What reason did you choose what you carry?

[bigred_dean@yahoo.com]

Omg I love it.

I open carry my .45 1911 because they don't make a .46.

 

[GunSlinger77]

I love my Ruger LCR .357 and my XDM .40!!

 

[7urtle]

im to small to conceal my 9 so i bought a 38

 

[Mens Rea]

I carry a Glock 27 and a S&W Bodyguard .380. I carry a Glock 27 because it was issued to me as a back up weapon; plus on top of that all the benefits Glock has to offer and that I'm comfortable with the weapon and it has more than enough to offer for a concealed carry weapon when I'm out and about in civilian clothes.

For summer carry when I'm not wearing a jacket or a lot of layers, or if I want to be really comfortable I'll carry my Bodyguard .380 because it is so light and tiny I will forget I am even carrying it.

 

[88E30M50]

I switch between a compact 1911 and a compact CZ 75 in 9mm. The one I choose depends on where I'm going and what I'm wearing that day. If I'm wearing work clothes (typical office casual stuff), then I'll OC the Kimber in stainless with the nice holster and grips. It's as close to a barbecue gun as I get. If I'm more casual or going anywhere down town, then I'll casual carry the CZ and a spare 16 rounder. For CC, I'll carry an Ultra Carry IWB, but that doesn't happen too often. IWB is just not that comfortable for me.

I really like the 1911s and would just carry them, but that dang CZ is really comfortable to hold and shoot. It's hard to not grab the CZ but sometimes the 1911s come calling too. There are so many excellent choices in what to carry nowadays that you cannot help but to think that this really is a great time to be into handguns.

 

[teddy12b]

I appreciate all the helpful information and all the great reasons listed. Now that I've made up my mind I think it's time I explain what I decided on and why I decided to go that route.

I wasn't too hung up on the calibers when I was looking for a carry gun. There's some really nasty ammo out there for just about every caliber out there. The one feature I I really wanted on a carry gun was a manual 1911 type of a thumb safety. I know I know there's all kinds of reason why many people out there don't like the safeties but I do, and I'm buying the gun for me. My first attempt at a carry gun was an XD sub compact 9mm and I just couldn't hit the targets well enough at the range to really feel comfortable with it. My second attempt was a PF9 and while it was as small and reliable as a guy could ever hope for I still wasn't that great of a shot with it and I wished it had a manual safety. I don't feel comfortable carrying a gun with a round in the chamber without a manual safety. There were times when I had my PF9 in a coat pocket and all I could think about was hoping that nothing got into the trigger guard. Nothing would have and even if it did the trigger pull is long and heavy for that reason, but still I like knowing the safety is "on".

The desire for a thumb safety alone narrowed the search down pretty quickly. I looked at the Ruger SR9C and I've read some great reviews, but I don't feel confident enough in the newest rugers yet with all the recals they've had. With that one ruled out I didn't have a lot of options left in the compact pistols with thumb safeties on them. That led me to looking at an XD 45 4" with the thumb safety. I was kind of partial to the XD 45 because I used to have a regular 4" without the safety before I got married and I love the gun. I sold it for a 9mm hoping my wife would feel more comfortable shooting the smaller caliber. When I saw they came out with the exact same gun, but with a thumb safety they had my attention.

The only problem with that 4" 45 with safety is that it's only available in the full size. Springfield makes an XD 4" 45 compact that fits my hand like a glove. As much as I wish they'd make a xd 45 compact with the safety I had to realize that it just wasn't likely going to happen. So while I was reading on an XD forum I saw that people were chopping off the grips of their full sized service models and making them into the compacts. You can pay to have the service professionally done, or you can do it yourself if you're willing to risk it. I'm going to do the mod myself and have a XD 45 compact with a thumb safety. It'll be a one of a kind and that's what I'll be carrying.

It's a long winded novel about my carry gun, but I thought it through from just about every angle I could think of and I'm happy with my decision. The fact that springfield is giving away an extra 3 mags till the end of the month is just a bonus.

