I know we've had some CCW/gun threads in the past, but thought I'd start a more specific thread.

I've been saying I will get my CCW for several years now, and I'm to the point where I'm going to actually be doing a full Saturday class in the next few weekends to get my permit.

I went shooting last week for the 1st time, shot a .380, a 9mm, a .45 and had a great time.



Questions:

1- Where (on your body) do you personally conceal your weapon? (waist, wallet pocket, front pocket, etc.)

I feel like at this point for me, the smaller the gun the more likely I will keep it on me, and I'd probably be most comfortable with it in my pocket (front or back). I shot a glock 9mm and loved it, but the thing was too bulky to the point where I would probably end up just leaving it locked up and just taking it to the range, which is not the purpose of getting a gun for me.

2- .380 vs 9mm

I've already researched this a bit online when starting out researching what my first gun will be, but curious of your opinions.

I'm looking to spend about $350-$500.

There are a few .380's that look good to me, but I also might just want to get a smaller 9mm, something like the M&P shield. Still, I feel like the smaller the gun the more likely I will have it on me and even something small like the Shield is still quite a bit larger than the small .380's.



This will be my first gun purchase, so it will be the only gun in the house for some time, so while it will be used for concealed carry and shooting at the range, it would also be used for home defense if necessary... I know that's not ideal and I plan to buy a $300 shotgun in the next year or two for home defense, but I wanted to start with something, and I think the handgun will be more versatile for my 1st purchase.

I am taking my class on Saturday with sej. A friend of hers is a Cincinnati cop and is offering a class. Turns out he's a college friend of another guy I know and he had nothing but great things to say about him so I am really looking forward to the class.

I have a .45 XDs that is, unfortunately, away at the armory for a recall upgrade. I will be using a Glock 17 for the class. I kind of want a 17 anyway so it will actually be nice to get some range time with one before I decide to buy. Even though my XDs had a recall, it's an awesome gun. Fun to shoot, extremely compact. I'd check out the 9mm version, you might be able to find one for around $500.

Let me try to clear up some shit before some others come in and act like they're big dick swinger know-it-all's who think they know EXACTLY what will work for YOU (happens on any gun thread anywhere, ever):

1. Carry where you're comfortable, can conceal well and are capable of easily drawing from. I carry just behind my hip.

2. Caliber doesn't matter a lot for concealed carry. Some will undoubtedly tell you that if you don't have a .45, you're an idiot. You might as well be shooting a BB gun. Now, if you want to carry a .45, I won't say that it's a bad decision at all. It's certainly a big, powerful round. But the stopping power argument is not really that important in this particular discussion. If you research situations that people with concealed weapons have found themselves in, you'll find that pretty often a .22 revolver saves their life. Now, I'm not advocating you run around with a .22 either. Only that you should get what you're comfortable with and what you shoot well. You aren't Rambo with a concealed weapon. It's about staying alive, not killing. I wouldn't get too caught up in what the caliber is, get a gun that fits your hand like a glove and is the size you wish to have for concealment. Don't let some blowhard tell you that you need a .45 because it's what he carried in Nam and you can't stop anything with a .380! Nonsense. A well placed .22 round will have the same effect as a well placed .45.

As far as recommending guns, that could go on for hours. The most important thing is what YOU'RE comfortable with. Go to the gun store and hold everything. Dry fire and see if you like the trigger, etc. You'll find the one that is right for you.

But again, don't get the wrong idea. The XDs .45 that justincredible has is a great carry gun.

I definitely agree that a gun is a personal choice and you need to find something that works for you. It took me forever to finally decide on the XDs. I kept going between that and the Glock 26. I wanted to check out the Shield, as well, but it was never in stock anywhere around here when I was in the market. Now I see them all the time, and the price is usually pretty good.

For lighter travel, I have a 380 SW Bodyguard. For every day use I carry a Glock 19. It came with 3- 15 round mags and a dorky but semi usefull auto loader. This gun is ugly as fuck, but nearly indestructible. ( around 500.00 )I have shoulder holsters for both, and an ankle holster for the 380.

For home use, I have an old model 12 Pump.

I carried a Sig P220 .45 for years on my hip … big and bulky but I did like carrying a bigger weapon. I still carry my .45 sometimes in the winter because it easy to cover up with a coat.

I bought the wife a Sig P238 .380 small, thin, very light. I liked this weapon so much I bought one for myself … very easy to carry on the hip or around the back a little, perfect for a pocket carry also. I’m now carrying this weapon with an ankle carry. The ankle is very convent because I don’t have to remove it when going into stores …. No body can see it around my ankle its that small. A ankle carry is not always the easy to access quickly.
After I bought my Sig P238 .. few weeks later Sig P239 9mm came out almost the same size as the P238 .380 with the same design and feel…. I will be giving my P238 .380 to my daughter and buying the newer Sig. P239 9mm

.380 is a short 9mm …

With the small, thinner and light weight Sig P238 and or P239 9mm” inside the belt “ holster carry is perfect… This what I’m going to …

I'm a big Sig fan pay more but I just like my Sig..

I carry a .45 Sig compact 1911. I carry it inside my waistband at about the 4 o'clock position. Like others have said, where you carry really depends on where it's comfortable. And that changes between guns, how fat you are, and what I've found, the type of holster you use. Most IWB holsters take some time to break in to get comfortable. Don't go cheap on the holster.

