Hey,
I just joined this forum hoping someone up here would know of a 45ACP handgun that is concealable. Obviously all of them are, but something as small as I can get. I was looking to conceal it with a in the pants holster with my shirt untucked. I have looked at the glock 36, but after doing some research I found it it had some malfunctions, and i'm not sure if they resolved them.

Whats your opinions on the m&p compact 45ACP or the 40 S&W?

How much bigger is the 45ACP in the m&p compact vs. the 40 s&w?

Price does matter but I also can get them a little cheaper than retail being me and my dad run a gun shop. Willing to put around $500 in dealer cost. Also you would think I would know every gun out there are could just go behind the counter and get one and try it. Wrong we don't keep handguns in the inventory because of break ins, and here in North Carolina all handguns have to be shipped next day air. So it only puts the buyer waiting an extra day and we try to give them a good price break also so they will keep buying from us.


I really would like the 45ACP versus the 40 S&W, because I'm going to BLET in January, and before I graduate, I plan on carrying this firearm on me as a conceal carry gun. I Also plan on carrying this firearm on me when I am off duty for safety issues.

However I do know know the rules, and regulations yet. But I'm looking into buying a S&W442 to carry on my ankle while I am on duty as a backup weapon. Or maybe even conceal carry the compact m&p 45ACP on my ankle depending on how it feels.


Sorry if my grammar is off a little

Blake

Check out Springfield Arms. They make several 1911 style .45 & .40 cal you might like. I have the full sized MilSpec .45, am pretty happy with it and their customer service is great. One thing to beware of is the small 1911 .45's can be troublesome due to their short barrel and guide rods. Do some internet research before making any decisions. Best . . .

Try the M&P45c-you'll love it. It carries and shoots like a dream.

I have a full size M&P 45 and I carry it all the time. Its very easy to conceal with the right gear

Sorry. My only experience is with the FS and 40c. I've carried the compact on my ankle on duty. It's my primary off duty carry. It currently rides in a Galco Concealable and I really like it.

I have a compact 45 M&P and I like it. Very accurate and easy to conceal. I liked it so much I bought a backup and for summer wear --a 40c.

The 45 Compact goes to matches and sleeps beside me at home. The 40c goes everywhere else with me.

I carry the 40c in a Loboleathergoods enhanced pancake and it's one of the easiest, most powerful handguns I've ever carried.

I spent 33 years carrying guns for a living. Went to the dark side and now pack the 40c all the time. 11 rds of 135gr Federal JHPs with 10 more rounds in a magazine on the distaff side.

Easier to conceal than a K frame with a lot more firepower.

I carry the S&W M&P 45C off duty and the S&W M&P 9MM FS on duty.

S&W M&P 45C (rides in a Crossbreed supertuck) <-- amazing!
S&W M&P 9MM FS (rides in a Sarafiland 6370) <-- awesome!

I love my set ups on both my conceal carry and my duty carry.

I have to admit.... the 9FS is a better pistol and shooter than the 45C.
But IMHO the 45 has more poop!!! but carries 8+1...
Where as the 9 carries 17+1

so in summary...........
Crossbreed Supertuck for any of the CC options....
and Safariland for Duty carry..........

__________________
)))X~ silvercn ~X(((

I carry a Kimber 3" 7-shot Ultra CDPII full of Federal 230 grain Hyra Shoks pretty much all the time. I'm 6' 175 lbs, in the cool weather when I wear a jacket I carry it in a Kramer horsehide vertical scabbard, in the warm weather it is in a Kramer IWB #2 and it will conceal under an untucked t-shirt. The gun had some serious reliability issues when I first got it, but I shipped it back to Kimber, they totally redid the gun at no charge, to the point where they changed the slide out and swapped it from an external extractor to an internal one. Since then the gun is superbly accurate, and has not skipped a beat. I stake my life on it!

Recommend you do not rush any decision. Especially when I see words about carrying a .45ACP pistol in an ankle holster...

Military and police pistol training is invariably basic and very incomplete. There are some excellent training schools around the country that will provide training you won't get for free. Good policemen and soldiers save and spend their own money for them.

Note Silvercn's commonality in on- and off-duty weapons. You always revert to your training and hesitating because you're asking yourself "What pistol am I carrying today" is pushing you toward second place. There are no "podium" positions in gunfights. In otherwords your off-duty pistol should be the same type as your on-duty. You won't know that until you get a job.