 

[teddy12b]

Wow, so yesterday I got a chance to get out and shoot my new XD 45 4" with thumb safety and it shot so well I'm afraid to mess with it. After I knocked down all targets at 7 yards, and then drilled the one at 25 yards, I remembered the old days where I used to get alittle over confident and shoot for the 12" discs at 100 yards. Out of my first three shots with that XD 45 two of them hit steel. Don't get me wrong after that initial boost of confidence the percentage went down from there, but it was still nice. Now I'm afraid to cut on the grip and ruin a good gun. I guess that's a good problem to have.

 

[TLHelmer]

I carry a Glock 23 because of the caliber, weight and size. It is easy to conceal, but still an effective weapon.

 

[bhyman9]

CCW of choice

I have been trying to find the correct fit for me for awhile now so far I have carried my G23C for now, but i am looking at going with either a LCR 357 or the S&W bodyguard 38. Just have not decided on which to purchase. I like the fell of the BG in my hand but everyone is telling me to go with the 357...Not sure what to do yet.

 

[Cherryspringer]

Carry

Glock 19. Well, you know.

 

[Hop]

.40 cal power
12+1 capacity
great ergonomics
very low bore over grip height for less muzzle flip
fully supported chamber
loaded chamber indicator
fast easy to acquire sights
ultra short trigger reset
an active safety that a bad guy won't know how to operate if wrestled away from me

Steyr M series. What a Glock aspires to be.

If the new A1 version had kept the safety I'd be carrying it instead. The new version has an even better grip and trigger. Maybe I should just go for it.

 

[J_Wales]

"What reason did you choose what you carry?"

The top three reasons were our children, my wife, and me. My desire to protect each and every one of those is stronger than my desire to let some piece of trash thug destroy any of those.

Thats he reason I chose what I did.

 

[J_Wales]

.

 

[Gabriel]

I'm curious why you chose what you did for CC.

It was chosen for me.

 

[Drail]

I have seen just about everything that can possibly fail on a semi auto pistol and stop it from working. Same thing for revolvers. I have carried nothing but revolvers after working and competing with both. I remember watching Rob Leatham at a National Match at PASA Park back in the early 90s when he first started shooting for Springfield Armory for the REALLY BIG MONEY. His gun was built with absolutely no limits on price by the Springfield Custom Shop guys. In the middle of a stage it stopped working. I will never forget the look on his face. He stared at it like he could not believe that THAT gun would misfeed. I love 1911s and have 3 to play with. They are VERY reliable. For CCW it will always be .44 or .45 S&W revos for me. Yes, I know they can fail too. But the list of what can go wrong is very very small compared to a bottom feeder.

 

[bullfrog4ever]

After some issues at work a few years ago and working late (through the night, alone sometimes) I decided to get my LTCH.

I first chose a sig P250, the price was right, felt good in my hand, trigger felt nice and smooth, easy break down and .40sw rounds and sigs "reliability" (I must have missed the memo about their polymer pistols though)

After being plauged with fte and ftf and other issues, I got a chance to shoot a S&W M&P40, I was sold. It was perfect! The last straw for the sig was when the slide lock bar snapped for no apparent reason. I just couldn't trust the sig with my life or anyone else's.

I immediately ordered my M&P40 pro series 4.25 barrel and never looked back. No issues, incredible reliability, easily concealed (crossbreed supertuck) and can trust my life and anyone else's as well. I CC on a daily basis.

 

[kingpin1779]

carry gun

a gun that is easy to carry and comfortable will be carried more so than one that is big an combersome. you also must have a comfortable holster.

 

[JetGirl]

It was chosen for me.

I'd like to hear more about that.

 

[grube555]

Do A LOT of reading! 1500 is a great place to get a feel of a pistol you like.

 

[Cemetery-man]

a gun that is easy to carry and comfortable will be carried more so than one that is big an combersome. you also must have a comfortable holster.

+100

I purchased my M&P 9c to use for CC but I soon found that with its double stack mag it was a little too bulky for my taste ( a big disappointment). I switched to a Kimber Ultra 9 which proved to be one of my smartest moves and most comfortable to boot. It's small, lightweight and slim body is a pleasure to conceal and you soon forget its actually there. Best of all ..... it's a KIMBER!

My M&P is still my all-around favorite handgun but has been retired to a "home-front" security role.