How many guns to settle on a carry weapon?

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RickB

New member
My selection process included the somewhat arbitrary requirement that my new gun comply with the size and weight requirements of IDPA Back-Up Gun division, as otherwise, the gun would rarely get any range time.

A buddy had a S&W Shield, and while I didn't shoot it, I did some dry-fire.
I know a Walther distributor, and he loaned me a PPS, which I did get to shoot a bit.
Checking published dimensions, I determined the Springfield XDs is just about exactly the same size as the Walther.
Ultimately, a I had to "go with what I know", 1911s, and after handling a few examples each of the SIG P938 and Kimber Micro 9, bought the former.

My previous carry gun was a 32oz, "compact" .45, and while I'm still a believer in big bullets, I'm much more likely to actually be armed, when my carry gun is a 16oz pistol that fits in some pockets (and holds one additional round).

A little over three years, and 3000rds later, I now have to work any other gun into my range rotation in my shooting "off season", as the little SIG is such a pleasure to shoot.

Still, on an occasion like the night a buddy called, to ask if I'd drive him to the wrong side of the tracks at midnight to recover his stolen car, I was wearing a .45.
 
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corneileous

New member
For me, it’s been a little bit of a battle but I think I finally found my ultimate every day carry pistol so I think I might be done on that part… LOL.

So anyway, my story is, I’ve been carrying for almost 4 years now. My first pistol was a full size beretta Storm PX4 40 that I had bought little over four years ago just for the sole purpose of home defense and something to go shoot occasionally.

Wasn’t interested in carrying it at that point but then I began later on carrying it with me whenever I would have to go out of town for work for hotel room defense and then once I got tired of having to unload and load the thing every day because back at that time here in Oklahoma you had to have a permit to carry a loaded pistol in a vehicle, so I decided at that point that maybe it would be in my best interest to just go get my permit so that I could leave my pistol loaded all the time and not have to constantly load, unload, load, and unload my gun over and over again when I would be done driving for the day and then have to go back to driving the next day. Still had no intentions of carrying this pistol on me at this point.

Then the day came to where I decided that I wanted to start carrying a pistol on my person so that’s when I had to go gun shopping again because with my Beretta being a full size pistol, at the time I thought was too big to conceal carry since open carry for me is still only for when I’m around the house or out in the woods so then I went shopping for a smaller compact pistol to carry in one of those hybrid holsters that you carry strong side on the inside of your waistband.

I looked at a Beretta nano 9mm, a Ruger LC9S 9mm, the sub compact version of the Smith and Wesson MP- preferably the 9mm instead of the 40 because I figured the 9mm version would be less felt recoil on a pistol that small and of course the sub compact version of the Beretta storm. That one, I didn’t care if it was 9 mm or 40 because since it was a double stack, I figured the larger caliber wouldn’t affect that gun as much.

I settled on the Ruger LC9S because it was a single stack, it fit good in an IWB holster and at the time, I was wanting my carry pistol to have a safety on it. I really loved the little subcompact storm but I chose against it because even though it did have a safety but with it being a double stack pistol, it was just too tight in between myself and the waistband of my jeans.

The MP was nice but if I recall, I don’t think it had a safety on it. Which was the same for the Beretta nano that all they had for a safety was just in the trigger and that’s not what I wanted. I would’ve even considered the Ruger LC9S pro just for the simple fact that it did not have the magazine disconnect which allows the gun to be fired even if the magazine’s not in it but it’s other difference from the regular LC9S was too much like the MP and the nano to where it didn’t have that slide mounted safety so it was out. I carried the Ruger every day for two years and loved it.

Then… I discovered how much, once I learned to use and be effective with it, I loved the double action shot of my full size storm that I began to really love that pistol to the point to where I had bought my second storm which was a full size 45, and then not long after that, I had bought my little compact 9 mm Storm. It wasn’t long after that when I made my decision on my little Ruger that I really didn’t care for the fact that it had a safety but considering the type of gun the Ruger was, I wouldn’t carry or even own a gun like that without a safety. And what I mean, is your typical striker-fired pistol that just relies on a trigger safety to make it safe.

No need to get into the whole debate over safeties being welcome or not welcome on your carry handgun or whether or not a trigger safety is safe enough to make a gun safe or not or whatever, it just didn’t work for me; it wasn’t comfortable for me to have a Glock, or a Glock-like pistol so that’s why after that I had moved away from striker fired pistols with safeties to the double action/single action hammer fired pistols; And like I said, since I was only okay for a very short period with having a safety on my carry pistol, I didn’t no longer want a safety on a gun because of fear of not so much of accidentally getting turned off, but more of if I ever had to use it in a scuffle, could I guarantee myself to never forget to turn the safety off.

Then came the day when I converted my 9 mm storm from a type F to a type G which means it’s just now a decocker only and no more safety. I love that so much that I converted my other two storms and once I really got the hang of not having a safety on those pistols and being able to rely on what I believe is a lot more safer when you have the double action trigger to go through before you have an uh oh moment, I had found that double action, single action hammer fired pistols were my thing.

