YAGT: OMG I love guns

[ManBearPig]

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[velillen]

First time?

Oh yeah...what are you guys' thoughts on carry calibers?

Not the caliber debate AGAIN...lol

Seriously though shot placement > caliber unless you are in the woods and need something like a 240gr hardcast for bear protection.

A 380 can be just as good for self defense as a 44 mag if the person with a 380 has practiced. I could take a 44mag and carry it but it does no good if i only shoot it twice a year vs the 380 guy who shoots once a month.

As for me depending on me Ill carry either a 9mm with 9mm +p ammo or a 45acp (sig 226 full size and a xds). I shoot the sig better but the xds is way easier to conceal for me

 

[RampantAndroid]

Not the caliber debate AGAIN...lol

Seriously though shot placement > caliber unless you are in the woods and need something like a 240gr hardcast for bear protection.

A 380 can be just as good for self defense as a 44 mag if the person with a 380 has practiced. I could take a 44mag and carry it but it does no good if i only shoot it twice a year vs the 380 guy who shoots once a month.

As for me depending on me Ill carry either a 9mm with 9mm +p ammo or a 45acp (sig 226 full size and a xds). I shoot the sig better but the xds is way easier to conceal for me

This. It's 9mm or 45 for me, and I'm thinking of getting a smaller Sig 9mm for carry - it's too hard to hide the 1911 in the summer.

 

[adairusmc]

This. It's 9mm or 45 for me, and I'm thinking of getting a smaller Sig 9mm for carry - it's too hard to hide the 1911 in the summer.

Same here, though I have several carry options and I have no problem carrying any of them. My main is a shield in 9mm, or a s&w 642 in .38 special for a pocket gun. In the winter I will sometimes carry a 45, but the shield is my go to most of the time.

 

[Merad]

Oh yeah...what are you guys' thoughts on carry calibers?

Whatever you shoot best. There are very good arguments though for going with higher capacity calibers. I alternate between a LCP (.380) and Glock 19 (9mm).

 

[IGemini]

Oh yeah...what are you guys' thoughts on carry calibers?

I'll ultimately carry and shoot whatever I can. I'm equally comfortable with 9mm, .40 and .45. I might get a P232 if I opt for .380.

 

[ManBearPig]

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[boomhower]

This. It's 9mm or 45 for me, and I'm thinking of getting a smaller Sig 9mm for carry - it's too hard to hide the 1911 in the summer.

You'll love a Sig P938. It's basically a shrunken 1911 in 9mm. I've had the Extreme version for a year or so and love it. Not cheap but you get what you pay for.

Thanks guys. I kind of want to try .45 for carry, but dunno. Price of ammo would be an issue. Honestly though, how many more rounds would you get with 9mm over .45 in a carry firearm? Maybe a couple. Seems like 9mm is plenty, though. I have never shot a .45. Just a 9mm and .40 (and .22). Honestly, I wouldn't like to carry a .40.

Depends on the size but 2-4 typically. As long as you buy quality modern hollow points 9mm is perfectly fine. Cheaper to practice with and more capacity. As long as you do your part it'll do just fine.

 

[Genx87]

Shot my guns for the first time in nearly 2 years over the weekend. Glad to say Smith and Wesson fixed my 1911. No more jamming and it shoots smoother now!

 

[Jeeebus]

Anyone pocket carry the M&P Shield or the XDs 9mm? Thinking about selling my Kahr PM9 and switching to one of those. Love how small the Kahr is, but there are some issues that make it less than ideal for carry.

 

[BlitzPuppet]

Not the caliber debate AGAIN...lol

Seriously though shot placement > caliber unless you are in the woods and need something like a 240gr hardcast for bear protection.

A 380 can be just as good for self defense as a 44 mag if the person with a 380 has practiced. I could take a 44mag and carry it but it does no good if i only shoot it twice a year vs the 380 guy who shoots once a month.

As for me depending on me Ill carry either a 9mm with 9mm +p ammo or a 45acp (sig 226 full size and a xds). I shoot the sig better but the xds is way easier to conceal for me

Pffft everyone knows you're a pussy unless you carry 20mm. I don't feel safe if I'm not concealing my Flak30...I need to take every threat down in 1 shot. I don't have time for squiddly .45s.

