First CCW Pistol

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The gun is only half the matter. How you carry it is equally important. The consequences of a failure in concealment will determine if more or less out of sight is adequate or if you need it to be undetectable short of a thorough search. In general, the bigger the gun, the harder it is to conceal. Will you have to change your wardrobe to accommodate your gun? Comfort is also an important consideration since it will affect your willingness to carry all day every day. Depending on your answers to these questions, your options range from a Beretta 92 in a shoulder or OWB belt holster to a Keltec P32 in a pocket holster.

As far as recommendations go, there are good reasons why the M&P Shield is so popular. I would also suggest looking at the Walther PPS and Kahr CW9.
 
^^ That's not bad at all. I'm assuming these are the "old" ones, making way for the "new" version coming out. Might have to pick me up one.
 
Just as a follow up: I went ahead and bought the Sccy at the local farm store. $199 on sale. After I 've 'cooled off' suficiently in the next 72 hours I'll pick it up and give my impressions of it after I've had a chance to fire it.
 
Just a note on the trigger pull of the sccy, most revolvers have a 10-12lb trigger so like already said, you should have no problem. A second point, you really don't want a light trigger on an SD handgun. Sure on a target gun but not on an SD gun. You don't want a light trigger under stress, really.
 
ArchAngelCD said:
Just a note on the trigger pull of the sccy, most revolvers have a 10-12lb trigger so like already said, you should have no problem. A second point, you really don't want a light trigger on an SD handgun. Sure on a target gun but not on an SD gun. You don't want a light trigger under stress, really.
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You also don’t want an unnecessarily heavy trigger that only makes the gun more difficult to shoot well. While I’d agree a 2 lbs trigger might not be the best idea, if one is relying on a heavy trigger to be safe that’s a problem too.

I hope when the OP gives us his impressions about the gun it will include some sort of o kective measure of performance with with.
 
I have to agree with benolson. At what there selling shields for right now there hands down the best bang for the buck on the market. I have a 43 glock and love it but it sure isn't worth twice the money you could buy my 40 shield for right now.
 
One of the previous posters had the best suggestion of all go to a range that has rental guns and try them. If you're used to a da/sa revolver you're going to have a pretty long adjustment period with the Semi Autos. While a keltec and diamond back are DAO semiautos, their triggers do take a while getting used to. I've owned the same KelTec P-11 since 95 and have put literally thousands of rounds thru it. And it shows no signs of failure.

Also a lot of readers here have given you their personal preference for a CCW weapon. You may find that yur circumstances to be unique and your choice different than all of ours.
 
I had pretty much convinced myself to get a SCCY, until I fired one. The SCCY and the LCP were physically painful to shoot.
 
I have several CCW guns... none of them are really all that much fun to shoot. My LCP is one of the softer shooters... did you shoot one with the pinky extension mag or without it? The pinky extension does give better control so it doesn't beat you up as bad. An extended magazine helps a lot too.

My NAA guardian in .32 is softer than my LCP because of the extra weight and smaller cartridge. My XDs in .45 is kind of rough without an extended magazine. My CM9 is is pretty rough too. Both rougher than my LCP.

My carry pistols are not range pistols... I don't take them out and put several boxes through them. I usually shoot a couple mags through my carry pistols then pull out my 1911's and carbines and do some serious practice and have fun when I go to the range. The more I shoot my carry pistols the more comfortable I get with them... the first time out with a new carry piece is usually the roughest.
 
The gun you are counting on to save you and your family is the gun you should practice with the most. IMO.
 
Walther PPS-M2 is easy to carry & easy to shoot, this one comes highly recommended!
 
MikeInOr said:
My NAA guardian in .32 is softer than my LCP because of the extra weight and smaller cartridge. My XDs in .45 is kind of rough without an extended magazine. My CM9 is is pretty rough too. Both rougher than my LCP.
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Maybe the magazine extension is the difference but I find it interesting that your experience is much different than my own. I haven't shot an LCP but I did shoot a Kel-Tec P3AT (the pistol the LCP was cloned from). It seemed horribly snappy. I much prefer my CM9. I think it is because there is more to hold on to. Of course hand shape & size may have something to do with this also, I don't know. FWIW I carry the CM9 when it would be impossible for me to carry anything larger. Most of the time I carry a XD-40. I have more confidence in my ability with a larger pistol.
 
