Need factual advice for a CCW

[K1LLB0XS373N]

I know that alot of what you carry is person specific, this being said let me give you some short info...185 lb man and I would like to keep the pinky on an extended mag at least (medium sized hands).
I've owned a Ruger LC9 and was generally not happy with it. Not a bad gun, just was not impressed and felt snappy and uncomftorable to shoot at the range. Concealment and price were great, but I am back in the market again.
I have no prejudice against a wheel gun or a typical handgun. Here's what I have been considering, your opinions please!
Bersa Thunder 380
Ruger LCP (I know it will be worse than than LC9 but man 199 for a CCW!)
Smith & Wesson Bodyguard 380
Smith & Wesson M&P Shield 9mm
Glock 42
Charter Arms .38 Special
Ruger LCR
Other 38 special platforms....
I understand ballistics are different and 380s won't stop a freight train (analogy) this weapon is for 20 yards or less we are close and it is life or death struggle only! Not for hours at the range!
Thoughts?

 

[Birds Away]

My opinion will probably differ from many here but I think there are a couple of lessons I have learned that you should at least consider. First, to say that you won't be spending hours of range time with it is something you should rethink. If it is your carry gun and you will be depending on it to save your life you might want to shoot it a lot. Being intimately familiar with your carry gun, IMHO, is essential. You should know it like the back of your hand. This requires lots of range time. I shoot my carry gun every time I go to the range. At least a couple of mags worth but usually more. This is one of my rules to live by and it serves me well. The other thing is that you can conceal a much bigger gun than you think you can. Bigger guns are easier to shoot and easier to hit with. Isn't that a necessity for a carry gun? As Col. Cooper said, carry is supposed to be comforting not comfortable. Having said that there are great holster options for bigger guns that do both.

 

[OutdoorDad]

Good advice ^^^

 

[K1LLB0XS373N]

I will chalk that to a mistype! I totally agree you should spend time at the range, especially for a life/death training/prepardness. I just don't look to shoot it like my AR15 or Glock 23 putting 300-400 rnds out each time I go out to shoot. Thanks for the input!

 

[LP1]

Much depends on how you dress and your activities and surroundings. Sometimes, discreet pocket carry (LCP or similar) is all you can do. In general, a small, concealable gun will be snappy, but practice is important.

 

[romad7]

The Shield is probably the best one on the list based on your dislike of the LCP. I have an LCP and get it, mine is purely to have a small stash gun. Glock 26 would be my choice for small carry gun but my pinky hangs off too so I wouldn't choose that lightly, I pretty much only carry a Glock 19.

 

[jamil]

I really like the Sheild. Being fairly far north of 185 lbs I can pocket carry it without it printing too bad. Easy to shoot. Reliable. I typically shoot several mags through it on each range trip. It's a really good carry gun.

 

[wtburnette]

Do you have problems carrying the G23? That would be the best bet if you could carry it, because it has great stopping power, capacity and it's comfortable to shoot. With a good holster and belt a lot of people carry that size gun just fine. If you absolutely can't, the Shield is what I carry when I CC and I really like it. You have the choice of safety or no safety, it's small and slim, but still reliable and accurate. The sights on it are good, but I put Trijicon HD on mine as I wanted night sights and faster sight acquisition.

 

[bigelowe]

Go with the shield and a good iwb holster. You have your choice of magazines,carry the other as backup. Comfortable enough to shoot all day at range or training class. I have multiple pistols of varying sizes and carry this probably 90% of the time. The other 10% I carry a Bodyguard. 380 in a pocket holster.

 

[jsharmon7]

Not really sure what "factual opinions" I can give you, but I can give you my best guess. None of the guns you listed are going to be fun pistols to shoot at the range. Short sight radius, light weight, small grips, are all working against you. My suggestion would be to carry something in 9mm. Bulk ammo is cheaper than most others, there are a plethora of quality SD rounds for it, and it doesn't suffer from all the second-guessing that the .380 comes with. Since you have a G23, why not go with a G43? You're familiar with Glocks, night sights are available, and with their growing popularity there are starting to be plenty of holster options out there. I know the LCP is tempting due to price, but someday you may really NEED it and you don't want the pistol you're carrying to have been chosen on price.

 

[SteveM4A1]

Go with a bigger gun and your problems are solved.

 

[phatgemi]

Add the Glock 43 to your list to check out. Just a bit larger than the 42 but moves you up to 9mm. Handles pretty well also.

