Need a CCW pistol - advice please

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You might try .38 Spec. loaded with wad cutters in a light weight S&W 5 shot revolver or the Ruger LCR in .38. Wad cutters are for target shooting and have low recoil but should be on equal par with a .380 or a little more. I would try to try out the combination prior to buying, maybe rental or a friend. The lightweight 5 shot revolvers do not weight your pants down during pocket carry and with a good pocket holster can be carried without much printing.
 
Anybody has opinions in reference to a Beretta Tomcat since it is a .32 ACP and a good quality firearm. It is lightweight and very concealable. Thanks
 
@ForumSurfer.. Just got my CCW from Wake this week. Glad to hear about SB34. Takes a load off of honest civilians trying to protect themselves. Next Dixie show end of April. Will look at all suggestions. Thanks
 
In 9mm I think the Kahr CW9 might be a good compromise for your situation.

- 9mm
- not a pocket gun, but very thin so easily concealable even in summer clothing
- for a compact gun I think the recoil is very manageable
- yet big enough to get your whole hand on
- in your price range
- plenty light enough to carry all day
- +2500 rounds though mine with no problems so they are reliable

I can put +200 rounds down range without any discomfort, but I do not have arthritis in my hands. However they are pretty popular so I think it would be relatively easy to find a somewhere to rent one and find how it works for you. I do use a slip-on grip for a little extra comfort and I could not be happier with it. Just because it works for me doesn't mean it will work for you, but I think you could benefit from trying one.

I haven't personally shot a Bersa but have heard mostly really good things about them. They have 9's and 380's and with the weight of a metal gun could soak up some of the recoil. I do know they are not as thin as the Kahr.

I think Kel-tec's are great little and inexpensive carry guns, but I'm not sure I would recommend one to someone with arthritis. Either way best of luck.

Shawn

Kahr CW9
 
If you can't shoot properly then you will need a canon that kills without hitting the upper center mass or head.
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I have to disagree respectfully, brother.

All handguns are inadequate when it comes to stopping power...with the exception of big bore 4xx and 5xx stuff. None of them can be trusted to be one shot fight stopper, you need a few rounds center of mass until the threat is no longer a threat.

If you can't shoot properly, you just need to train and shoot more to fix it. :)

Once upon a time, I spent many weeks up in Dayton due to my job. Haven't been there in years. I miss going through the wright patterson museum!
 
bimmerland said:
Thank you all for your input. Here in NC it will be summer quite soon so my decision will also be based on loose fittting lightweight clothing including shorts and a tee shirt. I will spend time looking a what I can conceal with the choice of summer attire. I like the idea of the G26 but with clothing constraints I might look into a .380 or a .32 ACP single stack such as Walther, Bersa, Sig, or Kel-Tek. I would rather go with a 9MM but I think my choice is quite limited due to recoil contraints and suitable size for summer carry. If I have missed anything please let me know. Again, thanks for all the great suggestions.
Cheers!!
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I carry a Glock 19 in summer attire. Properly holstered, a gun the size of the Glock 19 is easily concealed.

The recommendation for the Kahr CW9, however, is a good one. I have a CW40 myself. Nice weapon for the price and very easily concealed in an IWB holster - even when wearing lightweight T-shirts like the loose-fitting Under Armour Heat Gear shirts.
 
Glock 36?

I just recently switched to the G36 myself, after carrying a 1911 for quite some time.

The G36 is thin, light, short (both ways), large caliber, accurate, reliable, easy to shoot (IMO)...and I never liked Glock pistols so I'm not a fan boy...just stating what I have learned the past several weeks.

If you look online you will see a lot of negative reviews on the G36...when it was first introduced (several years ago) it had a few problems...Glock has since fixed these issues, the new ones are just like any other Glock....boringly reliable.

http://www.glock.com/english/glock36.htm

I carry it in a Mitch Rosen 5JR holster (or at least I will when it gets here...ordered it about 3 weeks ago, should have it by April 19)

EDIT: About the recoil and your arthritis...the G36 is an easy shooter if you stay away from +P ammo...both my wrists have been broken several times and it doesn't bother me even with +P ammo (I carry Hornady 230 grain TAP +P)...it really is a soft shooter.
 
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Look into a Sig P238, its a very accurate .380 with zero recoil that you can slide into your pocket. I was skeptical about it, but after taking one to the range I'm sold!
 
