CCW choice???

RKR

RKR

Member
Would those of you who have and do carry for self defense wiegh in on this choice. I am looking at 2 different semi-auto pistols. They have the same basic features. Length weight, polymer frame, Double then single action design and price. I like the way they both fit, the way they point and feel. One is an 8+1 .45 acp, the other is a 12+1 .40 S&W.
Do you think bigger is better or is more ammo the key to success!!!
 
I would make sure that you shot both of them that you are looking at carrying--what works well for me may not work well for you.

I personally carry a Colt Combat Commander in .45 ACP. To me, .45 is the standard fight stopper, and I feel comfortable carrying and shooting it.

I think that you should shoot a caliber you feel you can handle. More ammo is not the key if you can't hit what you are trying to stop!

Regards,
Tim
 
You need to be more specific with the guns before you will get good opinions. The 40 and 45 are good choices as a start. If you need a pocket pistol, then things change...
 
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I think that you should shoot a caliber you feel you can handle. More ammo is not the key if you can't hit what you are trying to stop!






You nailed it !
/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grinning-smiley-003.gif
+1
 
Hi RKR,
What kind of guns are you looking at? I think both are good calibers I carry a 9mm Glock out of the State of Wisconsin of course cause we have no CCW here.Communist Democrat governor here doesn't allow it.

I think with the way bullets have come along in the past few years you can't go wrong with either the 9mm ,40 or 45.

Have you shot both calibers,guns?

I think bullet placement is the key to success. If you miss with a 44mag and hit someone in the forehead with a 22 you will be much better off:)

Guns do tend to get heavy when carried around all day so a GOOD belt and a GOOD holster are in order.

Heck I even find myself carrying my ruger LCP most of the time when it is legal for me to carry.

Shoot both and get what you like.If after even 9 shots the situation is not in hand you may want to reasses your situation and change tactics.

Just my .02 cents worth.

Bill Martin
 
VA Ken, I am looking for more of an opinion on Capacity vs. Caliber, than size or type of pistol. I have watched Personal Defense TV for the last few seasons and there is a guy, he works at "Gunsite" training facility, Clint Black I think is his name. He has stated that in talking to people who have been in tactical situation they all say they wish they had a bigger gun, and more ammo.
Those two things are mutually exclusive if you are talking about the same frame size.
Thus the question at hand, all things being equal what would you chose, stopping power or a few more rounds. For this reason I want at least a 40 S&W as a minimum. I am a paramedic firefighter. I know that both of the rounds will kill the assailant DRT. I've seen both work like a champ. So which would you choose in a pistol that you shoot, and carry equally well, increased ammo capacity or raw stopping power?
I hope this helps explain exactly what info/opinions I am looking for
Thanks RKR
 
Clint Smith is the guy at TR.He can sing ok but not near as good as Clint Black:) ( Country Singer) for those who don't know:)

RKR if you can shoot good with both I would go with the 45. I would carry at least 1 more magazine and a good flashlight.
Like I said I carry a 9mm and do not feel under gunned. I shoot either Federal HSTs or Winchester Rangers. Both expand beautifully.

Bill Martin
 
Marshhawk
I have shot both calibers and they are no problem, I have big hands so recoil is not a big problem.
I like the Kel-Tec P-11 for a slim pocket/back up pistol, but I don't know what round for a primary pistol.
Thanks for the reply, RKR


LOL /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif Clint Black vs. Clint Smith /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grinning-smiley-003.gif Thanks for the correction.
 
Modified Glock 32 in .357 Sig

Galco Quick Draw Leather and the Galco 2 mag holder on the other side.

(3) Hi Cap Mags (15RNDS) with the +1 in the chamber means I'm carrying 46 fast moving little buggers at all times.

I own other calibers of pistols and shoot them periodically at the range. My Glock 32 is my carry and what I put a few hundred rounds every now and then.

I'm a fairly large guy so carrying it concealed has never been a problem. Many times I wear a sleeveless tshirt, shorts, flipflops and people still don't know I'm carrying.

