I know that the 'What concealed carry gun should I get' question has been asked a few times before. My problem is that I want a concealed carry gun, preferaby in 9mm or possibly .40, that would not be horrible to practice with because of recoil.
First a little background. I can't carry in my state (PR of Maryland). I have a Utah non-res permit which allows me to carry in the surrounding states of Pa, Va and De. So for the most part I can't carry but for a few days out of the year. But I do like that I can now carry in the Shennandoah Natl. Park in Virginia because Va recognizes my Utah permit. We go to the mountains at least once a year.
I already have a Bersa Thunder .380CC which would conceal well. It weighs 18 oz if I remember correctly and is very unpleasent to shoot in my opinion because of lack of weight. So my problem is that I want to step up the power to 9mm or .40. The way I see it, if I get that power in a small light weight pistol like a Kahr PM9 or CW9, it's going to be real unpleasent to practice with. And if I get a heavyer gun it's going to be more uncomfortable to wear IWB. I've already got a Stoeger Cougar which is real big for IWB. I'm 5'10'' and 170 lbs so I'm not a big guy. I've also got larger 9mms like P229, 92FS, XDm which are too big for IWB.
So is there no good solution to the light weight/horrible recoil vs heavier gun/acceptable recoil puzzle? Do I just need to suck it up and get a light weight (CW9) and forgo trying to practice with it much at the range? Or is there a small, single stack (SIG P 239 comes to mind except for the price) with some recoil absorbing weight so that I would not mind practicing with it yet it could be worn IWB?
Thanks for any input. Also feel free to ignore if you're tired of dealing with this type of question.
First a little background. I can't carry in my state (PR of Maryland). I have a Utah non-res permit which allows me to carry in the surrounding states of Pa, Va and De. So for the most part I can't carry but for a few days out of the year. But I do like that I can now carry in the Shennandoah Natl. Park in Virginia because Va recognizes my Utah permit. We go to the mountains at least once a year.
I already have a Bersa Thunder .380CC which would conceal well. It weighs 18 oz if I remember correctly and is very unpleasent to shoot in my opinion because of lack of weight. So my problem is that I want to step up the power to 9mm or .40. The way I see it, if I get that power in a small light weight pistol like a Kahr PM9 or CW9, it's going to be real unpleasent to practice with. And if I get a heavyer gun it's going to be more uncomfortable to wear IWB. I've already got a Stoeger Cougar which is real big for IWB. I'm 5'10'' and 170 lbs so I'm not a big guy. I've also got larger 9mms like P229, 92FS, XDm which are too big for IWB.
So is there no good solution to the light weight/horrible recoil vs heavier gun/acceptable recoil puzzle? Do I just need to suck it up and get a light weight (CW9) and forgo trying to practice with it much at the range? Or is there a small, single stack (SIG P 239 comes to mind except for the price) with some recoil absorbing weight so that I would not mind practicing with it yet it could be worn IWB?
Thanks for any input. Also feel free to ignore if you're tired of dealing with this type of question.