What are you carrying? Sub-Compact, Compact, or Full Size

[wnderr]

I seldom carry full size, because they are BIG! lol. They do make nice house guns, and Zombie stoppers. Springfield, Ruger, S&W, Berettta, Taurus, and a couple others round out here.

In my normal carry rotation there exists:

Taurus PT111G2, 9mm, because it carries lots of bullets, and is the most comfortable gun to carry. In my belt, it is invisible to me! A stainless steel double stack for $200. A great gun for the price.

Taurus PT738 TCP, .380 - my normal BUG, and utilized when deep carry is desired. Really easy to hide, and always goes bang when I want it to! Stainless for low maintenance and high corrosion resistance, since it is always in high humidity.

S&W M&P 9c, because its size and capacity are comforting, and easily concealed, partly because of the abbreviated grip.

Ruger RAP 9 Compact, because I love it's looks, and it's a good shooter. Also carries lots of bullets, but it's edges make it uncomfortable to carry IWB. It's also heavy, but I love it!

Taurus PT709, 9mm, because it is slightly easier to conceal than a double stack. Great price for a good gun. Again, a little more comfortable IWB than others.

S&W M&P Shield 9mm 2.0, for the same reason as the 709, plus I got the integrated Crimson Trace laser for the same price as a non laser, even on sale! It's really a nice gun for it's size. Nice price.

S&W M&P9 Compact, 3.6", M2.0, because I like it a lot. Nicer than the 9c in lots of ways, similar in lots of ways, different in others. Like the longer grip, sometimes dislike it if it shows. Great trigger, lots of bullets, great price at 349 delivered!

Originally, I carried an Iver Johnson mini 1911, .380! Switched to a single stack 9 with an extra mag or two. And went to double stack for the increased capacity without carrying any extra mags - much more convenient. Right! Over time, I started carrying an extra mag or two of double stacks in my off side pocket. Now, usually, I have a full box of 9mm on my person. lol, so much for convenience!

I carry mostly 115gr hollow points of different manufacture in the 9s, except the lil .380 sees nothing but Federal 95gr HSTs.

Yes, I do carry them all concealed, just not at the same time. None of these guns have ever failed me, except when using that funky Sig ammo.

What gets carried the most? The Taurus PT111, and any of the S&Ws. I really like the M&P line. If they get that lite strike problem fixed, I might add a BG!

Different guns for different circumstances - ain't it wonderful to have choices!

 

[URIT]

95% of the time, I carry either a Smith & Wesson 3953 or a Walther PPS40. I am more apt to take one of my full-sized Smiths or other S&W compacts or CS40s for a walk-about in the winter months.

 

[oldiesradio1560]

I pocket carry a .380 Shield EZ. Love her.

 

[Flyingfool]

^^^ You must have very big pockets!

 

[Well Armed]

Walther PPS M2, Springfield XD Mod 2 Subcompact, Shield 45, or my new M&P 4" Compact... Everything else are safe queens..

 

[Popeye77]

.45 Shield

 

[wnderr]

^^^ You must have very big pockets!

I am an accumulator! I've been accumulating guns for over 50 years. A friend of mine, another gun guy, says I fall in love with all my guns, when they should be liquid! Until about 10 years ago, an awful lot of really nice used guns could be had very cheap. Many I have sold for 2-3 times what I paid for them.

Lately, I been culling the old herd, and replacing with more modern stuff, buying slowly, at good prices. Sale prices plus rebates make a lot of guns very affordable.

To get the new M&P9 Compact 2.0, it was a replacement for a Beretta I just recently sold - net increase in guns = 0, net increase in $, significant.

I don't have anywhere near as many guns as I had 10-15 years ago, so I could even say I have been saving money...... That's what I tell my wife, anyhow!

I still have a wish list, but it still leaves me well below what I had even 5 years ago.

Another friend and I talk about how neither our kids or grand kids will have to buy guns when we buy the farm soon. lol

And, I still have money in my gun fund!

 

[Murphy's Law]

Summer time ......Shield in 40
Winter time.......G23

 

[hooperc]

alternate between shield 2.0 9mm/XDs .45 single stack/glock 19

 

[hooperc]

was a glock fan boy for a long time,.still have one but traded the others in on a couple of xds' and a 2.0 compact and a 2.0 shield both in 9mm.especially love the xds in .45.the grip texture is outstanding as it is on both the 2.0s

 

[oldiegoldie]

BG .380 warm months. pocket carry in Remora. cool months, Sig P239 9mm in Wright OWB. if conditions are right, my BG .380 in Wright OWB.

