Help me select my first Carry Gun:) Pics please:)

[GlockJS]

http://www.defensivecarry.com/vbulle...arry-Concealed.

This might help.

[DefensiveCarry.com]

[retsupt99]

Look at the Glock-19 and the Glock-26, one of them will fit your needs. It's just a matter of which would you prefer to conceal.

[shockwave]

I have NEVER liked a glock...I put them in my hands and I feel like I am holding a brick.

Never one to pass up a chance for some Glock bashing, I have to agree with this. I've probably held and shot most models over the years, and rented several to put boxes of ammo through. If there was the slightest chance I could be tempted by this platform, I gave them every possible opportunity.

No dice. The Glocks almost hurt my hand just in the grip. They feel wrong, I can't get a firm, good-feeling hold, they twist and writhe when firing, and the entire, overall Glock experience is a slap in the face - all punishment and nothing you'd ever feel good about afterward. And they're ugly, too. Whatever it is that makes people like them is the same weird thing that makes people carry Spyderco knives. And get tattoos.

Instead of fixating on caliber or platform, I'd say that if you don't know what you want, a bunch of Internet people can't help you. You'll have to field test compact guns of the carry sort, in various calibers, and see what carries and shoots well for you. For the longest time I thought the Ruger SP101 would fit my needs and all I had to do was pick one up. I was like, "Heck, I'm not lugging this around the rest of my life..." An S&W 638 was like night and day in comparison. There's no substitution you can do for this kind of testing.

[INccwchris]

uhhhhh Bark'n, thats a Springfield XD9C, not a Ruger

[ctsketch]

I don't like any gun that something has to be done befor pulling the trigger. Others don't mind, that's their choice.

That's the only thing I have against 1911s truly. they are a great weapon, but for a defensive weapon I don't want any chance of a screw up when I have to draw and fire in a panic. I've read too many accounts of innocents being shot because they forgot to disengage their safety.

[TJK68]

I EDC a 1911 everyday and have for years. The best way to not have to worry about forgetting to disengage your safety is to train and practice with your weapon of choice. No matter what weapon you choose you practice with it as much possible, so that it all becomes second nature, muscle memory. I have carried a lot of different pistols over the years but always come back to the 1911 and that is what I carry 95% of the time. The Glocks are a great weapon for some, but not everyone, I have owned several, but the 1911 is not for everyone either. The best advice you can get has already been posted, go and try, feel, shoot and look at as many pistols as you can, then make your choice. I would also recommend that you give the M&P pistols a look while you are searching. I would not make my decision soley based on what someone that has carried for years or carried for 3 or 4 months tells me on this forum, what is right for them may not be right for you. My mom always said self learning is the best learning, and that really holds true in selecting your EDC. JMHO

[DarthPete]

My experience, I have a glock 19 and I love it, the grip fits me like a glove. That said, the grip isn't for everyone, rent and shoot, or at the very least don't be bashful about asking to handle a dozen different guns and the fun store before you make your decision.

[merlin82plus]

Springfield XD45 compact and AMT 45 backup.
Will try to get photos up of how I carry them. I'm 5'9", 170lbs.
A CCW trainer said it best - carry the largest gun you can conceal comfortably.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/46832252@N04/4791272075/

[jonconsiglio]

This is a hard one. Here's my daily carry rotation and one of me carrying. For some crazy reason, I'm loving the higher capacity, polymer 9mm's lately. Very strange for me, but the 1911 is still my favorite.

Non 1911's that I carry regularly. I just bought the M&P and 17 two weeks ago, so after the first range trip, they've gotten all the attention.

M&P9


Glock 17 Gen 4


Sig 229 SCT


Sig 226 Equinox style


HK45 - I've carried it a few times recently, but have decided not to since I think I'm getting rid of it


Every one of these can be had for close to the $800 mark and a couple for much less. These are all 9mm except the HK, but I'm sure you know that the Glock, M&P can be had in 9mm, 357, 40 and 45 and these particular Sigs can be had in 9mm, 357 and 40 with the 220 available in 45. The HK is only a 45, but the P30 (which I've owned 2 of) is a 9mm and one heck of a gun. You can find them in your price range as well.

