Need Some Help With Sub Compact Hand Guns

I carry a Glock 23C with me everywhere I go. Personally I don't like small frame handguns, and the .40 provides adequate stopping power with decent magazine capacity (13+1). In my opinion its perfect for urban CCW application. As for the Glock product and price you can't beat it. Half the price of your average 1911, will always fire and it shoots underwater! Other then that .45 Auto all the way! Also get yourself a nice torch, nothing beats blinding off your attacker before you shoot the asshat in the face. I carry a Surefire E2D defender and its the #.

reply to post by kozmo


Quite convincing! Thank you for the info.

reply to post by MarshMallow_Snake


Personally, I would lean towards a .45 cal. The Taurus Millennium packs (I believe) 7+1 rounds of .45 in a palm-sized frame. Either that or Springfield Armory makes a compact version of the XD .45. I have fired the full-sized version a lot and I love it.

Originally posted by kozmo

Genius!

I carry the Sig P239 in S&W40. Deburred, single stack and it's a Sig - what more needs to be said!? If its good enough for the Secret Service. Dept. of Homeland Security, FBI, Federal Marshalls etc... then it is plenty good enough for me! I absolutely love everything about that pistol!

Part of the reason I picked 10mm is that the FBI decided it was too powerful for them.

Originally posted by armedpiano
reply to post by MarshMallow_Snake

 

Personally, I would lean towards a .45 cal. The Taurus Millennium packs (I believe) 7+1 rounds of .45 in a palm-sized frame.

No, it packs 10+1 rounds.

The more, the merrier

I have a P3AT that has never missed a beat. I've fired Golden Sabres and many types of ball ammo through it, as well as my own reloads. For what it is it's amazingly accurate as well. Hitting paper plates from 10 yards is easy, and I can usually hit a pop can from that distance as well.

I also have a P11 which also works very well, but the P3AT is such a breeze to carry that the P11 doesn't get out much. Also, the trigger pull on the P-11 is ridiculously long. I added a trigger shoe from Kel Tec but it still sucks. BTW, the same trigger shoe also fits the P3AT and makes it's trigger much kinder to one's finger.

I will likely trade the P11 for a PF-9 eventually. It's not much bigger that P3AT but it's 9mm and has a single stack 7 round magazine. The P-11 is a double stack and feels pregnant after carrying a P3AT.

IMHO the P3AT is one cool little pistol. Being a big Ruger fan I would imagine that the LCP is also quite good and it has a lock for the slide which the P3 doesn't.

For open carry I have Ruger P-89 that I love. Flawless pistol. Never a failure, built like a tank and bloody accurate.

Other pistols I have: Ruger Super Blackhawk SS 4 5/8", S&W 4566, S&W model 19, Taurus Tracker .22 LR, Ruger Single Six 4 5/8".

I'll upload pics later, gotta run for now.

Looks like I'm the only one that can give a big thumbs-up to the gun you were originally asking about, the Glock 33.

I have been CCWing a G33 for 6 months now (hung up my old HK P7PSP) and it has been great. At the range, the 357SIG has not been troublesome in any way.

The G26, same thing but in 9mm and will serve you well. A G27 would be fine too, but I'm of the opinion that the .40S&W is over-rated. It is a good round, yes, but over-rated.

I noticed quite a few people have been steering you to Taurus semi-auto pistols. Be very careful with Taurus autos (their revolvers are fine) and do the research if you are thinking about a Taurus auto. Definitely do check out other sites/boards for better info than you will get from ATS with regard to guns.

Happy & Safe Shooting!

[edit on 2-2-2010 by Super76]

Desert Eagle .50...

Who needs guns anyway use your fists, thats what us Brits do!

Originally posted by watcher73

Part of the reason I picked 10mm is that the FBI decided it was too powerful for them.