 

[cooltools]

I know that alot of what you carry is person specific, this being said let me give you some short info...185 lb man and I would like to keep the pinky on an extended mag at least (medium sized hands).
I've owned a Ruger LC9 and was generally not happy with it. Not a bad gun, just was not impressed and felt snappy and uncomftorable to shoot at the range. Concealment and price were great, but I am back in the market again.
I have no prejudice against a wheel gun or a typical handgun. Here's what I have been considering, your opinions please!
Bersa Thunder 380
Ruger LCP (I know it will be worse than than LC9 but man 199 for a CCW!)
Smith & Wesson Bodyguard 380
Smith & Wesson M&P Shield 9mm
Glock 42
Charter Arms .38 Special
Ruger LCR
Other 38 special platforms....
I understand ballistics are different and 380s won't stop a freight train (analogy) this weapon is for 20 yards or less we are close and it is life or death struggle only! Not for hours at the range!
Thoughts?

H & K 45 USP Compact.

 

[BehindBlueI's]

The Shield is my generic "I don't know anything about you" recommendation. The no thumb safety variety in 9mm, generally. Good sights, which is not always the case on smaller guns, reasonable recoil, easy to shoot, etc. The LCR would be next up, first if you intend to pocket carry.

 

[Cygnus]

Check out a Ruger SR9c. That is unless you want to stick with a single stack. The grip is a nice size for carry for a doublestack 9. (My next item once I have expendable cash.....)
As for the Bersa; that same gun in 9mm will be a better choice for a few reasons. Of course that's just my take.

 

[K1LLB0XS373N]

Ok, thanks for all the info.

 

[SMiller]

The Shield is probably the best one on the list based on your dislike of the LCP. I have an LCP and get it, mine is purely to have a small stash gun. Glock 26 would be my choice for small carry gun but my pinky hangs off too so I wouldn't choose that lightly, I pretty much only carry a Glock 19.

I have tried them all when it was all said and done I manned up and carry a G19

 

[SSGSAD]

I know that alot of what you carry is person specific, this being said let me give you some short info...185 lb man and I would like to keep the pinky on an extended mag at least (medium sized hands).
I've owned a Ruger LC9 and was generally not happy with it. Not a bad gun, just was not impressed and felt snappy and uncomftorable to shoot at the range. Concealment and price were great, but I am back in the market again.
I have no prejudice against a wheel gun or a typical handgun. Here's what I have been considering, your opinions please!
Bersa Thunder 380
Ruger LCP (I know it will be worse than than LC9 but man 199 for a CCW!)
Smith & Wesson Bodyguard 380
Smith & Wesson M&P Shield 9mm
Glock 42
Charter Arms .38 Special
Ruger LCR
Other 38 special platforms....
I understand ballistics are different and 380s won't stop a freight train (analogy) this weapon is for 20 yards or less we are close and it is life or death struggle only! Not for hours at the range!
Thoughts?

Just a question, have you fired any of these "small" handguns, at a target, at 20 yards ?????

I have a 3" bbl .38 Taurus, and a 4" bbl S&W Model 19, and let me tell you, that 1" of bbl, and the difference

between a "small" revolver, and a Med., revolver, can make a diff., between a hit and a miss

When I was in the USMC, between 77, & 81, I could put 5 out of 6 rounds in the head of a "std" target, at 25 yards.....

I would now be hard pressed to do that at a lot less distance .....

If you don't shoot a "small" gun very often, and can't hit what you aim at, then why carry it ?????

JMHO ..... YMMV .....

 

[BehindBlueI's]

Just a question, have you fired any of these "small" handguns, at a target, at 20 yards ?????

I have a 3" bbl .38 Taurus, and a 4" bbl S&W Model 19, and let me tell you, that 1" of bbl, and the difference

between a "small" revolver, and a Med., revolver, can make a diff., between a hit and a miss

When I was in the USMC, between 77, & 81, I could put 5 out of 6 rounds in the head of a "std" target, at 25 yards.....

I would now be hard pressed to do that at a lot less distance .....

If you don't shoot a "small" gun very often, and can't hit what you aim at, then why carry it ?????

JMHO ..... YMMV .....

In fairness, very very few deployments of a CCW pistol will be for a 20y shot.

That said, check out Sand Burr gun ranch for training. Students were hitting steels way past 20y with 2-3" revolvers.

 

[romad7]

I have tried them all when it was all said and done I manned up and carry a G19

Thats my main gun also but not everyone can handle a true SEAL Operator firearm

The 26 goes in a SmartCarry holster for deep concealment in certain places that make carry difficult.