[jonconsiglio]

I just picked up the all steel Talon II when I got the polymer guns. I've been carrying the Talon II Lightweight a lot, but it's going to a new home. The PDP was a custom order in Diamond Black and according to George at Gunslinger's, probably the only one with a round butt. This will become my primary carry 1911 once it gets through the first 1,000 flawlessly, which will be rather quickly.

I've carried many others as well, and some of these can be had around your budget. i carried a Kimber SIS Pro for about 16 months and it was an amazing gun. I paid close to the MSRP of $1,424 and sold it for $800. I sold the Wilson CQB for $1,700 (give or take, can't remember exactly) and it's one of the best 1911's available. I sold all of my Kimbers for $800 or much less.

I also carry the VBOB now and then and it's a very, very nice gun. Bead blasted Stainless and South Texas don't mix very well though.

Nighthawk Talon II all steel


Nighthawk Talon II Alloy frame


Nighthawk PDP Commander (will get better pics in the next week or so, these were sent by George at Gunslingers when he received it from Nighthawk)


Dan Wesson VBOB


Carry in a Milt Sparks VMII. I typically wear fitted clothing, mostly jeans and a t-shirt or a button down and jeans or casual pants. I wear suits about once every week or two when meeting clients, but not always. This is an Ed Brown Executive Carry in the pic below.



Daily 1911 carry set up. Add more Kydex for the 9mm's



So, as I imagine you can see, I don't have any one favorite set up, though I love the 1911's. It changes regularly, and I'm sure a few of these will change in the next few months. But, I'm proficient will all of them, so that's all that matters! Enjoy the search buddy.

As for forgetting to disengage the safety......well, if you are THAT inexperienced with the platform, you probably shouldn't be carrying it. It take about a day of practice to train to disengage the safety. plus, as long as you're not using a revolver grip, your thumb should naturally land on top of the thumb safety during the draw and just tightening your grip will disengage the safety. Time and time again, it's been proven that the 1911 is faster than most other platforms for an ACCURATE first shot from the draw. It is what it is.

[Trickpony29]

I'll second jonconsiglio. I was in the market for a 4'' 1911 preferably bobtailed for a while and found this a few weeks ago on ar15.com used for about $900. Not a screaming deal but I couldn't pass it up. Springfield LW Champion, bobtailed, Larry Davidson G10 Slimline grips, Ed brown snake skin bobtailed MSH, Novak night sights, STI short trigger, cerakoted black and stainless, only about 400rds down the tube. Can't pick it up till I get out of the USMC at the end of the month and head back home though, the wait is killing me

[Mr7point62]

Those Nighthawks are pretty sweet looking...

I am almost certain a 1911 will be the type I buy...I have even put off getting another thing I wanted so I can spend around 12-1500 on it now:)

[tooldawg99]

Buying a 1911 platform pistol for a first-time CCW holder is very much like getting a Lamborghini for a 15-year old who just got his driver's license.

Newbie CCW holders and newbie gun-toters in general are going to be better-served by carrying a simple, basic weapon, with a minimum of safeties, de-cocking levers, and other complications that will only serve to make presenting and firing a weapon more difficult.

Revolvers and Glocks are always the best choice, for exactly the reasons listed above. Draw the weapon, pull the trigger. Done.

1911's have always been at the top of the list for being the platform of choice for raceguns and competition-shooting...while the lowly revolver and Glock have been the preferred choice for simple self-defense for years. There is a lot of justification for those choices, and while everyone is different and will prefer different things when selecting a weapon for CCW, the basic premise -keep it simple - is very hard to argue with.

