If you are going to carry as you mentioned, I would highly recommend the Glock 19. A decent IWB rig, like a Comp-Tac or a Kholster will carry it behind your stronside hip and conceal it well. I carried my 19 crossdraw in the top of my waistband with no holster most of the time. That may not be comfortable for you, and I definitely wouldn't carry with a round chambered in that manner, but it is great for running in the grocery store. Don't forget the Sig 239 or even the Kahr CW series. All are great weapons.


If you want to carry a gun that will stop a fight every single time with one shot, buy one of them little chinese rickshaw carts and mount a Browning M2 on it. Throw a bedsheet over it and nobody will be the wiser...

Or just get a weapon that you're comfortable with, carry a reload, and train with it until you are confident in your ability to defend yourself. I would refer those who believe a 9mm to be inadequate to the British SAS. They seem to be pleased with it...

"The smaller the gun, the bigger the man," as a great friend and teacher used to say".

Here's a couple of real life observations. Years ago, a friend of mine was shooting pool in a Dallas bar. He beat the guy out of some money and the guy got mad; thought he had been hustled. Of course, he had.

They got into a fight that carried itself outside where the other guy drew a 25 semi auto. During the struggle, my friend took the gun away from him and shot him in the throat with his own gun. The shootee jumped in his car and took off before the Police showed up. While the Police were taking the report from witnesses and my friend, the Officer told my friend "Never shoot a guy with a toy gun. They'll come back and kill you". Of course it was the bad guys gun so he didn't have any choice as to caliber.

While the Officer was still there, the bad guy drove up with a shotgun to finish the fight. Luckily, the Police were still there so he was apprehended.

Long story but the moral is...If you're going to shoot somebody, shoot them with a round big enough to kill them. If you shoot a 25, you better hit the heart or the head. I also was in a car once when the guy next to me was shot in the head at point blank range with a 38 spcl (interesting youth) and it didn't even knock him unconcious. The bullet entered at an angle and ringed around the inside of his skull without damaging his brain.

Considering all the things that can go wrong, I still believe "bigger is better" as far as calibers are concerned.

I wouldnt recommend a Glock to any new handgun carrier because it doesnt have a manual safety. Generation 3 Glocks are good guns and all but the hardest thing for a new carrier to do is keep themselves from putting their finger on the trigger and that can get someone shot all too easily.

Id go with a pistol with a manual safety first and if I hadnt caught myself with my finger on the trigger after a year or so Id go and buy whatever I felt like carrying.

A lot of good information here (and a good amount of b.s.). The best thing you could do is find a gun range that has rentals and try a few different handguns out. Some people love Glocks, I personally can't hit water from a boat with one. Then I take my semi compact Desert Eagle and can be pretty impressive. Nothing shoots better than my XD45 but it's hard to conceal. My Keltec PF9 can be carried under a t-shirt and gym shorts but not that comfortable at the range. Fell in love with my 1911 Officer and that is typically what I carry. So find a way to try a few things and YOU will find what is best. Listen to the people here but don't take it to heart, most of us are never right anyway, just ask our wives!

WTF...

If you are getting one: P228 or P229.

If you are going to carry it on your body 24/7/365, the P228 or P239.

If it's a vehicle/home seldom on your body, get the real deal, P226.

KC's G19 recommendation is valid if the Sig is out of range too.

To each his own, but there's no tremendous pool of data that says 500S&W 's stop people more effectively than anything else, getting one that you will have when you need it, are proficient, get rounds on target first and have modern defensive ammo in it, are the keys.

I still carry a 9mm. Probably sentimental reasons, and money. But it's interchangeable with the wifes, same function and magazines, and it works flawlessly.

If I was on the street as a cop again (God forbid), I'd prefer department wide compatibility over my personal choice... if everyone had a Glock 357 Sig or 40 or 1911 45 or whatever, then those will work too.

Not sure about spare parts for them but the CZ-75 is one of the most comfortable pistols I have ever shot. Im going to get the Sp-01 Tactical in .40 S&W for my next side arm. The Sig p229 is really nice too. I have lots of buddies who cary them on duty.

I'm a glock fan myself. The only thing I might add to this is what I've seen on the ambulance. Seen GSW from 9mm and 45 ACP, 40 wasn't a popular round yet. I was not at all impressed 9mm it was usually a through and through and not a lot of expansion, but none the less it killed some folks. The 45 was the most devistating wound I ever saw.

