rethinking my CCW choice

[TonyB]

OK,I am no Rambo,I'm not cop,or Ninja.....I usually carry a j frame..that means 5 shots,one reload.I don't travel in "dangerous areas"(although any place can become dangerous in seconds).I'm sitting in church sunday,and thinking about possible bad guy scenarios(I know I should've been lictening to the Pastor....anyway)and I realize maybe a 1.5" 5 shot is a less than ideal choice.In my day to day,to and from work and going to the store routine,the j frame is fine.But in a group setting,it would be comforting to have more rounds and a longer sight radius.....I think on these days I may go bigger w/ my carry....
what do you all think?

 

[Dismantler]

I have complete faith in my J-Frames. I certainly would like something bigger to hold onto...but carry is a compromise. You may want to stick with the J-Frame for warm weather and get something else for cooler/cold weather.

I assume that you're considering a higher capacity pistol. I do not have any autos, so I cannot help there. My next step up is a K-Frame, which I sometimes carry in the car, along with the J-Frame on my person.

 

[StrawHat]

I have and carry revolvers.

Usually a 4" S&W in 45 ACP.

Part of carrying responsibly is not getting engaged in no win situations.

If there are more than you think you can handle, don't get involved unless the situation is forced on you.

Any scenario with a crowded room and multiple bad guys leads me to think that someone innocent is going to get hurt.

Perhaps in that situation, the best role to take is the one of reporter. Number of bad guys, description, weapons, getaway vehicle, etc.

Just because you carry does not mean you have to shoot.

 

[TX1911fan]

I went from a J Frame to a Springfield Armory XD subcompact with eleven shots to a Springfield Armory EMP with ten shots. I feel much better about this for a carry gun. With a couple mags that are easy to carry I can have 28 rounds at my disposal. I never felt helpless with my j frame, but I feel better now. Plus, that EMP is fun to shoot. Something I can't say about a scandium J frame.

 

[welldoya]

I carry a 642. The way I look at it is chances are 99.9% that you will never have to draw and use your weapon so why carry something uncomfortable ?
Then if you do have to draw, chances are that the 5 shots will be plenty.
Odds are that the J frame will be able to handle the scenario presented to you so no sense in carrying around a hawg leg "just in case".
But that's just my take on it.

 

[NG VI]

I only carry autos, nothing against revos but mine are just too big, especially since I don't have a good holster for either one. I have a Glock 27 that will see plenty of use this summer, 9+1 rounds of 180 Gold Dots is a good thing. It conceals well, especially since I used to only have a USp 40 and a Sigma 9mm that were readily carried, so the difference is pretty drastic. It is light, reloads are fast, and it is reliable.

Autos are nice, I like revolvers but I don't have budget to buy a snubby yet, ammo, holsters, reloading equipment, etc etc are top priority for now. It wouldn't be a mistake to move up to an auto.

 

[esq_stu]

I have thought about this issue . . .

I have thought through where I sit in relation to cover, concealment, and the various entrances and emergency exits.

I have made note of the fact that from my usual seat, I am pretty far from the most likely entrance a BG (at least 40 feet away) would use and very close to an emergency exit (about 10 feet away). Cover (a wide steel column and large heavy wood lectern) and concealment (same) are between me and the likely BG entrance.

I have also noted that, as far as I would be from the most likely BG entrance, I would not be a good enough shot with my 642 at that range - close to 40 ft - and there would be a lot of people between me and that entrance. But with most semi-autos I own, I could shoot adequately.

Although I'd be likely to head for the exit at the first sign of trouble, I also carry a semi that I can conceal well and shoot well. Capacity is less of an issue.

BTW, thank you for raising the issue - I have not thought about it in a while.

 

[ARTiger]

I think about this every week. I'm in the security detail for our church which has about 500 for each of two services and 900 for Sunday school.

Our pastor knows I carry and two of the other security guys are highway patrolmen who also carry (we shoot together sometimes as well).

Since the Colorado incident, my 642 stays home and I carry a CZ 75 with a spare mag.

The two troopers who used to carry their BUG's now carry service Glock 22's at church. Our church has a spread out campus and we all feel better now having a bit more accurate range and available rounds.

