Concealed carry choices

[transfixer]

The #1 rule in a gunfight is bring a gun. Every other consideration is way down the line in importance.....way way down the line.

Do not buy a gun that you will not carry because it is inconvenient or impractical due to your clothing. I can't tell you how many times I've had someone explaining how they would never carry a Ruger LCP, yet when I ask them what they are carrying, they say "XYZ" but it's at home / in the truck etc. If you won't carry it at church, or at work, or at a kid's pool party, get something that you will. Having a gun you don't carry is like leaving your seatbelt unbuckled. Worthless.

If you are one of the people (like many on this site) who are willing to always wear a holster, and dress in a manner that conceals it, then you can carry practically any duty size pistol. My experience has show that to be a very small percentage of gun owners. They end up being the people who's gun is "in the truck / at home"

I work in the gun industry with LE and private trainers as well as everyday folks exercising their 2A rights. I have a dozen pistols I can carry, but the one that is in my right front pocket at all times is a Ruger LCP. If I'm wearing a holster (which is not often) , it's a Glock 19 or 43X.

I just had a conversation with my ex-wife about a week ago, about whether she was carrying her pistol or not, she's currently rehabbing a house in a not so great neighborhood, she bought to fix up and sell, there are sketchy folks in the neighborhood, as well as quite a few dogs roaming, she said she couldn't work very well wearing her pistol so she had been leaving it at home, or in her vehicle, I stressed she really needed to carry it , or get a smaller one to carry, she has a shield 9mm,

Well today she was working on the house, going back and forth outside to get materials, and a wandering pit bull came up growling, charging and bit her ! she had nothing on her to defend herself , bite wasn't that bad, but we now have to worry whether the dog had rabies or not ?

She told me ,, guess I should have been wearing my pistol huh ? yep ! so now i'm going to give her one of mine that is lighter so maybe she'll carry it while she's over there !

 

[JR924]

My wife hates firearms. She refuses to even learn how to use any of my guns, learn self defense or get any type of weapon of her own choosing. She explains "Whats the big deal, you die and go to heaven". I try to explain to her the point from now to when you get to heaven is the problem. I have given up and do my best for her safety with alarms, keeping a loud dog, locks and lights and keeping her home at night.

Ultimately it is your choice of what risks you protect yourself against, how you rank and quantify those risks and how much effort, discomfort, $$$, altering your behavior, view on life etc on how you respond to those risks (Example if a gun why not body armor. Why not $$$$$ for years of karate/judo/boxing lessons to add to your gun protection.). It is a personal choice. Not sure what extent I will go with a gun but good advice here to consider.

Anyway, saw this cool commercial for a pocket camera. Not sure how good it works but seems like a reasonable thing to carry to document anything from assaults, threats, dog attacks etc. Could save your rear in a frivolous lawsuit. Does anybody carry a body camera/microphone??????

https://www.homensb.com/products/1080p-mini-hd-video-recorder?variant=43425621147876

 

[Jester896]

Example if a gun why not body armor.

WHAT! everyone doesn't have body armor??

 

[rosewood]

One thing I learned from one of the attorney shows on utube. If you have a camera recording everything and you have an incident where you record yourself at fault. If you decided to hide the camera or delete the footage, you can be charged with tampering with evidence. So a camera can be used to help you and used against you. Something to consider.

Rosewood

 

[transfixer]

One thing I learned from one of the attorney shows on utube. If you have a camera recording everything and you have an incident where you record yourself at fault. If you decided to hide the camera or delete the footage, you can be charged with tampering with evidence. So a camera can be used to help you and used against you. Something to consider.

Rosewood

Yep, I don't want any recorded evidence of what I had to do, and there is an old saying " dead men tell no lies "

 

[Balrog]

If I am carrying a gun on my belt, it is usually either a Glock 43 or 43X. I find the capacity of the 43 to be less than I would prefer, and I find the grip of the 43X to be a little long. So I have been looking at the micro compacts by Ruger, Springfield, Sig, and S&W. I haven't yet bought one, but from handling them, the S&W Shield Plus feels the best in my hand.

