Suggestions for a carry weapon

Gatordiddy

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Looking at either an SP101 or a GP100 but I'm not sure what else is out there.

Any thoughts are appreciated...
 

pilot-in-fla

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Looking at either an SP101 or a GP100 but I'm not sure what else is out there.

Any thoughts are appreciated...

My most recent carry handgun purchase was the Taurus Curve. This is reasonably priced and includes a laser sight. Obviously, a .380 is not going to have the stopping power of something like a .357 Magnum.

You really can't go wrong with a Ruger. I have one of their short barrel .357 Magnums and it is very sweet.
 

URGatorBait

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S&W MP shield 9 is what i was looking at. also comes in a 40.
Then life got in the way and haven't been able to yet
 

GR8 2B

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S&W MP shield 9 is what i was looking at. also comes in a 40.
Then life got in the way and haven't been able to yet
I'm looking at the S&W MP Shield 40. What do you like about it? Any thoughts on why I should choose that over a Glock?
 

URGatorBait

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I'm looking at the S&W MP Shield 40. What do you like about it? Any thoughts on why I should choose that over a Glock?
To be honest, I'm a bit of a novice, so I can't really speak to a lot of them. I've heard good things about both the shield as well as glocks. Really just a preference I suppose.

I like the way the shield felt in hand as well as its size as its reasonably easy to conceal.
I was in the early stages of really looking when life got in the way, and haven't had a chance to get back into it yet.
 

Durty South Swamp

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YES! A thread I actually can contribute intelligently to :yes:

There are a lot of good to great options out there diddy. I'm a weapons guy through and through and own and have custom built dozens and dozens of firearms so I've shot and maintained enough to give some reasonably good info on what you are interested in.

To start off:

As some have already alluded to, you need to find a pistola that feels comfortable in your hand. You probably wont know what this really means at first, but once you pick one up that does fit like an extension of your palm, youll know immediately. Don't get roped into the way pistols "look" like so many do. Its about feel and function, not looks. There are some really nice ones out there for reasonable amounts. M&P shield was mentioned and I concur, that is a very nice gun. For me personally, it has that feel and even better, when I shoot one it shoots as sound and accurately as any subcompact ive had experience with. My friend has the 9mm version and man is it a nice gun; first time I shot it I was extremely impressed. Very tight, and extremely small amount of recoil. I could cook off successive rounds very quickly with very minimal reaiming because the sights stayed on target do to very limited recoil.

I personally carry a sig/sauer P250 in .40 cal. and I like that pistol very much. Its not as smooth as the shield but I am a fan of sigs for a number of other reasons. IMO you can never go wrong with a sig and they are one of my favorites. My wife has a ruger LC9s... also a very nice gun for feel. Has a little more recoil than the shield but very nice, and has a safety which is great for carry purposes.

Bottom line, find something that first, feels like an extension of you in your hand.

Next:

Decide on the caliber round you want/need. My favorite round is .40 cal. I have no issue with 9mm or even .380. The whole "stopping power" narrative is largely irrelevant. It's all about shot placement. If you put a .380 in someone's chest, they are going down. If you put a .45 round in someone's arm, and they are a tough SOB high on something, they are probably still coming forward. Find what round you are comfortable with by what level of weight and recoil you are comfortable with and go with that. One thing to keep in mind is smaller for both round and pistol isn't necessarily better, even for conceal. The smaller and lighter the weapon, the more it will pop and move when you fire, regardless of round caliber. My pocket pistol .380 pops and kicks significantly more than my .40 cal. Just food for thought.

Next:

Budget. Are all same caliber round pistols created equally? No... do they need to be? No. Find something that fits your budget and is comfortable for you. You can spend a bunch and get something really nice, but if its just a conceal gun you aren't going to fire it very often. It just needs to be functional and reliable. Having all sorts of cool features and a high speed nickel boron barrel or whatever isn't really giving you anything beneficial. Very nice conceal pistols can be had for under $500... even good ones can be had for under $400. Right now on palmettostatearmory.com they have a special on a Springfield XDs in 9mm for $399; that gun's feel isn't for everyone but that is a really nice pistol. I own 2, one in 9mm and one in .45.

Function:

Try to find something with either a medium to long trigger pull with a little weight to it or something with a safety. Finding one with a safety is a very nice feature but a good CC pistol shouldn't be eliminated from the decision because it doesn't have one. A long pull with a little weight is sufficient for a safe CC pistol. I have actually never used a CC that had a safety b/c my other preferences steer me towards ones that just happen not to have one. Either a decent pull or a safety is good; what you don't want is something that has neither. Glocks don't have a long pull or a safety, but they have a unique trigger that wont pull even when contacted, unless a little piece inside the trigger well is depressed first. This is also a nice design for CC.

Stay aways:

Don't get anything from high point :lol2:

Good luck buddy and if you have any questions just hit me up.
 

Gatordiddy

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YES! A thread I actually can contribute intelligently to :yes:

There are a lot of good to great options out there diddy. I'm a weapons guy through and through and own and have custom built dozens and dozens of firearms so I've shot and maintained enough to give some reasonably good info on what you are interested in.

