What is a good concealed handgun to buy.?

Answer 1

I prefer a 9mm

Coach

Answer 2

If you live in a cold climate you can conceal nearly any handgun. Hot and humid places really limit you.

The minimum I can recommend for concealed carry with reasonable stopping power is a .32acp w/good hollow-point ammo. Winchester Silvertips mushroom every time. I sometimes carry a stainless steel Beretta 3032 Tomcat .32acp loaded w/silver tips or Fiocchi semi-jacketed hollow point 60 grain bullets. The Fiocchi is the best (on paper) ammo I have been able to find for the .32acp. It is a hyper velocity round that duplicates (on paper) the better .380acp and .38 Special standard ammunition.

Over a light jacket or windbreaker I can even conceal my full size Glock Model 20 .10mm in an inside-the-pants holster. The Walters .380acp PPK/s is slender and easy to conceal, but for ladies and/or persons with small hands may 'buck' too hard when fired. Consider the same pistol in .32acp which will recoil less. I find the baby Glocks a bit on the bulky side, but they can also conceal well. Don't forget the small revolvers. A .357 Magnum even with an abbreviated barrel is hard to beat. Another advantage is that you can always load it with .38s.

Good luck.

H

Answer 3

Go check out some CZ75 models. I own one and it is an excellent concealed carry firearm. They make some lightweight polymer frames for them too. They come in a 9mm or .40 S&W. I prefer the .40 S& W simply because it has a little more knockdown power than a 9mm. If you are going to go to the trouble of carrying a defense weapon, at least make sure it will kill the person if you have to shoot him. Don't screw around with a 9mm as there have been documented instances of men being shot, multiple times, with a 9mm and they continue attacking despite the gunshot wounds. I certainly wouldn't want to be shot with a 9mm, but if I'm the one doing the shooting, I'd rather have more knockdown than that. Do not even waste your time carrying a .22 or .25. You'll end up wounding your assailant rather than killing him and then he'll sue the hell out of you for his medical expenses. If you find yourself in a situation where you must use deadly force, your best bet is to make a quick clean kill and then explain to the judge why you had to do it.

Answer 4

I'll second the CZ but if you want the best of the best, buy a HK USP 40 Compact. It isn't the smallest of the concealed pistols but it packs a punch, is accurate and never jams. Ditch the Glocks. Who wants to carry a gun with no safety?

If you are looking for small size, buy a Kel-Tec in 9mm or .32. But don't expect a single shot to just anywhere to take someone down with that gun.

Answer 5

Actually the correct answer is to buy the one that you will carry all the time and can afford to practice with. You should go to a gun range that rents different models and try them out. When I bought my gun, I was dead set on a Glock or Sig. I went to the range and test fired at least a dozen types in the same caliber. I ended up buying (check my log in name) a Kahr T9 because it fit my hand perfectly. I could just raise it to fire and my eyes and hands automatically aligned. It's a great gun and I'm sure I made the right choice for me. And that's what it all boils down to...personal preference. Get a gun that fits you well and practice with it. Nuff said!

Answer 6

I carry a Springfield Armory 1911 A-1 gov't. I have no problem concealing it but some do.

I would carry nothing under a .38 or 9mm Luger

The Springfield XD line is a really good system

Answer 7

Hi, One you are comfortable carrying and comfortable shooting (and shoot well).
For -ME- that's a compact 1911 type but for most it wouldn't be.
Go to a range that offers handgun rental (lots of the ranges that offer concealed carry courses offer this) and tray a number of different handguns before making this important choice.

Answer 8

You will have to test some out and try and feel which ones you like the best. Alot of times ranges will let you do this.

For a semi-auto I wouldn't recommend anything under a .380 with really a 9mm being the smallest you should really consider. If it is going to be a revolver than a snubnose .38 special with .357 magnum preferred.

The revolvers are a no frill type of gun, easy to conceal and dependable. The problem is the .357 magnum recoils alot and you have to practice alot to get use to a snub nose revolver whether .38 spcl or .357mag. They are a great gun but generally require more practice. Also, practice reloading it and at least have speedloader on you, five rounds might not be enough. Practice loading single rounds in too!

Semi-autos can have longer barrels and are easier to conceal them than larger revolvers that is why a snub nose is good for a revolver, but bigger revolvers are harder to conceal so I recommend a semi-auto for primary carry and snubnose as a backup and always on you gun.

For semi-autos there are several good types to consider.
The .380 walther ppk is a great gun and is concealable, but it is a straight blow back and has sharp recoil so many people don't practice with it as much. That is a bad thing. Find something that you like. It is on the low end though for stopping power.