Most of the time I front pocket carry. I have found that I can carry the Ruger LCP Max just as easily as the LCP. The Max gives you a 10 round capacity.

I carry it with a trigger guard sheath in front pocket. Works great. The LCP Max is my favorite pocket carry gun by far. I much prefer how the wider grip of the LCP Max feels in the hand hand compared to the LCP. The photo below shows the trigger guard clip on a Glock, but it works the same for the LCP Max.

 

[Mattval]

Reluctantly decided to buy a concealed carry gun. Going to apply from my concealed carry permit. More want the gun as a deterrent against a hothead than to shoot somebody. I probably will carry the gun when I walk at night in my pocket. Problem is I wear cotton gym shorts and tee shirts 95% of the time even when it gets cold. If I put a cell phone in my pocket, my pants start falling down so the gun needs to be light. I can cinch up some but want something small and light. Thinking a holster will be hard to hide and uncomfortable. Was thinking of a pocket gun like the Baretta Tomcat (Buffalo Bore has some nice 32 acp defense rounds) or similar 380 acp gun. Think 9 mm or larger will be too big of gun. I really like revolvers but would be too bulky. I saw this article and the guns mentioned looked interesting. https://www.outdoorhub.com/stories/2015/03/10/5-best-pocket-carry-handguns/ What are your suggestions of guns and ways to carry it to try at the gun store?

-Try wearing regular shorts and a real gun belt.
-https://smartcarry.com/. Try this

 

[Big7]

LCP would work well in your situation IMO. It's light and will go bang when you need it.

I would and do go with the LCP.

Been carrying mine for years, not long after they came out. I even carry it when I'm carrying another firearm.

They actually hit where you aim and you can dump a magazine pretty fast.

 

[Ruger#3]

Mag dump speed isn’t as important as hitting your target first shot. If you don’t kill or significantly wound your opponent first shot you may not get another shot.

That said, I carry a Glock 19 IWB or S&W .380 Bodyguard in pocket when concealment is an issue.

 

[Dub]

 

[pjciii]

I just had a conversation with my ex-wife about a week ago, about whether she was carrying her pistol or not, she's currently rehabbing a house in a not so great neighborhood, she bought to fix up and sell, there are sketchy folks in the neighborhood, as well as quite a few dogs roaming, she said she couldn't work very well wearing her pistol so she had been leaving it at home, or in her vehicle, I stressed she really needed to carry it , or get a smaller one to carry, she has a shield 9mm,

Well today she was working on the house, going back and forth outside to get materials, and a wandering pit bull came up growling, charging and bit her ! she had nothing on her to defend herself , bite wasn't that bad, but we now have to worry whether the dog had rabies or not ?

She told me ,, guess I should have been wearing my pistol huh ? yep ! so now i'm going to give her one of mine that is lighter so maybe she'll carry it while she's over there !

I hope there are no rabies shots involved. It could have turned out worse especially If there had been more than one dog.

 

[transfixer]

I hope there are no rabies shots involved. It could have turned out worse especially If there had been more than one dog.

Animal control checked the dog, quarantined it for a period of time, it wasn't rabid, she did get a antibiotic shot for infections though, turned out okay, she now carries her pistol constantly ,,

 

[Mars]

The usual. G26 and G19
G43 for when I'm not wearing a belt or if I need to tuck in my shirt.

 

[Dub]

The usual. G26 and G19View attachment 1186075
G43 for when I'm not wearing a belt or if I need to tuck in my shirt.
View attachment 1186078

All scenarios very well covered

 

[JR924]

The Ruger LCP interests me if it fits my hand. Maybe look at the LC9s plus other 380 acp and 9 mm handguns. Which gun store with a range with the widest selection would you recommend where I could rent the most guns to try out on their range? Would be nice if I could also try out some holsters too. Don't want to do business with jerks or waste my time if they only have a few handguns to try. I guess I would travel to a good store as it is an important purchase. I quit my job so money in this economy is tight. Thinking the answer is Adventure Outdoors. Bought one gun there at their old place with no problems. Store visits have been pleasant but sad as I had no extra money. Not sure how good they are to deal with rental guns and range. Where I go, I would buy the ammo for the rental but probably not the gun unless posters can vouch for low prices. Also please recommend any first time gun owner courses where they allow you to handle and tryout different handguns and holsters. That would be better. Thank you.

