:

THIS is by far the best answer for anyone trying to figure out what to carry!! Sometimes it can take years to find your "Holy Grail" of a carry gun.

Click to expand...

And, sadly, what worked perfect for years might no longer be viable as you age. As my back notified me about my "ideal" carry gun, a steel framed 1911 commander. Going lighter, of course, introduced numerous other changes to performance and dictated that I abandon the 1911 in .45 ACP all together for daily carry.

So it's a journey, and it's always changing.

JR24 said:

And, sadly, what worked perfect for years might no longer be viable as you age. As my back notified me about my "ideal" carry gun, a steel framed 1911 commander. Going lighter, of course, introduced numerous other changes to performance and dictated that I abandon the 1911 in .45 ACP all together for daily carry.

So it's a journey, and it's always changing.

Click to expand...

So very true....as with any journey one must be flexible so as to accommodate change.

I'd carry the Shield but then again I'm biased because that's what I carry most of the time. In time I will probably buy a Shield Plus. Basically the same gun but with a much nicer trigger and 11 or 14 rounds vs 8 or 9. It is a touch bigger than the 365 and Hellcat, but not enough so to matter in terms of carrying it and everything I've read and seen so far seems to indicate it shoots softer than either. Plus no reliability gremlins in the past as with the 365.

IdaD said:

Plus no reliability gremlins in the past as with the 365.

Click to expand...

Even though the "Plus" is predicated on proven earlier designs, it still hasn't been out for more than a couple of months or so. I hope, and trust you're right but I like to have others test the waters before I jump in.

Shield for town, Speed-Six for the country, backup, travel, or home defense.

Personally I carry a Shield most of the time, especially in warmer weather. I have the belt clip and anchored trigger cover and carry it IWB/appendix. In colder months I like my Radom P83 "Wanad" with 9x18 FMJ. The two are so similar in size and weight I dont really care. Its also easier to carry spare mags for the P83.

When travel I like to bring a 357 revolver for the simplicity, versatility and general stability and safety. Since I usually end up in the woods when i travel, I like having a more powerful round than 9mm.

Edit: I've considered a partial trade of my Shield for an M&P Compact, which would give me the doublestack advantage. But I'm not sure that would be wise since the Shield is sooooo concealable, especially with the belt clip. Not every CCW sports a belt clip! Its a real plus. There was only one time ever that I decided I needed more firepower than the Shield. That was when there was unrest bordering on rioting happening downtown in my city, due to the death of George Floyd. Racial epithets appeared scrawled in our public bathroom. My employer closed their doors several hours early so as not to put employees at risk. I brought my Arcus 94 Hi-Power clone that day. Suffice to say though, that as long as it functions well, my Shield is my main squeeze and I usually have little reason to want anything else for EDC.

Glock 30 in the winter with a j frame in my pocket
Walther PPS M2in the summer, extra mag

I would love to see a S&W 329 PD (the scandium 44 magnum) in 45 Colt
Are you listening Mr Bowen?