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 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)