TedSheckler;1546350 wrote:Don't go cheap on the holster.

This might be the best piece of advice you get.

WebFire;1546353 wrote:This might be the best piece of advice you get.

I was just planning on keeping it in the pocket of my sweatpants. Is that a bad idea?

justincredible;1546355 wrote:I was just planning on keeping it in the pocket of my sweatpants. Is that a bad idea?

Why put it in the pocket of your sweatpants when you can just tuck it into the waistband on the front of your sweatpants?

I have several holsters, some cheap (Blackhawk) and expensive stuff like CrossBreed, and I have nothing bad to say about my CrossBreed at all. It's a great holster, but I use the cheap-o Blackhawk WAY more often. Still just about preference.

justincredible;1546355 wrote:I was just planning on keeping it in the pocket of my sweatpants. Is that a bad idea?

Sweatpants eh?


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-0Hbu4Z4pGI

My advice is to buy a gun that you can shoot. I am not comfortable with smaller sized guns, so I carry a full sized glock (I hate glocks, but I haven't saved up the money to purchase another gun yet). so with that said, don't change your gun to fit your wardrobe. I wear shorts and t-shirts all the time, and no, its not the huge baggy t-shirts. granted you aren't going to be able to wear the tight shirts to show off that shapely body you have been working on, but regular fit t-shirts can work. I carry at the 4 o'clock position and its a Milt Sparks Summer Special II.

I am a 'casual' shooter, not ex-military or gun enthusiast, so you can take what I say with a grain of salt
I've had a fair amount of shooting experience in my youth, shooting trap and plinking with a cheap .22...but purchased my first handgun a little over a year ago. My wife and I got interested in gun ownership through my brother's in law...one of which is a gun enthusiast and we go to the range and to West VA to shoot with them.

IMHO, a lot of good advice on this thread already...in shooting a gun that's comfortable. If you want to be good with a gun, you have to practice and shoot a lot. I have fun shooting a .45.... about 1 magazine from a full size gun...and that's about it. Maybe a little more with a 9mm, ....but I can shoot a hundred rounds of .380 and not bat an eyelash. So when it came time to choose a "family gun" we went with a gun that both my wife and I could handle, and chose a Walther PK.380 with eventual CCW in mind. We both liked the feel in our hands( I don't have big hands).
As we have gone along, my wife and Daughter Hits would rather shoot her sister's .22 for practice, so recently we picked up a Walther P22 for her. The gun is similar to our .380 in size, safety location and magazine release. So we have two similar weapons that we both know how to use, quickly load and fire....and like to practice with.

Our home defense weapon is a Rossi circuit judge, a revolver style rifle that can fire .45 colt and full size .410 shotgun shells. Again, it's an easy weapon for all of us to handle, loads simply and quickly, and with it's 18.5" barrel, is not to cumbersome for 'indoor' intruder use.

HitsRus;1546816 wrote:Our home defense weapon is a Rossi circuit judge, a revolver style rifle that can fire .45 colt and full size .410 shotgun shells. Again, it's an easy weapon for all of us to handle, loads simply and quickly, and with it's 18.5" barrel, is not to cumbersome for 'indoor' intruder use.

This is the first I've heard of this gun. Awesome.

justincredible;1546909 wrote:This is the first I've heard of this gun. Awesome.

I'm impressed also ... looking for something for the wife to handle .... This could be the perfect Tornado weapon I've been looking for.

^^^^ How much are those going for? Those are sweet! Don't nobody mess with the Hits residence!

BRF;1546965 wrote:^^^^ How much are those going for? Those are sweet! Don't nobody mess with the Hits residence!

I found it listed on Gander Mountain for $549.

^^^ TY! I was just checking out the rossiusa.com site for some of the other models.

I got it at Dunhams a while back for $479 on a special sale. Normally they are $529. It's a 5 shot revolver and you can load, mix and match any length .410 shell in the cylinder along with .45 colt. They also make the gun chambered for .44 Mag and also 28 gauge, but you don't have the versatility to use alternate ammo like the .45/.410.

As our 'strategy' is to have weapons that we all are familiar with and capable of handling, it's a pretty fearsome weapon that a lady can handle easily. (I am not always going to be home)

I don't know about you guys who carry, but the more I read local news (and even national news), the closer I get to open carry. Too many loose cannons these days. Seems like around here there is a stabbing in the news on a daily basis.

I won't open carry. It just draws unneeded attention to yourself. Most of the public isn't used to seeing someone in plain clothes carrying a holstered firearm on their hip. Most of the uneducated public would panic and call authorities on you. While it's legal, the police will more than likely still hassle you. Why put yourself through that if you are licensed to conceal?

Because I'd rather deal with having to talk to the police once in a great while (ask people who open carry, it rarely happens) than deal with getting stabbed by someone who doesn't know they brought a knife to a gun fight until after you've been stabbed.

I personally wouldn't want the hassle. It's personal choice and you can do as you wish, I just don't feel like alarming the uneducated public and don't want to deal with law enforcement if I don't have to. I'd rather just be on my way, doing what I'm doing and leave the bad guys wondering.