WildeKurt said:
I'm considering buying my first CCW pistol and have narrowed it down to two moderately priced 9mm: DiamondBack DB9 and the SCCY CPX-2. The SCYY is a little larger mostly in thickness but has a greater capacity (10 vs 6 rounds) both are DAO. The SCCY is striker fired and the DB has a hammer. Both seem to have favorable reviews. I'm leaning toward the SCCY but notice the trigger pull of the DB is 6lbs vs 10 for the SCCY. Now I am used to shooting DA revolvers however have never measured the trigger pulls of any that I have. Not sure if I should lean toward the DB9 due to it's lower trigger pull. Any opinions?

Kurt
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Nobody can really answer your question but you.
 
Mike J said:
Maybe the magazine extension is the difference but I find it interesting that your experience is much different than my own. I haven't shot an LCP but I did shoot a Kel-Tec P3AT (the pistol the LCP was cloned from). It seemed horribly snappy. I much prefer my CM9. I think it is because there is more to hold on to. Of course hand shape & size may have something to do with this also, I don't know. FWIW I carry the CM9 when it would be impossible for me to carry anything larger. Most of the time I carry a XD-40. I have more confidence in my ability with a larger pistol.
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I have never shot a P3AT... I know they are very similar in look and design but small changes in ergonomics can make a big difference in perceived shootability. The little pinky extension on the clip has made a big difference in shootability of a hand gun to me. (I just purchased an after market pinky extension for CM9 mag and look forwards to shooting it). I have no problems and no hesitations about shooting my NAA Guardian .32, LCP, CM9 or XDs 3.3". I can pick up any of them and fire off close range deadly accurate placed shots without flinching. I would hesitate recommending the CM9 or XDs .45 3.3" to someone that hasn't shot a lot of automatic pistol though.

In a perfect world we would all be able to go out and take a gun for a test drive before purchasing. For many this isn't practical though. I couldn't even find a CM9 to touch before buying one. I had to go off my impressions of handling a CW9 at the gun counter, a lot of research and seeking opinions on the web from current owners.
 
I have both the SCCY and the DB9. Neither have given me a problem and both have functioned flawlessly with everything I've run through them, although I don't put +P's through the DB9. Due to it's very small size the DB9 is usually on me somewhere, IWB or pocket, as a BUG, but sometimes primary too. I consider it an "in your face gun", my last resort so to speak. That said, the DB9 is not fun to shoot at all. You better have a good grip on it or it's gonna launch! The SCCY is much more comfortable to shoot even with the very long, hard trigger pull.....surprisingly accurate too.
 
I have both and I carry the DB9 as a bug. However it takes some work to get this thing working. Go to Pocket Guns and Gear and look at their fix for the DB9. I find that after I did the mod these folks recommend that mine will feed and fire HST 115 grain NON +P. Do not use +P ammo in either of these guns.
Also, you will not shoot these very often. They kick hard and you will have a very sore hand within 15 rounds. If you were my son I'd look for a used 3rd Gen Glock, a used S&W Third Generation. Get at least 4 mags for whatever you get as you must get in a class and fire at least 300 rounds under supervision. My website is gator farmtactical.com and we have drills demonstrated.
 
As promised I thought I'd follow up and give a little report on the SCCY CPX-2...

I took it to the range and put 150+ rounds through it without a failure. I used some Magtech FMJ 125 grain and Winchester steel case stuff (115 grain) that was on sale at Wally World (Holy cow, $20 for 1.50 rounds? I'm not sure I can reload cheaper than that). How does it shoot? I will say that it's a pretty small and light gun so no surprise that after about 100 rounds my hand starts hurting. That said, since it's intended purpose is CCW that's OK. It does seem like it'll conceal well.

Hows the trigger? Well I compared it with my S@W large frame 45ACP revolver and I will say it has a lighter trigger pull. However the trigger doesn't reset quite as fast. Perhaps that's a result of the lighter trigger. (According to Jerry Miculek the trigger reset's super important). I will say that if your comfortable with a double action revolver, you won't have any problems with this gun after a little practice.

Accuracy? It does seem to be at least as accurate than me. I was only able to shoot it from 25 yards but was able to hit the armed squirrel targets I had more often than not after a little practice. Once it warms up I'll try a little closer stuff which is why I bought the gun to begin with.

In short, I'll say for the money (less than $200) this is a fine gun. Would I buy it again? Yes for sure. The only down side I can see is now I have to buy 9mm dies and a new turret so I can reload the caliber.

Kurt
 
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