Need Opinions and Advice for a New Conceal Handgun

Thank you all for your opinions! Im going to check them all out!

im gonna check out my CHL too but this was presented to me today...


www.caatactical.com...

reply to post by grubblesnert

Smith & Wesson Airwieght .38 special 5 shot hammerless revolver.
Simple, reliable, very light weight. You can not jam it or forget to take the safety off.

I've never hated any gun as much as that one. I bought one for my ex-wife. It is so light that it kicks like a mule. The handle is extremely small, even with good rubber contoured grips it still tried to jump out of my hand. It was inaccurate. She couldn't hit the broadside of a barn with it, and I could hit a silhouette target from 25 feet or less, but that was about it, no grouping, no placement, just lucky to hit the target. It also puts fire our the sides and the barrel. Shooting it at dusk was entertaining though.

I bought her that gun because it could be fired from inside a purse. We had it about 2 years, and then I traded it on my first Springfield 1911. If you have a purse anyway, there is no need for such a small light gun.

I would definitely NOT recommend the S&W Featherlight for anybody.

Originally posted by getreadyalready
reply to post by grubblesnert

 

Smith & Wesson Airwieght .38 special 5 shot hammerless revolver.
Simple, reliable, very light weight. You can not jam it or forget to take the safety off.

I've never hated any gun as much as that one. I bought one for my ex-wife. It is so light that it kicks like a mule. The handle is extremely small, even with good rubber contoured grips it still tried to jump out of my hand. It was inaccurate. She couldn't hit the broadside of a barn with it, and I could hit a silhouette target from 25 feet or less, but that was about it, no grouping, no placement, just lucky to hit the target. It also puts fire our the sides and the barrel. Shooting it at dusk was entertaining though.

I bought her that gun because it could be fired from inside a purse. We had it about 2 years, and then I traded it on my first Springfield 1911. If you have a purse anyway, there is no need for such a small light gun.

I would definitely NOT recommend the S&W Featherlight for anybody.

If you can "hit a silhouette target from 25 feet or less," with any pistol you bought "because it could be fired from the inside of a purse" you doing some crazy target practice brother!
If your a man and can't hold little .38 because "The handle is extremely small, even with good rubber contoured grips it still tried to jump out of my hand" You should keep that kind of info away from other men and work on your grip strength" It only " kicks like a mule" if your not used to firing a light powerful pistol. Good luck with the 1911 in regards to kick, unless you wimped out and went .380 or 9mm. and not .45ACP the true 1911 round. And you may reconsider the Airwieght after lugged that military designed sidearm around as a "concealed carry" piece.
You stated "If you have a purse anyway, there is no need for such a small light gun." With that mindset we all should carry bricks, Desert Eagles or 500 Smith & Wessons as concealed weapons.
Gun stores love customers like you who will buy a firearm with no research or prior knowledge, find it is not what they "imagined it be" and poo poo it , then run out to purchase a different one. More than likely using no more skill at determining whether this is the "gun for me" as the last one. I love people like you too. I've purchased some great firearms this way. AKA "fired once of twice, too scary for me"
but I will give you some advice. It cost less to buy some gun magazines, talked to some experienced gun enthusiests, do some on-line research and maybe go to a gun range, rent a few different pistols your considering and put a few rounds through them. You may want to fire the more powerful pistols away from the other men until you get you grip strength and skills up to snuff though

reply to post by Starwise

I had a P220 and I loved that gun. Accurate right out of the box, Never had a jam no matter what brand ammo I fed it. I not a big man, 5' 9" 180, but recoil was minimum and easy to get back on target. I've fired 9mm that were harder to control. Lost it in the divorce or I'd have it still.

reply to post by nvprose1


Nice, but not sure you could carry THAT ONE concealed

reply to post by grubblesnert




Well, we didn't actually try it from inside the purse! We probably should have, that would have made it very interesting!

Actually, I love my Springfield 1911 .45. It doesn't kick anything like the Featherlight, because it has the mass to counteract it, and it has a handle that fits my hand. It is also extremely accurate, and I have no problem grouping my shots even from 50+ feet. I once bought a used 1911 compact, and I hated it. I took it to the range 1 time and then traded it.