Even though I have large hands I have never been a fan of the standard Glock grip. Its just too big an awkward. Yet with that my Glocks have always been some of my best shooters. So I got the idea from a guy a couple years back to dremel out the the grip to fit my hand exactly. I hesitantly did that and now I love this thing.

When I took my CCW class the guy that gave it was a 30 years retired Mesa Police officer who now in his retired life teaches current officers how to shoot. He taught me some pretty cool things that at this day I practice at the range. Biggest one was have a plan and rehearse it. Which means whatever gun, holster and caliber you decide on spend time at the range and at home practicing. Start with the gun in your holster and pretend that someone is sticking you up, how are you going to get the pistol out quickly and fire accurately.

I do this two ways thanks to him, a quick draw hip fire practice and then a full draw.

I have actually surprised myself on how accurate I can be a 5 and 10 yards with the quick draw hip fire.

I also chose the caliber of .357 SIG based on that officers recommendation. He said it just carried more stopping power then the other options of its size and because its a small round you can carry so many more rounds then with a .45. To keep the cost down I also have .40 barrel that I drop in the Glock for practicing at the range.
 
Most gun fights are over in 3-5 seconds with an average of 3-4 rounds being fired. As Wyatt Earp said, "Fast is fine, but accuracy is everything." Get something you can shoot accurately, preferably something that begins with a ".4". Wild Bill Hickok had a gunfight with a fellow by the name of Coe. Hickok's retort to Coe, who supposedly stated he could "kill a crow on the wing," was "Did the crow have a pistol? Was he shooting back? I will be." Hickok was said to be the best shot in the West, next to John Wesley Hardin. Both men practiced regularly. Practice, practice, practice.

And finally a quote from Clint Smith, "I may get killed with my own gun, but he's gonna have to beat me to death with it, 'cause it's going to be empty."
 
most guys talk about their pistol as being a good CCW choice, truth is I doubt many actually carry theirs all the time, IMO there are only 2 or 3 realistic CCW pistols, kel tec/ruger LCP, J frame (what I carry) or a kahr of one flavor or another, you want your CCW to not be more than 16 oz without bullets, bigger pistols are nice and more appropriate if you are taking an offensive role in a situation, most of us view our CCW as a defensive weapon in this case the best CCW weapon is the one you actually have with you, once the novelty of a larger pistol wears off, it will just sit in the safe and never really be carried. I have a scandium air weight S&W its a pricey pistol but is 12 oz, and I can carry it in a coat pocket and forget its there, that is what you want, a taurus titanium is slightly heavier and is a great choice as well. I can keep this pistol in my side coat pocket and have my hand on it and shoot it with noone seeing through my coat, that way if the situation diffuses you don't get in trouble for brandishing, which is a serious crime around here. IMO no 1911 sytle pistol would be worth a darn as a CCW. its not like you are going to confront bank robbers inside a bank
 
i carry a kahr cw9 that fits my bill perfect i usaully have it on me at all times when im not at home, take that back usually with me while im home, im running corbon ammo in it i have no doubts at all that the 9mm with proper ammo will control the situations quickly, kahr also makes a cw 40 that is a very nice pistol fairly cheap to buy as well. remember 1 thing it is stated soemwhere about, if it aint comfortable you will find yourself leaving it at home more and more i have a don hume small of the back holster that you cant even tell its back there. Ron
 
I don't believe that a Ruger lcp or the P3AT are a good choice for CCW. If you where going with one of those might as well look at the PF9 from keltec, I would stick to Service Calibers (9mm,40,45) JUST MY OPINION
J frame in 38 is great. And I agree most do it out of conveince (Mouse guns) I Personally carry a Glock 19 from when Im up tIll I go to bed then its only in the night stand bysides me. all service calibers are a great choice in my 19 i have federal HST 147 gr. and in my G22 (Winter carry) i use the 180 HST
If I was faced with the choice I would have to go with the 40 cal. loaded with quality ammo for the extra rounds.

