favorite conceal and carry weapon and why.

[Thebear_78]

One of the most comfortable concealed carry pieces that I have ever had was a KAHR PM40.  It was light,  easy to shoot and big enough to get my oversized hands on.  Another was a colt comander, now I carry a smith 686 7 shot revolver with 2" barrel.  On each of these I used the clipdraw system.  I really like the clipdraw because it eliminates all the extra bulk of a holster and it is comfortable to carry.   Half the reason I carry is for large 4 legged animals as much as two legged animals so I want as much power as possible in a concealable handgun.  I also carry a 4" 629 in a chest holster quite often, especially when hunting, fishing, or hiking.  under a sweatshirt even the 629 is farly concealed.   

[Explorer1]

Depends on my dress, I have a couple.
The Keltec AT gets the most use as it is easy to hide in pocket holster.  I prefer the 3" .45 ACP if I have enough to cover it well (jacket, vest, untucked shirt, etc.)  The HS .22 mag derringer is great but a little light if I really expected problems (course step 1 is to avoid), and the American Derringer M-1 is rather heavy.

[gcf]

Lotta good input for you here. My advice: go for a big bore compact semi auto, & don't worry about magnum velocity. .45acp is a STOPPER, easy to control, & comfortable to fire. It's also cheap enough to shoot frequently.

If you are going to bet the lives of you & your family on it, you will need to shoot both frequently & critically - to stay proficient.

I live in deep South Texas. Our border area (urban & rural) is basically a free fire zone. Our weather here is HOT & STICKY 9 months out of the year. Our state CCW law dictates weapons must be concealed, so I carry a Colt Lwt Commander / .45acp / basic reliability job / 1 or 2 extra Wilson 8 rnd mags / Milt Sparks IWB leather, & don't feel outgunned.

A GOOD belt & Tshirt, under a baggy untucked sport / work shirt - or tac vest, & nobody is the wiser.

Of course it won't fit in your pocket like your back up, but you would be surprised how much more easily ANY single stack 1911 platform pistol conceals, compared to most "smaller" guns....

Last word: If you are going to pack, don't cheap out on your equipment - your family's lives depend on it.

[navylawdog]

I have a Springfield XD in .45 acp for the winter months and a Rossi .357 mag with a 4" barrel for the warmer months. If I have to I can carry my wife's Bersa .380. I would like to have my Taurus Model 85 .38 back!

Navylawdog

[carbine mike]

I carry a Springfield XD 45acp compact that works well with my large frame ( fat a**) but I think the most important thing is getting a pistol that you can put aton of rounds through until you are completely comfortable and accurate and know  that  what you are shooting at you are going to hit. There is a lot talk about how big you got to shoot to protect you and yours but I think if you cant hit what you are shooting at because recoil is to much or price of ammo is to high to allow you to practice enough to hit what you want then you are better off with a baseball bat and a good swing. I would rather shoot a 22mag and be able to hit what Iam shooting at than shoot a 50sw and not hit the broad side of a barn. What ever you buy and carry, shoot and practice a-lot,it will pay off in the end.

[navylawdog]

Mike,

You are absolutely right there. The largest handgun in the world won't help you a bit if you can't hit what you are aiming at with it, and if you can't shoot well enough to hit a man size target consistantly at a moderate fighting distance then you probably shouldn't carry a gun at all. The risk of you shooting an innocent bystander is far too high and you are responsible for every round fired down range even in self defense.

Navylawdog

[coyotejoe]

I plan to end up with at least 2 ccl guns. I have already purchaed a North American Arms 22 magnum for carry while wearing lighter clothes. I think my next gun will be either a Taurus or Rossi 357. Charlie

I'm sorry to see that you've already made that investment as I believe it a mistake. While the .22 mag may be effective in a longer barrel, I chronographed some from a friend's mini-revolver and velocity was very poor. I don't recall the exact numbers but under 1000 fps. Also, I found that the tiny grips and awkward single action cocking make fast point shooting pretty hopeless. The point shooting of double derringers also tends to be hopeless. I once had a .38 derringer which was surprisingly accurate when carefully aimed but a quick shot would go wildly high or low since there is nothing to position the hand on the gun. Also, while I could pick off 25 yard soda cans with the lower barrel, the upper barrel shot two feet higher.
  The Kel-Tec P32 and P380, despite their awkward grips, lack of sights and lousy trigger are a much better choice for a light carry gun over the mini-revolvers or double derringers.

[K.K]

I own many handguns, but day in and day out, its a Glock 17 for winter, Glock 27 for summer and light clothes. Why? Reliability, hands-down. Lots of high performance ammo in both.