I also loved my Bersa .380 before my wife swiped it, and now I'm stuck with the .380 Bodyguard that was bought for her, but I like it enough as well. Even though it is small, I can still get my hand on it, and I can still group my shots decent enough.

I just really hated the S&W Featherlight. I had shot plenty of other .38 Revolvers before buying that one, and it felt comfortable in my hand in the store, but it never shot right. Instead of the barrel raising a little on recoil, the whole gun jumped straight up. Instead of it pushing back into my hand naturally, it seemed to "pop" straight up, and with barely 2 fingers that fit on the grip, it was never stable in my hand. I have a pistol grip short barrel 12 gauage that I would rather shoot one-handed than to shoot the Featherlight.

I'm sure it is a comfort thing and not every gun is for every person. I also despise every Glock I have ever shot. I won't ever own one, they shoot straight and reliable, but they don't feel natural in my hand. I've shot 100's of different styles of guns, I go to the range at least once or twice per month, I've been shooting my whole life, I carry concealed at all times, even at work, and I know what I like and what I don't like. I like a narrow frame, with a little bit of mass to it, small enough to conceal but big enough to handle comfortably, and I don't fret over the caliber of anything. I had a friend killed with a 22, and another friend survive 6 shots from an AK, so the caliber just doesn't seem all that important to me. I'm more concerned with comfort, accuracy, and concealment.

Just my experience, I am by no means an expert, but I know that I would not recommend the Featherlight for anyone, and I know the Bodyguard would not be my 1st choice either, but it is at least accurate and tolerable.

reply to post by Starwise


I hear you with the XD. I tried to carry an older XD 9 service model for a while and ended up switching to a Kahr CW9 for carry. It a light polymer frame with a thin single stack magazine. The whole package makes for a low profile IWB carry or even in the front pocket in certain pairs of trousers. In the past I've also carried a Sig P239 but it is quite heavy and larger when compared to the Kahr.

If you want to go smaller with the Kahrs you can get into the their pm series pistols in three flavors or their p380.

Kahrs have some quirks early on but are easily worked through during the 200 round or so break in period. Love the size, weight and trigger pull of a Kahr for CCW. It just keeps getting better. They are also very popular as back up weapons to many in the LE community.

The sig you mentioned in your OP is no slouch either and is worth comparing to the Kahr line up.

Have fun!!

reply to post by Starwise

If you can find one, I would suggest looking into the Kimber Solo 9mm. It's what Kimber calls a micro-compact and is essentially the same size as the Sig P238 Rainbow except the Kimber Solo is a 9mm. Its very easy to shoot and Kimber is know for the quality of there products. I've posted a link below with more, good luck.




www.kimberamerica.com...

reply to post by tsharp11


Kimber is a great weapon and super reliable by any stretch.

My problem with Kimber is that their prices exclude all but the most staunch collectors and gun enthusiasts.

$650 bucks for what is being offered in the Solo line is simply too much when you can buy reliable weapons at half that cost from companies like Ruger and Glock that would fill the same role.

reply to post by getreadyalready
I respect your opinion and straight forward reply. You could have blasted back at me after I jabbed you like I did.
I commend you for taking the high road!
My rationale involving the airweight is that I consider mine at very up close, maybe even contact, firearm.
In my experience the offender is usually in your face or within a 6 foot radius of you. So, my pistol is a great little one to keep in my pocket and deploy quickly.
When I'm walking around a city or in and out of buses, trams and moving quickly, having this pistol in my pocket is no more cumbersome as my wallet (which these days is pretty light). Plus if needed I only have to concern myself with getting the pistol out of my pocket, pointing it in the right direction and pulling he trigger. No safetys, cocking & decocking concerns, hammer tang or sight snag issues. This pistol is as trimmed down and straight forward as I could wish for and, in my opinion, a perfect example of the least doing the most. Yes it has recoil and can't hit a distanced target worth a damn, but that's not what I was looking for. When the target is in contact with your muzzle or just feet away the aforementioned is a nonissue.
This is how I fire this pistol when out shooting. Groups of 3, 4 or all 5 fired in quick order at a stationary or moving targets, no more than 20 feet away often a lot closer.
I try to keep it as "real world" as possible. No paper targets or shooting range. the moving targets involved are of the others in our group rolling the "target de dour" into the shooters feild of fire.
We shoot outdoors, secluded and without being bugged. Like it should be!

