Carry Gun Selection Dilema

[glockman19]

Kimber Ultra.

 

[benderx4]

HK P7
HK USP9 Compact V1
HK P2000
HK P2000SK V3

 

[kyo]

Ruger P345 or SR9
345 is a .45. I love mine. Lockable safety/deckocker. Hammer style
Sr9 is striker. Same as everything else in the 345. 9mm instead.
I carry my P345 everywhere. At 4 o'clock with my simply rugged holster no one can tell anything, even with just a shirt. Love that damn gun

 

[SudSlinger]

hkp30. I have it, I love it. I believe it meets all of your requirements and considering you are so specific, it has the plus of a customizable grip.

 

[.455_Hunter]

I have a couple to responses to the recent posts to clarify my needs...

learn to shot right handed, and increase your options.

I have shot left handed for 25 years. I agree it is important to train with your "dumb" hand for emergency action drills, but I am not going to attempt to overcome my natural gift just so I can effectively play with more guns. I tend to shoot and carry wheel guns more often anyway, and they are very lefty friendly for me.

If you shoot yourself accidentally with a Kahr, then you would've also shot yourself with a revolver.

If you use a holster for carry than I don't see the point in overlooking a modern striker fired gun without a saftey.

My S&W Model 60-12 has a long trigger pull in the 12 lb range. A Kahr has a shorter trigger pull of about 6 lb. In my mind they are not comparable. I am very comfortable with the safety of a heavy DA pull. Every time I dry fire one of the light weight striker guns in the gun store, I get concerned about how that trigger went back way TOO easy. I am sure that there are MANY, MANY folks who disagree with this assessment, and that's OK.

I don't see any reason to have a safety ON when the first round is DA anyway.

Agreed! A safety on a proper heavy DA/ light SA is not necessary, unless it also performs some aspect of a firing pin lock, etc. If the gun DOES have a safety, though, I would like it to be in the M1911 position and function the same way (up for safe/down for fire). This is what hurts a lot of the products from Ruger, Beretta and S&W. A decocker is nice, and would be very useful on my CZ-85B...

Many top shooters prefer to have the mag release under their trigger finger, so discounting a gun solely because of that ignores a benefit.

Most of the autos that I own fall into this category- and yes, I have dumped a few mags when the magic button was pressed during the recoil cycle. However, I will look at a gun like this if the button is properly "fenced", and not just hanging out in mid air.

For the same reason why I would choose a S&W 637/638 over a 642, I will always prefer a hammer spur that allows for cocking if necessary.

Right now, the leading contenders are the HK 2000 SV V3, the various Sigs (need to to research on the safety flip) and maybe a small CZ.

I am going to park myself at 5280 Armory and try to look at as many as possible.

Take Care!

 

[loneviking]

.455 Hunter, you're a wise man for sticking to your safety criteria. I know a lot of folks who laugh at guys like you and me, but I'll take safe over sorry! That's why I like the DA/SA pull and the decocker on the Sigs. The P250 has a nice trigger, but it's pull is about 6.5 lbs which is worrisome for me. Seriously, try to find a P229 to handle, even if it's a used one in crummy shape. I have a feeling you'll like this gun and I've heard that the Sig DA/SA design was designed to make the transfer from wheelguns to a semi-auto easy.

The other aspect to consider is the width of the gun. I like the safetys' and the reliabilty of the Springfield XD's, but they are just too thick to be comfortable.

Happy hunting!

 

[Norinco982lover]

I believe Springfield Armory now makes a XD .45 with a manual safety. You might look into that.

~Norinco

here is a link: http://www.gunsholstersandgear.com/2008/02/07/springfield-xd-service-pistol-in-45-acp-with-a-thumb-safety/

 

[alistaire]

Try a Colt Commander/Light Weight Commander. They come with ambidextrous safety. Or you could get a Defender/New Agent and have the ambidextrous safety added.

 

[psyopspec]

5280 Armory

My favorite shop in the Denver area so far. I absolutely LOVE that place. Just wish their hours ran a little later into the evening...

Last time I was there, they did have at least 2 P 2000 SKs in the case. If you ever want to try a full-size P2000, we could meet at a range in the Denver area. Good luck!!

 

[Quoheleth]

A fellow lefty, I feel your pain.

I like my M&P (no thumb safety) and my Springer Loaded (full-size Government).

Seriously, and with all respect, due to your stringent requirements, what about a nice j-frame with a couple speed-strips? Not as fast to reload or as high capacity as a small auto, but they are concealable, light & safe.

Q

 

[.455_Hunter]

what about a nice j-frame with a couple speed-strips?

I already have a Model 60-12, and carry it quite a bit. It works very well for a lefty. On a side note, I am not so sure what to think about the new Charter "left-handed" revolver. My manual of arms for a side-swinging DA revolver is to hold the frame/open cylinder with my right hand and work the reloading process with my "good" left hand. This allows me to hold the gun at COM, and control the cylinder movement. One downside is if the cylinder is hot, you could burn your hand, but I will worry about that if it happens. It seems to me that most DA revolvers are already more lefty friendly than righty friendly. I would not want to count on my right hand being able to quickly and accurately manipulate a speed loader, speed strip or loose rounds, as would be required by the Charter design.

I own plenty of guns that will "work" for CCW (rev and auto). My goal is to find the optimal semi auto in a "major" caliber that will meet my needs when I deem it prudent to carry a larger capacity non-M1911 platform.

 

[Neverwinter]

Another left hand friendly option matching your criteria is the Walther P99 AS.

• Available in 9mm and .40
• Striker fired with a trigger system similar to TDA
• Slide mounted decocker
• Ambi slide and mag release on the new versions
• Three dot sights