CCW?
 

Looking at the Ruger LCP. The new models have a better sights and trigger than previous models. I want to eventually get a CCL. I have never owned or shot a pistol before. Would the LCP be a good 1st pistol... or should I be looking at a larger 9mm like the Glock 26, LC9 or Taurus Pt709 slim. Any thoughts?

I have the LC9 .. If you want a ccw the LCP or LC9 are great I would go with the LC9 simply because you get a bigger caliber without sacrificing much size difference .. If you want a gun to shoot regularly go bigger

you'll probably get quite a few responses with varying opinions. i own the lcp and i think it's a great little gun when you have to pocket carry. several bullet makers are making a good 380 round with decent stopping power. in my opinion i would stick with hollow points

Msu51...can you carry LC9 in front pocket of pants/shorts without printing?

Just looked at sizes...Now between LCP or LC9.

Pocket carry is possible depending on how the pants fit you .. I would prefer IWB or ankle holster in a boot

I just know that there's not much difference in size between LC9 and LCP, not taking anything away from the LCP because I think it's a great gun

I haven't gotten my CC permit yet so I haven't carried it concealed but it is small and thin

My neighbor has the Barretta nano and my LC9 is the same size and I know quite a few people who carry the nano

I carry a LCP w/crimson trace. It's not a target pistol or even a pleasure to shoot, it's a get me out of a bad situation piece. I carry it with extra clip packed with the Buffalo Bore ammo. They are hot! It's not 9mm but very close when loaded with Buffalo bores. Carries extremely well! Remember if its not comfortable you're not going to carry it no matter what caliberAttachment 50805

Nice gun .. I like both guns alot

I like the LC9 also, I carry LCP because I'm not a big person. Smaller is easier for me to conceal.

I personally much prefer the taurus slim over the lcp.

I carry a glock 27 on an ankle holster. I'm a big guy so it doesn't bother me but I have a few co workers that are small fellas and don't like the bulk of it

LCP would not be fun to shoot at "the range"?

ANother possible option in your size range is the S&W Bodygaurd in 380 or the S&W MP Shield. The Bodygaurd already comes with a laser if that's what you like.

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Kel tec pf9 for throwing in my back poxket of my blue jeans or in any pocket really..

Kimber pro carry II for iwb carry

Glock 21 or Fnx .45 or on occasion my ful size kimber custom are my open carry options mistly the g21 though.

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I would suggest the pf9 for you to start...cheap shoots great easy to conceal.

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Kel-tec pf9 reliability ?

I have two of the same guns (my wife and I), and I agree 100 percent with your comments.

Ive never had one ftf fte or anything of that nature with the pf9...I carry it so that means I have put 500 rounds through it without error and trust it...I had an lc9 great gun also just felt snappier to me and wasnt for me...I never had any issues with it either.

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I have a LCP, glock26, and glock19 and carry all 3 at different times. I find myself carrying the LCP more than the others just because I can stick it in a pocket and walk out of the house. With the g26 or g19 I must carry it inside waistband to properly conceal.

I will pocket carry...no waste or ankle...just wondering if LCP is a good idea or should I get a bigger 9mm in case I don't get the CCL?

No reason not to get CCL. IMO.

I like big holes. I carry a Millinium Pro in .45. The right CCW holster helps a lot with comfort.

If you're going to pocket carry the LCP can't be beat. The LC9 is slightly larger but in "pocket carry" every inch "less" counts!

Haha I knew it was only a matter of time before dink brought the XDS into the mix .. I'm a fan of it as well

That is NOT what she said

My wife carried a .380 ACP for a number of years until we reached a certain point in our wound ballistics studies where we were quantifying the performance of .357 Sig in deer compared with 9mm. Not only did the deer always drop pretty quickly with the .357 Sig, but the wound damage was very impressive. Finally, my wife exclaimed, "I want to carry a gun that does THAT."

Performance of the 9mm is not too bad with some of the best loads. The 127 grain Ranger SXT is a great choice all around load. Some of the 147 grain JHP loads are little better than ball ammo. But no 9mm loads perform as well in the shorter barrels as they do in service length barrels. 100-200 fps lower velocity robs wounding potential in several ways: reduced expansion, reduced energy, reduced temporary cavity.

My twin brother has trained more shooters than I have (Louisiana Shooters Unlimited in LC), but I've trained enough to see my share of bad shooting with the mini 9mms compared with the service sized pistols. It probably takes 3000 rounds of practice a year to maintain the proficiency with a mini 9mm that one could maintain with 1000 rounds annually through a service pistol. In practice, the recoil of those guns is not conducivve to practice, and few of them would stand up very well to 3000 rounds per year of practice. Consequently, almost no one acquires and maintains proficiency with them. Learning to dress around a more appropriately sized gun that one will actually practice with is a probably a better option for most.

I think I have my delimna solved...two guns. One for pocket and one for just shooting. My new question is what is the best/most comfortable, reliable gun to shoot (caliber don't matter). Realize anything I buy will probably be good with me... being I'm a rookie in this department and I won't know all the small differences in each firearm anyway.