As someone mentioned, hitting your target and good bullets.

Bullet Placement, Bullet Placement, Period.

X2, still want a bigger caliber in my hand when i'm defending myself

This is good information. This discussion on caliber was interesting for the first 2-3 posts but now it is old.

I am really interested in WHY you think one model is better or worse to consider than another.

Lack of manual safety on a GLOCK is a good example of the information I am looking for.

Thanks,
Ed

Also a good post with information I can use. Please more of this and less caliber discussion.

I had a glock 27. It shot well and was relatively easy to conceal. Of course come july, in tee shirt shorts and sandals any pistol is hard as conceal. I found I carried a keltec 32 acp more than anything else. Nobody ever knew I had it on me and at 10' it was accurate.

You also need to keep in mind aftermarket product availability.. for example.. I have a glock 19 and Im able to get numerous holsters of many different varieties.. when I tried to get a concealed holster for my Ruger 345 there were none available (outside of custom leatherwork) - dont let anyone talk you into one caliber over another - my 9mm with buffalo bore +P+ ammo has just as much knockdown power as a 45 or a 40 - even more important is my confidence with the round and the gun.. shot placement is more important than anything else..

I wanted to add something about the safety issue.. Im a glock owner and I am very disciplined about keeping my finger out of the trigger guard.. I teach my boys to shoot and they know that the trigger finger is the LAST thing to move.. YOu keep your finger up on the slide of the gun.. This is critical because in a self defense situation it will be hard to remember to release the manual safety.. (unless the gun owner practices releasing the safety EVERY time they practice with the gun)..just my 2cents

I was looking at one of the little Ruger lcp this weekend. Man that little thing would be to easy to carry. I've also read some good reports on them. Not to long ago I read a FBI file where the new .380 critical defense ammo is penetrating the FBI required 12" using denim wrapped ballistic gellatin. Pretty impressive round for the little .380!! Usually the .380 HP rounds if they expand only penetrate around 7-9". Most .380 HP will plug up with cloth and not expand, but that is where the critical ammo comes in with the little tip, which will not plug up with cloth. That critical defense ammo has made the little .380 viable again. A .380 in the pocket is much better then a .40 or .45 left at home!! Almost all defense situations are shot a very, very close range.

Glock!

Her is my $.02 worth.

1. find a pistol that you are comfortable holding and shooting often, in awkward positions. Then practice, practice, and practice some more. Then when you are sick of shooting it, go and shoot another 250 or som rounds.

2. Know your pistol! be able to field strip it, clear a jammed or bad round. Be able to repair your gun. Just like in some movies, you need to be able to ftield strip your pistol in complete darkness.

3. Buy upgraded parts for it, do the research on your particular pistol. Find out what its weaknesses are. Buy a really good firing pin, change your trigger, get new sparings, whatever it takes to make it reliable! You want your gun to fire when you need it no matter what.

4. Pick something that you can afford to shoot often! If money is a concern, buy a cliber that ammunition is relaively cheap. As it was said earlier, 9mm is pretty reasonable to buy. I like .45 myself, and I like having multiple shots. SO I shoot a Glock model 21. It holds 14 rounds of .45 acp, and is compensated, meaning that it has a little less recoil than a pistol without compensation ports. I am a fairly large guy so I can hold the big framed pistol with out a lot of issues. Some guys hands are not suited for that. The main thing is get something that shoots well in your hands, and is reliable.

Some people may thin this is extreme, but it is your life or your loved ones life that you are intending to protect. It is far better to have and not need than to need and not have!

Oh and practice, practice, practice.

Thanks for all the information. At a minimum I have a few models to look at and a host of questions to ask about the different models when I go to the gun shop.


Does anyone have an opinion on the Beretta PX4 Storm? My neighbor has one and is going to let me shoot it at the range.


Ed

Ed PM me if you need some handgun help. I'll be happy to discuss this with you. Seeing as how I carry one for aliving I know a little about them. No expert but i'm sure I could help you.

I personally reccommend HK but they are slightly pricey. That Beretta is a decent gun. I shot one in 9mm and it was alight but I'm not really a big Beretta fan. Try the S&W M&P in the compact. Or the new Walther is a perty sweet package for a .40

How much do you want to spend????

Boudreaux, I'll call you in a week or so about this. I have to go out of town for a week.

I'd like to stay at or under $400 if I can. I can't justify $500+ based on the household finances.