In all seriousness carry whatever you want and practice with it. I'm a 9mm guy since it's (used to be) cheap and easy to find.

 

[marvdmartian]

Pffft everyone knows you're a pussy unless you carry 20mm. I don't feel safe if I'm not concealing my Flak30...I need to take every threat down in 1 shot. I don't have time for squiddly .45s.

That's why I just carry an A-10 in my pocket holster. 30mm gun, and Hellfire missiles will take just about anything out! :awe:

This. It's 9mm or 45 for me, and I'm thinking of getting a smaller Sig 9mm for carry - it's too hard to hide the 1911 in the summer.

That's why I'm looking at making a Glock 30S my next purchase. Sub-compact sized, but holds ten .45ACP rounds (whereas the G36, their other subcompact .45, only holds 6 rounds). Put a +2 extension on the magazine, and you're holding just one less than a full-framed Glock 21, and half again as many rounds as most 1911's. I've got +2's on my magazines for my Glock 27 (.40S&W), and there's no problem doing a concealed carry, and keeping it hidden.

Don't get me wrong, I love a 1911 as much as the next guy. But like you said, hiding it is a chore!

 

[ManBearPig]

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[coxmaster]

Is printing an issue while carrying if your carry gun is small enough? I just can't see how these things can be concealable.

It all depends on the gun, your body type, carry position, and everything else..

Personally I carry a full size M&P with a crossbreed style holster (big) and it barely prints, if ever, even with just a T-shirt

 

[velillen]

Is printing an issue while carrying if your carry gun is small enough? I just can't see how these things can be concealable.

depends on 1)The person 2) the gun and holster choice and 3) the clothing being worn

1) For larger people itll be easier to conceal bigger guns. Lets just face it, they have more cushion and area to sort of "abosrb" the shape of the gun into. Being a smaller guy you have less space so that magazine extension that the larger guy has flush against his body might stick out a little bit more on someone like me (a skinny guy)

2) A LCP is a hell of a lot easier to conceal than a full size 1911. There is just less to have to cover. Most compacts and subcompacts *should* be able ot be pretty well concealed by 90% of people with proper holster choice and clothing choice. As for holster, obviously a IWB (inside waist band...ie the only thing on the outside of the pants is the clip for the holster) is way easier than a OWB (reverse of IWB..the clip is inside your waist band). The main reason is the IWB your pants/shorts/ect are "hiding" the bottom portion of the gun leaving only the top part for your shirt to have to cover up.. OWB you are leaving it up to your whole shirt to cover up the entire gun.

3) Clothing choice. This is where men have it easier than women by a long shot. The looser the fit on the shirt and the longer it is the better off you are. I generally wear shirts that go ~3-4 inches past my waist line on my pants and they work perfectly. Shorts vs pants dont really matter IMO as they fit the same at the waist band (for me at least) so i just have to make sure the shirts work. Tighter fitting shirts and shorter shirts leave a great chance and being pulled tight around the gun or not fully covering it.


I carry my xds everywhere i go minus work (no firearms allowed) and when going to soccer games (again "gun free zones"). Never had anyone notice it except when i wanted them too. Carrying the sig when im going to say the range i generally end up open carrying as it has a OWB and i print horribly in anything other than my down jacket. And even with that if i bend over the muzzle can be easily seen.



Long write up but hopefully helps ya understand. You can think of it a bit like a cell phone. Smaller and in the pocket you can hardly see it. Small and on a clip on the waist and it depends on the clothing. Large and you are more likly to see it

 

[alkemyst]

Is printing an issue while carrying if your carry gun is small enough? I just can't see how these things can be concealable.

printing is a result of your size, the gun and the clothes you wear.

get a hug anywhere and usually they can feel that gun and for most places that is a bad thing.

 

[ManBearPig]

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[irishScott]

Thanks for the write-up velillen! Definitely makes sense. Man, getting used to that seems like it will be difficult. I've recently started carrying pocket knives so I guess that's at least something to get me prepared. Wonder how a pocket gun would be. That would probably be *too* small.

