Do you carry a handgun that is comfortable or comforting?

[maximus2161]

After six years of having a CHL and at one time having been a reserve LEO I have seen CHL holders carry so many varying handguns. I have made many great friends in the CHL community and quite a few from this site alone and all have their own preference to what they carry and why they carry a particular handgun. Its always interesting to hear the reasons why someone carries what they do. For me it has been an ongoing process as to what and why I carry what I do. Sometimes I want the latest and greatest and I dont factor in the practicality of a gun for carry and granted all handguns I own are not something I would plan to carry (Ruger Single Action revolvers, big bore caliber handguns like a S&W 500, etc) But as time has gone on and I have tested many different firearms for personal carry. The opinions vary like small caliber and high capacity VS. large caliber low capacity, handgun size, shot placement over caliber, pocket carry, and on and on.

I like to think finding the best of both worlds would be ideal but its not always so because everyone is different and shoot and have to carry in different ways. I have had some mega huge blasters that are great, fun guns but ridiculous for CCW. And I have had some handguns that feel too insignificant in size and caliber that I dont feel comfortable carrying it. So I try to find a happy medium if possible. I am 9mm/.45 ACP guy I have determined. I shoot those calibers best. I love 1911's but my most reliable handgun is my fathers issued duty weapon (I was able to get thankfully) an old Ruger P85 9mm. When he passed away and I got his gun and this is what started me out as shooter. In the academy thats what I shot. Its never failed me. I still shoot it today. Granted its a chunky piece of steel but I know it will go bang but most of all I feel comfortable carrying it. However I dont carry it much now because thats one gun I want to pass on to my son even tho its dollar value isnt anything.

So what do I prefer? I tend to lean to carrying a gun that is comforting over something that is comfortable. But I try to find a compromise that works for me. Just because my friend loves and carries Brand X doesnt mean it works for me but I have gotten good insight from others regarding their methods. Dont laugh too hard but I easily conceal a HK USP Tactical 45 full size. Why do I carry that? Well...its comforting but also comfortable. Im 6ft, 350lbs. I dont carry it because its 'cool' or because the slide has 'Tactical' etched on it. I carry it because I can shoot it well, conceal it well, and I like the caliber/capacity/quality/durability/reliability.

So I am curious what my fellow CHL friends prefer. Do you carry a handgun that is comfortable or comforting? Is it a compromise between the two or other reasons? The reason I ask is because everyone has different views on this but your philosophy may give me something new to consider.

God Bless.

[DONT TREAD ON ME]

Do you carry a handgun that is comfortable or comforting?

Yes.







Springfield 1911

[KD5NRH]

Day-to-day, both; .357 snub that shoots quite well with full magnum loads for me. On the bike, comfortable; .32ACP.

[NOS]

I carry a Glock 19, and/or Taurus 709 Slim. The Slim is more of a BUG due to it's limited capacity 7+1. However if it's a day of fishing at the beach in shorts and a t-shirt, or a bike ride in the morning before work, I'll only take the Taurus. Not because I can't conceal the Glock, but because my IWB holster gets too hot and I can't carry the G19 in my pocket like the 709 Slim. Both guns are very comfortable and comforting. I like the Glock because of it's capacity, so that is my preferred carry gun. I would also add that in the G19 I use +P loads, and standard loads for the Slim (it's not recommended for use with +P loads) This also adds to my preferring the G19 as my main CCW.
I have .45's but choose to leave the 1911's at home in the safe. The thought of anything happening to them, makes me choose to keep them under lock and key, unless I go to the range.

[longtooth]

Both for me. Comforting & comfortable. I teach in class that it does not have to be either/or. With quality gear it really can be both, at least for me & for most folks.
I carry a Springer Champion in a Tucker HF1 most days. I have a couple. My avitar is one & the other is his plain holster that I dont mind sweat all over. 10 rd extra WC mag & flashlight.
This is not an uncomfortable carry for me. I do confess that as a young man I carried gear on my belt in the woods & later in a foundry. Today daily life is gear on my belt & it is far more comfortable that the tool belts of yester year.
YMMV
LT

[The Annoyed Man]

I'm one of those obnoxious 1911 guys. I love me some 1911. My very first gun was a 1943 vintage Ithaca 1911A1 inherited from my dad when he died. It was his sidearm in the Marine Corps during the closing months of WW2, the battalion's aid station on Iwo Jima having confiscated his personally owned Government .45 which he had carried into combat when he was brought to them as a casualty. Dad, in turn, confiscated this Ithaca from a man under his command who had accidentally shot himself in the hand with it in the company bivouac area while horsing around with it back on Guam, as he was training his rifle company for the assault on Japan - which thankfully, never happened.