Incorrect! Not too powerful, as you surmise, sluggish shot recovery due to recoil. SAAMI stats on the rounds are VERY similar. Your choice of 10mm is a fantastic choice - as it the precursor to the modern .40S&W.

reply to post by Super76


My buddy had a Taurus .45 - jammed constantly - even with premium ammo. Was a brand new gun. Took it to a gunsmith who recommened he "Sell it and get a real gun!" I was floored! I knew they weren't premium weapons, but I had always regarded them as being both reliable and affordable. I'm beginning to rethink the "reliable" part.

Call me old fashioned. I have two handguns for concealed carry, one is the Walther P99QA in 9mm, and the other is a Stainless Colt Combat Commander in 45 ACP.

The Colt is actually a little lighter and easier to conceal than the Walther, but I got to admit that I like having a hi-capacity mag.

With the Walther I need to either wear a long baggy shirt, or a sports coat, but I can conceal the Colt even just wearing a t-shirt.

If you are thinking about a good all around pistol I could not say anthing bad about the Walther P99 (S&W 99). It comes standard with three arch supports for the back of the grip so you can tailor it to fit your hand, and has ergonomics that allow you to stay on target even with heavy loads. For the IPSC minded it comes in 40 cal to meet the major calibur requirement, and there is even an after market extended barrel with barrel weight/port. Shoots like a dream.

reply to post by kozmo


I have had 2 Taurus autos. A PT940 Titanium in .40 S&W and a pt111 millenium pro in .45acp never had a single issue with either, both were reliable for me. My father currently carries a PT111 pro now and he has had no issues. Another friend of mine carries one and he has no issues, his is a .40 S&W, can't remember the model, its a beretta clone though. Not trying to way anyone one way or another, just giving my personal expierance with them. They have always served me well.

reply to post by kozmo


How many rounds did he put through it? In a recent issue of American Rifleman they did a test on various .380 sub compacts. One of the manufacturers recomended that you fire at least 200 rounds before pressing the gun in to service. The author of the article said this would be a good recomendation for nearly all hand guns.

I never like to pass judgement on a weapon if i hasn't been properly cleaned and broken in. Then it should be cleaned again and retested. Then you really have an idea of what the gun's capabilities.

Originally posted by SM2
smaller and faster does generate less shock, look at the ballistics gel from say a .44 mag vs a .308.Yes, there is a lot more penetration, speed and muzzle velocity from the .308, but the .44 mag does considerably more damage all the way thru its effective range.

Mate, are you trying to tell me that a .44 mag does more damage than a 7.62x51? This is where the argument over temporary cavity becomes a bit confusing for some.

With a handgun round, the temporary cavity is created but collapses very quickly with a minimal pressure wave. The actual damage done to surrounding tissue is actually quite small and generally doesn't extend more than a few milimetres from the permanent wound track. Hence a larger (wider) round is percieved to be more effective due to the wider wound track and corresponding tissue damage.

As kinetic energy depends more on the velocity of a round (1/2 mass x velocity squared), rifle rounds, which are generally substantially faster than pistol rounds, dump much more KE on a target and creates a larger pressure wave through the body. This manifests itself in a much wider and more violent temporary cavity which doesn't collapse as much and which leaves a correspondingly larger permanent cavity. This does more significant damage to surrounding tissues and organs.

In essence a small, fast projectile will do much more damage than a larger but slower one.

I know this isn't what you asked, but I just wanted to put the idea in your bag of possibilities.

First, it really depends upon your application, and the clothing that you intend to wear when carrying.

I'm not going to try and convince you that this is the way to go, as my choice is viewed as severely undersized by most people.

For 15 years, I carried a Seacamp .32. It ONLY chambered Silvertips, and it NEVER misfired, even after hundreds of rounds. It's a point-and-shoot, close range. I've had to use it twice, and frankly, if it's a long-range shot, I'm hard pressed to concoct a scenario in which such a shot is necessary. This is not a "survival" firearm. Just an easy, lightweight carry-wearing-anything firearm.

hmmm. Maybe I AM trying to convince you.

AAAAAAAAAanyway, good shopping. Be safe.