I have had my CCW for a little while and primarily got it so I could qualify for the tactical training my range offers. HOWEVER, after going through a number of tactical training classes I am beginning to think very seriously about carrying.
So, I am thinking, what are some great ideas for concealed carry? Right now I am leaning to a Glock 29 Gen 4 with ~ 3.8" barrel (duh, 10mm of course!) but also thinking about a Glock 33 Gen 4 (3.42" barrel), possibly a Sig 239 SAS in 357 sig (3.6" barrel and their Short Reset Trigger - SRT, VERY sweet if you have not shot one). I am wondering about others. I am a little skittish about barrels shorter than 3.9" but objectively it probably doesn't make THAT much difference, especially in the 10mm.
Thoughts and ideas?
Thanks,
Pat
I carry a full-size 1911 widebody IWB under a shirt. about 3 times a year my wife will comment that I am printing in public.
I think a Glock 29 is a good choice too, and it is my 'other' carry gun, for Sunday and such. Very very easy to conceal a gun that small.
I can only imagine you have to be nude before you have an issue concealing an LCR or P3-AT
Consider your normal travels and background VS where you might less often travel. Also weather/time of season and conditions. Also consider territory/ high crime area. Balance act. But, always carry extra mag's, regardless. Although I do not have a G29, my G20 is a fit.
Well I know this may not sit well with some of the 10mm guys and gals here, but when out in public, I carry the Glock 30 45ACP with +P loads. Why would I do that, knowing the 10mm is a better cartridge? Well, imagine having to part with your firearm, after an incident, as say collected as evidence, for whatever the investigators deem as reason to take possession. I wouldn't want it to be one of my 10's.
In daily carry situations, think about your surroundings, scenario distances, other people around you, pass through possibilities, innocent bystanders that may be in the area, where a situation may arise.
The G-30 was cheaper if lost or stolen, it is the same physical size as the G-29, fits the same IWB holster, points and shots about the same POA at close distances. It does pack a whallop, just not quite that of the 10's. It is about as large a piece I would want to carry these days on the street.
Woods carry I will carry the 10mm guns, stoked with heavy hitters, just because!
In the home its Remmy 870 12ga 00Buck with a 20" rifle sight barrel and backed up by the G-29.
I may actually someday need to go with a 9mm out in the streets, but that day hasn't come yet!
What ever you decide on, be sure to shot it often, become and stay proficient like second nature with putting it into action, magazine changes should be smooth and quick, also in my area 10mm is almost non existent at any and all stores. Although I handload, I will carry with factory loads for self defense whereas with the 10mm I carry with my handloads (yes I do trust my life with them).
Best regards, may you never be placed in the situation of having to use your CCW ever!
Am I the only one who doesn't care when their gun prints?
This guy will also open carry on occasion... :P
Find a gun (or guns) that you feel confident with and also comfortable with. If you make that decision to carry, good for you! Find something easy to carry so its with you in the unlikely event you need it. If your not comfortable, you might not have it with you.
Make sure its ultra reliable. If it malfunctions in use, it could be life or death if you need it. Practice often and find ammo that functions, both in the gun and in terminal performance.
As to what to carry, I like my CZ2075. Its only 9mm, but I can place follow up shots as fast as I can pull the trigger with Hornady Critical Defense and it functions flawlessly with that ammo. Its likely you will choose something different, and that's great!
Greg
Find the gun you are not going to be inclined to want to leave at home. IE: it is uncomfortable, or it weighs to much etc. If it makes you cringe to put it on, then it is not what you will want to carry.
The_Shadow has some good points, but, he also has alternatives that I don't.
With that said, my physical build is such that I can carry my RIA 1911 FS with no problems. It is very comfortable in my IWB Crossbreed holster. So comfortable, I have dozed off in the recliner twice now since getting it. I don't have to pull it out of the holster in the car, but, drawing from the holster in the car is not going to happen LOL. I need to add a car holster ;D
I am still working out what I want to have as a EDC load. Right now it is the Hornady Critical Defense. I see this changing, but not certain to what.
I live in the south and carry a full sized M&P 9mm or my full sized Witness 10mm while wearing shorts and a tee shirt in the summer and know one ever knows.
Quote from: radiotom on September 22 2014 07:11:53 PM MDT
Am I the only one who doesn't care when their gun prints?
This guy will also open carry on occasion... :P
I don't care. The HR department at my place of employment does. The chief security officer and I have an understanding. He won't ask, I don't print (tell).
Hence the need to ensure I don't print.
