Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Handguns What do you carry ?

An old M36 snubby with 125gr HP's, usually in summer when it isn't easy to conceal a larger pistol. In cooler weather, when I'm wearing my usual flannel shirt not tucked in, and can conceal about anything, generally my M686 4" or a SA 1911.
<br>Allen, I was stunned to see you mention a 380. I thought you said once, them things made barely acceptable paper weights?

I carry a Lightweight Commander in 45ACP. It's fast, accurate, realtively easy to hide and very easy to shoot in a hurry. It is also my main match gun. I have shot everything from IPSC to Pin Matches with it.
<br>I guess that makes me old school but what the heck, it works for me. I use the good old fashoined 230gr Hydra-Shoks or GI Hardball depending on the circumstances. My own handloads for matches.
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<br>ZM

I carry an H&K USP45 fullsize. Excellent gun, extremely reliable and you can use it as a club.
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<br>Used to carry a Glock 19 9mm. Great gun, very accurate.

A RAVEN P-25 BECAUSE ITS ONLY 3. INCHES LONG AND YOU CAN PUT IN YOUR SHIRT OR PANT POCKET WITHOUT ANYONE KNOWIN. AND IF YOU GOT INTO A DANGEROUS SITUATION IT WOULD BE NICE TO HAVE WITH ITS EXTENDED 8 SHOT CLIP.

Smithie: model 60 with a factory bobbed hammer (makes it double action only but no hammer snag). Reloads with +P .38's 125 Remington SP. Absolutely, positively dependable. About 22 ounces loaded. Rosewood grips, no holster...in the pocket.
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<br>Rooster

In the summer I carry a Sig p-230 loaded with mag safes and in the winter I carry my beloved Springfield V-10 Ultra Carry 1911A1.

H&K USP45. It fits me, and is dead nut reliable.

I have a bunch, but IMHO the best gun I have for concealed carry is my EG Makarov. It has a little more power than the 380. It is extremely easy to conceal. Plus, it NEVER fails to feed - EVER. Its only drawback is that it is a little heavy for its size.
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<br>2nd choice, if anyone is interested, is a 2 1/4" Ruger SP101 in 357 Mag. Its extremely reliable, strong as you will find anywhere, and has all the power you need. The main drawback for me is it's "thickness" compared to my Mak. The SP101 gets carried in cooler weather when I am wearing bulkier clothing.

I have played around with CCW pieces real seriously since 1/2002. The handguns that fit my life style are the S&W Model 37 and more recently the stainless Kahr K9. I prefer larger caliber but these two tend to work for me. I am going to shoot my Kahr K40 to see whether I like it any better than the last time I shot it. Regards, Richard

I'm with you on the Kahr, but I prefer the P-9 to the K-9, due to its being so much lighter.

The Real Hawkeye, I have a good friend that had a lot of trouble with the slide hold open on a P9 and so I never got serious about one. I gave $525, out the door, for my SS K9 with Elite trigger and improved sights. I just couldn't pass it up. Prior to the K9 I carried a E9 but the cost of upgrades made it more expensive than buying the K9. I have tried my Glock 27 in an Alessi Hard Shell Talon, great holsters, but it doesn't feel comfortable for me. Regards, Richard

If that's the case, I can't blame you. I have had my P-9 for a couple of years, and it has never jammed. I shoot it pretty often too. I have total confidence in it. I guess it is just the luck of the draw. The K-9 is great too, as it is just as slim and comfortable to carry, but the weight difference is such that I don't think I would carry the K-9, whereas I always carry the P-9, and hardly know it's there most of the time. I use a Milt Sparks Executive Companion IWB. Very comfortable and concealable.

A "throwaway" Rossi Stainless 38 SPL for my primary truck/carry gun (3" bbl). My new Taurus Tracker in 41 Mag as a backup badger.

Rossi actually makes a very good revolver...highly underrated. a .38 Special loaded with Glaser Safety Slugs will make me feel safe in almost any neighborhood (except Beirut)

The gun that I carry isnt small but it does the job, it is a Ruger Super Blackhawk in the .44 Mag. If im in danger i want stopping power not something where i have to pull the trigger more than once. And if the " bad boys " are foolish enough to mess with you after they see what your packin they are gonna deserve what they get !

RM7,
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<br>Can't argue with you there. The .44 Magnum is a real fight stopper. I keep a Mossberg DAO 12 bore pump shotgun in the trunk for the same reason. If I get the chance I'll use the shotgun.
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<br>The gun I carry on me daily must be small enough to be concealed. I carry my 629 3" when I can but most often carry a Glock .357 Sig with 11 rounds of pretty good stuff. I also carry a spare magazine to up the ante to 21 rounds.
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<br>BTW what ammo do you carry in your .44? My choice is the Cor-Bon 165 grain JHP Personal Defense load. It generate 615 foot pounds of muzzle energy and is absolutely controllable.
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Norm, are you aware that the best .357 Magnum load has proven more effective at fight stopping than the best .44 Mangum round? That being the case, I wonder why you carry all the extra weight of a model 29 Smith & Wesson. Might as well carry a nice K-Frame Smith .357. Now, if I lived in the outback of Alaska, I could understand carrying the 29 around, but we dont' get too many grizzlies over here on the east coast, unless they escaped from the zoo.

TRH,
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<br>Yes I am aware that the Federal 125 grain JHP has a 98% one-shot-stop rating. When I was a narc many years ago I carried a S&W M19 2-1/2" with 125 grain Winchesters and a M1911 with hardball. The first one out of the holster was always the M19.
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<br>I am confident that the .44 Mag 165 grain Cor-Bon Self Defense load at 600+ foot pounds of muzzle energy will equal the 98% with proper bullet placement.
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<br>Also I carry the M629 occasionally. When the weather is right for concealed carry. Most often I carry a Glock M33 .357 Sig loaded with 11 115 Grain Cor-Bon JHP's.
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<br>Or like today when it is hot and humid I am a totin' my S&W 642 with Glasers. I am apt to carry any of of 1/2 dozen or so pieces depending on my mood and which one I have out of the safe at the time.
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Deputy,
<br> I mostly use the Speer Gold Dot HP ( 240 Grains ). It generates 1044 pounds of energy out of the muzzle, and it travels at 1400 f.p.s. It would be harder to handle than the cor bon but it isnt all that bad

Norm, that sounds like a great combo, i.e., the Model 19 and the Model 1911. Can't argue with it.
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<br>As for what you said about carrying something different everyday, I will offer an opposing viewpoint on that. I am a big believer in picking one, or at least one action type, and sticking with that, relegating the others to the hobby gun category. In a gunfight, you are acting mainly on learned reflexes, and yours are all confused between different action types and different guns. No matter how well you know all those guns, you would be far better off specializing in one of them.
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<br>I know what you are going to say. You love them all, and have to let them all out for a carry once in a while. I can understand that too.