Recommendations for a CCW that is 9mm, 10 rd capacity, but very compact and easy to hide.

[Edwardteach72]

You want a small gun because you will spend thousands of hours carrying it, and *maybe* once in your life, for a few seconds, shooting it outside of a range.

For people who say "I want the best gun I can get if I'm ever in a gun fight"

I say "then carry a long gun".

And they will immediately respond that is too difficult and impractical.

So, you do *not* want the best gun for the fight. You want a compromise between the best gun for the fight, and one that's easy to carry.

Once you recognize that *any* pistol is a compromise, then you need to start evaluating what compromise is best for you.

I think that unless you have a very high risk lifestyle, then that compromise should lean more towards the carry side than the shooting side.

That LCP is certainly not as good as a G17 in a fight.

Buy the LCP is orders of magnitude better than what 90% of people carry. So by carrying at all, you've already chosen to sacrifice much of the ease of carrying in favor of being prepared.

And if you want to be the most comfortable don't carry any gun

 

[Edwardteach72]

How is the LCP better than what most people carry, when most people are carrying G19 size guns.. or even P365xl/G48/43x size guns??

If anything the LCP is once again in the lacking department

 

[spat]

How is the LCP better than what most people carry, when most people are carrying G19 size guns.. or even P365xl/G48/43x size guns??

If anything the LCP is once again in the lacking department

No, most people are carrying nothing.

That is by far the easiest thing to carry, and the worst to shoot LOL.

 

[Defilade]

You want a small gun because you will spend thousands of hours carrying it, and *maybe* once in your life, for a few seconds, shooting it outside of a range.

For people who say "I want the best gun I can get if I'm ever in a gun fight"

I say "then carry a long gun".

And they will immediately respond that is too difficult and impractical.

So, you do *not* want the best gun for the fight. You want a compromise between the best gun for the fight, and one that's easy to carry.

Once you recognize that *any* pistol is a compromise, then you need to start evaluating what compromise is best for you.

I think that unless you have a very high risk lifestyle, then that compromise should lean more towards the carry side than the shooting side.

That LCP is certainly not as good as a G17 in a fight.

But the LCP is orders of magnitude better than what 90% of people carry. So by carrying at all, you've already chosen to sacrifice much of the ease of carrying in favor of being prepared.

I carry an HK..."No Compromise"

 

[spat]

And if you want to be the most comfortable don't carry any gun

That is the solution that 90% of people choose.

Even most people who own guns don't carry every day.

 

[spat]

I carry an HK..."No Compromise"

Unless it's a G36, then you *are* compromising.

 

[Edwardteach72]

That is the solution that 90% of people choose.

Even most people who own guns don't carry every day.

Ok I read the "better than what 90% of people are carrying" as in take what people are carrying and the lcp is better than 90% of the guns

 

[togmaster]

And if you want to be the most comfortable don't carry any gun

Carrying a gun should be comforting not comfortable.

 

[Dr. Evil]

You want a compromise between the best gun for the fight, and one that's easy to carry.

Which is why I say carry the biggest gun you comfortably can. Not saying it will be comfortable. There's a difference between those two statements. I never understand when people say, "It's so comfortable I forgot I was even carrying it." When I carry I always know that I am carrying. I am also not uncomfortable. It's just that compared to not carrying I always notice it. I also don't think that's necessarily a bad thing.

 

[Edwardteach72]

Carrying a gun should be comforting not comfortable.

Yuuup

 

[spat]

Which is why I say carry the biggest gun you comfortably can. Not saying it will be comfortable. There's a difference between those two statements. I never understand when people say, "It's so comfortable I forgot I was even carrying it." When I carry I always know that I am carrying. I am also not uncomfortable. It's just that compared to not carrying I always notice it. I also don't think that's necessarily a bad thing.

I used to carry a G26 IWB, most of the time.

Sometimes I didn't bother. Maybe I wasn't wearing a belt, just in a hurry, whatever.

Now I pocket carry an LCP. Every single time I have pockets.

So, the LCP in your pocket beats the G17 you left at home because you were "just running to the store quick".

Where I'm located I'm less likely to need it against 2 legged predators than something else, at least out in the yard.

And since I only leave the property once or twice a week, this makes far more sense.


It's not even so much about ease of actuallu carrying, the G26 carried fine. It's the difference in how fast putting it on is.

OFC, out here open carry is a thing, so I may need to rethink the holster plan, but it's real hard to beat pocket carry for ease.

 

[Podmonkey]

For the big two in 9mm, Speer Gold Dot and Federal HST which everyone should be carrying anyway, that’s a non issue. They expand enough from guns with 3 inch barrels like the Sig 365. I would much rather spend the money on ammo than pay for it in weight on my body daily.