That Ithaca is the gun which started me as a pistol shooter, and for a time, it was the only gun I owned. Consequently, my tastes ever since have favored the 1911 platform, and the .45 ACP cartridge. Two of the four pistols that are part of my carry rotation are 1911s (a Kimber Stainless Ultra Carry II and a Springfield Loaded Parkerized), and three of those pistols are .45s. (My son and I, between us, own five 1911s, one of which is that old Ithaca which I still have) The third .45 in my carry rotation is a full sized S&W M&P 45. The fourth pistol is a scandium J-framed .357 magnum, the M&P340. All four pistols have tritium insert night sights.

I used to also carry an H&K USP Compact .40, which I sold to another member here. It really was a great gun, very well made, and utterly reliable. I just couldn't shoot it that well. I think it was the .40 S&W cartridge characteristics that bothered me, and if I had bought it in .45 ACP, I might have done better with it and still own it - but I listened to a friend's advice without trying out a pistol in that chambering first.

I bought the M&P 45 as a replacement for that USPc. I looked at the Glocks. Too bulky for me in that caliber. My wife has a G19, and it is a good, handy little pistol, but I wanted a .45, and the double stack Glocks in that caliber where just too vast for my tastes - the top of the slide having roughly the same dimensions as a carrier flight deck. So I looked at the XD45 - also an excellent gun - but the XD felt tall in my hand in the same way that the USPc was tall. I wanted a lower slide, like on the Glock. I tried the M&P out, and it just fit right in my hand, and pointed naturally the way a 1911 does. It's not as big and thick as the Glock, but the penalty for that is 3 fewer rounds of capacity. I can live with that. Also, even at 10+1 rounds capacity, it still weighs less than my 5" all steel Springfield, and more and more, I carry it when I used to opt for the Springfield. Also, I shoot it well, and it has proven to be as utterly reliable as either an H&K or a Glock. Also, the M&P is fully ambidextrous in all its controls except one - the takedown lever. That last one is a non issue for me, but I really like having an other otherwise fully left-handed pistol, with left-handed mag release, slide release, and safety. You might have guess by now that I'm left handed.

Actual "street" prices for the M&P 45 are reasonable, pretty close I think to the price of a new G21, maybe a tad more. I paid $599 for mine in a dark earth colored frame with Trijicon night sights at the Fort Worth gun show. The same store I bought the M&P from currently has a G21 without night sights advertised on their website for $517.00, so I think I'm right about that. Anyway, the more I carry the M&P, the more I like it; and the more I like it, the more I carry it.

When I get around to buying myself a 9mm, if ever, I will naturally gravitate to the M&P. The only thing I would do differently, I think, is to leave off the frame mounted thumb safety.... maybe. That was one of the reasons I originally bought the M&P 45. It has an ambidextrous frame-mounted thumb safety, right where you would expect to find it on a 1911, but it doesn't actually need one, as it incorporates an articulated trigger safety like the Glocks or S&W Sigmas.

But I have to say that, most of this seemingly long summer when the temperatures have been at or above Hades Fahrenheit, my day in day out go-to gun has been that little scandium framed revolver. It weighs a scant 13 oz. empty. I keep it stoked with 125 grain Hornady Critical Defense .357 loads. It fits unobtrusively in the front pocket of my cargo shorts in a Nemesis pocket holster, and I truly forget it is there most of the time. The allegedly fearsome recoil of a .357 in an alloy J-frame is vastly over-rated. Yes, it recoils. Yes, it is loud. Yes, 5 quick rounds leave my hand stinging a little bit, but it just isn't that bad, and it doesn't sting that much. In fact, I find it quite entertaining to shoot. Also, with its sharply defined rear sight notch in the all black frame, and the noticeably large round white dot front sight with tritium insert by Trijicon, this little pistol's sight picture is actually on par with my other three carry pistols, and orders of magnitude better than any other J-frame revolver I've ever owned or shot. Yes, it is only 5 rounds, but it is hard to argue with .357 class horsepower, even out of a snubbie's barrel, and so I do not feel the least bit under-armed with it.

So for this summer, I would say that my M&P340 snubbie wins both the comfortable and the comforting categories. Comfortable because it is, and comforting because I carry it.

[RPBrown]

Both for me but I will admit it took a while to find a comfortable way to carry.