 

[5150ds]

M&P 2.0 9mm 4.25" for duty
M&P 9c Gen 1 for plain clothes
M&P Shield Gen 1 9mm off duty
Ruger LCP always

Just waiting to see if S&W re-makes the BG .380. That might replace my LCP.

 

[ScaryWoody]

Shield 45 most days.
Glock 19 when going to the city (ATL)
Ruger SP101 if I wear cowboy boots.

 

[old pipefitter]

Either a Sig 365
A S&W 340M&P
A Seacamp 380
In the car a Sig 320 Compact

 

[BigSky!]

This is an interesting thread. It's educational to learn what others carry and why they choose to do so. It allows us to consider things of which we may not have thought. We can utilize that information in whatever manner we see fit.

Personally, I carry various configurations and sizes of M&Ps, situation dependent. I will carry a BG380, M&Pc with CT grip (most often), Shield, Compact 2.0 (least often) and FS w/red dot. I own a P365 and am convinced, in my opinion, it is an "ideal" carry gun. Mine has been flawless; but, I will admit, the condemnations written about all over the internet have caused me to hesitate in making it my carry gun.

As usual we have the usual absurdity that makes some of these discussions "political like" talk whereby, in order to justify our own choices, we feel the need to impute non-existant justifications to others who make other choices for legitimate reasons.

"People who carry revolvers believe they will always have one stop shots". Really? That's why? What an absurd assertion.

"People who carry multiple magazines just want to rely on spray and pray". Really? That's their plan? Give me a break.

It goes on and on. The fact is, most people make their choices based on what are, to them, legitimate reasons and their analysis of their situation and the state of the world as they see it. If I disagree with them and choose to do differently, it doesn't make them wrong.

 

[wnderr]

In the "old days" I had lots of gun choices, and lots of calibers.

It's really hard to carry anything larger than a 1911 concealed, and having all that other ammo became a chore. Try carrying a long barelled .44 mag in the summertime, or a cowboy long colt .45 with shorts and a T shirt. And that extra ammo is really heavy!

About 5 or so years back, I decided to get more organized, and keep what is really more practical, and get rid of the rest.

I decided that 9mm, and .357/.38 spl were gonna be my choice.

Yes, I still have lots of .22 stuff, a lil .32 Tomcat, and the aforementioned .380, and 1911 - but really moved to full size 9s for fun shooting and Zombie stopping, and Compact 9s for carry.

I'm very comfortable with this decision, as the technology of ammo has skyrocketed in the 9mm and .380 ammo, making them very formidable stoppers. It's kinda nice having some of those cannons gone, and I really didn't need those .40 autos, or 10mms.The 9mms and the .45ACP kinda covered them, and I don't regret not having all that BIG ammo any longer.

On the plus side, everything I have gets used more regularly now, and maintenance is less intense with a lot more stainless stuff!

Another addition this past year to my rifle and shotgun cabinet, has been my Ruger AR, basically as a SHTF backup. And, a 1000 round box of .223 or 5.56 aint that big! Even my rifles are kinda standardized now, in .357, .22, and 5.56, plus various shotguns. Gone are the BIG rifles, that seldom got used!

Like I said, I am an accumulator - and even though my stash has shrunken considerably, I do like choices - and most everything is just different enough to be specifically useful.

I could go thru the differences, but that would be better in a different thread.

Ain't it wonderful to have choices, unlike a lot of countries!

 

[peterGun]

Compact, subcompact, pocket gun

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[bronco45]

M&P Gen 1 40C with a spare mag. Carried in a Blade Tech IWB winter and summer. 165 grain Hornadys. Ameriglo night sights.

 

[Ranger514]

Kinda depends on what I plan on doing or where my day will take me, and might cover a range from a pocket carry .38 Special or 9mm to an open carry .45 ACP or .357 magnum. A shotgun, AR-15, or .30-06 is added when headed on backcountry roads for a day in the country or woods when hunting or just kicking around.