Walther PK380. It uses a locked breech instead of straight blowback so there is minimal recoil and the slide is easier to operate. Nine round capacity. Quite accurate and very dependable (with decent ammo - the only FTF or FTE I have had were due to some low-quality ammo that was all I could get during the Great .380 Famine). And it's inexpensive: Bud's lists it at $341.00 including shipping and a local gun shop has it advertised for $350.00. It's bigger than the mouse pistols but fits in cargo shorts pockets okay and tucks in a waistband very nicely. Loaded with nine 102-grain Remington Golden Sabers, it weighs 22.1 ounces. By comparison, a Smith & Wesson Model 637 Airweight with a 1 7/8-inch barrel loaded with five 125-grain Remington Lead-Free FNEBs weighs a hair over 16 ounces.
 
My vote is for an M&P compact. It slots between the Glock 19 and 26 in terms of size, and operates in a largely similar manner, but with a far more comfortable (and adjustable) grip. The XDm 3.8 is another in-between sized gun with an adjustable grip size.

That said, try before you buy is the route that I'd go. You can probably conceal just about any gun given enough effort, but not just any gun is right for how you shoot. I can concealed-carry my full-size Glock 17 if I'm wearing the right clothes and with the right holster.
 
Anybody has opinions in reference to a Beretta Tomcat since it is a .32 ACP and a good quality firearm. It is lightweight and very concealable. Thanks

Yes I have an opinion. I loved my tomcat. (Please notice the past tense). It fit in my pocket, filled my hand and pointed right where I wanted it to. Then one day I could not hit the broad side of a barn with it. Literally, I couldn't put a shot on paper. I stripped it and found a crack in the frame. It is a common problem, but one that I thought would not effect me as I followed berreta's ammo recomendations. I sent it back and they repalced it with a new tomcat, but with a wide slide. I love the gun but have no confidence in it, and for a .32 it can't handle the hotter loads that the kel-tec can. I'm in the process of trading it in for a kel-tec right now. Do your self a favor and either buy a ktp32 or sig238 (which is actually about the same size and weight as the tomcat).

If you just have to get a tomcat, Google "tomcat frame crack" read a lot, and at least make your decision with your eyes wide open.
 
OP - I realize that you're simply looking to be TOLD what will work and what wont by people who have also been TOLD...

But I strongly urge you to get more trigger time, try more things, and do more thinking before finally coming up with what will work for you.
 
I've owned many guns over the course of my life. Colts, Kimbers, Taurus, Rossi, glock, beretta, springfields...the list goes on.

What if my house burned down tomorrow and they were somehow all gone because I didn't have time to grab my nightstand piece (that is also my carry piece) on the way out and I had to purchase one tomorrow to "do it all?" I'd run out and buy a g19.
 
I vote Glock 26 or 19, depending on the size you want. Failing that a small but not too small (NOT micro) 9mm. Not a taurus. Not a keltec.

I made a Glock 26 my first handgun and it was a wise decision I would make again. I really do love my G19 though.

3+ years and this is my first post. lol
 
opinions are just that. You have to go with what you like. I like the G26 with grip extension on mag. and s&w model 60. With the 60 you only get 5 shots but full-boat .357 mag ammo gives an unreal muzzle blast in a 2 inch barrel.
 
I would recommend something in 9mm and purchase some quality hollowpoints.

G19 and M&P9c are excellent choices.

Kahr CW9 and Walther PPS in 9mm are good choices as well if you need something smaller.
 
I wouldn't worry too much about quality hollow points until he learns how to shoot.

Take a course. A good one. I'm talking on the level of frontsite, suarez international, gunsite, etc
 
+1 on the Kahr PM9

It is smaller and slimmer than any Glock and has as super smooth trigger. It also has a modest recoil due to the duel recoil springs, and is the same size as many of the "carry" 380 models.
 
I love my PM9 but it's a bit snappy, and it's basically a two-finger proposition (unless you use the seven round mag, which compromises concealability.

The CW9 would allow a real three finger grip.

The G19/26 is too fat for me, and the OP pretty much said the same thing in his first post.

I have had two P3ATs and a P32, and firing them back to back it was clear to me that the .32 is significantly less powerful than the .380. I made the choice at that time that I would never trust my life to a .32, but my arthritis isn't as bad (yet).

I'd sure rather have a .32 than an empty hand.
 
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I'm very impressed with the accuracy, and shootability of my Kahr CW9. It handles like a fullsize, and it conceals like a mini:)
 
The Bersa Thunder CC is a nice .380 that you can pocket carry and has lower recoil. I'm loving my new 9mm Ruger SR9c, carried IWB. The Walther PK380 is also very nice and has agreeable recoil. A XD 9 subcompact is a fine, soft-shooting carry weapon.
 
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