So you guessed it, I had to go pistol shopping again… LOL. I settled on the Springfield XDE 45 because it’s compact sized, it’s only a single stack and it fits well in my front pocket whether it’s in my work jeans or my casually worn cargo shorts.

I will add that occasionally in the winter time when I’m not at work and it’s too cold for shorts that I will sometimes carry concealed outside the waistband in a paddle holster, my XDE 45 and sometimes either my 9mm or 40 storm because I can use the same leather beretta pancake holster for those two guns but when I’m at work or when it’s casual, it’s hot and I’m wearing shorts, my go to is my little Springfield. Sorry for the long post… LOL.


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corneileous

New member
Oh and I guess since the discussion isn’t about just one kind of carry environment, my single action only Sig P220 Elite 10mm equipped with a rail mounted Streamlight TLR-4 combination laser flashlight loaded with full-strength Underwood 220 grain hard casts carried in a custom made leather pancake holster with thumb strap is my go to for woods carry against four-legged predators.

Yeah, I know, for those that know this gun, it does have a saftey on it but because it’s single action only, it’s really meant to be carried cocked and locked like a 1911, but without the grip safety. But this gun just sets itself apart from my other guns. Maybe it’s because of the fact that I only carry it on occasion and that the environment and the predators it’s carried in/for is why I’m ok with it being what it is.


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9ballbilly

New member
At different times over the last thirty-five years I've carried different guns for different reasons. In my early twenties it was a 6" Dan Wesson .44mag.. When I worked as an LEO, and for about a decade overall, it was a S&W model 4006 .40cal.. Now it's a Para elite commander 1911 .45. Those are just the main ones that come to mind, and there have been many in between.
 
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jeffreybehr

New member
Maybe a dozen.. Not necessarily different 'pistols', but I've tried 9mm, 357SIG, 40S&W, 10mmAuto, 45Auto, and 45GAP.. Many were Glocks until I determined that their squarish grip cross-sections were not comfortable for me; S&W M&P's ovoid grips are comfortable and I've had maybe a half-dozen of them.. I currently carry and shoot a fullsize M&P40 and have a new one on the way..
 
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Rangerrich99

New member
About 347.

Feels like it anyway. Over the years I carried lots of different guns. Even now, I carry different guns depending on what I'll be doing. In the woods I tend towards revolvers, and in the city mostly semis.

But for the sake of brevity, currently I carry a S&W M&P9C 2.0 (God, I hate saying that out loud). Last year I mostly carried my Shield9 1.0 or my Ruger LWT CMD 1911 9mm.
 
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stephen426

New member
Sig P228: was too big to conceal easily
Glock 26: was a little too thick
Kahr PM9: long trigger pull was a hinderance to shooting quickly. Also, internals rusted
Glock 43: only holds 6+1 (or 8+1 with +2 base plates)
Springfield Hellcat: current carry gun (holds 11+1 and I carry two 13 round mags)

I’m pretty sure I have found my long term carry gun... for now. LOL
 
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JKP

New member
I started with a Kel tec Pf9 when I first got my CCW permit. It shot reliably but hurt to shoot enough to get skilled with. Then I bought a Sig P290rs. This shot fine but the long double action trigger was not good with the small grip. I've always shot revolvers along with pistols so I thought it wouldn't be a problem. Smith & Wesson trigger it was not. Then I bought a Sig P938 and sold the P290rs. I really like this gun. Nice trigger, low recoil, accurate and fits nicely in a pocket holster. I became intrigued with the P365 so I traded in the Kel tec (practically gave it away as it was only around for a second CCW) and bought the P365 with safety. I like the P365 but the P938 is my favorite.
 
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Tygus.Shooting

New member
I'm afraid it took a lot of guns..!

When I bought my first carry gun, I worked on the assumption that it would be the first and last handgun I would ever own, so picked up the biggest, baddest piece I could find at the time --- a Smith & Wesson 4506.

Those of you who are familiar with that gun are probably laughing out loud right now, because the 4506 actually weighs more than a 1911, and carries like a proverbial brick.

Fortunately, I discovered that I could afford to purchase succeeding guns, and I soon swapped the big Smith for a Glock 19.

Like Boarhunter, though, I still haven't decided on what gun I would carry, if I only had one choice. I have also since decided to carry a backup gun in addition to my primary, and my primary carry ensemble today rotates through a Glock 23, an S&W M&P9, Taurus Millennium PT145, a Norinco PPN (.380ACP like Prof Young likes) and a Kel-Tec PMR30. I restrict myself to two backup pieces, however --- a Ruger LCP and a S&W 351PD.

So I guess it's a still-unfinished journey. I'm pretty satisfied with the pieces I have now, but can't promise that I won't buy the next "better" handgun that comes along.

Let's just say it took me eight (8) tries to find a gun I enjoy carrying (!)
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I love gun control. It lets me hit what I'm shooting at!
 
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dontcatchmany

New member
I keep on looking!

Earlier this week I got my 23rd carry gun...lol!

Glock 32 357 Sig.

400 rounds and exceptional performance.....been carrying it the last two days.

This is my umpteenth LAST gun!
 
