What to carry?

[pat86323]

I am taking my concealed carry class this weekend, and feel the need to buy myself a little present after the class. I want a good concealer, for not a whole lot of money. Anyone have any suggestions. I prefer single action semi-autos, or da/sa revolvers.

 

[MICHAEL T]

I think I would go buy a good S&W J frame in 38spl. You will carry this when you would leave other gun home. . For new people the wheel gun is still the best bet.

 

[pat86323]

im not really new i just dont really have anything that i can conceal easily i have a smith model 19 with a 6.5 inch ported barrel in 357, a Rock island 1911fs, a ruger blackhawk in 44mag wth the 7.5 inch barrel, a colt saa with the long barrel, and a bernadelli .22 ppk replica

 

[TOADMAN]

Smith & Wesson 642/442...

 

[Thylacine]

Bersa Thunder .380. SA/DA semi, concealable, and not a whole lot of money.

 

[ARTiger]

+ 1 on the Bersa. For around $200 it can't be beat. If it's a revolver you're more comfortable with take a look at a Ruger SP 101

 

[Bob41081]

I have a S&W 642, Colt DS, and Ruger Sp-101 .38( bought 1 mon before the .357 came out) and a Glock 26. While I still had my CCW it was the 642 that got carried 9 times out of 10.

Bob

 

[enfield]

I'd go with the .38 snubbie. .380's can be effective, but most of the ammo available isn't really suitable for self-defense, IMHO.

I have both, and my first choice for a pocket gun is the snubbie, loaded with +P 158 gr lead hollow points. When I carry the .380 it's loaded with Remington Express FMJ. You probably won't be able to find .380 ACP Remington Express or Winchester Super-X FMJ in a store, but the commonly available FMJ target ammo isn't reliable in my experience.

The Bersa .380 is a fine pistol but, for concealed carry, why carry a .380 that's larger than some 9mm's? One way to pick a pistol is to decide how big of a pistol you want to carry, and then get a pistol that size in a major caliber (9mm and up).

 

[KIMBER45TLE]

Rock Island

Why can't you carry the full size Rock Island? Go to HBE Custom Leather goods then on the far left, click on customer pics. Then I believe somewhere around gallery 9.10. 11th, gallery you'll see pictures of me carrying a full sized Kimber.

 

[Outlaws]

My friend has that hammerless S&W J frame 38+P. (642?)

Great little pocket gun.

 

[Vern Humphrey]

I've carried a full-size M1911 for many years. My current carry gun is a Kimber Classic. I also have a Colt DS that is handy to just stick in a pocket or tuck in my belt when going out the door and I don't happen to be carrying the M1911 at just that moment.

 

[Autolycus]

HK P2000sk. Great reliable gun.

 

[redneckdan]

I carry a full size springer milspec 1911

 

[lanceman193]

My 3 carry guns are 342 S&W 11 ounce 38 special,Kahr PM 9,and Seecamp 32.Usually the Seecamp and the 342,with the PM9 in the console of my car.I feel adequately armed,don't get out much at night and live in a nice neighborhood.

 

[Srigs]

You can't go wrong with a Kel-tec for carry guns. I have a P32 and P11 that get a lot of carry duty and are 100% reliable.

 

[Lupinus]

1911 works surprisingly well due to the fact it is slim, XD's also work well from what I hear

 

[pat86323]

i guess the reason that i didnt want to carry my 1911 is because they are kind of big to conceal when the odds of me wearing a jacket to use a shoulder rig is pretty much negative. It rarely gets cold enough to require a jacket here, but rest assured that when it does, thats what ill carry. besides i was using the ccw permit as a reason to buy something new

 

[ugaarguy]

S&W Airweight/Airlite J Frames or the like would be my choice. For deep cover in running shorts a Kel-Tec P3AT or their PF-9 (whenever it gets here) are very tough to beat. The KTs run less than $300 so they're a bargain too.

 

[KIMBER45TLE]

Full Size

i guess the reason that i didnt want to carry my 1911 is because they are kind of big to conceal when the odds of me wearing a jacket to use a shoulder rig is pretty much negative. It rarely gets cold enough to require a jacket here, but rest assured that when it does, thats what ill carry. besides i was using the ccw permit as a reason to buy something new

There are two pictures of me on Eric's site wearing nothing more than a polo shirt. First picture you see no pistol, the second one, I pull up my shirt revealing a full size Kimber Custom TLE II in one of Eric's COM3 holsters. Course if you want to use the case of needing a new gun because no other gun will work excuse to buy a new pistol, disregard.

 

[birddog]

I'll agree with the snubby or Bersa suggestions. I have both, and carry them FAR more often than my full-sized. For a good price, check out the Taurus 651. 5-shots of .357 in a very small package. I love mine.

 

[Whirlwind06]

You can carry a 1911 with shorts and a t-shirt. The only problem I have is that with my holster the saftey tends to dig into my side after a while. I took a bit a sand paper and smoothed the sharp edge a bit and that help a lot.

I also have a .38 snubbie (Charter Arms Undercover) that is great to throw put in my pocket for a quick run to the store.

 

[DWARREN123]

Any brand name revolver or semi auto. I also have a Bersa Thunder .380 ACP Duo-Tone. Really nice, reliable, accurate, easy to shoot.

 

[Vitamin G]

All it takes to conceal a full size 1911 well is a good belt and holster.

If you're having problems, you can always find a reason to treat yourself to an officer's model.

 

[RustyShackelford]

FN SFS .40/9mm pistol

I'd look into the well made FN SFS model in .40 S&W or 9mm. The compact design is like a High Power and works like a SA. When the safety is released the hammer goes back and the gun fires.

You can get Crimsontrace lasergrips for it and they use HP mags/accessories.

www.gunsamerica.com



Rusty

PS: they run NIB around $500-600.00.

 

[LT1coupe]

I rear pocket carry (modified K&D wallet) a P-32 almost everywhere & forget it's in my pocket even in shorts, but I really prefer to have my 9mm with me.
I carry my P-11 middle of the back anytime I have a non tucked in shirt.
Both are parkerized & have been extremely reliable.
The P-11 is the best bang for the buck I've seen.
My wife has a Bersa .380 & loves it, good gun but it's as big as my P-11.
My youngest son bought the Bersa Mini Thunder 9 & it seems to be a very nice piece, almost exactly the same size as the .380 my wife has.