Which pistol is your choice for concealed carry?

[woodchip]

In all honesty, it doesn't matter what "Joe Bob" carries. You need to find something which feels good in your hands, and you are comfortable in shooting, and carrying. In my own personal opinion, within reason, you get what you pay for in firearms. I certainly don't want to have a jam or misfeed when it comes to defending my life. As long as it goes "Bang Bang" every time you pull the trigger, and you are able to hit with it consistently from 3- 12 feet, it's a good gun. Just my thoughts, and I have some others, but I'll hold off..


God Bless,
David B.

[CASH]

I don't understand how some of this stuff is considered too big to conceal.  Ain't like we're carrying a Dirty Harry 44 Mag.

[Kylongspur88]

I keep a Ruger P95 9mm in the truck and cary a 357mag in the woods. My next hand gun will be a 10mm. A bit much for my budget now but someday.

[decoykrvr]

You have a greater chance of being hit by lightning than needing a firearm to protect yourself from a bear, esp. in the Eastern U.S..  With that caveat, watch the weather and choose a firearm which you "Will Carry".   I've carried a handgun for over 35 years to the point that I wouldn't go out of the house without one.  I've tried to carry about 8 different guns for concealed carry and the primary factor for what I carry is size and weight.  The meanest, baddest caliber doesn't do you any good at home in the gun safe, which is where it will be if it's too heavy, cumbersome, and non-concealable to stick in your pocket.  I have had the right front pocket of numerous pairs of pants and shorts modified for pocket carry to accommodate a S&W Mod. 60, 2", 38 or a Kel-Tec P3AT, 380.  This allows you to carry without a jacket or sportscoat with your shirt tucked in.  Carry in the woods with an external belt holster is a whole different story and opens up the possibility of carrying everything from large single action revolvers, large frame double action revolvers, and pistols of any caliber.  Whatever you choose to carry, practice/practice/practice pulling out your firearm and shooting at various ranges and circumstances and practice with the ammo which you intend to carry, preferably Cor-Bon's or ammo of similar construction and velocity.  God forbid, if you ever need to draw a firearm in defense, "Shoot to Kill".

[Ol'Mossy]

GP100 357 magnum

[Limbstrutter]

Springfield Arms XD 40 Sub compact . Awesome little carry.  And a S&W 38 SP.

[slawman]

Ruger LCP 380, you don't even realize your carring it

[danny]

A Glock .45 that i carry around the farm.  And a Taurus TCP .380 that i carry in my pocket about every day...no one notices it....Danny

[ncturkey]

Glock 40 cal. compact.

[magicman]

Springfield XD 45.

[HOOKS1]

Kel-Tec P-3AT 380ACP.

[CB on the run]

  I don't know how'd you would wrap up concealed carry, home defense and bear control into one gun.  For concealed carry, I ended up with the Rohrbaugh 9mm loaded with Hornady's critical defense loads.  I've have a variety of revolvers and autos over the years but found that if it wasn't light and small it stayed home especially during the summer.  Also the 9mm was my minimum caliber as I've seen people carrying lesser calibers well.  The last being a 6'5" 285lbs gent who was carrying two 38 rounds and talking on his cell phone as he flagged me down.  I thought he was locked out of his vehicle.
  For home defense especially sands a lot of handgun training would be a pump shotgun.

  Lastly, bear defense would be a .41 or larger revolver or a 10mm/45 auto.

Good luck.

CB

[lightsoutcalls]

I saw one mention of a North American Arms pistol in this thread.  This is a weapon that I have long admired simply for its miniscule size and ease of concealment.  I always thought they would be too small to be effective... until...
I had the pleasure of hunting with a gentleman who makes custom predator calls.  He is a retired Arkansas State Trooper whose title was sniper/counter sniper.  This gentleman, from all appearances is the most humble, gentle person you could meet.  After he dispatched a coyote on our hunt with a 204 Ruger, I drug the dog back up the hill, where it continued to display some creepy nerve responses of it's head and neck rotating.  (Not like the scene from poltergeist) Anyway, my friend pulled out his little NAA .22 pistol from his pocket and said "cover your ears".  He squeezed off a round and the neck rotation stopped.  I told him I had always had a thing for those little guns but never knew what they were good for.  Without hesitation, Joe said "5 men".  Coming from a gentleman who doesn't mince words and has the life experience to back his statement, I'm still considering it.  As was previously stated, anything that goes bang on your person is more effective than a hand cannon in a gun safe or night stand at home.  This is the model that catches my eye...


It weighs in at 6.4 oz unloaded and comes with an optional tritium sight.  This one is .22 mag.  Even the .22 lr has a thunderous bark out of the little 1" barrel.  

On a related note, I have been delivering pizza several evenings a week for about a year.  In this economy, it has helped pay off all of my credit cards and now working off the medical bills.  Just last week a pizza delivery guy on the other side of town was hit with a stun gun while making a delivery inside a privacy fenced yard.  Fortunately he was o.k. afterwards and was carrying less than $20 at the time.  It's sad to say, but even in residential areas, you just can't be certain anymore of your safety.

[ghillie]

I LOVE my Kimber  CDP II  45 cal with Crimson laser and Marine Corps grip, also occasionally carry a Sig P220 in 45 cal.

[hobbes]

I'd have to go with one of the top two on this list:

http://www.toptenz.net/top-10-huge-personal-firearms.php

Look at #4 and your sure to say........"thats gonna leave a mark"