To start off:

As some have already alluded to, you need to find a pistola that feels comfortable in your hand. You probably wont know what this really means at first, but once you pick one up that does fit like an extension of your palm, youll know immediately. Don't get roped into the way pistols "look" like so many do. Its about feel and function, not looks. There are some really nice ones out there for reasonable amounts. M&P shield was mentioned and I concur, that is a very nice gun. For me personally, it has that feel and even better, when I shoot one it shoots as sound and accurately as any subcompact ive had experience with. My friend has the 9mm version and man is it a nice gun; first time I shot it I was extremely impressed. Very tight, and extremely small amount of recoil. I could cook off successive rounds very quickly with very minimal reaiming because the sights stayed on target do to very limited recoil.

I personally carry a sig/sauer P250 in .40 cal. and I like that pistol very much. Its not as smooth as the shield but I am a fan of sigs for a number of other reasons. IMO you can never go wrong with a sig and they are one of my favorites. My wife has a ruger LC9s... also a very nice gun for feel. Has a little more recoil than the shield but very nice, and has a safety which is great for carry purposes.

Bottom line, find something that first, feels like an extension of you in your hand.

Next:

Decide on the caliber round you want/need. My favorite round is .40 cal. I have no issue with 9mm or even .380. The whole "stopping power" narrative is largely irrelevant. It's all about shot placement. If you put a .380 in someone's chest, they are going down. If you put a .45 round in someone's arm, and they are a tough SOB high on something, they are probably still coming forward. Find what round you are comfortable with by what level of weight and recoil you are comfortable with and go with that. One thing to keep in mind is smaller for both round and pistol isn't necessarily better, even for conceal. The smaller and lighter the weapon, the more it will pop and move when you fire, regardless of round caliber. My pocket pistol .380 pops and kicks significantly more than my .40 cal. Just food for thought.

Next:

Budget. Are all same caliber round pistols created equally? No... do they need to be? No. Find something that fits your budget and is comfortable for you. You can spend a bunch and get something really nice, but if its just a conceal gun you aren't going to fire it very often. It just needs to be functional and reliable. Having all sorts of cool features and a high speed nickel boron barrel or whatever isn't really giving you anything beneficial. Very nice conceal pistols can be had for under $500... even good ones can be had for under $400. Right now on palmettostatearmory.com they have a special on a Springfield XDs in 9mm for $399; that gun's feel isn't for everyone but that is a really nice pistol. I own 2, one in 9mm and one in .45.

Function:

Try to find something with either a medium to long trigger pull with a little weight to it or something with a safety. Finding one with a safety is a very nice feature but a good CC pistol shouldn't be eliminated from the decision because it doesn't have one. A long pull with a little weight is sufficient for a safe CC pistol. I have actually never used a CC that had a safety b/c my other preferences steer me towards ones that just happen not to have one. Either a decent pull or a safety is good; what you don't want is something that has neither. Glocks don't have a long pull or a safety, but they have a unique trigger that wont pull even when contacted, unless a little piece inside the trigger well is depressed first. This is also a nice design for CC.

Stay aways:

Don't get anything from high point :lol2:

Good luck buddy and if you have any questions just hit me up.

So are you saying that all of your other posts are only semi-intelligent? :lol2:

Wow - that is some great food for thought Durty. Thanks for taking the time to put that post together.

As soon as I get back from Phoenix this week I'm heading over to Fairfax Armory to see what they have.

I was just told by one of my FBI customers that getting a gun won't impact my TS clearance so I'm looking to pick something up this weekend.

I'll post something once I do.

Thanks again!
 

grengadgy

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I figured Durty for a 120-mm smoothbore cc . Something with knockdown power. :)
 

bradgator2

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giphy.gif
 

itsgr82bag8r

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Some more food for thought:

Durty forgot to add that with Glocks if you stay within caliber the magazines will fit interchangeably between all of their models. (standard, compact, & sub compacts)
 

Durty South Swamp

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Oh, and diddy. I have clearance as well. Owning firearms and/or conceal carrying has no bearing on clearance status. It's a constitutional right good buddy.

Let me know what you are considering before you buy. I'll give you some feedback.
 

grengadgy

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Oh, and diddy. I have clearance as well. Owning firearms and/or conceal carrying has no bearing on clearance status. It's a constitutional right good buddy.

Let me know what you are considering before you buy. I'll give you some feedback.
Wait..... ground pounders have constitutional rights? ;)
 

jeeping8r

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I have a shield 40, Fits my hands well but being the .40 is a high pressure round it has a sharp recoil, Not excessive but definitely more than a 9mm. Not long after I bought it Smith came out with a shield 45, From what I've read on the S&W forums the recoil is more of a "push" than the sharpness of the 40. Ran about 200 rounds through it so far with zero issues, Both FMJ and hollow points from 165 to 185 gr bullets. It came with 2 mags, A 6 and 7 round for a 6+1 or 7+1 configuration. Mine has a safety but shields can be had without one. Rural king has them on sale at times for $369 +/-.
 

heavychevy

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Springfield XDm .45 and a Ruger LCR .38. As soon as the bank account warrants I'll drop the lcr for whatever I can get for it and put the Springfield in my safe and replace both with Glock 22, and 27.
 

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