fatboy97

I would like to second, or is that third the Glock 19... unbelievably reliable, accurate, easy to carry handgun, and inexpensive compared to a lot of handguns.

Another alternative is the SIG P239 (9mm version)... personally, I have large hands and carried the P239, but it was too small and hard for me to keep a good grip. It was a very reliable gun with no FTF or FTE's ever. After buying the Glock 23, I decided to sell my P239 and buy a Glock 19.

Find a range and rent any guns you are considering.

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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

Thumper

Welcome to the asylum bameroni where everyone is nuts about guns!

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ALWAYS carry! - NEVER tell!

sass20485

TRY and handle as many as you can before you buy. 9mm is good choice for an all around use in a semi auto, Take a look at the Glock 19, the Kahr's, S&W MP, Springfield XD. They have full size, compact and subcompact models in each. For a revolver, a .38/.357 is a good choice. I'd look at the Ruger SP 101 and the S7W j -frames, like the 642, 638. That is a good starting point and see what you like from there. It is all a matter of personal choice and what good and point good in your hand , as well as what fits you budget, both in buying the gun and a decent holster, along with buying ammo so you can practice and get proficient with it. 9 mm and . 38's are about the cheapest way to go, because they are common, reasonably price ammo is widely available. With a decent holster, a good gun belt ( not a common dress belt ) you'll be surprised what you can comfortably carry concealed.

jesster2000

I might suggest a HK p2000sk. You can try it in 9mm, 357 or .40. I have a .40 and 357. My wife carries it everyday in an M-tac holster. Very accurate and easy to handle. You can also change the grip on it to better fit your hand. Its not cheap but an excellent carry weapon. I carry a HK USP .45 CT....thats what we all carry here. The USP is larger but dead on as well. HK has several weapons to choose from if it's in your budget.

Jessie

cphilip

As a primary CCW I like the Glock G27 and G26. I carry a G27 myself.

As a pocket carry I am a fan of the Seecamp. Also I am evaluating the LCP and NAA Gardian .380 with, so far, good results

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www.cphilip.com

JonInNY

Hi Bameroni-

You've been given a lot of good advice above. I agree that your best bet is to try them out at the range, and go to a big gun store, and just "feel" the one's your interested in. Once you've picked your caliber, go with what feels comfortable. It's very personal.

Just my preference: I like the CZ-75 PCR Compact 9mm, and the Ruger LCP .380.

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"I am the master of my fate; I am the captain of my soul."
-- William Ernest Henley: Invictus

KenpoTex

Nope. I'm 5'10" and about 170 (when I'm in shape ) and have no problems concealing it IWB with a good holster and belt. I know several guys shorter and/or smaller than me that have no problems concealing one.

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"There are no substitutes for violence of action and volume of fire..." ~Otto Skorzeny

If you carry in Condition 3, you have two empty chambers. One in the weapon...the other between your ears.

Matt K.

sgtD

Welcome,

If your a gun person. you'll end up like the rest of us, and own a whole bunch before it's all said and done.

I went through 5 carry guns before settling on one that was small and light enough to carry, and powerful enough to do the job if needed. Of course that was 15 years ago. i didn't have a resource like this site and there weren't as many guns being made to cater to the CCW market back then.

If your not really a "gun person" and don't think you'll become one, which some people justifiably decide, then stick with a double action revoler. It doesn't get any safer or easier to learn to operate. There are drawbacks as have been mentioned, but there are also several distinct pluses: No jams, no safeties, no expensive magazines to collect, not finicky about ammo etc. JMO YMMV.

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When you've got 'em by the balls, their hearts & minds will follow. Semper Fi.

bameroni

Thank you; these postings are providing me with quite a bit of education for sure. They are also encouraging as the participants here are not only enthusiastic but they offer sincere advice and assessments of their experience. It's fairly new to me so I don't know how devoted I will eventually be but since I took my firearms class two weeks ago I have pretty much spent all of my spare time (and thinking about it when I didn't have spare time) researching and trying to learn more about CCWs for my purchase; I am thinking now that I will probably be considering not just one but more than one CCWs as I get familiar with them and acclimated to what it is like to carry. Not trying to rush things at all as I need to practice more at the firing range where I took the class and am really looking forward to a Gun Show in Marietta in August.

The firearms instructor was very helpful and has convinced me to look at semi-automatics - give them a chance through practice - as he feels that they may be a better fit for my carrying needs. It's interesting as his (firearm's instructor's) preferences were for Springfield and Ruger's; he seemed to have issues based on his experiences with Glocks (he was in the Navy as a trainer for 22 years before he acquired his gun shop). The large Beretta (9mm) that I practiced with was the 1st semi-automatic I've ever had in my hand. It was a bit large for my hands and the kick took some getting used to. I was able to hit the target at 15 feet with all of my 50 shots but only two were n the bulls-eye circle. The instructor told me that I should not worry about that as most of my shots were a little low of the bulls-eye and he felt that it was because I was so new to shooting I was "anticipating the recoil" and lunging slightly forward with each shot. He recommended renting a .22 pistol sometime to improve target shooting.

Thank you again for your helpful insights.

jwhite75

I am 6'3", and 265 lbs. I carry a G23 in anIWB, quite well.

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Remember to PILLAGE Before you burn.