First CCW weapon choice question.

Hello,
I will be buying my first pistol and will be using it for concealed carry in the next few weeks. I have been to the dealers and have looked around at many different firearms and I think I may have narrowed it down to the following. I made a account here and wanted to get some feedback from people that have some real world experience with these firearms or that can give me some advice form personal experience.

Choices:
HK USP compact in a 40 S&W
S&W M&P in a 9mm or 40 S&W
and if I save up another month maybe a SIG 229R in 40S&W or 9mm

I am leaning to the HK USP compact though. I can get one barely used for around 600$ with case and extra mag.

I have never shot a 40S&W caliber so I'm a little worried about it I have shot around 50 rounds of 9mm and didn't have to much trouble with handling it.

Which ever pistol I buy I plan to train at lest 100 to 200 rounds for the first month and if I feel comfortable then I will get my CCW licenses.

My major questions are as follows:
1.)Which of the choices I have would be easy to conceal?
2.)Which of the 3 choice I listed would you carry?
Is there a large difference in felt recoil between the 40S&W and 9mm? I know the USP has a better recoil reduction system and have read that the felt recoil on the USP is a little better in larger calibers.
3.)I really want the best compromise between accuracy and kinetic energy. Which is the reason I do not know which caliber to go with. Shot placement is something that is important to me. If I have to go down a caliber to archive it.


Before anyone suggests it I'm not really wanting to carry a revolver.

I only wish to get a carry conceal weapon as I have been moving into bigger and bigger cities and I have a aura that seems to bring trouble no matter how much I try to avoid it.

Thank you in advance.

Welcome from Virginia.

They are all great pistols. Your first choice would be my last choice, even though it is a good pistol, you will not get much support from HK and there accessories are high. Of those that you have listed I would go with the S&W in 9mm. The 40 does have a snappy recoil and you can practice a lot cheaper with the 9mm.

Just so you know, the USP Compact in .40 is a frickin' LOG for it's size. To give you a comparison, my full-size G17 is thinner and weighs less than this so-called "compact" pistol. And the above post is completely correct. H&K customer service for non-contract owners is about non-existent and any accessories will usually be ridiculously expensive when compared to other top-tier brands like Glock and Sig.

I'm carrying a S&W Compact 40. Go to a good shop that has all of your choices. I was dead set on a Kimber Ultra Carry II in a 40. The dealer set that out with a Glock, a Springfield and a S&W 40c. I held each and I could not believe how the S&W fit my hand. The two mag rebate, forget the extra $50, and a price of $479, I walked out a happy guy.

I have put 100 rounds through it since I purchased it and after two FTE's on the first two mags, it eats anything so far. The first two mags had Blazers. They fire OK now, but I have been buying WWB at WW for $28 a hundred.

I would go with the M&P. It would be ideal if you had the opportunity to rent it in both calibers and try them before you buy.

The M&P sub compact has, I believe a dual recoil spring. I know in my H&K .40 that it makes a world of difference.

BTW . . . I have the H&K P2000sk much smaller than the USP but costs a lot more also.

Deffintly shoot before you buy if at all possible PS WELCOME TO FORUM H/D

First off welcome to the forum.

I personally would lean towards the Sig 229. Granted the gun is quite a bit heavier than the S&W the weight will help tame the felt recoil. I am also not a fan of striker fired guns. I know they work well, but it is just my preference to have the hammer. You might also want to look at the CZ P-01 (9mm) and CZ P-06 (40 cal). They are well built and accurate. A lot of bang for your buck.

The final decision is going to be yours. I would suggest you find a shooting range that rents different guns and shoot a variety of different ones to see what fits you best.

Thank you guys for all your advice so far.

Well here is the funny thing I have handled all 3 firearms but have only shot the M&P. The M&P fit in my hand like a glove made for it. It felt right and I could reach everything.

I also keep hearing very good things about it. Its reliability and have read in shotgun news when they did a article on it saying it was over expectations for the price. I have also bought a airsoft version of the M&P (corny I know) but I like the firearm a lot.

I was only worried about recoil reduction and that's why I had my eye on the H&K USP and I know its been well field tested by U.S military. The M&P is suppose to be for Military and Police hints the M&P but I didn't know if was really that great as it promoted as being. I had also like the deals that where going on for it.

I may end up going the M&P route if they are that good. I want a ACC rail just to have it in case I want to put something on it. I also liked the fact the standard can hold 15 rounds of 40S&W.

I have a question then in regards to size. Should I go standard or compact in the M&P for conceal carry?

I read your entire post including the statement regarding revolvers.

I am of the opinion that if you are buying your first gun it should be a revolver. Don't get me wrong. I have plenty of pistols to carry. Mostly Glocks, a Colt 1911 and a Taurus 1911 along with a couple mouseguns. But, you can count on a revolver to go bang almost every time and it requires less service than pistols.

I'll bet you will buying more handguns in the future. It's an addictive hobby! Here are a few options:
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c3...imsonTrace.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c3...GN/Glock26.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c3...GN/Glock19.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c3...raceLaser2.jpg

And if you really need capacity!
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c3...ndmagazine.jpg

Hold the Compact and shoot one if you can in both calibers. The compact didn't have enough grip for me but you could get a mag with grip extension. I choose a Glock 23, but if I had to do it again I would have got the G19, I can afford to shoot it more. The Glock holds 15+ and the M&P C holds 10+. Like everyone says it has to fit your hands.

This article is worth reading and the entire site is worth adding to your Favorites.
Cornered Cat - Semi-Auto or Revolver?

try the springfield xd 9m sub compact. great weapon. great cc.

Give the KAHR CW 9 and CW 40 a try before making a final call. Check out the specifications on their website and compare to the others. Do not discount the revolvers especially the JFramed Smiths and the like. Great BUGS!

I love HK pistols. People bash HK's service but they do have good service people. The biggest problem with them is every part is imported from Germany. They get an allotment of parts from Germany and if they don't have any parts for the weapon you call and ask about, they can't sell you parts. Also they do not offer warranty on anything that is modified outside their factory. So if you want a different trigger system installed or something like that you would have to send it in to retain your lifetime warranty. Having your friend who is a smith do it is not going to be covered by warranty.

Other than that they're great guns that are very reliable, but you'd have to shoot them. The trigger on an HK is the weak point IMO. It's not as good as a SIG and I prefer the trigger on a Glock over a DA/SA personally, and a single action trigger on a 1911 over that.

Like I said, you'd have to handle and shoot them if you can, otherwise you can't really get a feel for the differences.