Want advice from lessons learned.

[huxley]

Hello friends,
I have been a regular visitor to this forum for a few months and now a poster. I will soon be purchasing my first handgun and plan to take the CHL class shortly after that. Now, I have had shooting expierence but it has been two years since last trip to the range and that was first trip in nearly fifteen years. I have shot several different brands, models and calibers...again years ago. But when looking for advice it is far better to ask what would you do differently if given the chance. So here it is.....

If you had to do it again and purchase your first CCW what would it be?

I know that hand comfort and ergonomics is important. The caliber is always seems suspect. Only 30% will love the choice, 30% will hate it, 30% will take the high road with a "It's all good", and 10% won't know what gun it is unless it has 1911 in the desciption. (Just kidding ofcourse)

Oh, and I like everyone else have a budget $550 ish.

Thank you very much. Looking forward to the knowledge of the masses!

[seamusTX]

Welcome to the forum.

It doesn't matter. If it goes bang and you can punch the paper, stick with it. Learn to use it. People pack huge, honking .45s and tiny .380s.

There is a reason that dozens of manufacturers make hundreds of different handguns. Something for everyone, every circumstance, every mission profile.

- Jim

[CJATE]

that is like asking what kind of car should i get.

go find a range that rents, or a buddy with a pile of toys, and go shoot. you can start by holding them. See what fits your hand. the smaller the easer to hide, the harder to shoot.

I prefer hiding a larger pistol over shooting a smaller.


lots of options, enjoy your hunt.

[boomerang]

If you had to do it again and purchase your first CCW what would it be?

A snubbie. I love my Glock but it's hard to carry sometimes. I can easily carry my snubbie in the pocket of my shorts in the summer and in a coat pocket in the winter and all seasons in between.

[bonehead1185]

Hello friends,
I have been a regular visitor to this forum for a few months and now a poster. I will soon be purchasing my first handgun and plan to take the CHL class shortly after that. Now, I have had shooting expierence but it has been two years since last trip to the range and that was first trip in nearly fifteen years. I have shot several different brands, models and calibers...again years ago. But when looking for advice it is far better to ask what would you do differently if given the chance. So here it is.....

If you had to do it again and purchase your first CCW what would it be?

I know that hand comfort and ergonomics is important. The caliber is always seems suspect. Only 30% will love the choice, 30% will hate it, 30% will take the high road with a "It's all good", and 10% won't know what gun it is unless it has 1911 in the desciption. (Just kidding ofcourse)

Oh, and I like everyone else have a budget $550 ish.

Thank you very much. Looking forward to the knowledge of the masses!

Like the others said, it takes you getting used to what you decide on. For me, I wanted something kinda small but still some punch to it. When I started looking I borrowed from my dad's friend and went to the bullet trap to test fire their selection. I would recommend them because they have special prices for test firing. That could give you a kick start in the direction of the gun that fits you best. Plus they were pretty knowledgeable and helpful with me and all the questions I had. When it came to deciding for me, my budget was a big factor. After doing some research I decided to go with the Taurus PT145 and love it. It fits my hand just fine and is easy to conceal on my body. The only drawback is the price of the ammo but that just means a little less time at the range for now.

[huxley]

Thanks for the quick feedback.

I know it's a wide open question but I'm always looking for advice and ideas. I am eyeballing the M&P 45c it fits nicely in my hand also possibly the PT145. I am a little suspect on the Taurus though. My father-in-law has a 2gen PT111 and it has been flawless for him.

[mrvmax]

Out of all the guns I have had, my G30 is my choice for carry. It is relatively small but carries 10+1 rounds of .45. Find a good holster and you can carry anything you want. You will actually need a few holsters since they serve different purposes. If I want to carry with my shirt tucked in I use my Smartcarry. If I can have a shirt untucked I will use my Comp Tac MTAC. Find what you like and get used to carrying.

[Excaliber]

Out of all the guns I have had, my G36 is my choice for carry. It is relatively small but carries 10+1 rounds of .45. Find a good holster and you can carry anything you want. You will actually need a few holsters since they serve different purposes. If I want to carry with my shirt tucked in I use my Smartcarry. If I can have a shirt untucked I will use my Comp Tac MTAC. Find what you like and get used to carrying.

The G36 is a 5+1 pistol. The 10 + 1 model is the G30. The 36 is noticeably slimmer than the 30 because it is the only Glock with a single stack magazine.

Here's the short list that I recommend folks try for concealed carry when starting out in calibers 9mm, .40 and .45, with a recommendation to go with the largest caliber they can comfortably handle:

Springfield XD (compact and subcompact models)
Glock (compact and subcompact models)
Smith & Wesson M&P (compact and subcompact models)
Kahr CCW and PM models
Kimber or Springfield 1911 (compact and subcompact models) with a caveat that these guns will take more work to learn to use safely

[smyrna]

Without being model specific, here's what I would think about if I were you.