With a .380, you do have a point. There is no bullet out there that expands consistently and penetrates sufficiently according to FBI specs. Just not enough case capacity.

Any bonded (HST excepted) 9mm JHP from a reputable manufacturer is likely to serve adequately.
The bonded versions of Golden Saber seem to deliver consistent penetration and expansion as well.


And I will yet again say that the Shiled Plus in my, and I suspect most, hands delivers sufficient performance to give me confidence in it should I need to employ it defensively.

 

[Saltwater60]

I belive Hornaday critical DEFENSE (not duty) is also optimized for a 3" barrel... still wouldn't be my choice over Speer Gold Dots (not G2) or HST

It is but it doesn’t penetrate or expand reliably compared to HST for the ballistic gelatin videos and results I’ve seen.

 

[Saltwater60]

Any bonded (HST excepted) 9mm JHP from a reputable manufacturer is likely to serve adequately.
The bonded versions of Golden Saber seem to deliver consistent penetration and expansion as well.


And I will yet again say that the Shiled Plus in my, and I suspect most, hands delivers sufficient performance to give me confidence in it should I need to employ it defensively.

Most major brands do expand reliably well enough it’s just that federal HST meet the FBI spec perfectly in expansion, weight retention, and penetration depth. Hornady critical defense expands well enough but the brass pedal brake off causing them to lose weight and expand not as consistently. Is it enough of a difference for me to never use them? No, but I did just buy a few boxes of HST after seeing the ballistic gelatin results.

 

[Edwardteach72]

It is but it doesn’t penetrate or expand reliably compared to HST for the ballistic gelatin videos and results I’ve seen.

Oh uea no I have no use for their self defense ammo.. Speer Gold dots and Federal HST exist

 

[Dr. Evil]

I used to carry a G26 IWB, most of the time.

Sometimes I didn't bother. Maybe I wasn't wearing a belt, just in a hurry, whatever.

Now I pocket carry an LCP. Every single time I have pockets.

So, the LCP in your pocket beats the G17 you left at home because you were "just running to the store quick".

Where I'm located I'm less likely to need it against 2 legged predators than something else, at least out in the yard.

And since I only leave the property once or twice a week, this makes far more sense.


It's not even so much about ease of actuallu carrying, the G26 carried fine. It's the difference in how fast putting it on is.

OFC, out here open carry is a thing, so I may need to rethink the holster plan, but it's real hard to beat pocket carry for ease.

I hear you. I just look at it this way. Yes, it is more convenient not carrying. Sure, there are times I would rather not take the time to ready myself to leave the house armed with a larger than smaller pistol. Saying all this, the inconvenience of needing a gun that I am confident with and not having it far outweighs the inconvenience of taking the time to leave my house with my firearm. YMMV.

 

[Beerman]

Guess you are talking about me lol. I hadn't shot in a while when taking the class. I also said with more training I would be able to become more efficient with a smaller gun. My question is, why though would I not want to use the gun that I shoot proficiently with less training? IMHO a smaller gun has a steeper learning curve. I prefer to not have a steeper learning curve. If I start out shooting a larger pistol that I can carry well it's not like I would get less accurate over time. Quite simple. I want to carry the gun I shoot the best regardless of distance. If I can have accuracy at some further distances than most self defense shootings I certainly won't be less accurate at self defense shooting distances. For me, carry the biggest gun I can shoot well. BTW, there was no kneeling behind a wall in the class I was at. It was standing shooting at different distances and doing different drills. What gives me the most confidence at the present time is what I want. Not to mention the adrenaline dump as well as other things that physiologically occur that add variables to the situation. The better I feel about the gun I carry and shoot now is where my confidence lies. For me, bigger is better.

That would be a flatter learning curve, wherein one’s skill level increases slowly over time (the height on the Y axis) versus time playing out (on the X axis.) A steep learning curve could be illustrated by a nice dose of “slide bite,” for example.

 

[Dr. Evil]

That would be a flatter learning curve, wherein one’s skill level increases slowly over time (the height on the Y axis) versus time playing out (on the X axis.) A steep learning curve could be illustrated by a nice dose of “slide bite,” for example.

I think you catch my drift professor.

 

[Podmonkey]

Most major brands do expand reliably well enough it’s just that federal HST meet the FBI spec perfectly in expansion, weight retention, and penetration depth. Hornady critical defense expands well enough but the brass pedal brake off causing them to lose weight and expand not as consistently. Is it enough of a difference for me to never use them? No, but I did just buy a few boxes of HST after seeing the ballistic gelatin results.

Okay great, I run HSTs as my primary ammo too. What if you can't find any when you need to replenish your stock? I'll switch to Gold Dots or Golden Sabres or Hornady XTPs, all of which I have function checked in my carry guns and vetted for matching POA/POI. It's good to have alternative loads you can switch to.

