best carry gun, opinions?

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jumbo72

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Hello all, i'm a new member who is looking for a good carry gun. I just sold a subcompact xd40 (3" barrell). I loved the gun, it was very reliable and small, but i hardly ever carried it on my person because it was a little too thick and slightly heavy. I'm 6'3" and 350 lbs, and have to wear kakhis for work, and i was constantly hitching up my pants, i could get it to stay put but i almost had to cut myself in half with the belt to keep it in place. I'm really digging the small 1911's (kimber ultra carry 2, springfield micro and emp, colt defender), but i've read lost of info about the sub 4" barrel 1911's being undependable. What are yall's opinions? If the grip is the same size, would i be better off going with a 4" barrel? Thoughts? Anyone have any of the above they'd like to sell? :)
 
The XD's are blocky...For a CCW gun I'd stay away from any 1911's shorter than 4.25 inches. I carry a 1911 myself...but its a 4.25 inch barrel version on an officers frame...the perfect carry 1911 in my opinion...but not cheap (Baer Stinger)

Have you handled the Smith & Wesson M&P 40c?
 
The guns I find myself carrying the most are my snub nose revolvers. Easy to carry and I have pocket, IWB and OWB holsters for them so I can carry regardless of dress. Some will argue they prefer to carry more gun but I feel comfortable with it. I'm a big guy also and I don't find IWB the most comfortable but an airweight snubbie is pretty comfy in a pocket or OWB.
 
Carry a full size 1911. however, if you get a major name brand gun in a 3 inch barrel you should be fine. I've had an UC II for a while. After the intial break in and the throwing away of their cheap mag, now have wilsons, it has been flawless.
 
I have 3" 1911's, I also have xd sc .40, The only guns I like to carrry are my J frame smtih and wessons, I work construction, and they are so comfortable compared to the others.
That is my opinion, look at the smith 442, 642, or m&p 340
 
I hear 3" 1911s are not reliable, but never experienced it with the two I have, a Colt Defender and a Kimber Covert Ultra II, however, I carry this one because I don't have a concern about concealment when it's pocket carried.
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Kel Tec PF-9 / P11 are both easy to conceal 9mm's and seem to have a rather large following. I can't say anything else since I don't own one, but I am looking real hard at them.
 
If you disliked the Subcompact XD the 1911's won't fit you either. They would be even heavier unless I am badly mistaken. Make sure you have a good holster, something like the Super Truck which I love, that can make a HUGE difference in how conferable a CCW is. And as mentioned the S&W J Frame is always a good choice.
 
I've found that because of my body style I have a hard time keeping my pants up W/ a gun.
The solution I've found that works the best is to have a pair of suspenders on as well (think LBE)but I can get away W/ it because my dress style runs to untucked flannels, sweaters and jackets. YMMV
 
Hey Jumbo!
I met you on the XD forum:)

Welcome to THR! If you are looking at a lighter, thinner pistol...then take a look at the Keltec PF-9/P-11 (as suggested) or some of those Kahrs. They are paper thin but pretty decent little pistols. If you have a range nearby I would suggest going and shooting a few different ones and see how they feel. If the gun jams or has troubles don't take that as a reliability issue it's probably just bone dry and filthy inside.

The CZ Rami or Sig 226 are both nice littls pistols as well.

~Norinco
 
I've noticed to that the XD Sub's seem pretty thick. I know I sound like a broken record, but you should really check out the M&P compact (my standard answer these days). They fit the hand perfectly (for me at least).
 
At 6' 3" and 350 lbs, you could carry ANYTHING you wanted to.

It may have been a belt or holster issue instead of a gun issue.

No reason to go to a .380.

The current crop of short 1911's work pretty well. My 4" Kimber and 3.5" Springfield are flawless thus far. The EMP I shot worked fine, also.

Other choices would be a Kahr in 9mm, .40 and even .45 acp.

All are slim and light.

.
 
I carry a 1911 in Commander length barrel (4.25") in an OWB holster.

I was more concerned about day-long comfort than concealing it under a shirt, so I changed from IWB to OWB and wear a jacket or an untucked shirt.

With a stiff belt and a proper holster, the belt doesn't have to be snugged so tight it feels like it's cutting you in half. I find that wearing the holster at 5 o'clock works well for concealment, access, and not digging into my back when I'm seated.

It's true that the shorter-barrel pistols can have retention problems if the holster is depending on that barrel friction. I tried my wife's Officer's Model (which is a 3" barrel, I think) and it felt "top-heavy" in the same holster.
 
I have a Kimber UCII stainless.
I carry it concealed daily.
Last week I ordered a second one.
It is a brilliant carry gun and very reliable.
I am not one to shoot a couple mags through a gun and declare it reliable. I have had this one four months and it has 1800 rounds through it and is on its second set of springs.
The gun feeds, fires, extracts and ejects as reliably as any other gun I have ever owned.
I have owned and own a lot of guns.
The accuracy is very good.
Fifty percent hits on a 12-inch swinger at 100 hards offhand unsupported with a sight picture that completed covers the target frame!
If you want a 3-inch 1911, buy one. They are no more unreliable than any other 1911.
They require more frequent spring changes. That is it.

Short barreled K frame revolvers are very good as well. I carried a 19 2.5-inch and still carry a 66 3-inch. Whatever you do, carry a gun you shoot regularly and well. The regularly and well are so very important and are not stressed enough. Carrying a gun you rarely shoot is negligence, in some cases criminally so.
 
I have two guns that I use mainly for conceal carry. A Kimber Ultra Crimson Carry II and a Smith & Wesson model 642 (with a Crimson Trace grip).

Of those two, I find that the 642 is the most concealable and the easiest to carry because it is so dang light. It's a gun that I can pocket carry and forget I even have it at times.

If you haven't checked out the 642, you owe it to yourself to do so. Put some .38 + P ammo in it and you are good to go. The downside is that it is a tougher gun to shoot than the Kimber, mainly because of the heavy trigger pull. But after practicing with it (a lot), I am now very confidant in my ability to hit what I'm aiming at with it, and even enjoy shooting it now.

Anyway, I love both of the above guns for CCW purposes.
 
I've noticed to that the XD Sub's seem pretty thick.
Click to expand...

No more than any small Glock or other plastic pistol. I have an XD9SC and while it can make a good carry piece, it is not as trim as other pistols, including the Colt Commander that I used to carry quite often, but it's no fatter than the typical double stack plastic pistols made by anybody else.

I recently bought a Rohrbaugh R9S Stealth, however, and it's now become my main carry piece.
9mm in a package no bigger than a Ruger LCP (and hardly much heavier being that there is no plastic in it) has a lot going for it.
Pocket or IWB, the R9S is a joy to carry and I often forget I have it on me.
 
I have a bit of girth myself, and I go the suspenders route. I carry a rather blocky HK P2000sk in a Galco Concealable along with a Galco COPS belt. I wear a jacket or shirt over a tee shirt or polo shirt for cover.

If you feel you need a slimmer pistol, the Kahr line is a good place to start. Being a big guy you may want to look at the full gripped T9 or TP9 or even move up to the .45acp P45 or TP45.
 
Glock 19 - there is no perfect gun for CCW, all of them have limitations. But if I had to pick only one for capacity/accuracy/decent stopping power/concealability and (Most of All) reliability, that would be it.
 
I can't say what would be perfect for you. Any carry gun is going to consist of a lot of compromises, some people weight caliber, some weight magazine capacity, etc. I settled on a S&W 642 and a speedloader, now working at just carrying a second 642 as there really isn't that much bulk/weight penalty in carrying the additional gun.

lpl
 
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