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volkstrm

New member
Well where do I begin? I used to carry my sig,226 in 40s&w or 357sig most of the time but now I carry one of my CZ,75 in 9mm. Fall & winter the full size 75BD then the 75 compact or the p-01.
 
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Spats McGee

Administrator
For semiauto: 4
For revolvers 1

I grew up in a house where shotguns were used far and away more than anything else, primarily for bird hunting. We had a few pistols and rifles, but they were used for plinking more than anything else. So I really grew up knowing very little about pistols, in spite of having a couple. Around 2010, two things happened: (1) I joined TFL; and (2) I got my CHCL. My first EDC pistol was a Springfield Armory GI model 1911. I wanted nothing to do with plastic pistols back then, and I wanted a carry gun 'in a caliber that started with a 4.' Besides, I'd wanted a 1911 for about 20 years. Initially, the gun was kind of a jam-o-matic, but my gunsmith squared that away.

Sometime over the next few years, I realized that I wanted a pocket pistol. I love my 1911, but I don't want to have to wear a cover garment when it's 103* outside, and I don't want to OC to Home Depot. So I picked up a Ruger LCR in .357 Mag. I think I fired 2 cylinders of .357 Mag through it before deciding it'd be OK if I carried .38s in it. Still have it, still carry it. I'm more of a semiauto guy, but it's a great little gun.

I carried the 1911 for about 3 years, but finally decided that it was kind of heavy. By then, I'd been hanging around here long enough that I decided that maybe, just MAYBE, I could try something in plastic. After several threads and lots of guidance from other TFL members (maybe on THR, as well), and plenty of overthinking, I bought a Gen 4 Glock 19. I named her Gretchen and carried her for 3-4 years, as well. I'd call her 'a very good gun,' but not 'Perfection.' I put about 2K rounds through her, had a slide lock spring break at about 400 rounds, and she ran like she should.

Anyway, after 3-4 years of carrying the Glock, I decided that I wanted to go even smaller. My daily attire is moderately dressy, and I wanted something that was just a bit easier to hide. I'd had my eye on the S&W Shield. In 2017, Shield prices went into free-fall as S&W geared up for the introduction of the Shield 2.0. Between that and a promotion by S&W, I picked up: (a) a S&W Shield 1.0, 9mm, with 2 mags; (b) 2 spare mags; (c) 3 more mags, ordered elsewhere; (d) 2 boxes of Hornady Critical Defense; (e) a magazine loader - all for less than $350 (if memory serves).

I'm at 3 years now, and am about to make another switch, this time to a different Shield. (Now that I put this in writing, though, I'm beginning to see a pattern.) I've long thought that the 1911 is almost the perfect size for a carry gun. However, when I made the switch to the G19 years ago, I pretty much decided to give up thumb safeties on my carry guns. And I've been awfully impressed with my Shield. I'm about 750 rounds in, and it's actually been better than my Glock. It runs, without fail, no matter the ammo, no matter if I've cleaned it, no matter, no matter, no matter. It's probably more accurate than I can wring out of it, and it handles recoil surprisingly well for a gun of its size. But I got to nosing around on the interwebs and realized that the S&W PC makes a Shield 45 with a 4" barrel..... It's almost the exact same size as a 1911 Commander, and it's a Shield. What more could I want?!? (The answer, as it turns out, is "A Shield that feeds properly.") I'm about to send my Shield 45 back to S&W, because it won't feed properly. I'm ~300 rounds in, and it's still not good enough for carry. That said, once I get it back, I think it will be my EDC, and my Shield 9 will go to 'Sunday-go-to-meeting duty,' for when I wear real dress clothes.
 
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2damnold4this

New member
In addition to the number of guns, I wonder how many different holsters for each gun people have tried before settling on a favorite?
 
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ms6852

New member
Though I have a variety of firearms I automatically picked a full size 1911, probably due to familiarity from using one in the military for a couple of decades. Though I had purchased revolvers and semi-autos, this were bought before I ever considered getting a license to carry as I never carried conceal. Once I got my permit to carry conceal I bought a Springfield 1911 for that specific purpose. Now recently at least 2 years ago I went through a mid-life crisis and felt I needed a change and now carry the 686* with 3" barrel.
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mikejonestkd

New member
I went through a similar process as Spats, going from a full size 1911, to a glock, a J frame, and now a gen 1.0 9mm shield.
I rarely carry, due to work and school restrictions, so a Shield will probably do me quite well for quite some time.
 
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jr24

New member
Honestly, I still haven't fully settled. About 90% settled with the option for a lighter gun in the hottest summer months.

But to get to this point? Geez, a lot.

Started with a P225 (and have a line on getting one next summer, it'll be nice to have one again) then a P220, 1911, a whole slew of Glocks in many calibers, a CZ P07, a number of Sigs again (226, 229, 245), back to 1911, back to Glock, back to 1911 again, 226 legion, Glock, then finally settled on a Wilson EDC X9.

it's possible I'll go back to a lightweight gun, like the Glock 19, again next summer.
 
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zoo

Moderator
I can’t settle on one firearm any more than I can settle on one pair of boots. Generally speaking though, a Sig P365 and Tecova Ropers.
 
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