 

[Saltwater60]

Okay great, I run HSTs as my primary ammo too. What if you can't find any when you need to replenish your stock? I'll switch to Gold Dots or Golden Sabres or Hornady XTPs, all of which I have function checked in my carry guns and vetted for matching POA/POI. It's good to have alternative loads you can switch to.

Absolutely. And the difference in performance/function is almost nonexistent, but it’s there. It’s like buying a Ferrari or a lambo. You can go wrong with either, but one has a slight edge in performance over the other.

 

[GTN]

I don’t know if this was mentioned but I hear a lot of people say “I can’t carry any gun because I like to wear tight fitted pants and shirts”.
You need to learn to dress for the gun you carry, not the other way around.

 

[spat]

I don’t know if this was mentioned but I hear a lot of people say “I can’t carry any gun because I like to wear tight fitted pants and shirts”.
You need to learn to dress for the gun you carry, not the other way around.

"Congratulations, one day you may be the best dressed corpse in the morgue".

 

[Beerman]

I don’t know if this was mentioned but I hear a lot of people say “I can’t carry any gun because I like to wear tight fitted pants and shirts”.
You need to learn to dress for the gun you carry, not the other way around.

But what has NEVER been said. “Dude, you look so badass in those skinny jeans!”

 

[thisIslandEarth]

You got good taste but the P239 was discontinued and replaced by the P225A which was quite popular but likewise replaced. The closest SIG to them now may be the P210 carry Tuxedo gun.

Thanks for that info. The P225A looks awesome and very similar to P239. Have you shot the P239? If so, how would you compare the two?
I've got the P229 also and a Kriss Sphinx SDP that I'm going to sell I think. Anyways, good stuff

 

[togmaster]

I don’t know if this was mentioned but I hear a lot of people say “I can’t carry any gun because I like to wear tight fitted pants and shirts”.
You need to learn to dress for the gun you carry, not the other way around.

When I wear tight pants my "gun" prints. No avoiding that.

 

[Edwardteach72]

I don’t know if this was mentioned but I hear a lot of people say “I can’t carry any gun because I like to wear tight fitted pants and shirts”.
You need to learn to dress for the gun you carry, not the other way around.

I mean I wear not sloppy pants, and a smedium shirt and can easily carry a G34 with ACRO P2 and Surefire x300u. Plus a C-A-T (TQ) and a spare magazine with no issue

 

[Bustedknees]

4 less rounds but I still like carrying a snub nose revolver. small, super safe with no safety.

 

[Steal2B]

Thanks for that info. The P225A looks awesome and very similar to P239. Have you shot the P239? If so, how would you compare the two?
I've got the P229 also and a Kriss Sphinx SDP that I'm going to sell I think. Anyways, good stuff

My wife and I both shoot the P225A better but we only shot friend's p239 guns (an SAS and stock model) a couple times. As a point of reference, we shot both the single stack P239 and P225A better than a P226 Legion (we tried during the same range sessions) in spite of a longer sight radius and even "better" sights in the double stack p226 Legion but all were amazing guns.

Although the P239 and P225A share many of the same parts, the P225A felt slightly heavier (maybe an ounce or less) and maybe beefier to us, but the American P225A just felt better in both my large and wife's smaller hands (naturally grips a bit higher and seems to just point to the target). The P225A has a better stock trigger (felt like the Legion during the pull and short reset) and had better stock sights, and had better grip panels, and had better straps.

Although I may be splitting hairs, the p239 could be easier to carry than the P225A since it felt lighter side by side but I am not sure I would notice.

The p239 and P225A are both great guns, SIG had no trouble selling them, but my guess is that there is more profit in Tupperware strikers with cheaper parts, and less machining. Look how many p365 models (although they are more of a Tupperware replacement of the p938 ) they are moving now with likely much higher profit margins.

 

[Saltwater60]

But what has NEVER been said. “Dude, you look so badass in those skinny jeans!”

Yes. Not only where do you put your gun, but where do you put your junk in those? At my last job the interns and corporate asshole would wear such tight skinny Jean their socks must have been the size of a baby carrot at best. I buy specific things because not enough but room is a serious problem.

 

[Grimscale]

For just leaving the house to get gas Sunday night in my house shorts so that I don’t have to deal with the lines Monday morning, a pocket pistol will suffice because immediate threats to me while pumping gas at 10 ft is my only concern. Sure I can do better with a Glock 17 but at 10 ft, a pocket pistol will do just fine. I’m not going to engage threats at longer distances while pumping gas and I won’t be significantly better at spitting distances with a 17 anyway.

Not to mention that you could be hosing the perp down with gas while you retrieve your pocket pistol, and the flash from the short barrel will make the perp think long and hard on his life choices.......assuming he survives the shot.