matt8185

Obviously there are a LOT of options out there, and most of us will recommend what we have experience with. For me that would include the M&P Compacts in both .40 and 9mm and also the Glock 30sf in .45. All three carry VERY easily with little effort. All three are rock solid in build and reliability. All three are double stack with 10-12 mag capacities.

If you want something even thinner I would consider maybe a Walther PPS ( they come in 9mm and .40), a Glock 36 (.45 only), or a Sig P239 (9mm, .40, .357 Sig). The Walther probably being the lightest and thinnest of the three.

Lastly as mentioned above there are a LOT of options available in the 3" 1911 realm. Although most of those will be considerably more pricey.

Check them out, hold as many of them as you can, and follow your instincts.

Matt

__________________
-----------------------
-SW1911
-Sig P229
-M&P 40c
-Glock 30 SF

retsupt99

Living in Orlando, I'd opt for a machine gun, but they are hard to conceal...so that option is off the table.

I live two hours north of you (Gator Country). I have both .45's and 9mm's...I could carry either, but I prefer the .45.

My EDC (every day carry) is a Kimber Ultra CDP II. On my Harley, I carry my Glock-36. Both weapons are very easy to conceal in IWB (inside waistband) holsters, and I'm in the very same weather as you. I usually wear shorts and a T-shirt (a wife beater under the T-shirt), or shorts and a T-shirt under a 'FL' print short.

I also just bought a Glock-26 (9mmm), it would also be a great weapon to conceal, I just prefer the larger caliber...if you have to make holes, they might as well be as large as possible.OMO

Stay armed...get a .45...stay safe!

__________________
"That I cannot do."

"Give this to, uh, Clemenza. I want reliable people, people who aren't going to be carried away. After all we're not murderers in spite of what this undertaker thinks."


***********************************

McCain/Palin 2008

NRA Life Member

Chris Dawg

I guess that is the reality is the I need to shoot and/or hold as many as I can before I make any sort of decision. Maybe take some shooting lessons. I am a pretty big guy there is no reason I would have problems with a 45.

Nice hawg Ramrod & good points retsupt99

Tally XD

Heheheh! I just had too!

__________________
You have a right to self defense . . . vote AGAINST Barack Obama!

hogdaddy

If confterble & accurate with 9mm go for it

Gunney

You live in Fla. and heat and humidity is the issue. Being that an IWB holster offers the best concealment options under a lightweight t-shirt a steel framed weapon is going to have a rust problem, even SS. I know that there are finishes and coatings that help, I have a 3.5 inch 1911 that has a ceramic finish and is supposed to hold up under a 1000 hr salt spray. I carried IWB for a while and in hot weather I felt that I had to peel it off my skin, very uncomfortable. I finally settled on a Kahr CW9 mated to a Beltman made IWB holster with a sweatshield. I wear a lightweight undershirt, kinda like the muscle builder shirt, under a light colored untucked t-shirt. The frame of the weapon comes into contact with the undershirt and not bare skin. I have carried this combo since mid May and we have had some high temp (99+) and 95-100% humidity days.
BTW I am not advocating Kahrs necessarily, any polymer framed auto will work fine. However keep an eye on the grip size.

maclean3

Well, the .40 S&W round operates at a higher pressure than .45acp. Most folks find the recoil of the .40 to be snappier than the .45.

I use to have a S&W 66 myself, nice gun! Keep in mind if you ever have to use a gun, short of an all out zombie attack, the chances are pretty good you won't need anywhere near 50 rounds. Don't worry too much about how much volume you can shoot at the range, when I take my .38 snubby to the range I rarely shoot more than 50 rounds and sometimes not even that. For the 66 I'd recommend using .38spl for the majority of your practice anyway and just enough magnum rounds to keep your proficiency up. Most of us who carry .38spl, .357mag, 9mm, etc. usually focus our practice on std. pressure loads and carry +P for defensive use. Actually, the only caliber I DON'T carry +P defensive loads in is the .45. Hey defensive ammo is too expensive to practice with all the time anyway.
Jack

__________________
"The sheep are everywhere. We are raising up a nation of cannon fodder types and we are screwed."
HotGuns

pogo2

You mentioned that you would consider both 9mm and something larger, but said that compact size for concealment is a big consideration while wearing light clothes in Florida.

I have quite a few handguns, but two of my favorites for compact carry are a 9mm Sig P239 and a .45 caliber Colt Defender. The Sig gives me 8+1 rounds in the gun, and the Colt 7+1 rounds. I think that is enough and I carry a spare magazine. Both guns are aluminum frame and when loaded weigh just under 30 ounces, giving enough weight to handle recoil well.

Both guns are fairly thin and conceal easily.

__________________
Firearms are second only to the Constitution in importance; they are the Peoples' Liberty's Teeth." - George Washington

Chris Dawg

I went to the range today and shot my .357 (of course) and rented an HK .40
HK USP 40 (Like to this one).

I shot the .40 first and my 357 with .38 afterwards.

My initial impression was I was not as accurate as I was with the 9mm. But more so than with my 357. (Boy I was really bad when I first switched). The larger caliber is what I am looking for, I think I can safely rule out 9mm. Next up for me will be a .45 then I will focus on the guns maker.

Disclaimer is that I was more shaky today than last time. I am not sure why but have been that way my whole life, it is not if I'm shaky but how much.

Chris

fatboy97

Too many choices... first thing I tend to think about is reliability... personally, I have found two very reliable gun makes that I don't think there can be too many people disputing... Glock and SIG.

Second, is a ammo war choice... personally, I like both the 9mm and .40S&W... 9mm is very accurate, as is the .40S&W, but the .40S&W does have a bit more kick and IMO stopping power... both Glock and SIG make most all of their models in both of these popular calibers.

Third, is the size of your carry...
- small: I consider Glock 26 in 9mm, or the Glock 27 in .40S&W, or the SIG P239 in either caliber...
- medium: I consider the Glock 19 in 9mm, or the Glock 23 in .40S&W, or the SIG P229 in either caliber...
- large: personally, I would and do not go any larger then medium, but both Glock and SIG make great large guns.

__________________
Be Observant and Be Safe.

Current Collection: Glock G26, G19, G23C, SIG P226-40 TT, Ruger GP-100, and 22/45 MKII
Former Collection: Taurus 92SS, SIG P220 TT, S&W 360, SIG P239-40