Do you need compact handgun for concealed?

[Bobo]

You can "Have your cake and eat it too" with a Springfield XD Compact 4" barrel.
Use the 10 round round mag for carry (shorter grip for ease of concealment), and the 13 round mag for target practice (longer grip for shooting comfort).

http://www.springfield-armory.com/xd.php?version=145

Bobo

 

[bikerdoc]

my choice Cz compact, j frame, mak, and yes even a glock, you will know whats right when you shoot it and get the wow response, rent, borrow,
or beg try them all

 

[shadowalker]

I've prefer "service" sized firearms and found with a quality belt and a quality holster most handguns can be pretty easily concealed. If a person skimps on belt or holster they tend to have trouble concealing any size firearm. I have a friend that was complaining he can't conceal his Kel-Tec on the belt.

I carry a Sig P229, 2 spare magazines, and SureFire on the belt and conceal with an untucked polo shirt 70+ hours a week. I've also carried Ruger P90, and XD 45 ACP service without any trouble, the Ruger in particular is pretty good sized..

 

[mljdeckard]

Welcome and just remember what opinions are like.

First of all, yes, absolutely train. Don't let the lack of military experience thing intimidate you in the least. (In the army now, I shoot a grand total of 49 rounds a year to zero and qualify.) NO ONE is above training. Massad Ayoob (If you don't know who he is, look him up and buy a couple of his books, "In the Gravest Extreme" to begin with,) takes at least one week off every year to train. If HE still needs training, the rest of us do too.

I have oft commented in here that I believe a lot of the compact gun philosophy is hype spurned by a robust gun industry and the gun magazines, who would convince me that I need a carry gun, a backup gun, a truck gun, a home gun, an 'open carry out in the woods' gun, etc. I'm far from rich, and I can't buy every gun I WANT to buy. I've settled on one gun that does everything I NEED it to do. (A full-size 1911). Maybe when I'm rich, I'll broaden my view of need.

I would definitely advise that the first overwhelming priority should be to use the gun you shoot best. For MOST of us, a better sight radius (determined by the distance between the front and rear sight,) and more weight mean you can shoot faster and more accurately. (A full-size handgun.) If this is SERIOUSLY what you want to do, use the gun you shoot best. If, down the road, you become better, and feel that you can shoot a compact as well or almost as well as you can a full-size, get both. To ME, shootability is by far the most important factor. Comfort is a very distant second, if that.

Comfort is relative. It's not like you can slip a compact into your waistband and suddenly not know it's there. If you get a mall ninja who got his permit 62 days after his 21st birthday, you can hang a desert eagle under his left arm, and he will swear it feels great, doesn't notice it. On the other hand, if you take a petite female who is not at all comfortable around guns, and put a sub-compact Glock in her waistband, purse, or around here ankle, she will swear it weighs fifty pounds and everyone knows she has it.

 

[rhubarb]

I carry a Ruger P95, a full-sized pistol with a 3.5" barrel, inside the waistband every day. It's not uncomfortable or difficult to conceal at all.

 

[El Tejon]

No, you need a good holster AND a good belt.

 

[mmay1]

newbie4help, go get that CHL!

Sure you can carry a full size pistol and that's probably a good thing to start with. Most of us have several pistols because no one is going to be just right for every occasion. Also, we all "need: several.

I got my CHL primarily for protection, to give myself every opportunity to avoid being a victim. But I also felt it important to exercise my right to be armed. Use it or lose it!

 

[IndianaBoy]

Get a glock 19.


This is coming from a guy who doesn't own one. My girlfriend has one.

If I had to have one do-all handgun for carry, USPSA, range fun, etc. It would be a glock 19.

 

[newbie4help]

IndianaBoy, I have looked at the Glock 19 and am definitely considering it. Does it have the same sights as the Glock 17 and just smaller magazine? What are all the differences. I can't wait to get to shooting range and try all these out!

 

[LightningJoe]

If you've got a life, you'll probably do best with pocket carry. There are also important tactical advantages to pocket carry.


For pocket carry, the biggest automatic you can carry is probably a PM9 or thereabouts. In revolvers, you can carry a J-frame. Make it hammerless.

 

[1911 guy]

You don't have to carry a small gun.

Some folks do, and that's fine if they have thought out their options and consider that the best route for them. Any gun is better than no gun when you need a gun.

Quote: If you've got a life, you'll probably do best with pocket carry

I beg to differ. I carry a full size pistol, a 1911, almost every day. My choice in clothing allows it and I dress very differently depending on where I'm going. I've yet to find a situation (other than jumping in the pool or bathtub) where I was precluded by my clothing from carrying a handgun. The few times I pocket carried a Sig P232 I felt it limited my clothing (had to have huge pockets, so no jeans) and my mobility (sitting eliminated access to the gun) far more than wearing a belt holsteted 1911.

