Concealed Carry Handgun?

[Andy9o8 0]

Wait a minute, guys. 25 posts in, and nobody's mentioned a Sig. Besides, Leroy Jethro Gibbs uses one, and he's almost as cool as Chuck Norris.

[matthewcline 0]

Too be fair, you see all sorts of aftermarket, custom stuff for all popular models. Typically these items are aimed at the competitive and active combat shooter. But us weekend warriors, we got to have the cool guy shit! (that is the real sales).

Heck the new glocktriggers.com trigger boasts it "feels like a 1911" .

Matt

An Instructors first concern is student safety.
So, start being safe, first!!!

[mnealtx 0]

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Wait a minute, guys. 25 posts in, and nobody's mentioned a Sig. Besides, Leroy Jethro Gibbs uses one, and he's almost as cool as Chuck Norris.

Actually, I mentioned Sig in my first post.

Mike
I love you, Shannon and Jim.
POPS 9708 , SCR 14706

[matthewcline 0]

As well as Dev Group and most of all the rest of the Seal Teams.

The new Sig P226 MK25 seems pretty robust.

Matt

An Instructors first concern is student safety.
So, start being safe, first!!!

[mnealtx 0]

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Heck the new glocktriggers.com trigger boasts it "feels like a 1911" .

Matt

Is that the new one that Haley is pushing for $130 or so that's not much more than the polished trigger bar from the '25 cent trigger job'?

Mike
I love you, Shannon and Jim.
POPS 9708 , SCR 14706

[kelpdiver 2]

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Go heavy.

For the most part I agree with you

I was thinking of the fact she was needing it while jogging

Small and effective enough in that situtation IMO

I don't know if anything is really light enough to jog with, though with all the people carrying iphones and much much more these days, it's not impossible, using some sort of small of the back pack. But going heavy isn't in the cards. I wonder if the taser or the pepper spray or a run buddy is more practical.

In the context of a would be predator, any barrel pointed at the assailant is going to provide a pretty good incentive to the scumbag to run the other direction. This isn't a forced confrontation with no retreat option. It can find another jogger to harass.

[steve1 5]

Thanks for all the imput on this. I've learned a lot...

[matthewcline 0]

That is the guy. But I know nothing of the cost. One of the guys from Team Glock said it was really good. I am not sure what forum it is now, I was in a hundred over the last few days.

Matt

An Instructors first concern is student safety.
So, start being safe, first!!!

[Andy9o8 0]

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Wait a minute, guys. 25 posts in, and nobody's mentioned a Sig. Besides, Leroy Jethro Gibbs uses one, and he's almost as cool as Chuck Norris.

Actually, I mentioned Sig in my first post.

Ah! So you did. I guess given the choice between Shit and Go Blind, I chose the latter.

But you can't deny that Gibbs is cool.

[rushmc 18]

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Go heavy.

For the most part I agree with you

I was thinking of the fact she was needing it while jogging

Small and effective enough in that situtation IMO

I don't know if anything is really light enough to jog with, though with all the people carrying iphones and much much more these days, it's not impossible, using some sort of small of the back pack. But going heavy isn't in the cards. I wonder if the taser or the pepper spray or a run buddy is more practical.

In the context of a would be predator, any barrel pointed at the assailant is going to provide a pretty good incentive to the scumbag to run the other direction. This isn't a forced confrontation with no retreat option. It can find another jogger to harass.

All good points

As many have said
Get to the range and find out what works best for you

I have an older SW 5903 in a 9mm

I like it

"America will never be destroyed from the outside,
if we falter and lose our freedoms,
it will be because we destroyed ourselves."
Abraham Lincoln

[mnealtx 0]

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But you can't deny that Gibbs is cool.

Who?

Mike
I love you, Shannon and Jim.
POPS 9708 , SCR 14706

[Andy9o8 0]

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But you can't deny that Gibbs is cool.

Who?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leroy_Jethro_Gibbs

[mnealtx 0]

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But you can't deny that Gibbs is cool.

Who?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leroy_Jethro_Gibbs

Ah, ok... I catch part of that show every now and then.

Mike
I love you, Shannon and Jim.
POPS 9708 , SCR 14706

[matthewcline 0]

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Wait a minute, guys. 25 posts in, and nobody's mentioned a Sig. Besides, Leroy Jethro Gibbs uses one, and he's almost as cool as Chuck Norris.

Actually, I mentioned Sig in my first post.

Ah! So you did. I guess given the choice between Shit and Go Blind, I chose the latter.

But you can't deny that Gibbs is cool.

Yeah, Jethro Gibbs and Chuck had coffee the other day, to discuss the division of the world, I think.

Matt

An Instructors first concern is student safety.
So, start being safe, first!!!

