I am looking to buy a pistol mainly for conceal and carry, but I also want stopping power, any suggestions?

Question

I don't mind spending money on a quality gun, but i'm also looking for a good deal.

Answer 1

Bound's hubby here:

It would be nice to know why you are seeking your CCW. This would help in selecting your sidearm. You basically have two scenarios. The rural scenario, where you might encounter a fleeing criminal, and intruder when the police will not be there quickly or some dangerous game while you're in the boonies. The other scenario is the urban scenario, where you may encounter roving groups of predatory vermin that would like to relieve you of your worldly possessions.

Sidearm choices? For the rural scenario, I would lean towards a Smith & Wesson revolver. Typically this would be a four inch J or L frame .357 Magnum which would be fed a diet of 125 grain jacketed hollow point magnums. However, if my hand were big enough (which it is) I would lean toward a four inch N framed .41 or .44 Magnum or a .45 (either ACP or Long Colt). In the .41 I would load 210 grain juacketed hollow point magnums. In the .44 I would load .44 Specials. The key here is to use the intimidation factor of those big chunks of lead staring at the person on the wrong end of your revolver.

In the urban scenario I would pick a .45 Auto, hands down all the time. Personally, it would have to be a 1911 design probably a Commander length barrel firing 230 grain full metal jacket round nose or Speer's 200 grain jacketed hollow point.

The key to the successful use of either weapon style is to practice, practice, practice.

Good luck and may you never have to clear leather.

Answer 2

This is a rather daunting task, to select a concealed carry pistol. First let me tell you that carrying a pistol concealed day in and day out is a royal pain in the neck. You will have to adjust the way you dress, learn not to fidget with it, and remember to remove it when you go into places where it is forbidden to carry such as in the post office.

The guns get heavy. They poke you, they bite you, the tear your clothes.

The trick is rather a balancing act. I find the 9MM a bit light for my taste but with the advances in bullet construction these days the 9MM can be a dependable stopper. However I live fairly far north and in the cold months everyone wears layers of heavy clothes, and that includes the bad guys. Most handgun ammo depend on the hollowpoint for expansion and when penetrating layers of heavy clothing, the hollowpoint tends to simply fill up with material and become non expanding ammunition. With non expanding ammo, bigger around is always better. So I prefer a .40S&W or the .45ACP.

Those larger calibers have more recoil and in small pistols they can be a handful. You will need to shoot some of the subcompact sized pistols in those calibers to determin if you can shoot them comfortably and accuractly.

But no matter what you choose remember that nothing, and I mean nothing will make up for poor shot placement. I would much rather see you get a lighter caliber pistol you can shoot well than see you with a powerhouse that you can't hit anything with.

What ever the caliber you choose, what ever pistol you pick it MUST go bang every time. A high quality auto pistol normally is very dependable after a breaking period. Don't skimp here.

If you are in experinced shooter I strongly recommend that you find a shooting instructor and practice, practice, and then practice some more. Learning to handle a gun safely is one thing, learning to shoot accuractly is something else, and leanring to deal with a situation tactically is altogether different.

Carrying a loaded gun around it an enormous responsibility. Do not take it lightly. If you are going to do so, committ to training and range time. Purchase a quality pistol, (you will most likely end up with several holsters before you can find you can live with) and never become complaciant.

Good luck

Answer 3

I carry a Glock 29 concealed. It is a 10mm, so it has more than enough power, and comes with 2 clips that hold 10 rounds.
Don't buy a cheap pistol. Your life might be at stake and Glocks are the most dependable pistols in the world. The Glock 29 also takes the 15 round clips designed for the larger Glock 20, but they stick out of the bottom of the grip a little over an inch. If you think things might get rough you can carry a 15 round clip in one pocket and the Glock 29 with the 10 round clip in another pocket or your holster.
I load my own bullets and use 190 grain Sierra FPJ and Accurate # 7 powder. My loads are almost twice as powerful as a .45, and are safe in my Glocks. If you are going to do much shooting reloading also saves money.

