Carry gun shopping

[LDB415]

I'm going carry gun shopping tomorrow. I'm debating lots of options right now. Any and all opinions and advice are appreciated.

I'm not a fan of recoil. In the past I've shot .45, .357 Sig, .38 Super, 9mm and .38 Special. I generally gravitate to 9mm, in part due to ammo availability and better pricing. When I had a CHL previously I generally carried a full size gun in an OWB holster. I also had a J frame for when I wanted something in my pocket.

I believe John Browning was a genius. The longevity of his designs gives some support to that thought. I've never had a 9mm 1911 but did have a .38 Super 1911 for a while. Both of those plus the BHP are 'suspects'. I've actually been thinking some about the SA XD/XDM as those come with the complete kit of gear. I've also been thinking about something pocket size like a G42/PK380 or J frame. I'm sure I'll do both belt carry and pocket carry options before too long.

So any and all thoughts are welcome, well, those truly offering input to the discussion anyway.

[74novaman]

I've actually been thinking some about the SA XD/XDM as those come with the complete kit of gear.

If you like how XDs shoot, go for it but the cheap holster/mag carrier they throw in shouldn't sway you one way or the other. They're kind of junky, and you'll wind up wanting better stuff anyway.

[CC Italian]

Long post to follow.
lets see
-low recoil
-pocket carry capable
- carry iwb or carry owb

So this is what you are looking for. A do it all gun. You say you have no problem with a 380? Just know that lower recoil standard pressure 9mm is leaps and bounds ahead of any 380 round.

Well first off if you can I would personally try to stay with 38 special or better in snub or 9mm in semi. But if you have owned a snub you know recoil comes with it. Even my 38 snubnose Smith with 38 special hornady critical defense non + p has more recoil then my s&w shield with 124 + P.

So for this reason I am going to assume no snubnose.

In 9mm you have many choices that are pocket carry capable. Here is a list of the ones off the top of my head.
-Beretta Nano
-Boberg XR9-S Pistol
-Diamondback DB9
-Kahr cm9
- kel tec pf9 and p11
-sig 938
-Kimber solo

There are other 9mms that you can pocket carry but I personally think guns like the LC9, shield, xds, Bersa BPcc, Walther PPS, sig 290 are all either a little two big or a few ounces to heavy when loaded to be comfortable as a pocket carry. Out of the ones I listed for pocket carry I would personally look at the Nano, Kahr and sig 938. For something more deadicated to iwb I would reccomend Shield, xds, Walther pps.

These are just my opinions and I am sure others will give you thiers. Also, I have shot most of these so if there is a specific question about one fire away. If 380acp is the way you want to go then there is a never ending list of options.

[CC Italian]

As for the pk380 it is not a dedicated pocket carry, to big. I love my glocks but I won't carry one in the chamber if I try to put my 27 in front pocket. I like either DAO or a safety with one in the tube with a semi. Glocks triggers are to light for pocket carry imo. I think the kahr is the best bet for a dao trigger, long but smooth. 938 is single action so just keep the safety on if in pocket. Nano is ok but I still think it is a little light.

As for the 1911 9mm my wife has a government model and loves it but it is heavy and carrying is not the easiest 10 months out of the year. My father in law has a hipower and swears by it but the 1911 gov. Is a little heavier and imo I like the feel of the 1911 better. But both are bigger and definitely heavier guns for cc in summer.


All depends on you and how much weight and recoil is to much.

[nyj]

The G42 isn't pocket size.

Get a S&W 642 and be done with it. Perfect pocket pistol, IMO. It's one of those guns that goes so easily in the pocket, takes zero effort to conceal, is never bothersome, and you'll carry 100% of the time because it's so easy to carry.

As someone who has had a lot of carry guns in their rotation, the 642 has been the best gun I've owned for carry.

[CC Italian]

I agree hard to beat a dao snub if recoil isn't an issue but the block 42 is easily a pocket carry. It makes my shield look huge! If it wasn't for that trigger I could carry it all day in front pocket with ease.

[surprise_i'm_armed]

You have a wide range of experience with calibers and a full range of needs/wants
for your carry piece. I'll put in my 2 cents worth.

If you are only going to carry one gun on you, IMHO, don't go with a .380 or a .38 Special.
With so many quality small pistols these days in 9MM, .40, or .45 ACP, why edge towards mouse guns?

A Springfield Armory XDS with 3.3" barrel is small enough for pocket carry, and you can get
it in either 9MM or .45 ACP. Sure, they now have 4.0" barrels on XDS's in both 9MM and .45 ACP,
but if you are desiring pocket carry, the 3.3" would be the way to go.

My primary EDC is an XDS45. I appreciate having the .45 as my primary, but when I go to the range
the beaver tail tends to wear a spot on my thumb. I still love to shoot it, but not as many rounds
as I could probably handle if it was an XDS9.

My constant BUG is a Ruger SR9C, usually carried in a 17 + 1 mode. The .45 starts the party,
and the Ruger's high round count is reassuring if ever needed. That's my plan and I'm sticking to it. :-)

YMMV. We are all interested in your eventual purchase. Keep us posted.