[trinitycsi 0]

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For sure

And that is if you have to shoot

There is a very chilling effect when one hears a round being racked into a pump style shot gun

No mistaking that sound

I had a former Marine tactical weapons trainer tell me once that the racking of a pump shotgun slide is a universal sound of danger... "If freakin martians invaded the planet and heard that sound, they would automatically know to find cover or run..." ok well he didn't say freakin ;)

Also I understand the people saying that they don't like the LCP and would rather have at least a 9mm.. then heck look at the LC9, not much bigger than the LCP. And from owning a KelTec and an LCP, I'll take the LCP. just a personal preference.

And just in case anyone cares I carry a Millennium Pro .45 most times and an LCP in the summer when i can't hide the 45.

[vanair 0]

The two most recognized sounds of danger are a shotgun round being racked and the rattle of a rattle snake. Read that some place official.

[Andy9o8 0]

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The two most recognized sounds of danger are a shotgun round being racked and the rattle of a rattle snake. Read that some place official.

#3 - "Can we talk about our relationship?"

[BoogeyMan 0]

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Northeast Montana is no longer a safe place to be. There's an oil boom going on. Thousands of people are moving in. A teacher was kidnapped when she went out for a jog several days ago. She was probably raped and murdered. That sort of thing has never happened here.

My wife wants me to get a concealed permit, but I'd like her to get one too. She jogs early on most mornings.

I've never liked the little snub-nosed pistols that you can't hit the broad side of a barn with.

A bigger pistol might be a pain to carry, but I'd like to be able to hit what I aim at too.

I watched Gun Talk on tv the other day. It said that a 1911 45 is probably the easiest gun to shoot, the most accurate, and the most reliable, while having plenty of knock down power. Do you think this is true?

I know Glok's are really popular. It seems like most police carry them. I've never really liked the looks or feel of them, but maybe they will grow on you, once you have one.

I thought I might get a smaller 9mm for the wife.

Maybe a big, bulky, 1911, 45, is too big for concealed carry....It would be a good fight stopper though.

I've got a smaller hand. I heard that you can customize a 1911 to fit a smaller hand.

Those Kimber 45's sure look nice. I know they aren't cheap. There's lot's of cheaper 1911's out there, but I was wondering how they shoot....Some need a lot of custom work....

I can customize a rifle to shoot well, but I'm kind of stupid when it comes to pistols...

Do you know of any good training books or videos for combat shooting?

I'd like to attend a school like Gun Site, but that might cost a fortune....

What are your thoughts are on all this?....

No need to carry heavy artillery outside of the house. Outside, I carry a S&W M36, .38. 5 shots and very concealable. The wife carries a .22 mag revolver. Empty the weapon to target's center mass, and run. It's a strategy that works fine.
Inside, you can run the complete gamut from shotguns to AK's.

[mnealtx 0]

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No need to carry heavy artillery outside of the house. Outside, I carry a S&W M36, .38. 5 shots and very concealable. The wife carries a .22 mag revolver. Empty the weapon to target's center mass, and run. It's a strategy that works fine.
Inside, you can run the complete gamut from shotguns to AK's.

Gotta disagree - if that were the case, the cops would still be carrying Model 10s.

Mike
I love you, Shannon and Jim.
POPS 9708 , SCR 14706

[masterrig 1]

My wife carries a Glock - 23, 40-Cal. She has small hands (I know what you're thinking!) and loves it. Mild recoil and she's never had a problem with it. She has put several hundred rounds through it in qualifing with it and never a jam-up... nothing. I've shot it and find it to be a sweet weapon. A good 'fanny-pack' works good for concealed carry. Just a thought.


Chuck

[BoogeyMan 0]

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No need to carry heavy artillery outside of the house. Outside, I carry a S&W M36, .38. 5 shots and very concealable. The wife carries a .22 mag revolver. Empty the weapon to target's center mass, and run. It's a strategy that works fine.
Inside, you can run the complete gamut from shotguns to AK's.

Gotta disagree - if that were the case, the cops would still be carrying Model 10s.

No sweat..... I agree that cops should be packing heavy. But for my everyday activities, my choices suit me fine.

[JohnRich 4]

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The two most recognized sounds of danger are a shotgun round being racked and the rattle of a rattle snake. Read that some place official.

The problem I have with that statement is that rattlesnakes don't rattle, they buzz. They only rattle in TV movies. That buzzing sound has frozen me in my tracks a number of times. And some of those times it just turned out to be bees.

[kelpdiver 2]

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The two most recognized sounds of danger are a shotgun round being racked and the rattle of a rattle snake. Read that some place official.

The problem I have with that statement is that rattlesnakes don't rattle, they buzz. They only rattle in TV movies. That buzzing sound has frozen me in my tracks a number of times. And some of those times it just turned out to be bees.

I understand that rattlers are evolving out of the rattle - those snakes get killed more frequently.

[vanair 0]

Ok, how about high speed rattle? Heard a few, maybe not enough to rename them buzzer snakes. Early 70s, me early teens, used to roam my uncles farm in NH. Fun for a young lad traipsing thru the woods with a .22 one time came across a rattler, not my first. I latter told my uncle that it seamed strange cause it didn't look like it had one but it was rattling. My uncle said it was a snake that imitates a rattler by shaking it's tail and making the noise in it's throat. Forgot the name, very interesting. Sure fooled me.

