Need advise on a ccw gun

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dmxx9900

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I am getting my carry permit in a month I already took a class and now I am searching for a main carry gun
I am very experienced with the glock 19 I have but its slightly too big and I dont feel comfortable carrying one in the chamber with a striker fired gun.
I have a Smith and wesson 60 snubnose 38 special revolver thats the perfect size but I have never shot it I only shot a 4 inch barrel s&w model 10 a couple times.
I am looking to get a main carry gun the snubnose will be a pocket gun that I will have as a back up but I need a main one to have on me all the time.

What are some good pistols for under $400 that is at least 380acp and above and is small enough to comfortably fit in a pocket or inside the waistband holster?
 
Last I checked, budsgunshop.com had some Smith and Wesson 642's without the lock mechanism for under $400. $360 I think, plus whatever your FFL charges for a transfer fee. And if you're comfortable with the .380 acp cartridge, the Ruger LCP is a good pocket gun for the price.

I tried the pocket 9mm thing for a while. The Kel Tec PF9 and Ruger LC9. Lots of people like them, but I wasn't impressed. That's just me though. I found it to be too small a frame for that cartridge. Carried well, shot accurately, but no good for follow up and control.
 
I am very experienced with the glock 19 I have but its slightly too big and I dont feel comfortable carrying one in the chamber with a striker fired gun.
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I don't get that can't carry it chambered thing, but if you want something with a manual safety and small enough to fit in a pocket (at least a big pocket) check out the Taurus 709 slim and Ruger LC9.
 
I don't have my CC permit yet either but, when I do, I'll be carrying a Kel-Tec P-11. It's a very compact 9mm with a 10 round clip and uses standard S&W double-stack mags so I can carry a couple of spare 15 round mags. The P-11 is a DAO meaning I can leave one in the chamber and just pull and shoot. Mine has been very reliable with at least a couple thousand rounds at the range. It's plenty accurate for close quarters self defense.

CAVEAT: Being DAO and pin-fired I don't carry mine with one in the chamber in case I drop it... again.
 
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With all the internal and external safeties on most striker fired weapons, I would feel more than comfortable carrying one cocked and locked. Just as safe as a DAO revolver, or more so.

As for a main carry piece, I have a Bersa Thunder 9 UC, right at about $425+- out the door. And I carry this cocked and locked. A friend of mine carries a Springfield XD sub compact in .357 sig for around $450+-, I think that's what he said it cost. I bought a Stoeger Cougar 8000 in 9mil. for $350+- about a month ago. Went to gun show today and saw a buttload of different semi autos and wheel guns going for well under $500 and quite a few at less than $300.

My best advise is to check some gun shows and local gun shops and pawn shops to find what you feel comfortable with, both physically and fiscally.

Good luck and congrats.
 
dmxx9900 said:
I have a Smith and Wesson 60 snub nose 38 special revolver that's the perfect size but I have never shot it I only shot a 4 inch barrel s&w model 10 a couple times.

What are some good pistols for under $400 that is at least 380acp and above and is small enough to comfortably fit in a pocket or inside the waistband holster?
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A $400 pistol will be no more reliable or safe than the Glock. Also, you said you have a S&W M60 but you are thinking about buying a .380 pistol? The .38 Special is a much better SD round than the .380 even with the recent bullet improvements.

My suggestion is to use some of that $400 you are looking to spend and buy yourself a bunch of ammo and go to the range and practice with your Model 60. It's a great revolver and with good self defense ammo the .38 Special will protect you well.

If you really want a new pistol (nothing wrong with that) I would suggest the Kel-Tec PF-9 but not the P-11. IMO the P-11 has too many design flaws the worst being it's trigger. The PF-9 was built with the best attributes of the Kel-Tec P-3AT and the P-11 and IMO it's a very good pistol. (and it's a 9mm) Kel-Tec isn't fancy but they don't cost a lot and they work every time. They were the first with a very small pocket pistol after all with the P-32 in .32 Auto.
 
You already have one of the best CCW 9 mm's - the G19. If you're comfortable carrying a revolver in a pocket (I'm not), a striker fired semiauto in a good holster like a Crossbreed shouldn't be a big deal. You may want to look into a G26 since the grip is shorter (the main problem with CCing a Glock).
 
I was just going to say the G23/19 is EASY to CCW...easier in some ways that a 26/27 as they are sort of top heavy...tons of options for carrying them too.
 
I would try shooting and carrying the Model 60. If it isn't too heavy, it's a good size and the steel frame will be easier to shoot than an aluminum J-frame.
 
It seems to me you already have everything covered, with a G19 and Model 60. A good IWB holster for the G19, that covers the trigger guard, is going to be about safe as it gets. If you are afraid of shooting yourself with a Glock, that can me mitigated by training, and perhaps the addition of an NY-1 trigger spring module. I say this as someone for whom the Glock is a poor fit; I do WISH my hands would better accommodate a Glock.

