Personal preferences in CCW features/actions/safties

[Norinco982lover]

--Must not have a manual safety
--Must have the same trigger pull everytime
--Must be the largest caliber I can conceal
--Must hold 10+ rounds
--Must be reliable
--Must be accurate
--Must not have a magazine disconnect

Every day carry: XD45 compact 4" in a Crossbreed Supertuck. Previous to this I owned a CZ 75b which was a great pistol but did not fit my criteria...so I traded it.

~Norinco

 

[obiwan1]

I like a DAO auto. No safety to remember (or forget). No decocker to remember after shooting and before holstering. Just grab it and shoot it. Finger out of the trigger guard for safety. The Smiths have an excellent trigger pull. Same with H&K LEM once you get used to it. I also like the Glock, Kahr, and, to a lesser extent, the KelTec (post fluff & buff). You have your choice of .380 through .45.
My daily carry gun is a H&K P2000 in .40. The only trouble is inconsistant QC on the magazines. Find three that work and guard them with your life!.

 

[farscott]

My requirements are based on the carry method:

Pocket carry
-- Must have enclosed hammer or spurless hammer.
-- Must be capable of throwing a bullet of 125-grains or more with a diameter of .355" or larger at 750 fps.
-- Must be dehorned.
-- Must be made of steel. No Al or Ti alloys.
-- Must be capable of firing 500 rounds in one day with no failures
-- Must have a Kramer pocket holster model for it.

Use S&W Centennials and, sometimes, Ruger SP-101s in .38 Special and .357 Magnum.

IWB carry
-- Must be capable of throwing a 230-grain .451" slug at 750 fps.
-- Must be capable of disappearing below a polo.
-- Must have a frame-mounted safety that sweeps down to remove safety.
-- Must be made of steel. No Al or Ti alloys.
-- Must have a trigger that can be tuned to break at 4#.
-- Must have a consistent trigger feel for all shots.
-- Must be capable of firing 750 rounds in one day with no failures.
-- Must be dehorned.
-- Must have a Sparks VM-2 holster for it.

Use 1911 variants and S&W 945s

Shoulder carry
-- Must be capable of throwing a 230-grain .451" slug at 750 fps.
-- Must be concealable under linen jacket.
-- Must have a frame-mounted safety that sweeps down to remove safety.
-- Must be made of steel. No Al or Ti alloys.
-- Must have a trigger that can be tuned to break at 4#.
-- Must have a consistent trigger feel for all shots.
-- Must be capable of firing 750 rounds in one day with no failures.
-- Must be dehorned.
-- Must have a Null holster for it.

Use a Baer Stinger.

 

[B yond]

A lot of people seem to dislike manual safties. Now I'm curious about the popularity of safties vs. no safties.

Personally, I prefer to hava a manual safty and insist that they work the same way on all my carry pistols.

I think of it as one more thing that can prevent a ND/AD and one or two more
seconds that someone else would need to figure out how to make it go bang should it ever fall into the wrong hands.

Don't even get me started on grip safties...

 

[bigfatdave]

Don't even get me started on grip safties...

What do you have against grip safeties?

 

[Crow1108]

Here's mine

--Minimum of 9mm Parabellum
--Hold a minimum of 8 rounds
--Reasonably accurate (IE: I don't have to struggle to hit center of mass at a distance of 25')
--Some degree of corrosion resistance (I take care of my guns, but there's times where I will be wearing one of them for 7-8 hours at a time, IWB).
--Reliable
--Made by a widely known manufacturer with a proven design (makes parts obtainable).
--No magazine safety (stupid design in my opinion. I understand the concept, but the liabilities outweigh the benefits. I'd like to retain at least the ability to fire single rounds if all my magazines go kaput at the same time.)


Both my Glock 19 and Kimber fit these pretty well.

 

[TexasBill]

I have a simple list: Large enough caliber to do the job; external hammer; easily carried while wearing Texas summer clothing. No manual safeties, either, I'm just an old-fashioned "pull, point and POW!" kind of guy.

These days, my typical carry "rig" is a S&W Model 637 Airweight and an HKS speed loader with five extra rounds. When cooler weather comes, I'll probably go back to my FNP-9 9mm.

 

[scotthsi]

I like my carry guns to have the same trigger pull every time. First shot and beyond. No DA/SA for me. I love my Walther PPK/s, but I never carry it anymore. Range only.

So, my two most carry gun types are Glock and Kahr. Even a Kel-Tec P3AT, but not so much anymore since getting the PM9. But, they all operate the same. Just pull the trigger and it fires...same feel every time.

Reliability? Of course. I will NOT carry a gun with ANY suspected reliability issued.

The only type of gun I will carry with an external manual safety is a 1911. The grip safety doesn't bother me as it naturally is disengaged when gripping the pistol. Never had a problem with disengaging the grip safety and the 1911 still has the same trigger pull every time. My favorite is my 13+1 capacity Kimber.