There are a lot of variables to consider when deciding on a firearm to carry. If you are not concerned about printing or open carry, the options are many. If you want or need to be discrete about carrying there are definitely more variables to consider. I am a big guy and larger (thicker) firearms are not comfortable for me to carry IWB. I have tried Glocks in various IWB hosters and could never find a comfortable way to carry. Like others have said, if its not comfortable, you won't carry it. I now have a Walther PPS 9mm that I carry in a Crossbreed Supertuck and find it to be comfortable to carry and very concealable. Any of the compact single stack 9's and 40's on the market would carry just as well in a quality IWB holster. I also carry a Ruger LCP in a Galco Ankle Lite Holster. Ankle carry is not the best way to carry, but its a nice back up option and this holster / firearm combo is pretty much invisible and you will forget you have it on.
SQLbullet: Would I be correct to assume you are in IT?
Yeah. That is no secret here. I am an IT Professional.
I also work with a close group of guys. While I don't advertise that I carry, I also don't hide the fact that guns are my primary hobby. Combine that with the state where I live and they have to be idiots to not assume I carry.
But, from time to time I interact outside my department too. That is where the issue would come up if I printed in the wrong place/time.
Quote from: The_Shadow on September 22 2014 06:49:35 PM MDT
[...]
In daily carry situations, think about your surroundings, scenario distances, other people around you, pass through possibilities, innocent bystanders that may be in the area, where a situation may arise.
[...]
Woods carry I will carry the 10mm guns, stoked with heavy hitters, just because!
I don't think the heavier, meaner, drugged-up two-legged predators necessarily require less of a round than the 4-legged predators do. It's pretty clear to me that if I were ever about to be victimized by a bad guy, right at that instant I'd want the most powerful round that I could have. That's why, until recently, I full-time carried my 10mm Kimber Eclipse 1911. And that's why, for the last month or so, I've been carrying my S&W69 (5-shot, 4-1/4" stainless .44mag revolver). Both are carried in a homemade under-the-shirt vertical shoulder holster ... not the quickest draw, but it's comfortable, concealable, unobtrusive, and ALWAYS there.
Quote from: Mike_Fontenot on September 23 2014 01:09:52 PM MDT
Quote from: The_Shadow on September 22 2014 06:49:35 PM MDT
[...]
In daily carry situations, think about your surroundings, scenario distances, other people around you, pass through possibilities, innocent bystanders that may be in the area, where a situation may arise.
[...]
Woods carry I will carry the 10mm guns, stoked with heavy hitters, just because!
I don't think the heavier, meaner, drugged-up two-legged predators necessarily require less of a round than the 4-legged predators do. It's pretty clear to me that if I were ever about to be victimized by a bad guy, right at that instant I'd want the most powerful round that I could have. That's why, until recently, I full-time carried my 10mm Kimber Eclipse 1911. And that's why, for the last month or so, I've been carrying my S&W69 (5-shot, 4-1/4" stainless .44mag revolver). Both are carried in a homemade under-the-shirt vertical shoulder holster ... not the quickest draw, but it's comfortable, concealable, unobtrusive, and ALWAYS there.
Sadly, Drug crazed/inspired criminals are a Critter class of their own. A 120lb 6 foot tall PCP/Spice/ICE addict trying to kill me is going to present a problem. ANYTHING I carry with a 13" penetration is going to go through this guy and into the surroundings.
You need a small and medium gun and maybe an extra small. I carry a glock 26 every day 10+1 of federal 147gr hst is like carrying 2.20 j frames .wthout a reload and the bullets are better too! I never csrry my 19 or 20. Except hiking or fishing then the 20 comes out.
I carry appendix position ina bravo concealment DOS holster with a original SOE edc belt or SOE 1.5" cobra duty belt.
The most important thing about carrying a gun is this. Carry everywhere and have a winning mindset. Here is a list of other things.
1. Practice your draws
2. Get a really good GUN BELT, not a regular belt but a real gun belt made by a gun outfitter.
3. When you draw tell yourself "front sight front sight front sight" mentally and get it on your target asap.
4. Dry fire draws with an empty gun.
5 carry a 9 because more bullets keeps you in the fight longer. This pertains more to smaller single stacks. Its a big deal going faom 5+1 to 7+1. I know some of you live places where you can carry a 20rd glock 22 with a mag extension.
Buckeye,
You've all ready gotten a lot of good advice. I've had ccw and carried for several years.
As others have mentioned; many, many variables to weigh. From your personal build, type of cloths you're wearing, weather, location, possible bystanders, terminal ballistics of ccw ammo, weapon size, weight, possibility of print, manual safety, no manual safety, etc., etc., etc. The ever different list of variables goes on and on and each of us arrives at a different conclusion.