 

[Bat Guano]

Life happens, and CCW choices reflect that, at least for me. Mine have ranged from a LW Commander .45 with ivories to a dehorned M37 and everything in between. More recently it has been a well worn 442 or a BHP 9mm. Like everyone else I own a G19–just prefer the elegance of the Browning. It seems the 9mm is now "good enough".

However I just completed a long no-frills, chaotic trip where which CCW to carry was the least of my concerns. On the way out the door I grabbed a recently purchased Ruger LC9S and three spare mags. Such shooting as I had done with it showed it to be reliable, easy to hit with, and it was ridiculously inexpensive. For the next 6 wild weeks I'd just drop the thing in my front pocket and forget about it. Always had it, never needed it, but it was there.

Everything I needed, nothing I didn't. Good enough in my world.

 

[Smoke]

At work M&P40
Not at work M&P9
At home M&P9C

I think it's interesting to go back and look at some of these old posts and see how things change.

Within 6 months of posting the above I returned the gun on top to my previous employer and got a new job and I sold the gun on the bottom and bought a Glock 19.

I decided to trade in the 9C for a Glock 19 because the Glock 19 even though slightly bigger is a less bulky gun with a higher standard capacity.

Less than a year after buying the Glock 19 I decided to pick up a Glock 26.

I went with the 19 and the 26 for the same reason that I chose the FS9 and the 9c, compatibility of magazines and the similarity between the pistols. The Glock does have the advantage of having much cheaper magazines and much wider aftermarket support though.

Between the two Glocks there's no question that I carry the 26 more often than the 19. The 26 is what I carry at home and I'm there really more than any place else I go. If I'm leaving home I carry the Glock 19. If I'm carrying the 19 I have to reloads if I'm carrying the 26 I have one reload and I use Magpul 12 round magazines for the 26

 

[joeintexas]

It is interesting how what we carry today and what we carried 2 years ago has changed. We do tend to buy, sell or trade our guns. Today I find myself carrying mostly a Sig P245, somedays it's a Shield 40 S&W or a Shield 9 mm. On occasion I opt for a Sig 250 in either 40 S&W or 357 Sig. Living in Florida where dress is very casual and shirt tail out is the most common form of wear, it is easy to carry OWB and stay concealed. Nice to have choices.

 

[carbuff]

Summer: M&P Shield9 in Mika Pocket Holster.
All other times: M&P9 M2.0 Compact in Desantis E-Gat holster on hip.

 

[CH4]

When in the USA I carry all sizes of revolvers and autos, depending on mood, weather and location. When working in various overseas assignments I carry what's issued, usually an M4 and M9. In the Philippines I aptly carry my 5" E nickeled RIA 1911.

 

[CDKJudoka]

Generally, the smallest handgun I will carry is something Glock 19 sized.

Now, since I started losing weight and carrying appendix, the smallest I carry is my P320 Compact. I don't carry it often, because even as a Sig fanboy, I prefer my M&P 2.0 so that is my usual day to day carry. I actually carry my Beretta M9A3 more than I carry the Sig.

I like big guns, and I cannot lie!

 

[NewToGuns17]

I carry a 9mm shield and a 9mm 4.25" 2.0. I carry the shield mostly for comfort but when I feel like having my favorite gun I carry the 2.0 owb.

 

[JAREDSHS]

Well I guess I am the only one here—-Kahr CM9 right hand pants pocket, spare 6 round mag left hand pants pocket.

 

[NCBeagle]

My daily carry is usually a Smith & Wesson J or K Frame with a 2"-3" barrel, chambered in .38/.357. Sometimes a Colt D Frame (Detective, Agent, Cobra).

Occasionally, a Smith & Wesson 3913, 3914 DAO, or 3953. Maybe a Glock 43.

 

[00 buck]

I'm very comfortable with this decision, as the technology of ammo has skyrocketed in the 9mm and .380 ammo, making them very formidable stoppers

End quote

Please explain....what technology is involved with bullets today that wasn't present yesteryear
I remember Speer being good
Black Talons also....the same technology as today.

PS
And bullets from handguns are really poor man stoppers in point of fact

 

[wnderr]

Just to name one - JHP that really work, propelled at real speeds! OK, that was two!

And, to use two of your own examples, I can give you two more. Black Talons were first introduced in the 90s, just before my retirement. And Speer claims to continuous improvement of it's entire line. To me, both of these are new technology, neither of which were available to me in the Military.

A guy with your background should know that.