[Texas Size 11]

Comforting...Glock 22 (carried 98% of the time)

Comfortable...Taurus 738 (for days when I wear light clothing)

[Pete92FS]

So I am curious what my fellow CHL friends prefer. Do you carry a handgun that is comfortable or comforting? Is it a compromise between the two or other reasons?

Both. I carry my Kimber Ultra Crimson Carry II 99% of the time and mostly IWB (depending what I'm wearing) and basicallly forget it's there.

[7075-T7]

It all depends on the level of paranoia that day.

Low: Sig P238 .380 (w/ Doubletap DPX) (rarely anymore though)

Medium: Sig P239 9mm (w/ Doubletap 115gr+P & 146gr+P)

High: Glock 29 10mm (w/ Doubletap 135gr nosler & 165gr sabers)

I find myself carrying the 10mm more and more since I have 20+1 rounds of 700ft/lb. ammo, instead of 16+1 of 500ft/lb. ammo (9mm), or 12+1 of 200ft/lb. ammo (.380).

The Glock isn't really t-shirt concealable like the P239, but you make do.

[fecnik]

Comforting and almost completely comfortable. I still have the touchies every now and then.

[texjames]

Both for me too.I feel unconfortable if i take off in my truck and realize i forgot my gun...happens sometimes when i have a lot
to do and much on my getting senior mind..ha! My new summer carry is my PM9 in mini-tuck and when i carry it its very comfortable...forget its there
really. I have aquired several other guns since last winter and really not sure what i will end up with.Stick with the PM9, or carry the Kimber Crimson
Ultra carry II 45, maybe the G19 or my used to be only carry was my G33 (.357 sig)...In winter with a coat i might get by with more bulk and firepower.
The new XDm 45 might even get some road trips...? But i really feel uncomfortable when i don't carry.I have to go out to the Air Base often and can't carry
out there...( I had a gap in my CHL a few years too...)
I practice with all my handguns regularly so feel confident with any of them.I sure do love my new PM9 though.

[Teamless]

As I am still new to handguns, I do not have a lot of history to work from.
However, in my short time of having handguns, (Since Christmas 2009), my wife and I have bought 5 guns
SW Sigma 9mm
Glock 19
Taurus PT111
Springfield XD9sc (hers)
Springfield XD9sc (mine - but in green polymer)

The Sigma she bought me, and it was 'our first' handgun. Without knowing any better, I liked it, until we got her Glock 19.
While I did not care for the Glock 19, thinking it would be too big to conceal (i have learned better now, but thats another story), I wanted more of a subcompact to be sure it would conceal and stay concealed.
So I went to Academy, handled the Taurus PT111, Liked the feel of it, the size of it, it was very comfortable in my hand. (Did not buy it at the time).
I went to the next High Caliber Gun Show in Pasadena, held the Glock 26 (didn't like that my pinky would slide under the magazine)
Held the Springfield XD9sc, loved the feel, and it was just a smidge longer in the grip, that I did not get my pinky under it like the Glock 26 and held the Taurus PT111 again.

Both the Springfield and Taurus felt good, very close to each other, but the Springfield was just a bit better of a feel. But then it came to price. At the time, the Taurus was $330 +tx and the Springfield was $490 + tx. So I opted for the Taurus. While I liked the way the Taurus shot, I still had a feeling in the back of my head that I should have got the Springfield XD9sc.
My wife, while she liked the Glock 19, and loves to shoot it, decided she would not want to carry it, due to only the trigger safety and she has heard too many "Glock Butt" comments, where people (LEOs mostly) have shot their thighs or buttocks while drawing their weapon, or while sitting down in their vehicles (an ex-LEO friend of ours did that a few years ago as well)...
So I took her to the High Caliber to look at the Springfield, with the backstrap safety as well as the trigger safety. Then took her to the Arms Room and the owner (I cant remember his name) really "sold" her on it. However, his prices was $200 + more than at the High Caliber, so while he verbally sold her on it, we bought it at the HCGS.
With her getting the XD9sc, it gave me a chance to compare the Taurus PT111 with the XD9sc, and it just made me believe more than ever, that I should have spent the extra money and bought it instead of the Taurus.

With the Taurus and my Crossbreed, or the XD9sc with my Comp-Tac (and the Crossbreed for my Taurus fits it with very little adjustment), I feel totally comfortable carrying the weapon, as long as I am un-tucked. If tucked, I get a bit more nervous, but only as i hardly feel the holster or weight of the weapon, it makes me concerned that it is not tucked.

