Concealed Carry Gun Choices
 

My wonderful wife wants to buy me a pistol for Christmas. It will be for personal protection with a concealed carry permit.
I am looking at a S&W M&P Shield in 9mm. What do You all carry?

I personally dont like striker fire. I am a 1911 guy. I carry a officers model. Because its a single stack magazine its going to be thinner than most other models. But it weirds some people out to carry a gun around on them with the hammer back.

As mentioned I dont like anything that doesnt have a hammer, but that doesnt limit me to 1911s. I am a big Sig fan. Their 229 line with DA/SA action is a fine performer. And because the first trigger pull is DA you dont have to walk around hammer back. I carried a 229 for a while, but prefer the slimmer lines of the 1911. HK has several comparable models. Some have both a DA/SA trigger and a safety which the sig doesnt.

Kel-Tec 9mm w/12 round clip. No safety, No hammer to pull back. You have to squeeze the trigger to fire. Wont fire if dropped, kicked, etc. Very compact & lite. Lots of LO's use this model as a second carry. I have put maybe 150 boxes of ammo through this thing & never a single misfire. It does take a bit to get used to due to its small size. Really stings when you cook off a round. I carry it all the time & have never had anyone know I had it on me.

My wife carries an M&P Shield 9 mm and I carry an M&P Compact 9 mm. Both are excellent choices IMHO.

Definitely carry with hollow points. Full metal jacket 9mm can zip right thru your attacker with minimal stopping power, exit your target and continue on to innocent bystanders behind them.

Your wife sounds awesome.

Eric

The Shield is a good choice. I would go down to your local gun shop and put many different models in your hands. Some of the CC firearms can feel small if you have big hands. With many models, there isn't enough room for your pinky. Too uncomfortable for some.

It's important to choose something that you're comfortable with.

Ruger LCP 380 in a pocket shot DeSantis holster. Imprints like a wallet in front or back pocket and you don't have to pull it from the holster to shoot the weapon.
http://assets.academy.com/mgen/57/10...jpg?is=640,640

t-9
 

tec 9mm =30 round clips. only problem is not easy to hide. LOL Seriously tho You cant go wrong trying out several Hand guns at one of the Gun shops that has indoor/outdoor ranges each gun fits/feels different. Large Variety.Good luck

I carry either a commander length 1911 in .45, or a Browning Hi-Power in 9mm. Both are similar in design and function and are dead nuts reliable.

Britt

Here's 2 pages on it. I asked this question about a year ago because my wife and I have our WI and UT CCW permits. She wanted a pistol of her own.
Tell her to go in to the local range and fire all types of guns for herself. Sales are final where I buy,so what you like might not be what she or the next guy likes.
The guy at my store refused to sell me a gun for my wife. He said he's been doing it long enough to know better. I kind of agree now.:D

Old thread-
http://forums.maxperformanceinc.com/...ghlight=pistol

All S&W's are good
Don't limit yourself to one gun or type.
Different clothing and cover can dictate the carry option you may use.
I am a average size person However I have a holster back area carry for S&M MP9 18 shots. Also a back carry holster for Glock 17 another 18 rounds
They aren't the easiest to get to however.
I like my Kahr CW9 for front carry. Its slimmer than all S&W's Glocks etc only a inch across the slide. and its high quality It hold 8 rounds. one chamber and 7 mag.
I also have S&W 642 air weights which are alloy construction so very light, but 5 rounds hammerless
Search Hickock45 on Y-Tube for conceal carry info the best dude on the net for info
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cijFTIfDfwU

Has a series of conceal carry videos

My wife's carry pistol is a S&W Bodyguard .380 and I am considering getting one too. I currently have the XDS 9mm, but even at 6'4 I find it cumbersome to carry. I want something smaller.

I will be watching this thread to see what new firearms are out there.

Ruger LC9S Pro. 'nuff said!

Kahr CW380 with a Crimson Trace laser. It will drop in the front pocket, or hip pocket and just disappear. It is turning into my primary carry gun. When going into any of the gun free zones (church, hospital, or government building), it is easy to stash in the door pocket of the truck.
Other carry gun is a Glock 30, also with a Crimson Trace laser. I carry that in a Smart Carry holster. The Glock is to big to carry in a pocket. And I do not want to bring attention to myself in the parking lot or garage putting it back in the holster.
For your wife, check out the Flash, Bang holster.

It depends on what you mean by concealable, but to me, small 380 fits the bill, and can fit in jeans pocket if needed. I have James Bond stainless Walther PPK small 6 shot not 7 model for shorter grip (better concealable).

I to have the S&W 380 bodyguard. Mine has the laser pointer, real nice, a button on both sides, works for me being left handed and no need to aim. My then when I got it 17 year old daughter shoots it so it will work for anyone. Choice of extended clips to, longer for at home and normal for carry.

As others have said its a good idea to try to at least hold and possibly shoot your candidates. Most ranges have guns for rent. Go around the the ranges and see if they have firearms you think might fit your needs and rent them.

I dont say that I dislike striker fire just to sound cool. I just cant hit anything with them. Its weird, but you put a glock in my hand and I am all over the place compared to my Colt. So I prefer my triggers to go "click" not "ssspppprrrrooooiinnk" :D

Also everyone is mentioning automatics, which is what I carry too. But I have carried a S&W J frame. Worth looking into.

Yes
 

Ditto.

Thank you.
I went through all this in the thread I posted above. What works for you, what you like, and fits your hand might not be what your wife needs or likes.
Take the wife to the range to shoot a variety of potential models,then let her make the choice. We're talking about a potential life/death choice here,correct? Don't worry about what the flavor of the day is.
I.E.-Personally I would never recommend an auto for CC,but that's just me.

Something else to consider.

I found that the slides on some of the pocket pistols are almost too small to get a proper grip to rack em back. The Taurus TCP was such a one for me. Plus, it's easy to grip it in such a way that the slide tears into the webbing between your thumb and index finger when a round is fired.

Glock 29, maybe change out the barrel so you can shoot hard cast. I don't know that would have stopped the San Bernardino shooters but even with body armor a 10mm hard cast to the chest has got to have an effect on you.

Or you could play for real and open carry a Redhawk.