After reading you response I respect your decisions, experience and rationales as well.
I sincerely pass this sentiment on to you and all others.......
"To each his own" and in our case I would have to agree!
"carry" on my friend!

reply to post by grubblesnert

Plus if needed I only have to concern myself with getting the pistol out of my pocket, pointing it in the right direction and pulling he trigger. No safetys, cocking & decocking concerns, hammer tang or sight snag issues. This pistol is as trimmed down and straight forward as I could wish for and, in my opinion, a perfect example of the least doing the most.

For that part, I entirely agree! A revolver does all that, and a hammerless revolver does it even more safely and flawlessly. The .38 has a ton of knockdown power, so if someone is up close and personal, they won't be for long.

For me, I carry a spring-assist knife as well, and I think of my gun more for office/restaurant type settings. I carry it in case we are ever stranded somewhere, or ever unfortunate enough to be in a setting where some idiot starts random firing. I figure I can take cover, and pick a good shot and put an early end to any shooting rampage. I don't live in a place that has many muggings, so that isn't my first consideration, but if it were, then the revolver would be far superior to the Bodyguard I'm carrying now. It has a very stiff safety, and since it is new to me, I'm not all that smooth with drawing and firing it. I need to get a lot more rounds in before it will be comfortably reliable.

Good discussion!

reply to post by getreadyalready


For close quarters like that I carry a telescoping baton with a lead filled ball tip.

Otherwise a hammerless revolver in .38 may actually be on my person for engagements where the other person maybe armed with more than just a buddy and a knife.

reply to post by projectvxn


There are still a lot of legal issues with pulling a knife, and it will still escalate a situation, so for self-defense it still has a lot of headaches. The benefits are being able to use it as a tool for all kinds of other things, so that is why I carry it.

The baton sounds like a whole lot more fun. That would send a nice message that might resonate with them for a week or two.

In reality, if I were attacked, I would probably not reach for any weapon unless I was down and couldn't get up. I've taken baseball bats away from guys before, because they attacked and didn't know how to use their own weapon. I've had knives pulled, but they never got a chance to use them. I've never had to pull my knife or my gun in 20+ years, but I know the presence of them as a backup gives me the confidence to handle situations that might have gone differently if I didn't have them. I think the calm, cool, collectedness and supreme confidence that comes from knowing you have access to the weapon sends a message that diffuses many situations. I hope I never have to pull any weapon, but as the saying goes, "better to have it and not need it, than to need it and not have it."

reply to post by getreadyalready


I've used my gun once without firing it. A man with a knife was threatening another in front of the coffee shop I used to work for. When I went out there to break it up the man with the knife came for me. I drew my pistol and the knife hit the floor. Held him there until the cops arrived. We had previously had several stabbings in the area and I wasn't about to patch up another person as I had done several times before due to people like him.

My baton, on the other hand, has gotten lot's of use, unfortunately.

I've had to defend myself from multiple assailants with it as well as people with knives. What can I say, down town Reno is simply not a safe place. Lot's of meth heads, gangs, and criminals downtown. To say the least, I've had to testify in court many times.

It comes with an acute sense of seriously hating bullies, and being all too willing to do something about it. It's a trigger for me. I see someone getting bullied and every fiber in my being wants to stop it from happening.

reply to post by projectvxn


Sadly, I've become somewhat jaded from defending others. I once rescued a woman screaming for help while some idiot was beating on her in a parking lot, and as soon as I had him against a truck, she jumped on my back and went to scratching and pulling and saying to leave him alone. I had to throw her down to be able to fight him, and when the police came, they both tried to press charges against me and blame her injuries on me. I actually had to be cuffed, and sit in the back of the squad car while the police interviewed witnesses, and then luckily they let me go and no charges were filed.