SIA

[LDB415]

I'm thinking fairly seriously about one of the SA offerings. They get very good reviews and a lot of positive comments about pointability. I'm debating among all of their models really. I like the XDS but in the smallest I'm not crazy about only 7 round capacity. The short barrel XD is wider and taller by a small amount but goes up to 13 round capacity. The XDM is about a half inch longer also but has an extra .5 to .8 inch longer barrel than the other two and again 13 round capacity.

Going to the 4" XDS ups the capacity to 9 but also adds one inch to the height, bringing it up to just about the height of the other mid and full size models and over a half inch more height than the small models with much higher capacity.

For any reasonable hope of pocket carry I think I'm limited to either the XD or XDS in their shortest configurations but I'll probably try the XDM also just in case. I'm also thinking some about the mid size XD and XDM. I'd give up pocket carry but gain capacity and full hand grip space.

I'm also debating the thin grip of the XDS. I have a bit of arthritis so larger grips tend to work better. I put a thick cover on my steering wheel for the same beneficial effect. That test may decide on the final suspect list.

Thanks for the feedback so far. It is helpful to have additional thoughts and opinions.

[surprise_i'm_armed]

Homer Simpson sees beer and sighs "ooh, beer."

OP, you are like many of us who see Spingers and sigh "...ooh Springfield Armory." :-)

Picking the right Springer is like trying to pick your favorite child. It's all good.

OP: If you go to the forum's UCP (User Control Panel), you can put in your hometown,
or at least your general area. That way each time you post, your geographically close
forum friends will know where you are.

SIA

[LDB415]

I went to Carter's today and looked at the smallest each of XD, XDS and XDM. The XDS is nice but the grip is too small. Both of the others have much better size grips. They're not quite big enough for my little finger to have a full grip but they just barely miss it. I don't think either one would really be a pocket gun though and if I'm going to belt carry I might as well move up to the medium size models.

[RogueUSMC]

$9.95 at Pearce's website. I think you can get them around $7 and change at places like Midway...

[LDB415]

Yes, I've thought about those but that would make the pocket fit even more unlikely. I think the only one that has any chance of pocketing is the smallest XDS. I like it but the grip isn't fat enough to fit my hand well. I'm going and look again today at some of them so I can be even more confused.

[cyphertext]

Long post to follow.
lets see
-low recoil
-pocket carry capable
- carry iwb or carry owb

So this is what you are looking for. A do it all gun. You say you have no problem with a 380? Just know that lower recoil standard pressure 9mm is leaps and bounds ahead of any 380 round.

Well first off if you can I would personally try to stay with 38 special or better in snub or 9mm in semi. But if you have owned a snub you know recoil comes with it. Even my 38 snubnose Smith with 38 special hornady critical defense non + p has more recoil then my s&w shield with 124 + P.

So for this reason I am going to assume no snubnose.

In 9mm you have many choices that are pocket carry capable. Here is a list of the ones off the top of my head.
-Beretta Nano
-Boberg XR9-S Pistol
-Diamondback DB9
-Kahr cm9
- kel tec pf9 and p11
-sig 938
-Kimber solo

There are other 9mms that you can pocket carry but I personally think guns like the LC9, shield, xds, Bersa BPcc, Walther PPS, sig 290 are all either a little two big or a few ounces to heavy when loaded to be comfortable as a pocket carry. Out of the ones I listed for pocket carry I would personally look at the Nano, Kahr and sig 938. For something more deadicated to iwb I would reccomend Shield, xds, Walther pps.

These are just my opinions and I am sure others will give you thiers. Also, I have shot most of these so if there is a specific question about one fire away. If 380acp is the way you want to go then there is a never ending list of options.

If you are looking at the Sig 938, you should also look at the Sig 290RS. It is only 4 oz heavier than the 938, but fits in my pocket better as it is not as long. Mine replaced a Kel Tec PF9 as my pocket carry gun. Many of these "pocket 9s" aren't quite pocketable in everything you may wear though.

[Longhorn-breeder]

I am 5'0" have size 5 hands (pretty small) I currently carry the full size XDm 40 with a 3.8 barrel I carry OWB in a custom holster or iwb in a can can big shebang. I have no problem concealing even tho I have a short waist. Most of the time my hubby has to ask if I am packing. Love the grip (currently the #2) and have a very tight group. I have recently been trying many other guns as I am thinking of moving up to 45 cal but the more I shoot the more I love my XDm. I am also developing arthritis in my hands and it is still comfortable to send rounds down range

[gigag04]

If I wanted a pocket pistol, I'd get a Kahr CW9. It is the best value in single stack micro 9s, IMO.

My first 3 recommendations for folks looking for a gun are G19, G26, and S&W M&P 9c. I usually carry my M&P 9C, as it is inbetween the G26 and the 19 in size, but if I didn't have it, I would go for a G19.

JMB designed great guns, but I think the striker fired polymer is the way to go for modern defensive pistols, for a number of reasons. The manual of arms is simpler, they are lighter, and run better dirty (than their hammer based cousins). I used to be a die-hard 1911 guy until I was in the LE world and realized the practicality of things.

That, and I didn't wan't a high dollar 1911 locked up as evidence should I ever need to use it.