The Glocks are good pistols, but the grip doesn't fit everyone and they are prone to slidebite people. Also, they only have a trigger safety so you have to leave your trigger finger off the trigger otherwise it may go off unintentionally so you really have to work and finger control as you should anyways. Also, the Glock has some unintentional firings due to its striker. This is not a problem for most people carrying and glocks are easy to use, don't jam as much, and are easy to clean and maintain. That said the only good ones are 9mm the other calibers tend to break. (my own experiences with .40 and 10mm no serious malfunctions though) Also, they are not 'that' compact even the 26.

The sig sauers are great pistols with more moving parts, but are expensive and more complicated to use. They are more businesslike and are big. Same with the 92fs they are big pistols and not good for really concealed carry. But, they work and you can conceal them easily and are reliable, most find the sights better than the glock and recoil to be better, so if it works for you they are great guns. After the three I mention lower the sigsauer is my choice for carry, they are reliable and navy seals use them and are accurate for all your combat needs.

A truly nice gun that I can recommend not knowing your preferences is the .45 1911 or Browning Hi-power 9mm/40 cal. The Browning Hi-powers are great pistols and are cheap, the grip angle fits most people and they hold 13 rounds.

The .45 is a great stopping round and one that I carry. I recommend the springfield GI .45, they are cheap and a no frills pistol that will work. It doesn't' have target accuracy but way above combat accuracy. It is more accurate than i can shoot in combat situations to put it that way. The 1911s are heavier a browning hi-power that is loaded will weigh the same as one empty. But, they have 7 rounds of .45 stopping power. Don't expect one shot stops though the .45 just does more damage. You still have to hit them right. They come in the champion and a more compact model, for concealed carry. Although you can conceal a fullsize fine and I have as I own both the champion and fullsize gi .45. You should shoot these though as some people don't like the shorter guns as they change the pointing and recoil from the regular .45. I like them fine.

The Glock 26 is pretty big and is comparable to the high-power, the high power is longer and barrel and slide is longer though.
That shows that the hi-power is a pretty nice compact fullsize.

The 1911 is very slim due to its single stack magazine as is the most comfortable to me in a waste band or iwb holster. The taurus Milleniums are also very good and giver you more .45 rounds 10 and can be had in .40 or 9mm. Those are compact and have acceptable accuracy for combat and are nice to carry. Taurus also has very good customer service.

So, it is up to your preferences. But with a 1911 you get good accuracy, reliability, an age old design, stopping power and concealiblity with some comfort. With the high-power you get the most compact full size, its slimmer than the newer 92 or glock 17 or sig sauer 9mms. I recommend the hi-power or1911 because most people like them, they are easy to fit the hand and point and are very controllable. I find the champion also easy to control. As always practice, because hitting what you aim at is more important than penetration, caliber etc. A single-shot is better than 3 missed ones. Realize too there is no best carry gun all have their strengths and weaknesses and there is no magic bullet for pistols. A .45 does not provide one shot stop nor does 9mm, but 9mm is better than it was with the loads out today in +P and the .45 has good loads with the 230 grain and some lighter promising loads. Just with any gun be prepared to empty two or three rounds into the target and figure which gun allows you to do that the best and will make you most comfortable in firefight but not sacrifice too much comfort carrying around. There is going to be some discomfort in carrying any gun, but feeling comfortable in a fight with your caliber and gun is better than what feels good walking around. Because I can carry a .22 around all day and don't feel anything but a moment that guy comes at me, I might have doubts about the caliber. Whereas with my .40 cal hi-power or my GI .45 1911 I will feel alot better. I also do rotate guns. I carry a .38 special s&w ladysmith snub nose all the time no matter what in a pocket holster unless its illegal like govt buildings, schools etc. When I am going to walk around or for going to a place i don't know, or a place I know that is bad, I carry my .45 or .40. And most of the time I have my .45 or .40 on me or close to me anyways.

Hopefully this helps you sort out the endless array of handguns and find one you will like.

Answer 9

snub nosed 38 special generally. Most dependable, manageable recoil, heavier trigger pull, concealable, and has a large selection of ammo. A heavy trigger pull is important because under stress situation fine motor skill depreciate and the mind operates on basic thoughts like squeeze, punch etc.
If you are extremely used to an auto grip vs a revolver grip go with the auto like a baby glock
Conceal-ability is achieved with proper holster selection and baggy clothing. Don't wear photographers vests (shoot me first vests) everyone knows what you are doing especially if it is a 5.11 vest. Don't wear fanny packs

Answer 10

I'd go with the Glock 27. It's a very concealable gun and is chambered in .40 S&W which provides great stopping power, yet its recoil is still manageable for most people.

Answer 11

Nothing smaller than a .357 caliber.....If you have a druggie high on a Speedball coming at you, .22 caliber or other smaller calibers will just make them madder as their charging you.....Bad idea....Do some reading on handguns, talk to some people who are handgun owners, learn as much as you can...there are many, many fine handgun makers out there....go look at them and see what you like....and remember to practice often at a shooting range or other legal location...that handgun is useless if you do know how to use it....