The guy that pulled a knife on me ended up shooting himself about 2 weeks later. I had no idea the amount of danger I was in. I was sleeping with his ex-girlfriend, and she was constantly telling me how crazy he was, and one night he finds us at a Hardees, and he tries to grab her and pull her out of the car window. I jumped out and ran around the car, and he pulled this knife out if his pocket and before he could use it, I hit him good and square and sent him sprawling, and the knife flying. I gave him a couple of good knees to the ribs on the ground and let him eat some pavement and got up and we left quickly. 2 weeks later, he shows up at her house with a gun, starts threatening to shoot her, and her father gets in the way, and when he hears sirens coming, he put the gun to his own head. It immediately went off, and he was dead, but they never thought it was a suicide. They think he was just going to use it as leverage for the police, but accidentally pulled the trigger as he raised the gun. Very scary to think he was that nuts, and had intended to use a knife on me! Turned out they had a kid together that I didn't know about, and she really was a terrible human being, but I didn't know that at the time.

There is this story that didn't require any violence, but still pretty scary, and there was This account when I didn't have my gun or my knife, and was dressed nice, alone on a backroad in New Orleans French Quarter way too late at night!

I honestly don't know how I've made it this long. Only the good die young maybe?

2 nd vote for Keltec P32 from a CHL holder. Keltech P32

Love my Glock 22 (40 S&W), but it's too big for a CC gun. Compact Glocks - shorter barrels and grips but still as thick as full size.

Many would say 32 ACP is not enough for self defense. I agree to an extent, but a 32 that I can carry all the time beats a 9mm or 40sw that I'd carry occasionally. The Keltec can go in your front pocket and is so light you can forget about it. 7 +1 rds beats a revolver by 2 and you can get 8 and 10 rd mags. (the 8 is better IMO than the 10, gives you an extra finger on the grip and the 10 rd rattles a bit when you shoot) A previous poster mentioned it comes in 380 also. It does, but the kick is a bit stiff for such a light gun, The 32 you can keep all rounds on target quicker than the 380. Shot a few of the most compact 9mm's I could find, again recoil harder to control in light, small guns.

P32 is a good gun, especially in hot weather. Jeans and a t-shirt and you can bend down and get something from the bottom shelf in a store without exposing your weapon.

I suggest trying to find a range with a good selection of rental guns and trying before buying. Had a Colt 380 pony pocketlight. Very popular gun, but I thought it was the biggest POS I ever shot. Traded it in for more than what I paid for it new. I don't know why they were so damn popular!

The choice that makes the most sense is a Springfield XD9 sub-compact. It is small enough to carry with ease. Plus you don't have the learning curve of a new gun with a new manual of arms. They operate pretty much the same as the XDM. Plus, the 9mm will have less recoil than the .40S&W in a smaller gun. That means you are more likely to practice with it and maintain profeciency.

reply to post by g146541

But at all costs I'd avoid S&W semi auto pistols like the plague.

Why? I know two agencies that still carry the 4006. After nearly twenty years of service a couple of them have seen more than 20,000 rounds. They have no issues witht the frames or slides. They have changed springs and done routine maintenence. Other wise they have been every bit as reliable as any Glock.

I also know several cops that carry the S&W M&P or M&P Compact in .40S&W. They routinely put 400 or more rounds a month through their guns. One has over 11,000 rounds. The only thing that has been replaced is the recoil spring.

S&W semi autos are usually very reliable guns.

And of course through reading the thread I neglected to offer any advice on particular handguns.

Here's my first choice in 9mm:

Ruger SR9-$330-$400

This pistol is thinner than the Glock 19, and even though it is a full size pistol, it's thin profile makes it very concealable. I carried one for sometime and it was never uncomfortable. The do make a compact version call the SR9c.

Taurus 24/7 Series(Various Calibers)-$350-$500

The Taurus 24/7 line of pistols have proven to be very reliable. Taurus as a company has grown leaps and bounds in recent years offering high quality firearms at very reasonable prices. Shop around because it is always possible to find Taurus firearms in perfect conditions well below MSRP.

These weapons are among the best I can offer as an alternative to what you are currently using as your primary carry weapon.

My other choice would be the Smith & Wesson M &P series pistols. But they are not cheap. Even used M & Ps can come with a price tag of $600-$700 depending on model year, caliber, and retailer.

I hope this helps.