1. What platform am I most comfortable operating and shooting? Revolver, SA semi auto, DA semi auto, striker fired, etc.? Whatever you choose, you must be able to use it efficiently..i.e. a 1911 will do you no good if you forget to disengage the safety because you are used to Glocks.

2. Which handgun(s) can I shoot and conceal well? Don't buy the hype or mystique of a certain brand or model. Shoot several and determine which one(s) feel good in your hand, allow for ease of operation, and you can shoot reasonbly accurate without a lot of work. Obviously, a Model 29 S&W might be hard to conceal and present a challenge to shoot if you're sensitive to recoil, but some of the smaller carry pistols such as the Kel Tecs, Kahrs can be a bugger to learn to shoot proficiently too.

3. How do I intend to carry and what holster(s) will allow me to carry comfortably? This is the toughest one to answer because you won't know until you wear it and and change its position until you find the "sweet spot" or not. Buy the best quality you can afford because your comfort will depend on it.

Outside of that, your $550 budget will give you plenty of options.

My 2cents.

[Oldgringo]

Thanks for the quick feedback.

I know it's a wide open question but I'm always looking for advice and ideas. I am eyeballing the M&P 45c it fits nicely in my hand also possibly the PT145. I am a little suspect on the Taurus though. My father-in-law has a 2gen PT111 and it has been flawless for him.

Welcome aboard.

Inasmuch as you've mentioned .45 acp, I'd suggest you try out a XD .45 Compact or Service model. Personally, I prefer the XD .45 Service with Thumb Safety. If Springfield made a .45 Compact w/ Thumb Safety, I'd be on it like a duck on a Junebug. If this is truly your first handgun, you might also want to look at a S&W 638 snubbie or some such. All of these suggestions are in your price range, BTW.

My 2¢ worth. Good luck and God Bless.

[CompVest]

S&W doesn't have a sub-compact in the M&P. They have a Pro (5" barrel), a full size (the original 4.25" barrel), and a compact (3.5" barrel) all in 9. They have the full size and compact in 40, 45, and 357.

[Oldgringo]

S&W doesn't have a sub-compact in the M&P. They have a Pro (5" barrel), a full size (the original 4.25" barrel), and a compact (3.5" barrel) all in 9. They have the full size and compact in 40, 45, and 357.

Perhaps I wasn't clear.

A S&W 638 is a snubbie revolver in .38 Spec + P caliber. A good first gun IMHO.

[stroo]

1. Find a gun that feels good in your hand, that you shoot well and that you will carry (Remember the first rule of gunfights is to HAVE A GUN). Renting guns at ranges and borrowing friends guns are good ways to check out how a gun feels and how it shoots.

2. Resign yourself to having to go through several different holsters and possibly styles of carry before you end up on a style and holster that you like. Most of us have a box of holsters that we don't use and one or two that we do use. If you want to try out particular holsters, folks on this forum may be willing to lend your theirs.

3. Buy a good belt.

For under $550 total for guns, I would look at Ruger, Kel tec, Bersa, Detective Hi Power, CZ, Taurus, Charter revolvers, Springfield XD and used S&W and Glocks. If you feel comfortable buying used, you can get more gun for your money that way. I am undoubtedly leaving out some good choices as well.

For holsters, I would look at Hume JIT OWB, Fobus paddle OWB, and Nemesis pocket holsters. Hume, High Noon, Galco, and Bianchi make good holsters at the lower end of the cost spectrum. At the higher end, there are a bunch of good custom holster makers. Uncle Mike makes holsters, mostly not so good in my experience, that are probably the least expensive on the market.

For belts, the Wilderness instructor belts are great. I have had good experience with Boston leather, which tends to be on the low end cost wise and Aker belts.

[seamusTX]

3. Buy a good belt.

Amen to that.

I am notoriously stingy and tried to make do with cheap belts. The difference between a good and a bad belt is like the difference between shoes that fit and shoes that don't.

- Jim

[huxley]

I do plan on many days of trial and error with holsters and belts. It's all part of the fine art of conceal carry. I do prefer the 1911 style of pistol grip as compared to the Glock style. I have shot many DA/SA pistols in the past as well as a variety of revolvers. I do believe I will go with a auto loader rather than a revolver and would like to have a thumb safety. My wife believes bigger is better when trying stop an attacker so the .45ACP is her requirment...and thats more than fine with me..shot several .45 in the past. I do have friends with big toy collections it's just that several of the guns they let me use are well out of my budget. Nice but too expensive for me at this time.

I will most likely only CCW while on family road trips and few other times. My place of employeement does not allow firearms within 500ft of the building. I just wondering what others would do differently. I will stick with what is comfortable and secure in my hand and work with the conceal part as I go. Just wondering with todays newer innvoations in firearms is there anything new with safety and reliability. Reliability is formost my concern and it will take many trips to the range before I will trust any firearm to protect my family.

I do really appreciate all the friendly bannter and advice that goes on in this forum. I'll be a regular around here!