Hopefully, we will never be needed. There are 500-1000 people around in a concentrated area though that are totally defenseless. Sad it's come to this, but I have 3 children in Sunday school and churches are an inviting target for sick people with an agenda.

 

[Brett Byers AKA Slow]

I'm a Pastor and I'm (unfortunately) the only person carrying. I commend those who can and do. If SHTF (Satan Has The Fool) and bullets start flying everyone will be glad you practiced what you packed.

 

[t3rmin]

Kudos to the packin' pastor!

 

[Trisha]

Good that you've had a dawning of ordinary situational awareness! Plan for the worst, hope for the best, carry the most comfortable compromise and add a BUG.

I'm hoping to manage a G36 with a mini-holo sight and wring it out at the range in IDPA drills in low light. It could be a great BUG under a long skirt and just the ticket for these tired eyes.

 

[mes228]

Pistol

The most advanced self defense/combat concealed carry pistol I've owned is the Glock 23 with Glock 22 magazines. It's the same size as the Glock 19 9mm and is a 16 round .40 caliber pistol. I've owned perhaps a hundred pistols as I trade a lot. I am constantly amazed at the reliability, accuracy, and cost of this combination. You can purchase a plastic "collar" that slips over the mag to fill the space created by the slightly longer Model 22 mag. This is just my opinion, however it was formed by actually owning, carrying, and shooting many pistols.

 

[Ichiro]

Purpose of a J-frame is to get you out of the situation. If your intent is to stay there and fight off the bad guys, a full-sized gun with much higher capacity will help a lot. Just my thoughts.

 

[1911 guy]

What obligations do you have?

I'm talking moral, as well as legal. When I was single, I hardly ever carried a handgun unless required to. Now that I've got a family, my mobility is severely limited. Putting the whammy on someone and running like the wind (O.K., the middle-aged, arthritic and slow wind) is no longer an option. A handgun I can shoot very accurately, very fast and handle well is the order of the day, along with at least one reload.

All that is to say this: Consider if you may be forced to "stick around". Are your kids going to be able to get out as fast and along with you? Any other family and friends you'd "go to bat" for that would be stuck? Any blockages between you and the exits? What if the BG comes in the exit you were planning to use?

You've got two options, as I see, it and both are viable. Either practice with the snubby until you can put those 5 where you want them at a bit longer range or get a handgun that you feel will help you shoot farther with the desired/needed accuracy.

 

[MCgunner]

Most people I've known started out carrying a 40 ounce cannon and after a while, realized they would be a lot more comfortable and carry the thing more if it weren't such a pain. So, they DOWN sized. For me, perfection is a pocket sized compact high cap 9mm. Be you a rich Rohrbaugh fan or a po boy Kel Tec guy like me or split the difference with a PM9, there are choices. To me, the G26 is a little large. You get the point, though.

The MAIN reason I carry my P11 more than even my alloy .38 snub is it's more compact, lighter, and easier to carry a reload for. Add to that it's just as accurate, more powerful +P 9mm, carries more rounds, reloads easier/faster if you are normal (no references to Miculek, please), and a reload is much easier to carry, well, it's just a no brainer way I see it. YMMV There are Kel Tec haters, there are Kahr haters, and, well, there may be Rohrbaugh haters, though I don't know many people that can afford a Rohrbaugh without taking out a second mortgage. I guess if you hate the brands or the autoloader, you limit your choices. Some folks just love Smith and Wesson Kool Aid and won't drink anything else.

One thing I do like about revolvers is, you can cock the hammer and make a more precise shot at longer ranges if you don't think you could make that shot DA. I shoot DA pretty decent and this sort of thing doesn't bother me. I burn a lot of ammo DA shooting 6" plates off hand at 25 yards with my P11 or my snubs. It just seems more fun than shooting at 3 yards and a lot more challenging for precision shooting.

 

[primlantah]

i prefer my j-frame for most occasions away from the house. When im at home or going to the bad side of town i take a 11 shot 45acp or 17 rounds of 9mm.