 

[Tight Lines]

The Ruger LCP interests me if it fits my hand. Maybe look at the LC9s plus other 380 acp and 9 mm handguns. Which gun store with a range with the widest selection would you recommend where I could rent the most guns to try out on their range? Would be nice if I could also try out some holsters too. Don't want to do business with jerks or waste my time if they only have a few handguns to try. I guess I would travel to a good store as it is an important purchase. I quit my job so money in this economy is tight. Thinking the answer is Adventure Outdoors. Bought one gun there at their old place with no problems. Store visits have been pleasant but sad as I had no extra money. Not sure how good they are to deal with rental guns and range. Where I go, I would buy the ammo for the rental but probably not the gun unless posters can vouch for low prices. Also please recommend any first time gun owner courses where they allow you to handle and tryout different handguns and holsters. That would be better. Thank you.

If you can get to one of the ranges and shoot a few that would be best. The LCP is fine for what it is...it's not a fun gun to shoot, it's a very small decent tool. It's one of my 3 daily carries so don't get me wrong...I'd buy it again... but as Dub said I prefer a 9MM or larger...but I'm confident in the .380 and a couple of mags...as for places, depends on where you are...Chuck's in Buckhead is very knowledgeable...

 

[Dub]

A well stocked range with rentals and sales is going to be mighty valuable to you.

You can quickly see what your preferences are when shooting. A well fitted holster makes the entire deal work.

A G19 conceals really well for some people, Sig has a few versions of their P365 that may work even better, say the P365XL….less bulky.

Kydex IWB holster will keep it easily hidden with only a T-Shirt and not hurt your wallet too bad.

I’d stick with the tried & true models like the Glocks or Sigs. Aftermarket support for holsters, sights, magazines, springs and replacement parts will be strong and keep the gun running for many years of use.

 

[JR924]

Just handled a Ruger LCP and it really fit well. I like the size. Could not shoot it but shot my Brothers. Not bad recoil. Was looking for a suitable gun for my wife. She thinks even a 22 rimfire rifle recoils too much. The gun store clerk suggested the 30 round Kal Tech 22 mag pistol. He said the recoil would not bother her but maybe the noise vs a 22 long rifle Sig Sauer 20 round pistols which was the other option he showed me.

Makes sense for her situation which would probably be in her bedroom in a corner shooting at somebody coming thru the door. After 30 rounds, I think the thug would flee or succumb. I read that rimfire autos are more prone to jam then centerfire autos though. My brother is against autos for his wife and she has a 38 special revolver. He thinks she will not be able to cock an auto in a stressfull situation. I would have to make sure my wife has the strength to cock the auto and practice it if I can make her.

However my plan is to get a Ruger LCP for conceal carry, a Kal Tec 22 mag pistol for my wife's night stand and a SW C&R 38 military or police trade in for my night stand. I just want a pistol like Adam 12 hardware. O yeah, a Mossberg 12 gauge with a bayonet under my bed. Thanks for help.

 

[killerv]

Have her try a full size 9. My wife took my m&p 2.0. 17 rounds, recoil isnt bad.

22mag would get a little pricy to practice with, I've never shot the keltec so cant comment on its reliability.

Trick with women, they just simply need to get out and shoot a bunch of different ones, my wife started with a glock 42, ruger lcp, glock 19, m&p bodyguard, m&p compact 22, a 22/45 lite, 442 38spl (i dont think she finished the cylinder on that one) but when I let her take the full size 9 to the range, she finally said this is the one.

 

[Otisman]

I carry a Glock 43x with aftermarket mag that holds 15 rounds with an inside waistband alien gear holster everywhere I go. Mainly wear shorts and t-shirt. No one knows I have it.