 

[SSN Vet]

Personal preferences in CCW features/actions/safties

first off... I don't think there's a right or wrong list.... but here's my personal preference...

manual safety................................must have
smooth trigger pull (~4-5 lbs).........must have
same trigger pull for every shot.......must have
9mm luger or 38 sp. ......................minimum caliber
reliably feed hollow points................must
combat sights (i.e. 3 Dot or Heinie)..must have
easy to conceal in leather holster......must
fits my hand well.............................must
points well......................................must
I can shoot it accurately...................MUST!!!
second strike capability....................very desireable, but not req'd
prove to be reliable..........................MUST!!!!
smooth profile that doesn't snag.......very desireable
light enough to be comfy on belt.......must

so what am I carrying that fits the bill....

Pt-111 (gen 3)

Reliablilty = what I experience, not what I read on the internet
Accuracy = " " " " " " " " "

 

[Vern Humphrey]

My list:

1. Must be reliable. If it doesn't go bang every time you pull the trigger, it's just a funny shaped club.

2. Must be shootable -- that is, performance in my hands. Or, "Given that it went bang, did it hit the target?"

3. Must be adequately powerful. Or, "Given that it went bang and hit the target, did it produce the desired effect?"

4. Must be concealable -- even very large autopistols are usually flat and concealable.

And the winner is -- the M1911.

 

[practicaltactical]

I carry with and without safeties and train with both. However, I prefer a dao or striker fired gun without safeties. Reliability is most important factor to me but accuracy (my ability to be accurate with the gun as opposed to the gun's accuracy potential) is a close second.

 

[GRIZ22]

I've carried DA revolvers, DA autos, SA autos over the years, Some out of choice and some what the agency I worked for required. I've adapted to all of them but usually find myself carrying a DA revolver.

 

[B yond]

What do you have against grip safeties?

I understand the reasoning for them, and I have nothing against them for a range/competition/sport gun. But...

There was a officer-involved shooting in a Wal-Mart parking lot in Ukiah California a number of years ago that some of the readers here may be familiar with. The officer was hurt pretty badly, including his hands. A cadet had to help him hold his pistol to fire the shot that ended the confrontation before it got a LOT worse (bad guy was in the process of removing the officer's carbine from his cruiser).

That got me thinking about grip safties and I decided I would never buy a carry gun that had one, because I want my gun to still work for me if my hand is injured or I need to fire it from an unconventional grip that doesn't disengage the grip safety.

 

[scurtis_34471]

My ideal carry gun has

No external safety (although grip safeties don't bother me)
Same trigger pull every time with a pull weight between 5 and 8 pounds
A capacity of at least six rounds
Managable recoil (if it is physically painful to shoot, I don't want it)
Rock-solid Reliability
Night sights
Light enough and thin enough for comfortable carry

 

[scotthsi]

Scurtis, sounds like your ideal carry gun is one of the Kahrs, especially the lighter polymer ones. I have a PM9 and LOVE it. It's been very reliable, accurate, etc. Has real dovetails in the slide for aftermarket night sights or you can get one with them already installed. Very light and thin. Rated to +p in 9mm and has a capacity of 6+1 with the flush base magazine. It also comes with an extended magazine, which holds 7 rounds and gives your pinky something to grab. I carry it as a spare with the flush magazine in the pistol. No external safety, same trigger pull every time and (for me) the recoil is very manageable. I front pocket carry mine every day.

 

[TimM]

My list:

1) Reliability
2) Reliability
3) Reliability
4) Fits my hand
5) It is accurate
6) I shoot it well ( a lot of guns I do not)
7) Concealability ( if that is a word)
8) Comfortable to carry
9) Reliability
10) Reliability

 

[scurtis_34471]

Scurtis, sounds like your ideal carry gun is one of the Kahrs, especially the lighter polymer ones. I have a PM9 and LOVE it. It's been very reliable, accurate, etc. Has real dovetails in the slide for aftermarket night sights or you can get one with them already installed. Very light and thin. Rated to +p in 9mm and has a capacity of 6+1 with the flush base magazine. It also comes with an extended magazine, which holds 7 rounds and gives your pinky something to grab. I carry it as a spare with the flush magazine in the pistol. No external safety, same trigger pull every time and (for me) the recoil is very manageable. I front pocket carry mine every day.

My primary carry gun is a Kahr P9 Covert (P9 slide/barrel, PM9 grip).

 

[scotthsi]

Well, there ya go!

 

[scurtis_34471]

Well, there ya go!

I use an XD-40 for IDPA, pin shooting and home defense. I just ordered an XDm 9 for IDPA and general use. I also have a CZ PO-1 that I'm rather fond of and my wife has a S&W M&P 9mm Compact. The only gun I have with a thumb safety is a Browning Buckmark.