The small gun craze is fueled by the lack of peoples motivation to buy a good gunbelt. I'd save money on a holster before I skimped on the belt. Buy the best belt you can find. I currently wear a Wilderness Instructor Belt, the 5-stitch model. There are good leather belts available, also. I wear one on Sundays going to church because it fits the beltloops in my dress pants better than the Wilderness belt. Then find a holster, IWB or OWB, whichever you prefer. Make sure the loops match the belt for the best stability.

Choose your handgun based on these things, in this order.
1) Caliber. Autos start at .380acp and revolvers start at .32 for useful defensive guns.
2) Gun fit. The piece has to be comfortable for you to shoot and manipulate.
3) Size. Obviously, a small cannon would be effective but not concealable. Fortunately, many handguns are available in useable calibers in all manner of shapes and sizes.

 

[chupacabrah]

I have a full sized M&P 9mm. When I get my CHL in a few months, I'm going to cry to CC it. If that doesn't work out comfortably, I'll have to get something a little smaller.

Given I'm not speaking from experience, I would imagine that THINNER is better than shorter, like a compact. Right? (for IWB, anyway)


I'm still getting used to OWB (open) carry, around the house.

 

[IndianaBoy]

The Glock 19 has slightly smaller dimensions than the Glock 17. Sitting side by side it doesn't look like much difference, but it is worlds easier to conceal. It is also a VERY shootable gun. The Glock 26 takes small just a tad too far, as there just isn't a lot to hang onto. The 19 makes for a fun range gun as well.
You only give up a couple of rounds of capacity for a gun that is much more concealable.


The sights are the same sights that are on the Glock 17. You can get night sights or fiber optics for it just like any other glock. Trijicons are very nice, I recommend them.


My gf got a police trade in gun that looked to have been shot very little. Swapped out the outrageous 8 pound connector for 5 pound one and it is an excellent all around gun now.

 

[MrCleanOK]

I'm 6'4", 200 lbs, and I have no problems carrying a full-size XD45. I got the compact model (shorter handle), but normally carry it with an extended magazine (same as a full-size). That said, I'm a college student and normally dress in casual clothes. If I had to wear business attire every day, I would probably opt for something smaller.

 

[Vern Humphrey]

Thank you all for input. Could you please tell me what made you start carrying?

I used to be immortal. One day, I heard a noise, and stepped behind my command track to see what it was. A dead NVA had been dumped there, and gas was escaping from various holes in his body. I said to myself, "I don't want that to happen to me."

That's why I carry.

 

[LUPUS]

No.
The BHP even the CZ75 conceals pretty well both on the belt or IWB.

 

[ExSoldier]

The act of carrying a firearm is supposed to be comforting not necessarily comfortable. I forget who said that but I suspect it was either Jeff Cooper or Clint Smith.

The trouble is that I've been carrying a firearm lawfully and concealed in several different states since 1978. At the start I carried a M1911 since it was the only handgun I owned. Then I started carrying my second gun, a S&W M19 357 that I bought for work (I put myself thru the last two years of school as an armed guard). I carried one or the other of those for the next ten years. It was easy but in warm climates it is a definite problem from the heat and humidity factor as much as from the desire to blend in being difficult if you're forced to wear a cover garment that really conceals. Like a Banana Republic Vest. Plus, it's a distinct hassle these days to get suited up with a serious gun/caliber for the South Florida climate. That's why I usually shove a Smith & Wesson M642 .38sp into a Mika pocket holster when I go out with my wife after work. That's fine for hostilities occuring at "contact range" out to maybe 10 feet. Although I always carry a backup speedloader and a good folding blade I still feel this is a personal compromise to what I know I should be carrying. It's losing the "comfortable v. comforting" argument again. Maybe when I get my new H&K P30, it'll feel light enough to carry under any conditions.

 

[ExSoldier]

Why did I start carrying? Well I could never put that into words until I read the essay by COL David Grossman called Sheep, Sheepdogs and Wolves and realized I'd allowed myself to be a victimized sheep (lamb?) for the early part of my life and in my bones I knew that wasn't what I really am. I started relearning the basic tenets required to survive and thrive in hostile environments. Hence my commission as a US Army Infantry Officer and later job in Law Enforcement, etc. Here is the codified reality as I see "HUMANITY."
http://www.pgpft.com/On_Sheep_Wolves_and_Sheepdogs-Grossman.htm