Opinions on a new conceal carry weapon

You may want to look into the Kahr PM series. They make very small carry guns in 9mm, .40 and .45.
Here's a link to the .45 on their website: http://www.kahr.com/PA-1_45acp_pm.html

I've read a lot of posts about bigger guns being hard to conceal. I live in phoenix where 90% of the days I wear a t shirt when I go out. I'm 5'9, 180 lbs, and I carry a glock 22. I use a leather galco iwb holster, and wear it at the back of my pants. The only time it ever shows is if I have to bend down to pick up something. Other than that, I have no problem keeping it concealed. And obviously a 40 cal with a 15 rd mag has no stopping power issues or lack of ammo issues either

Opinion

Might try the COLT New Agent in 45 ACP

Have you considered a .357 snubby, powerful and concealable.

KAHR PM45

I love mine, carry it everyday in my pocket.

XDm is a fantastic weapon but the handle given the ammo capacity is IMO tougher to conceal. It can be worked with but I prefer a 5" 1911 for the grip size/angle, just feels better. I do still carry my XDm though, I really care little if it prints a bit.

I carry a Glock 23 in a Cobra belt holster. It's been a great rig for me. It concealed well under a long untucked t-shirt or polo shirt. I run alongside my kids while they're on their bikes and it hardly moves. 13+1 of .40

Vector said:

I use to own a compact .45 ACP for my primary CC, and even though it was not the easiest to conceal, I made do.
Now all my weapons are too large for casual clothing in a warm climate, so I'm thinking of getting something smaller. While a 9mm is a decent weapon(already have one), I'm thinking of getting a larger caliber for greater stopping power, yet I need to keep it small enough for casual clothing.

So what is the collective knowledge/opinion of the THR CCW crowd?

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Now all my weapons are too large for casual clothing in a warm climate

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Then you're probably doing it wrong.

I'm thinking of getting a larger caliber for greater stopping power

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9mm is a perfectly capable SD round.

avs11054 said:

I've read a lot of posts about bigger guns being hard to conceal. I live in phoenix where 90% of the days I wear a t shirt when I go out. I'm 5'9, 180 lbs, and I carry a glock 22. I use a leather galco iwb holster, and wear it at the back of my pants. The only time it ever shows is if I have to bend down to pick up something. Other than that, I have no problem keeping it concealed. And obviously a 40 cal with a 15 rd mag has no stopping power issues or lack of ammo issues either

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I see this a lot too. While I don't live in Phoenix I do like Under Armour Heat Gear T-shirts (the looser-fitting ones, not the skin-tight stuff). The fabric is very light and tends to drape much more than the average cotton T-shirt. With that said, I have concealed a full-size pistol in a CrossBreed SuperTuck holster under such a shirt on many occasions.

When I say "full-size" I mean one of the following:

Springfield XD45 Tactical
Springfield XDm 9mm 4.5
Springfield XD40 Service
Glock 19 (OK, maybe this one isn't 'full-size')

I'm 5' 10" and about 170. What am I doing right that these people are doing wrong?

I really, really love my Ruger SR9c. I'm 6'4", 300lbs, and carry it every day in a High Noon Split Decision at my 7-8:00 position on my left hip. With 10+1 9mm+P I don't feel undergunned at all. If I really am concerned about where I'm headed, I can also carry the full-size 17 round mag as backup.

This gun is spooky accurage, recoils negligibly, had a smooth trigger and is thin enough to be extremely comfortable to carry every day, IWB, with slacks and tucked-in polo or sport shirt, but big enough that I don't mind shooting it as a range gun.

I cannot recommend this highly enough as a consideration.

Q

I opted for a Kahr PM40. I think the manual said it required 200 break in rounds, but mine took closer to 400. I think you could argue either way that it's either too much money in ammo to break in or that it gives you plenty of time to get familiar with your carry weapon.
I found the Agrip stick-on takes a lot of the bite out of the recoil and I like the purchase it gives me on the small frame.

A friend has the PM9 and his has been 100% out of the box.

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Vector said:

Your post is suppose to help in what way?
I clearly said I do not find my current handguns to be concealable enough in the warm weather, yet you say I'm "doing it wrong". Well maybe I am based on the type of clothes you might wear, but for what I wear at times nothing I currently own will fit the bill.
Regardless of that fact, I said I want to up the caliber. So telling me a 9mm is a capable SD round again does not offer me anything. I am not knocking the caliber as I do own one. I just prefer a .45 or maybe a .40, though I have never owned that caliber. No matter what the round I will have it will be high quality hollow point ammo. I know people who carry 380's and feel fine with those, but I'd prefer something larger yet concealable.

Any positive or informative suggestions are welcome.

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Sorry, too many phone calls distracted me from completing my post.

Define "concealable enough"
What is your normal attire?
What type of holsters have you tried?
What belt are you using?

I can wear dress slacks/shirt/tie or shorts/polo or jeans/t-shirts and use the same holster/firearm.

Both of my Kahrs, a CW40 and a PM9, have been reliable since their first round. The CW probably has close to 1000 rounds through it now. The PM maybe 500. Neither is a fun range gun, but they are reliable and concealable.

The PM is "pricey" for a reason ... it's a great, lightweight, relatively high-quality gun.

For the OP, my response which was somewhat along the lines of brboyer's response was meant to suggest that you might want to re-evaluate or look at things from a different angle or consider a different carry setup. I'm not suggesting that you NEED to carry a larger pistol either in size or caliber (although you seem to want to carry a larger caliber), merely that you might be able to carry a gun you already own but just haven't come across the right way to do so. No disrespect intended.

Fwiw I see a lot of cw40's in the used gun case at my local shop, usually 4-6 at a time. I don't see any cw 9's. Just something to check out at your local shop. It doesn't necessarily mean anything, but it's worth asking. Maybe they upgraded or mabe they went back down to a 9 because 40 cal in that size handgun has got to be a handful. Of course ymmv - how ya doin?

My main gun is a 5" 1911 i carry 80% of the time.
The rest of the time goes to my SA XD SC .40 which is smaller and lighter, Just not thinner which isnt an issue imo.
Those are my two ccw guns but i want a few more.
I want a small .380 like the Sig P238 i sold and regret.
A 3" 1911 in .45
A used PM45 but id say a PM40 may be easier to handle.

But when it comes down to it i like to shoot alot and id love a small .380 sized 9mm that didn't cost $600 so i could hit the range with it as much as i want.
But not a Keltec so that leaves only the $600 PM9. One day ill find something that will fit.

I am also a big Kahr fan. Right now I have two, a CW9 and a P380 but I have had several others. I did have some issue's with my P380 but have worked through them. I think my next gun will be a PM40. Don