Two guns is not a bad idea, but you are looking at it completely wrong.... One gun to carry and possibly have to use in a defensive situation, and one gun for "just shooting." As MathGeek already stated, a pocket sized firearm is a difficult waepon to master. This is the firearm, by your reasoning, you will be using to protect yourself with while you will train with a totally different weapon :confused:? Doesn't make much sense to me. You can pick up a full size Glock, then a full size M&P, then an XD and they will each have different ergonomics causing you to shoot each differently. Compare that to the LCP everybody here is suggesting and good luck hitting your target in a stressful situatuion after static training with your "just shooting" gun.

I'm not trying to be an @$$, it's just simple logic that no one here has seemed to point out yet. They have a gun show in Lafayette next week. I would suggest braving the lines, pay the $8 admission, and finger bang every handgun you can until you find that one that gives you a boner once you hold it. Train with it like your life depended on it, because it just might, and dress around it. Effectively carrying a weapon is more than just sitting in a 1 day class and throwing a gun in your pocket and now your safe. My wife thinks I'm crazy, but I spend at least 20-30 minutes a day practicing my draw and sight acquisition. Not because I'm paranoid or some Chris Costa wannabe, but because I'll be damned if I get killed with my own weapon because I didn't prepare enough.

Rant over. :rotfl:

Agree...I was thinking two pistols with identical triggers...example sr9 compact and sr9 or glock 26 or 19...etc

Does the LCP and LC9 have similar trigger pulls/ characteristics? I will definitely practice with the gun I would carry the most.

As far as preference goes I prefer my sig saur P220. It's a 45 acp. The down side is that it is heavy and has a single stack 8 rd magazine I've recently switched to carrying a glock 22 40cal when I wear a uniform at work. The main reason is the weight of the sig gave me sciatic problems. One important thing to remember is to keep your weapon clean and lubricated. I've seen a sig stove pipe in an officer involved shooting, however that officer did not maintain his weapon very well. I've prob put2,000 rounds thru my sig with no problems and over 5,000 thru my Glocks with no problem. A glock is a combat handgun, if its dirty it will shoot, dependable, reliable. Anyways that's my2 bits

Yep, go Glock, most LEO departments use them, and that ought to tell you something. If you want a small weapon, Glock 27 or 27 gen4, 40 cal. This is weapon most departments use as backup. In fact, my son-n-law says he is more accurate with this one than his side carry. Great little weapon.

No matter what gun you choose shot placement is the key......

The number and kinds of different pistols out there is mind numbing. I've been looking at the LCP closely... Hogue grips, Wolfe 11# spring, BT guide rods, Desantis holsters, Promag, lasermax, federal ammo etc. Interesting how specific people get with there pistols. Any of the LCP people use any of this stuff?

Not sure if you have looked at this one....
Beretta Nano....you can get it in a 9mm and I think 40 cal too....

http://www.homedefenseweapons.net/wp...Subcompact.jpghttp://berettanano.com/pdf.png

I wouldn't go with anything less than .40.......

It looks like kahr cm9 is the smallest 9mm that would pocket carry. Thoughts on this gun...Dink I do believe Kahr makes a small cm40

The Kell tek is a great, super light, little gun. There is a trigger attachment to make the trigger wider that really helps on quick draws. I carry a Kahr cw40. My dad carries the Kell.

The Kahr cw40 and 9 are the same size. I'm dinks brother by the way.

XDs is the same size. Kahr is really smooth. My ONLY issue with them is the double action only trigger. And the trigger pull is very heavy and very long

I'd rather a heavy & long trigger for C/C & most are made that way so they dont easily go off! They are not target pistols. That's one of the reasons I say pocket size carrys are not fun to shoot is long trigger pulls & muzzle jump

Thise little Kel-tecs are super light and easy to conceal, but OMG that's painful to shoot!

Yep!! The LCP isn't much fun either. Hurts my trigger finger but its easy to conceal and fairly accurate for its size.

The slim 9 is really easy to shoot with little recoil and surprisingly accurate. It is plenty small enough for CC. I bought one for my wife and am tempted to buy one for myself.

I carry a full size M&P with 5" barrel 90% of the time. My next most carried gun is a S&W 3914. I have a PF9, but it rarely gets carried, when I do carry it, I usually carry it in my pocket when I can't wear a traditional holster. It is not hard to carry a full sized gun, I hardly notice I am carrying it, but I make my own belts and holsters. A quality belt is a must. I have made concealed carry holsters for full size 1911's, if carried right full size guns are no problem. I will say the Glock 19 holster is by far the most popular holster, but I prefer others over the Glock family, all my Glocks are dummy guns.

My Kahr is really easy to shoot. I actually enjoy it at the range. And.....this guy hit paper at 100 yards with it. And I had a witness.

But your witness was half drunk......does it still count?

I will say the Kahr is 100x better than the Kel-tec