Personally; I've never found 1 solution that fits every variable, everyday. With respect to others, used lots of different methods over the years and simple fact is most of the time it's not particularly comfortable to carry concealed all the time. There are less uncomfortable methods but none are a joy and pleasure.
I love the SIG 239 in 357 Sig. I have one and carry it often. It does weigh 30 ounces before bullets and a 9mm shield weights 19 ounces. Trust me you'll definitely notice the difference if you carry long enough. Can't go wrong with the Glocks either.
My opinion: with right defensive ammo - anything between 9mm, .40, .45, .10 will suffice very well in self defense scenarios if you handle yourself correctly.
Good luck.
Quote from: Pinsnscrews on September 23 2014 07:18:09 PM MDT
ANYTHING I carry with a 13" penetration is going to go through this guy and into the surroundings.
I think the commonly-held philosophy that over-penetration can (and should) be prevented by using a wimpier round is misguided. You'll get a LOT of over-penetration with a wimpy round if you miss the bad guy. And spraying out a lot of wimpy rounds has its own risks to innocent bystanders.
Quote from: Rojo27 on September 24 2014 05:33:01 AM MDT
Personally; I've never found 1 solution that fits every variable, everyday.
I DID find that solution. And I really did want to avoid switching between different guns from day-to-day, or hour-to-hour ... I was highly motivated to find a way to put on the same gun every day when I woke up, and only take it off when I went to bed that night ... in between, I didn't want to have to even think about it.
Quote
With respect to others, used lots of different methods over the years and simple fact is most of the time it's not particularly comfortable to carry concealed all the time. There are less uncomfortable methods but none are a joy and pleasure.
My carry method IS that comfortable, all the time. And it is also tremendously COMFORTING. During the very rare times that I can't carry it, I really MISS it ... I even miss the FEEL of it.
A proper holster and belt are the MOST important parts. I recommend a Wilderness belt and Crossbreed holster. After that, a reliable pistol chambered in a cartridge that you can shoot quickly and accurately and that you can afford to shoot often. A Glock 19/23 poor a M&P compact are great choices.
Good decision. You'll have a gun on you if you ever need one.
Different answers and processes for different people. We all get to live with our choices.
Here are the thoughts I applied to myself when selecting my carry rig:
- Did I get training? Do I practice?
- Do I carry the most powerful ammo I can handle?
- Do I have reasonable confidence in my overall setup?
- Is my belt/holster stable?
- Is the grip on my gun big enough for me to feel confident making follow-up shots?
Platforms and calibers are secondary in my opinion.
My criterion for my final choice is: If I have to use my gun, but a loved one is lost. I'm going to want to know I made the best choices I knew how to make when I had a chance to make them.
--
More specifically -
I went with a 10mm handgun because it's versatile enough for me to normally need just one carry rig.
When acquiring a grip on a gun, different holsters present the gun differently. Different guns have different places where I need to place the web of my hand. Different guns point at different angles when I instinctively point the gun after the draw. Different guns have different trigger pulls and resets. In a life threatening confrontation I like knowing there will be no variation from the platform I train with.
I always carry IWB, so barrel length is less important when it comes to concealment.
I do find my Glock 29 prints more than any other pistol I have. That block of steel at the rear of the slide is the culprit. But, I like wearing untucked Polo shirts. That works with my 10mm 1911 and even the Sig I used to carry.
Just my thoughts.
Quote from: harrygunner on September 28 2014 06:43:02 PM MDT
- Do I carry the most powerful ammo I can handle?=
Good comments by harrygunner.
I want to elaborate a bit on what it means to "handle" a given load.
IMHO you should be able to run an El Presidente Drill (http://pistol-training.com/drills/el-presidente) consistently in 8-10 seconds.
Special attention should be paid to evaluating the 10mm handicap. Eg, how it affects your splits. Reloads are reloads and will be the same delay regardless of cartridge. But 10mm WILL slow down your splits. If you can run the El Presidente in 7-8 seconds in 9mm and times go up to 12-14 seconds in 10mm, then you can't handle the cartridge as well as you should for a defensive gun. If you can run the 10mm down below 10 seconds, carry one! Makes me wish the targets had 10 rings instead of a-zones. Twelve tens with a ten in ten has a nice ring to it.
Now, if you can do it in 4:01 like Todd Jarrett, then....
A great instructional vid on this drill:
A video worth reviewing. Discusses Grip and how your grip can affect your ability to "drive your gun"
edit - changed to an embedded video (sqlbullet)