 

[williamcrane]

CCW Choice

For the most part in the past my carry gun was as S&W 642. But I have recently switched to a S&W M&P9c with a capacity of 12+1. I have over 800 rds in this auto and have not had a single FTF or FTE. Of course, I still have my 642 (along with other firearms), but now I carry the M&P.

 

[bigdaddydan]

you ned to carry the biggest revolver or auto that you feel confident with and can carry comfortably and your the most proficient with

 

[DWARREN123]

I carry GLOCK's, either 23 or 27, works for me.

 

[Ghost Tracker]

choices, CHOICES, CHOICES...we're a spoiled bunch of opinionators! "ah jeez, my j-frame may not be enough gun". We've all got preferences. But let's be MOST happy we can buy & carry ANY of 'em without TOO much inconvenience or fear of arrest.

(*my short soap-box rant is now over...please, carry on.)

 

[TexasShooter59]

I know this is an old topic, but since it involves concealed carry in church, I had to throw in a response.

I too have thought about the carry in church scenario since gaining my CHL this year. Where we sit, I stepped off about 25 yards from where the BGs would most likely enter, but that is straight back and with no diagonals across the sanctuary. The obvious choice is a SP101 for me, but it is a snub nose. It does have Crimson Trace grips though, and that might permit me hitting the BG with .357 across the church at that distance by depending on the red dot rather than focusing on a short sight radius. I have not tried this long of a distance at the range with it yet.

Another option that I really had to do... Some of the Christian bookstores have Bible book covers, the ones with a zipper around it. The one I bought had a big rectangle piece of foam in it to make it look nice and filled out in the store. I bought this, cut the foam out to fit my full-size 10mm semiauto. Put the foam and gun in the book cover so that I only had to unzip one side to reach in, put my hand around the grip and pull out. I went to Bible study with this on top of my stack of books within easy reach, with only one person knowing what I was up to.

I only had to do the above a couple of times until the threat passed. As of yet, I have not carried one time to church since getting the CHL. Our church has several uniformed police on patrol in and outside of the building, so I don't worry too much about it, at this time.

 

[Sato Ord]

Remember, if you tuck the holster into your waistband the length of the barrel isn't the biggest problem with concealment. An extra two or three inches of barrel is easily hidden in such a way, it's the grip that makes the difference.

If you are comfortable with the J-Frame then, by all means, get one with a longer barrel.

If you want a nice high-cap carry pistol in a good caliber check out the S&W Sigmas (tough trigger pull on those, and they are larger), or the M&Ps, or if you have the hands for those obnoxious grips the Glock 27 .40 cal.

 

[kbheiner7]

I am a member of the Holy Church of the 5" steel 1911. Decent leather makes carrying them a piece of cake and they make such nice, pretty holes.

I've never understood the argument about a handgun being too big to carry unless it's an LEO in deep cover. Most of us are free to employ good leather and chose our cover garments. Why not go big? Bigger guns are easier to shoot which makes makes them more effective.

 

[Z-Michigan]

I would carry the biggest gun that you can comfortably carry and fully conceal, and that isn't big enough to make you think about leaving it behind. My first CCW gun was a Ruger P94 - ha! It's on the bulky and heavy side for LEO service use, not to mention any practical CCW. I tried several things and ultimately went to a SP101 revolver. I may at some point get a Kahr, Kel-Tec or something else that's smaller and lighter with a few more shots. In the car I will often carry a full sized auto (like an XD or P95) in a safepacker or fanny pack, but that's too big and heavy for me in most situations outside the car. [For the record, I have the applicable carry permit in my state.]

 

[IdahoLT1]

I kinda had a similar problem. Most of my firearms were to big to conceal. Ive owned 2 Glocks before and although they are tanks, i dont care for their ergonomics. I ended up with a Kahr CW9. Its awesome. Its .9" thick, 4.5" tall, 5.9" long and weighs 15.8oz unloaded. It has an 7+1 capacity using single stack mags and is fairly inexpensive. I picked mine up for a $385, excluding tax, at my local Impact Guns dealer. They say that its 200rd break in period might have problems, but i never had a single hiccup. I posted a similar thread on a beretta forum and looked at/discussed several options, all being semi auto pistols. http://www.berettaforum.net/vb/showthread.php?t=34878