As far as comforting, I do have the belief that the gun will go bang when I pull the trigger. Also, while I am not a marksman, to where I will hit the bullseye, but I will hit the target, so I am comforted to know that if I pull the weapon in self-defense, it will do its job properly. Also even in the 9mm, with hollow point rounds, I am comfortable with the knowledge that it should not penetrate the BG and will also stop the BG.

[Excaliber]

Some folks are going to strongly disagree with what I have to say here, and that's OK. If someone can poke holes in my reasoning and lead me to a better place, I'll look forward to the discussion and will be grateful for the help.

This question was asked honestly, and it deserves an honest answer, so here it is.

I agree with Longtooth, TAM and others here - comforting and comfortable is not an either / or situation, especially if you keep these factors in mind when you shop for a carry gun instead of doing an impulse buy of whatever makes you drool most at the gun counter. If you consider both requirements before you buy, you'll be lots happier when you carry.

Based on things I saw in law enforcement, very early on I made a decision to dress around comforting guns rather than trying to get comfortable around an "I'm in a heap of trouble if I have to use this thing for real" gun. I just couldn't get physically comfortable with being mentally uncomfortable. I figure if the gun you carry can't be relied on to stop a threat before the threat stops you, there's little point in toting it around at all.

Folks who think just the sight of any gun will dissuade a serious street criminal like in the movies probably haven't had the experience of having these folks laugh at the sight, describe in graphic detail where they're planning to shove it and how, or ask, "And whatcha think you're gonna do with that there, boy?" I have. Street folks have all seen lots of people survive multiple small caliber gunshot wounds (and large caliber ones too) on lots of occasions, and they're not particularly afraid of them. If the truth be told, they're lots more afraid of a knife.

Yes, I know, supposedly any gun is better than no gun. I don't see it that way, because that sound bite assumes that having the guy who beat and stabbed you to death bleed out 90 minutes after you succumb to your injuries is a satisfactory result. I gave that a fair amount of thought after seeing instances where this happened (fortunately usually with bad guys on both sides of the confrontation), and it heavily influenced my thinking.

I know that small caliber wounds can be fatal, and you won't find me volunteering to stand in front of somebody firing pea sized projectiles to prove otherwise. However, fatalities from these guns result most often when the attacker surprises somebody and shoots him in vital areas before he can react. When used defensively against someone who is aggressively attacking, the fact is that it's real hard to deliver projectiles to the tiny areas necessary to immediately stop the threat. Most folks simply can't do it. The usual result is a defender who gets taken out with a sheet over his head and an attacker who gets a couple of small holes in nonvital areas patched up at the ER and goes on with life.

Many years ago I stopped carrying the tiny, comfortable .22 and .380 pistols I had bought when I was drinking the "comfortable gun" Kool Aid and I sold them. I figured if I put my mind to it, I could certainly figure out how to carry a pound or so of something that would do me some good virtually all the time. I made a decision not to go below .38 / 9mm for that purpose, and I've stuck to that for decades now. I consider carrying anything less than that going unarmed because, if you pull one of those tiny guns on a serious bad guy, he'll likely do things you'll never recover from to you long before you can end his threat with that firearm. Being unarmed also helps to remind one that the most realistic survival options without a combat caliber gun available consist of hand to hand combat, improvised weapons (rocks, trash cans, etc.) and flight.

Most of the time I opt for some version of a 1911 in .45ACP - Kimber Pro size most of the year, Ultra Carry or Kahr PM45 in the summer. When it's "Haydes Farenheit" out (TAM, that was great, and I had to borrow it), I slip a Kahr PM40 or S&W .38 snub in a pocket holster into the cargo shorts or, on some occasions, a (gasp) fanny pack.

I know others look at this differently. That's OK. Everybody works from the set of their own experiences and whatever they're willing to accept from the experiences of others, and modify that only when one of those parameters changes.

This line of thinking and practice works for me. Your mileage may vary.

[MoJo]

I have found it isn't all that difficult to do both. No "mouse guns" the smallest gun I will carry is my Taurus 85 Ultra Lite that 's my always gun. I don't carry any gun that has a manual safety preferring the "point 'n shoot" simplicity of my M&P 40s, an XD or a DA/SA handgun carried decocked. The most comfortable way to carry the full size primary is OWB and that's my preferred manner of carry I also use a Supertuck for the times OWB is not desirable or practical.

I really think concealed carry is supposed to be comforting first and comfortable second but, it has to be comfortable enough to to make you want to carry.