For ME the ideal first training and service pistol is the M&P9. And a good three day 2000 round course. These skills will translate to whatever service pistol you're assigned. Repeat the course if the pistol type is not the same.



-- Chuck

I carry the M&P40c. I'm never with out it. I pocket carry most of the time. Sometimes in a pocket holster, sometimes with out holster. It depends on the pants. The holster increases the bulk a little. In cold weather I will use a belt or inside the pants holster. To pocket carry, you have to pick your pants so the gun will fit and look ok. I use cargo pants with lots of large pockets most of the time. You have to work it out.
Phil

This is as good advice as you are going to be given anywhere. Especially the part that states 'You won't know until you get the job.' in selecting your weapon.
As an example I had worked for a Dept. as a Reserve officer and in Dispatch for 2 years the whole time carrying a revolver. A Beautiful Model 28 6 inch in a Hoyt holster a fast and accurate combination that worked well for me. I was hired by a neighboring agency and scheduled for two weeks of in house training before attending the Academy. During that time the City Council approved funds for and the new department purchased new weapons. The Saturday before my I started the new Dept. had a 4 hour course for all personel transitioning from revolver to the then new Model 59 9mm. The following Monday I reported to the Academy with two new 59's with 6 magazines and 1500 rds of ammo. My instructions were if one or both of the 59's gave me trouble to call them immediatley and the Rangemaster/Training Sgt. would drive up with two new 59's to replace mine. My 59 functioned flawlessly for the 4 months of the Academy. I placed second in the shooting phase.

My point is wait until you know for sure what you will be carrying before you plunk down good money on something that might not be department approved for use on or off duty.
I hope this helps.

I was thinking about what I wrote to you about waiting. You know buying what you want is your choice and if you enjoy it it is not a bad purchase. Buy what you can afford and what makes you happy. If you are single buy all you can before you marry. You might become like a lot of us who has to clear the purchase before. You can always adapt to what your Dept. issues and make it work for you.

Am thinking of an M&P 45c only because I greatly miss my old LW Commander from days of yore, and I have been pleasantly surprised by my "Rodney Dangerfield" Sigma. No blood and thunder need, really...

But I can relate to work and the KISS principle mentioned above. I stayed with a 4" .357 when everyone else was falling all over themselves to buy SIGs and Glocks. I've lost track of all the pistols my old agency has adopted/allowed and then dropped. Talk about "guns of the month". After a while you wonder what the hell they're looking for.

That old wheelgun always worked, pointed like the finger of God, and I had complete confidence in it...Dinosaurs are extinct now, but a lot of them died well fed and of old age, too.

Thanks for the comments on the 45c. My birthday is coming and I'd like to think of something besides being a year older.

My EDC ("Civilian" concealed carry and semi-retired rent-a-cop) is one of two Officer's sized 1911's. (One's a 4" and the other a 3.5"; both are all steel. Not all that light, but they conceal well.) The real battle in concealment is the length of the grip frame. IOW, how far out does the fool thing stick if you bend over, move around, etc. These two are pretty decent. I'm not sure you can bobtail an Officer's sized gun, but that wouldn't hurt. I like arched MSH's, which don't really help much, but aren't that bad.

'Round the house, largely due to the weight v.s. a really cheap belt, I've taken to an M&P40C. A little more ammunition, but a bit less weight, and the gun's nearly indestructible. I have an M&P9C here that probably will stay in the range bag, but it's also a good carry. I just don't care much for the 9mm v.s. the 4's.... (Bought the 9 for my daughter. No idea if she'll take it, though - she's thinking of moving to New York.... ) An M&P40 Full Size (and a couple of BIG 1911's) also exist here, and are occasionally carried, but they're essentially range guns. I'm big enough to carry them, though, but spoiled by the little guys.

I should also add that I have an M39-2. When Starsky & Hutch was on TV in the 70's, some of the City PD Detectives made up a group buy. The dealer let me in on that deal. No regrets there, either. Shot it a couple weeks ago....

My only uniform gun was a 6" S&W M19, btw. Couldn't get a 4" at the time. An M10HB became my "concealment" gun. Nobody cared about printing then. I stopped working in uniform about the time I bought the M39, but wore it concealed for a long time....

Short answer, btw, is buy the longest barrel (slide) that you can feel good with (I don't believe how well the M&P40C shoots), and work with a small a grip frame as you can hold comfortably. Then dress around it....

Regards,

__________________
Stu.