The gun you wish you could carry but,...

[swsig]

My wonderful FNX 45T. It's very accurate, totally reliable, and carries 16 rounds of .45 ACP goodness. However with its 5.3" barrel and weight of nearly 3 lbs. when loaded, it's not a practical carry pistol. But it's great at the range and is an excellent home defense weapon. It's a keeper.

 

[BarryinIN]

I’ve thought about carrying my Sig P-210 because it shoots so nice, but the awkward thumb safety kills that plan.

 

[Exchipy]

Wanted to carry around this blued/stainless Colt Government Model 9mm:

But, it is far too hefty for my aging carcass.

So, I did the next best thing by acquiring this CCO-sized, aluminum frame RIA AMSCS 9mm:

 

[petepeterson]

My 4" Model 19-3 and Gold Cup in .45 are the two pistols I shoot the best. I occasionally carry the .45 on weekends when I know I'll be shooting, but it's a bit heavy and bulky for what I wear while working, so it's plastic fantastic during the week.

 

[Denverd0n]

Depending on what I'm wearing, sometimes I do carry the gun I always wish I could carry. That being my M&P with 4.25" barrel. Conceals well enough, in a well-designed OWB holster, under a loose shirt, to carry from time to time. If I'm wearing any sort of a vest or light jacket over my shirt, then it is no problem at all to conceal.

Times when that doesn't work, I carry a single-stack Kahr with 3.5" barrel. That will conceal under almost anything. The one exception being when I go to the beach, and will be taking my shirt off. Then I carry a mini .380 in a pocket holster.

I think a lot of people could conceal a lot more gun than they do, but the obsess to much about the least little bulge under their shirt. 99.9% of the people out there are completely oblivious to their surroundings, and so they will never notice that little bulge. The other 0.1% won't care!

 

[Baxter6551]

The CZ75 platform is a great gun. Especially when tuned by Cajun or CZ Custom.

 

[ImDrRich]

Always wanted to own and carry a Browning Hi-Power made and assembled in Belgium. Never got around to owning one and the width of the grips was always a sticking point.

 

[Terry G]

I guess I'm the Lone Ranger. I carried q Colt Series 70 .45 for 20 years and then a Glock 21 until retirement. Now it's a CZ 97b in the Winter and the 75b in the warmer Spring weather. Summer , and early Fall it's one of the CZ' Compacts usually the P-01.

 

[Smoke]

I actually no longer have this gun but I sometimes regret selling it because it was really a perfect gun for concealed carry but I made a decision that I'm never going to carry a gun with a manual safety ever again.

 

[Terry G]

Probably my Taurus PT92. It shoots great but it's probably too big to carry effectively.

Don't sell those Taurus guns short. I bought a PT 92 in 1986 and it and the PT 99 I bought soon after and they are both still shooting. I bought a lot of Taurus guns and my only disappointment was their TH 45 that went back six times and was given a new gun twice. I gave up figured it was a loss and bought a S&W M&P 2.0 .45 for spite. While I was breaking in the S&W with some 185 Grain loads I figured give the piece of Taurus junk a last. It hasn't malfunctioned since. Don't ask me. 185 Grain hot SD loads maybe did the trick. It shoots 230 Grain wimpy Winchester Target loads fine too. Go figure.

 

[walkin' trails]

It might be my Model 34 four inch. Slim, effective for caliber barrel length, not overly heavy. But I can’t carry it due to the slim chance that I’d see it again after a bad day. It’s not as affordability replaceable as it was when I first acquired it.

 

[45Smashemflat]

There was a time when my only handguns were a 6” Ruger Single Six in 22LR and a 8” Ruger RedHawk in 44 Mag. I had a (surprisingly) very comfortable nylon shoulder rig for the 44 that put it vertically under my left arm and had a good tie down on the right. It actually got carried a good bit when I could dress to cover it up. That said, that’s an awful lot of iron to lug around all day!

 

[heeter3]

DuckBeav,I'd carry my model 14 S&W 6 inch revolver.If I was still on the job that 6 in would be no problem but today in retirement it's a 2 or 3 in snub.

 

[LAH]

Is really more suited for HD and Competiton shooting. My new CZ75BD is such a gun. I am really loving the heck out of it for feel and function and, I can really hit what I'm aiming at! Shot it some more this weekend and it is just fantastic! But it does weigh a good bit like a dump truck. What's your gun you wish you could carry but, stays in the home or sees competition and range time only?

View attachment 760874

Those need an alloy frame like my PreB. Mine is only 28 ounces empty.

 

[Venom6]

Well, mighta been Duane Thomas who famously said, "The first rule of gunfighting is, 'Have a gun.'" And he's right of course. On the other hand, Clint Smith says, "None of them are small enough to carry and none of them are big enough to fight with." Now that I'm retired I'm a little more open to compromise, but during my over-long LE career which included a few gunfights I never once wanted a smaller gun, a cheaper gun, or fewer bullets.

 

[roundels]

My nickel 4 3/4" Colt SAA in .44 Special. I know, I know, but you you did say the gun I wish I could carry. What can I say-when I was a kid I always wanted to be either an Astronaut or James West.

 

[Randomgunguy]

I don’t know if it meets this question’s criteria, as I really don’t have the desire to carry a gun that isn’t small and light enough to fit in a pocket.

That said, if I had to go someplace where I thought I might need a gun and was limited to a handgun, I’d bring this slicked-up CZ SP-01 I purchased from Cajun Gunworks several years ago. In many thousands of rounds it has malfunctioned only once. I was shooting around the left side of a barricade and was inadvertently pressing the ejection port against the wall, literally preventing the empties from exiting.

View attachment 760905

Our detective carries that as his duty weapon. Quite nice

 

[Randomgunguy]

View attachment 761833
I actually no longer have this gun but I sometimes regret selling it because it was really a perfect gun for concealed carry but I made a decision that I'm never going to carry a gun with a manual safety ever again.

I still qualify with and carry my 4013tsw on duty for plain clothes or tac. I love that gun. My only complaint is I cant find a holster with retention. I got sent to a huge mele in another town and felt like i was worried about someone pulling it outta my owb holster in a fight.

 

[LVSteve]

Well, mighta been Duane Thomas who famously said, "The first rule of gunfighting is, 'Have a gun.'" And he's right of course. On the other hand, Clint Smith says, "None of them are small enough to carry and none of them are big enough to fight with." Now that I'm retired I'm a little more open to compromise, but during my over-long LE career which included a few gunfights I never once wanted a smaller gun, a cheaper gun, or fewer bullets.

I'm going to file the Clint Smith comment in the ever growing category of "Sweeping Generalizations".

 

[Mike LaNier]

For years my carry pistol was a Star PD in .45 acp; small, light, and was reasonably accurate. Lost it in a wildfire that burned our house to the ground in 2020. Today the carry pistol is a 2" Charter Arms .32 H&R mag revolver, with one speed loader. If I need more than 10 rounds I'm probably someplace I shouldn't be. I've taken courses at Thunder Ranch, and would note Clint Smith carries either a 1911 or a 4" .44 Magnum revolver...but notes that the handguns are generally good only to fight your way to a rifle...