[wolfriverjoe 1,340]

Hoo Boy! This is a really loaded question. (pun intended)

The best gun is the gun that:
A - you can shoot well enough under pressure to hit with.

B - you can manipulate well enough under pressure to use (safeties, trigger pull, malfunction drills ect)

C - you will carry on a regular basis. When shit goes south that teeny tiny 22 that you have with you is infinitely better than the 45 that you left at home

I wouldn't recommend the "Ultra-compact" pistols (Kahr, Kel-Tec, Ruger LCP, Kimber Solo, ect) to anyone who doesn't shoot pistols a lot. They are really hard to grip, difficult to aim and shoot well. Unless you are running around in shorts and a tank top, you can easily conceal something that's a little bit bigger and a lot easier to operate.

"Snub-nosed" revolvers are very simple to operate, fairly easy to carry, reliable as all hell. Not the most accurate in the world, but at real world distances do just fine. Some women have difficulty with the length and weight of the double action trigger pull. It can be lightened some, but there is a reliablity tradeoff if you do so.

Glocks are very popular for a lot of reasons. Revolver simple to operate (no manual safety), light weight and easy to carry. They come in a wide variety of sizes and calibers. They do have the semi-auto malfunction drills to master.

Springfield, S&W and a few others have the "Glock-like" duty pistols, same basic pistol, same pluses and minuses.

Sig makes really good pistols. Top quality, priced accordingly. I'm not super familiar with their line.

1911s. They now come in a variety of calibers, and 3 basic sizes. Government (the big one) Commander (the middle one) and Officer's (the little one) There's some mixing and matching going on, Kimber now offers a Commander frame and a 3 inch barrel.

The better 1911s are just fine out of the box. Kimber is the best of the non-custom models. You will pay 1000 on up for a new one, but (in my opinion) they are worth it. I have a good deal of experience with 1911s. I don't agree that they need gunsmith level attention. Keep them clean, replace the springs on a regular basis and as long as it's a reasonably good gun, you should be fine. As a single action, manual safety pistol, the operation requires the most training. But if you are willing to put in the time, they are probably the best shooting of them all. I'm old fashioned, and I like the short, light pull of a single action trigger. I have worked with them enough that taking the safety off as the gun comes up is now an automatic action.

Caliber - That is even more controversial than pistol. Realistically, there is NO caliber that you would reasonably carry that has anything close to "Stopping Power".

45, 40 and 357 have a decent kick to them. Shooting them in a lighter pistol takes a lot of practice.
Lighter calibers like 9mm or 38 are a lot easier to shoot but don't do as much damage. Smaller than that (380 or 32) are not really a good choice, but if the shooter isn't comfortable with a larger caliber (intimidated by the noise, recoil or whatever) then they are an option. There was a 327 magnum that came out a few years ago. Again, not an optimal choice, but still better than nothing. The really small stuff, 22 or 25 are really bottom of the barrel. Unless the shooter needs a really, really small gun (like the Baby Browning or the NAA micro revolver) they are a poor choice.
BUT... If you are armed with a 22 and the bad guy has a knife, club or bare hands, then you are better armed. There are a lot of stories about the bad guy stopping the attack because the "victim" was armed with a puny, underpowered, little 22. Any gun is better than no gun.

For both guns and caliber, the only real way to find out what works best for you is to try it out. Find a friend (or a friend of a friend) who has a few pistols. Offer dinner or something to spend an afternoon at a range trying different stuff.
If it's a busy range, there will more than likely be other pistols being shot. Most shooters will let you try their guns, although some may ask you to pay for the ammo.
As a last resort, some of the larger shops offer gun rentals. It can get a little spendy (they usually make you buy their ammo to shoot) but it's a good way to "try before you buy" to see what you like to shoot and what you can shoot well.

Training. Get some. Make sure it's good. The "name" schools are not cheap, but well worth it.
You don't need to go to a name school to get decent training, though. There's lots of decent local training out there. What you need to do is learn the fundamentals, and then practice them a lot. Shooting - both precision accuracy and higher speed "draw and fire" drills, malfunction drills, weak hand and one hand drills.
And make sure you get some solid training for your carry permit. What you can and cannot do. What you should and should not do. What to expect if you do have to shoot someone.
And practice that too. As was suggested above, play the "What would you do in this situation?" game. Practice your situational awareness. Ask your wife (or have her ask you) stuff like:

How many people are in here (like in a restaurant) with us?
Who might represent a threat and who wouldn't? And Why or Why Not?
Is this a good place to be sitting? Again, why or why not?

Yogi Berra was right when he said "Half of baseball is 90% mental." So is self defense. There is stuff that you need to physically practice, but there is a lot more that is mental. Mind set. Attitude.

Hope some of this helps.

"There are NO situations which do not call for a French Maid outfit." Lucky McSwervy

"~ya don't GET old by being weak & stupid!" - Airtwardo