which gun is best for concealed carry?

I usually carry two. A 950 Jetfire on my belt with shirt out and either a BT380 or a 442 in a pocket holster.
 
I carry the fill size M&P 40 in a 5.11 Holster Shirt and occasionally an Uncle Mikes IWB, carried with the slide about 6 oclock and the grip about 5:30 to my right. I'm 6'2" 260 so with my size it is very easy for me to conceal it. I seriously considered the compact M&P, but it just wasnt comfortable in my large hand. It feels good in the shirt and I never have to worry about printing with it as much as my IWB. If your size is so that you can conceal it well go ahead. Like everybody has told you, it is a big gun to try to conceal so just go with what works for you.
 
all handguns, by virtue of design, are for carry in some form.
With the exception of a few large framed creations, most can be concealed.
Im partial to a full sized auto like a 1911 as a starting point. its enough gun for most things.
you may opt to stay there or make adjustments. What I dislike are the micro pipsqueak pistols. yeah they fit nice in any and all pockets you may have, the trick is keeping them oriented to avoid fumbling with it when you need it, as well as the fact that the caliber must shrink as well.
You will do whats right for you in the long run, and you dont need us to tell you exactly what that is.
 
You will find that many of us have more than one carry gun. Depending on how I dress usually, not always, but usually determines which gun I carry. But I normally carry two anyway.

Shoot some guns if you can rent them and see what works for you. Consider how and where you will carry it.

The 642/442 or other similar snubbies do require practice and patience. But they are not hard to master at bad breath range.

Ed Lovette's "The Snubby Revolver" is a great book.

Agreed. Body type, how you dress, and risk level should determine what and how you carry. Depending on the environment, I will carry everything from a high cap full size in an OWB, to a compact in an IWB. The learning curve in the concealed carry question can only be addressed by personal experimentation. All men and situations are different.
 
I have been carrying a Rock Island in .45 acp semi-auto full size and,carry 230 grain ball ammo for target and self defense. Never had problems ccwing it.
 
I love all of my smiths and have several snubbies (66-3 2.5"; M36) but my EDC is my Glock 19 :)

I shoot it best, its totally reliable, high capacity, conceals well, and no safeties
 
Behold: The Ultimate in Concealed Carry:

pinkpistol.jpg
 
I have gone through this process over and over....

I'm 5' 9", 170#. I live in AZ where it's shorts and light shirts almost all year long. Shorts with no belt are sensitive to a gun's weight and bulk. I personally don't like my pants listing to starboard due to pistol weight and wearing a belt with shorts is just uncomfortable to me, plus many shorts have loops that are too small to fit my carry-belt. Polo style shirts, and T's are sensitive to bulk (printing).

I've spent money on three different ccw guns before finally deciding the J frame is best for me.

1st try: Ruger SP101 3" 357mag. Loved it, but: heavy trigger, heavy in general, didn't like practicing with 357's so I practiced with 38's and carried 357. Ultimately it was too heavy and bulky for me to carry every day.

2nd try: Kahr PM40. Super small, lots of blast and muzzle flip, fit in my pocket really well, but gave me blisters every time I shot it, so I never shot it (bad). :(

3rd try: Star PM 9mm. My dad's gun. It's a single stack 9mm smaller copy of Browning's Hi-Power/1911. Great fit, shoots fantastic. I decided I didn't like to carry this in Condition 3 because it has no grip safety, and I was unsure of this gun's firing system. Condition 2 is no good, that leaves Condition 1 which is close to pointless.

For now I'm using my dad's stainless Model 36 he bought in the seventies. I love it!! It shoots well, fits in my pocket with or without a holster, and I can handle it well enough to actually shoot it. I shoot in on a bi-weekly basis and my confidence is high. I keep a speedloader in my off side pocket.

When the funds free up I'm getting a hammerless J frame. All modern J frames are +P rated btw :)

There is a lot of trash talk on this 'inner-net about how anything under a .40 will not be useful. BUNK! 9mm and 38's have stopped a lot of bad guys.

The other pistol I considered for ccw is HK's USP compact in 9mm with the LEM trigger. I love the LEM trigger, and I am a big fan of HK's mag release lever (not button, lever), love it. It's hammer fired with no safeties, no buttons, just pull it and stroke the trigger. Great gun, being a double-stack, it's just too big for me to ccw with. If I lived where I could wear a little heavier clothing, this would be my choice. Today it hit 112F, so I'm not wearing jeans or a sport coat any time soon!!

This question is highly personal;) You need to find what fits you, fits your clothes, fits your lifestyle, and fits your combat accuracy with recoil control and Practice Practice Practice.

The bottom line is: You can't stop what you can't hit, and you can't shoot if you don't carry. :cool:

I had a great time reading through the thread. Lots of great advise!

Have fun
 
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For me a Colt Commander loaded with 230 gr. Speer GD's and 2 spare mags. I shoot it the best of any of my handguns so thats the reason. I'm swapping over to a 2.5" S&W 66-2 loaded with .357 158 gr.Speer GD's as it's a lighter weapon and won't hurt my jacked up lower back. It's also a kick butt round. For someone new do some comparison shooting with different weapons and calibers and don't role out revolvers in your search. Pick the one that feels good in your hand and you can shoot accurately. For most folks a 9mm or a .38 special loaded with +P's are great calibers and will get the job done if you shoot it well.

JMHO
 
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