Also dont skimp on a holster, I have a crossbreed super tuck that is very comfortable

go here lots of Info
http://concealedcarryforum.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=4121


PH22
 
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This time of year, I have no problem carrying my 1911 Smith and Wesson PD in .45. This is a Colt Lightweight Commander clone and I carry it ALL the time when out of my house. Only exceptions are when I am in the field, when I tend to carry a .357 revolver. I usually carry both IWB.

Things are tougher in the summer due to clothing. In warm months I carry either a SW .38 642 or a Kahr PM40. I also have one of the little Keltec .380s, but hardly ever use it anymore because the .38 and .40 just do everything better and really are no harder to carry in the pocket.
 
I will take caliber over capacity for concealed carry. Too many people use capacity as a crutch for not being able to hit a target. If you feel the need to extra rounds I would suggest caring and extra mag.

For the record I carry a STI Escort which is a 1911 style, officer frame with 6+1 capacity

[image]http://www.stiguns.com/guns/Escort/Escort.html[/image]
 
As has been said time and again, "what works for me, may not work for you" In a SD handgun there are a lot of variables, your size, and the size of the pistol are only two of them. Double stacks just do not hide as well as a single stack. Caliber in this case is really not an issue since the 40 S&W dispite it's detractors, has as good a stopping ratio as the 45 ACP or the 357 Mag revolver.
I caried for twenty years, on and off duty uniform and plain clothes. My favorite carry pistol was and still is a Glock M21, That was after trying the 1911 and the S&W J, K, and L frames. While a S&W J frame has a lot going for it as a hide out gun the .38 SPL just don't do it, I did try a Ruger SP101 for a while it had the chambering but was heavy. I hear S&W has a J frame now the 460 chambered in 357but even the little 36 I used to carry shot loose after a couple hundred +p 38's so U have a hard time believing that what is basicly the same gun would handle 357's any better now. In shot you have to decide what you feel better with, oh and BTW most defensive shootings only last three rounds so the large mag is NOT needed at all. What ever you decide make sure you allow yourself lots of familiarisation and PRACTICE time. Even after you think your good practice more.
 
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VA Ken, I am looking for more of an opinion on Capacity vs. Caliber, than size or type of pistol. I have watched Personal Defense TV for the last few seasons and there is a guy, he works at "Gunsite" training facility, Clint Black I think is his name. He has stated that in talking to people who have been in tactical situation they all say they wish they had a bigger gun, and more ammo.
Those two things are mutually exclusive if you are talking about the same frame size.
Thus the question at hand, all things being equal what would you chose, stopping power or a few more rounds. For this reason I want at least a 40 S&W as a minimum. I am a paramedic firefighter. I know that both of the rounds will kill the assailant DRT. I've seen both work like a champ. So which would you choose in a pistol that you shoot, and carry equally well, increased ammo capacity or raw stopping power?
I hope this helps explain exactly what info/opinions I am looking for
Thanks RKR


Since you addressed me, then I will give you some background and thoughts. First, can you carry at work? Most likely not... then you need to consider what situation you may find yourself in that could put you at potential harm and adjust your carry piece to fit the need. I am LE and have carried daily for a very long time. Lots of times, you will not carry due to the inconvenience of the weapon size if you select some high capacity large frame handgun. At work, I carried an issued HK USP compact in .45acp. Not a bad gun for work, but it still gets in the way at times. When not working, I carry either a HK P7M8 (9mm), a S&W 642 (38)with crimson trace grips and recently obtained a compact S&W M&P in .40 that I am trying out and really like. Call it the modern Glock. Bottom line is - as a non LE, you take on a great liability when you carry. Self defense is the purpose. You need to select a weapon that fits you and your particular need - known when you can use it and you must be able to shoot it well because the liability for a stray round can be very high. I encourage you to go to a range that may rent different weapons or talk to some buddies. Lots of good stuff out there, but as said in another post, something you can hit with is much better than something you cant hit with. Under stress of an actual situation, a 100% shooter will only hit maybe 60- 70%. Been there, seen it and done it.
 
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