Alkemyst...thats actually a concern of mine. I feel like I could never hug anyone while carrying since they'd feel it. Weird. :$

Too small? In what way? There are plenty of .380 and even 9mm options that can suffice for pocket carry, and tons of pocket holsters that result in literally zero-print.

It's a little out of date, but here's a comparison chart if you haven't run across it already:
http://www.southernoutdoorlife.com/mouseguns/PocketAutoComparison.pdf

I'd add the Sig P239 to that list. Almost identical frame and weight to the P238 but in 9mm.

For pocket carry I use a DaltechForce PP2. The holster completely blocks the trigger and the vast majority of the grip on my P238. It prints like a wallet. A 20 oz wallet, and the weight takes some getting used to, but after a couple of weeks I stopped noticing. I carry it in my right-front pocket.
http://www.daltechforce.com/pocket-holsters/

The hugging thing is also something I thought about. I wanted the freedom to go dancing with my gun if it came down to it, and not worry. Pocket carry provides that freedom, and I seriously doubt there's much I'd encounter a bigger gun would handle better. Sure if I find myself in the middle of the next Sandy Hook I'd want something bigger, but the odds of that are exceedingly remote. On the flip side, we've had 3 armed robberies in 4 months here, in areas I walk through frequently. Hell a couple of years ago I was almost a victim myself. In such situations I imagine even a sub-compact pocket gun will more than suffice.

 

[CurseTheSky]

Anyone pocket carry the M&P Shield or the XDs 9mm? Thinking about selling my Kahr PM9 and switching to one of those. Love how small the Kahr is, but there are some issues that make it less than ideal for carry.

The Kahr PM9 is significantly easier to pocket carry than the M&P Shield. It can be done with the Shield, but you have to have some pretty big pockets.

Actually, I'm not a fan of even pocket carrying the PM9. It's not difficult, but it looks like I'm walking around with a brick in my front pocket. A small, slim 380 like a Bodyguard or LCP is much easier.

IMO, if you go with something the size of a Shield, plan on IWB.

 

[Tiamat]

Anyone pocket carry the M&P Shield or the XDs 9mm? Thinking about selling my Kahr PM9 and switching to one of those. Love how small the Kahr is, but there are some issues that make it less than ideal for carry.

I own both shield and xds and they are too big for pocket carry. As pocket carry, I have s&w 442 which still makes a bulge in the front pocket and the Sig 938. I'm waiting on a custom kydex pocket holster for the 938, but it seems like it will pocket Carry the best.

 

[exdeath]

I could easily pocket carry my PF9 but I insist on it being holstered in a way that fully encloses the trigger.

 

[onza]

I could easily pocket carry my PF9 but I insist on it being holstered in a way that fully encloses the trigger.

They do make pocket holsters that do that job as well.

 

[Jeeebus]

The Kahr PM9 is significantly easier to pocket carry than the M&P Shield. It can be done with the Shield, but you have to have some pretty big pockets.

Actually, I'm not a fan of even pocket carrying the PM9. It's not difficult, but it looks like I'm walking around with a brick in my front pocket. A small, slim 380 like a Bodyguard or LCP is much easier.

IMO, if you go with something the size of a Shield, plan on IWB.

That's what I'm worried about. PM9 fits fine in my pockets (it's Florida, so 99% of the year it's cargo shorts), but I'm worried whether shield or xds will. Just do not like the process to load the pm9 so that you avoid getting a round stuck in the barrel. Not that I see myself ever having to reload and continue shooting, but if it ever happened, I'd likely be screwed.

 

[irishScott]

I could easily pocket carry my PF9 but I insist on it being holstered in a way that fully encloses the trigger.

How about one that completely locks the trigger?
http://www.recluseholster.com/SPD/k...front-pocket-holster--800003C0-1349841732.jsp

 

[coxmaster]

I could easily pocket carry my PF9 but I insist on it being holstered in a way that fully encloses the trigger.

There are quite a few holsters out there that can do that while still fitting in a pocket..