I selected a commander-style 1911 for my second CCW weapon, as I felt I had "out-grown" the 4" .357 revolver I started with...and I frequently failed to remember to dis-engage the safety when at the range practicing drawing and shooting the 1911 from concealed carry. FREQUENTLY! A close friend and range-buddy suggested I trade it in for a Glock 19, and I have never regretted the decision to do just that.

Is it ugly? perhaps.
Is it blocky and not as "sexy" as a 1911? Yup.
Is it a basic, tupperware gun, that is all about function instead of style? yup.

Would I consider trading it for a sexier, slicker, weapon? Not on my life. Altho I did go out and purchase a Glock 26 that is easier to conceal and still takes 15-round magazines for back-up firepower. Still a Glock, still simplicity in form and function, and still the weapon of choice for me.

[jonconsiglio]

Buying a 1911 platform pistol for a first-time CCW holder is very much like getting a Lamborghini for a 15-year old who just got his driver's license.

Newbie CCW holders and newbie gun-toters in general are going to be better-served by carrying a simple, basic weapon, with a minimum of safeties, de-cocking levers, and other complications that will only serve to make presenting and firing a weapon more difficult.

Revolvers and Glocks are always the best choice, for exactly the reasons listed above. Draw the weapon, pull the trigger. Done.

UH-OH!!

NO GUN should be carried without proper training. The 1911 is one of the safest guns on the market and PROBABLY safer in the hands of a "noob" that a Glock.

The first gun I ever shot was a Colt 1911 in 1990, I was 10. Have been in love with the gun ever since and still have that particular one.

I don't care how new you are, a 1911 is perfectly acceptable if you get some training. NO gun is acceptable WITHOUT training.

Now, you can call a 1911 a "professionals" gun, but that doesn't mean only a professional can use one. It just means that the true advantages may not be noticed by the average user and it may take a serious shooter to squeeze every last bit of performance out of the platform and run it at it's full potential.

Those Nighthawks are pretty sweet looking...

I am almost certain a 1911 will be the type I buy...I have even put off getting another thing I wanted so I can spend around 12-1500 on it now:)

Good deal! You can definitely get into some serious 1911's at that point if you choose to go that road. A VBOB is a very, very choice. A used Talon II will run about $1,800 to $2,000, but you could probably find a Wilson CQB for just a hair more. You could find just about any Springfield or Kimber, but I wouldn't recommend a Kimber. Actually, you could find yourself a seriously nice Les Baer for that price range. After my other Nighthawks come in, I may look at a Baer. I was on a Baer kick for a bit, but it faded. Now it's back again!

[tooldawg99]

The 1911 is one of the safest guns on the market and PROBABLY safer in the hands of a "noob" that a Glock.


Gosh... I had no idea that 1911's were safer in the hands of "noobs" than Glocks. I wonder if anyone bothered to tell that to the hundereds of thousands of LEO agencies that switched from revolvers to Glocks? Why wouldn't they have selected the 1911 as their primary duty weapon instead of the Glock if your comment was true?

(Gasp) Think of all of the LEO's around the country that are AT RISK carrying Glocks, when according to you, they would have a safer and easier to learn weapon had their departments issued them 1911's!

...hmmmm...something doesn't pass the smell test here. The truth of the matter is that the easiest weapon on the market to transisiton revolver-shooters to semi-automatics is the Glock. NOT the 1911.

I can only imagine a rookie cop on patrol carrying a 1911 cocked and locked while responding to a domestic disturbance... sort of brings the image of a lawsuit to your mind, doesn't it? Yet you claim it is safer in the hands of a noob than a Glock? I don't recall any Glock with a trigger pull of 2 pounds....or less.

I dont dispute that some of you love your 1911's. God Bless you all! But the facts are crystal clear that it is NOT a weapon easily mastered by newbies, and in fact is generally only issued in LEO circles to the most advanced professionals, and generally SWAT or HRT members. That seems to splash a little water on your recommendation of the 1911 for newbies... at least it would to anyone with common sense and a knowledge of firearms.