Answer 4

Where ever you live i don't know if its legal to carry a handgun around, but i'm not from there or the police. So the best choice would be a Smith & Wesson Model 36LS. It is a double action revolver that uses a .38 special cartrage which does pack a punch, and it has a 1.875 inch barrel which is small and concealable, it can also carry 5 rounds.
This particular revolver comes at the resonable price of $596.00 brand new for a quality firearm. Hope this helps you out.

Answer 5

i tend to prefer revolvers. there are merits to owning either(revolver or auto). with proper practice, five or six shots should resolve any situation that may arise. the revolver, especially those designed for concealed carry are light,most are hammerless(so as not to snag on clothing at a critical moment), and can be purchased in real powerhouse chamberings. there are also a number of revolvers that will fire more than one chambering,(ie 38/357/[9mmwith cylinderchange], 44mag/44spl, 45colt/45acp[with cylinder change].this offers increased versatility when practice time comes. those magnum rounds can be quite expensive. get the largest bullet you can handle, but don't go too big, a smaller bullet in the target is much more effective than a large one God knows where.as to pursuing your ccw permit this can be a great thing, but, if you're hotheaded or have a few grudges, leave the gun at home.

Answer 6

I would reccomend a S&W XD40 it has plenty of knock down power with controllable recoil. They run between $475.& 600 depending on barrel length. The come as a full kit holster,2 mags, mag pouch, and loader. Icludes gun lock and hard case most with 4"bbl run about $500 but it is a good deal and a well made gun with several built in safety features.

Answer 7

Reden,

Although the majority of folks here in the U.S. have a fascination with semi autos, I think you would be remiss if you do not consider revolvers.

You'll find that revolvers nowadays utilize modern metallurgy, and when you consider something along the lines of Scandium guns offered by Smith and Wesson, these revolvers are light and conceal quite well. I personally carry a .357, but I would not be afraid to leave the house with a .38 SPL, so long as the gun is rated for +P ammo.

Whichever piece you decide on, be sure to go to the range and practice shooting. More often than not, you will find the manual of arms on a semi-auto to be more complicated than that of revolvers, which is pretty much point and squeeze the trigger. No safeties, decockers...little buttons that do this and that...in a stressful situation, if you don't have these thing committed to muscle memory, you're losing valuable seconds to protect you and yours.

With revolvers...simple manual of arms, no slides to knock out of battery, no failures to eject, no double feeding, no jams due to limp wristing, no slide failures due to tissue and crap getting stuck on a barrel, causing a failure to cycle, if you have to shoot 'up close.'

Downsides...5 or 6 shots (but five or six for SURE) and slow reloads in comparison to semis...Practice with reloaders will drastically cut down your time.

Answer 8

Don't know, I recently changed from Sig 220 to a "baby" Glock just because it would not pull my shorts down in the summer! Alot is personal preference and why you are carrying in the first place. As was said numerous times in other answers PRACTICE. You can buy the best weapon in the world and not practice with it and use it as a club!!!!! Good Luck and make sure you get a license first!!!!! Follow all laws local and federal.

Answer 9

9mm is a very good choice. When it comes to "stopping power", ccw guns lose a lot because of barrel length. Hollowpoints don't expand like they would out of a 4"-5" Bbl. I would get a pocket 9mm (mini-Glock, for example) and load it with a 115gr HP. Springfield XD 9mm subcomapct is also good. Don't get a full-size frame gun.

Answer 10

My concealed carry gun is a Taurus 745 semi auto. This is a compact auto, in .45acp, seven shot gun, polymer frame. Light, small, slim, powerful. You can also get the 145. Same gun, slightly, wider because it is a ten shot .45acp. I load Blazer 200gr. hollow points in it.
You can get this gun new for about $300 to $350.