Why do you not think of the Model 60 as a "main" gun? Larger grips can make it feel more like a main gun. For a while in the late 1980s, I toted a 3" Model 60 and a 2" Model 60, with slightly larger grips on the 3" gun. This was a GOOD combo, IMHO, that I should never have let get away from me!

These days, I am likely to tote a pair of SP101 revolvers, with 3.06" and 2.25" barrels. The SP101 has grips a bit larger than typical J-frame grips, so it behaves more like a service-sized weapon in my not-so-large hands. I am glad Ruger makes a 3.06" SP101, as it so closely duplicates my 3" heavy-barreled Model 60, with a factory grip that seems to have been designed by a long-lost twin brother. The moral of this story is not to recommend an SP101, but to say that another revolver, for a total of two, is something to consider.

I am concerned, that with the OP's self-imposed budget of $400, he will end buying something of lower quality than the weapons he now has. (Don't forget that a spare magazine, and enough ammo for function-testing and familiarization, should be included in the budget.) Perhaps it is the market in which I live, but $400 will not buy much gun around here, at least not much new gun.

Just my rambling $0.02.
 
A G19 is a great platform for ccw. Easy to control, safe, durable, reliable.

There is a comfort level that comes with understanding the design of the Glock "Safe action".

If you are not comfortable with striker fired +1, are you comfortable with carrying a snubbie fully loaded?
 
Two genuine standouts in S&W line were Gen 3 3913 9x19 and compact 7-shot .45 Auto with alloy frame. Both are world class pistols and among the best semi-autos S&W has ever made.
 
The thing I dont like about carrying a striker fired gun is that it is partially cocked and if the mechanical internal safeties fail then boom damage to ground or my leg
I like Da/Sa guns for one reason its safe to carry because its not cocked when the hammer is at rest.Thats why I have a revolver or double action/single action pistol in mind.
 
I like the bodyguard s&w 380 but I need to look at more pistols before I make a final decision.
I may just train on the model 60 until then and save money until I can afford a sig or something along the lines of that.I like the glock I have but I dont feel safe carrying one in the pipe for reasons I mentioned previously I keep it as a range/nightstand gun.
 
dmxx9900 "The thing I dont like about carrying a striker fired gun is that it is partially cocked and if the mechanical internal safeties fail then boom damage to ground or my leg"
Glocks have been dropped off 6 story buildings or dropped out of planes with one in the chamber & have not gone off. Glocks are one of the safest firearms ever. They fire when the trigger is pull.


http://www.theprepared.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=90
 
My advice is to spend $400 on ammunition to get comfortable carrying with one in the chamber, since you already have two fine carry guns.
 
The Glock's striker is only partially cocked by the slide, so a discharge due to catastrophic mechanical failure is not going to happen. An NY-1 trigger return spring module will make the trigger a virtual double-action, if that makes you feel safer from a user-caused unintended discharge.

Not that there is anything wrong with simply preferring a hammer, and a true DA. I like my duty SIGs for several reasons, with a hammer being one reason. (SIGs and Glocks are both approved choices; I must buy my own duty weapons.) I believe a SIG P229 to be just a bit easier to conceal than any Glock, but the difference is incremental compared to your G19.
 
You say you own a Smith and Wesson 38 special. I would say you are good to go.. Just practice with it .. S&W 38's are great guns that pack way enough stopping power...
In an auto loader I like the Ruger LC9..
 
"I am very experienced with the glock 19 I have but its slightly too big and I dont feel comfortable carrying one in the chamber with a striker fired gun."

Why? You do realize that almost every large metropolitan Police department in America carries the Glock in a charged position. If the Glock 26 is too large, look at the new Ruger LC9 or the Kahr PM-9.

LD45
 
I my opinion there is no need for you to seek a $400 carry gun, in that you have two fine guns at your disposal (Model 60 and G19). Use the money to purchase ammo and holsters (ankle, IWB, shoulder etc), find out what best suits your needs. Carry whatever you feel confident with (through training) and if it can be concealed considering your environment.
 
There are many choices in this question. Here is mine, carry, what your life is worth. If you shoot the best with a 50ae desert eagle, then find a way to carry it.

I personally shoot best with the 1911 frame. I like single action guns. All my pistols are 1911 style.

My main carry is a sig P238 equinox. It is a .380, and it fits in anything I wear, from swim trunks to a tux. Does it have any accuracy at 50 feet, not really, but if you want something you can carry everyday and not know it is there, this is the best I have found. I had a ruger lcp, I did not like it, I hate the double action and the way you have to shoot them.

A good, wait, a great holster will make it all that much better too. A cross breed super tuck deluxe will run you around $70 and is a great wearing holster.

You need to find a good holster, and a good gun. Don't walk out of a store unless you have both in your hands. If you like the glock, go with it, but get a good holster. That makes a ton of difference.
 
You need to find a good holster, and a good gun. Don't walk out of a store unless you have both in your hands. If you like the glock, go with it, but get a good holster. That makes a ton of difference.
Click to expand...

If only someone had told me this before I went on a quest for the perfect gun, when all I really needed was a perfect holster, and a decent belt.
 
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