My dad has me leaning toward a Glock or a Springfield 45.

Corey, what other guns have you shot? and what's your take on them.

Like I stated before Rick, if I were to ever get my hands on a DE .50, it would be my "trophy gun". That thing is a beauty to just look at. Would never be my first choice in self defense. By no means a cheap gun to shoot, i've seen 20 bullets for $40 ($2/round). $7/round is a little over the edge...

just goin off some information that my friend gave me. I really should research it for myself.

I realize you asked Corey, but I enjoyed the Hi-Point 9mm, albeit a lower-quality weapon. Ruger, Walther, Taurus are some REALLY high-quality weapons. Problem is that they have a price to go along with that quality.

Asking an arms dealer some well-educated questions will get you the tool of death best suited to you. Good luck. What else are your questions?

I'm not sure of any of the brands, as I usually just shoot whatever my buddies have. Another gun that I liked was the Colt 1911, but it was a .45 and was a bit too much of a gun to carry. A couple 22s and 9s, but I wouldn't feel safe with the 22, and am unsure about the 9. I think the .40 is the perfect gun to carry.

I have a beretta px4. I love it. I know that there are some polymer gun haters, but their opinions are generally unfounded.

Glocks are good guns, many law enforcement agencies have been using them for years. Berettas are good, they have been carry weapons for police and military personel for years as well.

My advise would be to find a gun that fits you. Take it to the range a lot and shoot at least 500 rounds through it. THEN go apply for your CCW. Get to know your gun before you trust it with your life.

Since you want a carry piece and not a range only gun, I would recommend that you get at least a .40. The .40 caliber offers a nice balance of stopping power and economy.


My Recommendations:
Springfield XD
S&W M&P
Beretta PX4
Glock
Taurus PT140 or PT145

I like to hear everyone/anyone's input. If you have a pro/con about a gun you've used, just post up. I like to hear all angles of an opinion.

No real question's (at this moment in time) besides a list/opinions of different pistols.

I am looking for a gun right now that I will be able to carry. Price really isn't a factor in the decision. I just want something I will be confortable with if I were to have a life/death situation.

...But like someone else said, I will want to practice over and over so I will know how to use the gun if/when the time comes to use it "for real".

And thanks brown for the recommendations. A lot of those are on my list to research/look at!

That's what I carry. I'm not as accurate with it as I am with my S&W 910 but the 910 is a full size frame, my hands don't fit the compact as well.

I'll never carry a .45 since the ammo in my .40 wieghs the gun down so much. I'm tempted to drop to a 9mm sometimes just to lose a few ounces but the stopping power is what keeps the .40 in my pocket. My brother in law stopped an attacker with a point blank shot to the mid section out of a 9mm. That's the only thought that would steer me toward the nine.

With all that being said, something else to keep in mind is ammo. It comes in different styles and wieghts. If you're going to carry concealed you will want to try a few different PDA's(Personal Defense Ammo) to find out which works best with your gun. A couple of my fav's are Federal Hydro-Shock and Speer Gold Dot. For target practice you can buy some FMJ's of the same wieght. Even FMJ's can be innaccurate. I bought some Blazers with aluminum casings shortly after acquiring my .40 that made me think the gun was crap. In the same sitting I put 50 rounds of UMC through it that made me realize it was the ammo that was crap, not my gun.

Last but not least..... I TOTALLY agree with brown.... Get acquainted with the gun before you decide to use it for protection. The last thing you need is your attacker grabbing it from you as your fumbling with it.

Oh..... And don't be this guy.....

http://www.krqe.com/dpp/news/strange/Man_drops_gun_shatters_toilet2163036

LMFAO! What an idiot, that's awesome.

Buy a holster with a strap. And turn the safety on. Oh, and just be more careful, moron!

Good thing he just went, otherwise it would have probably scared the **** out of him. lol

I havent owned a handgun in years...I sold all of mine off after my son made off with one of my 44mag rounds and carried it to school (I took more than a little heat over that one)

I had a Dan Wesson revolver with interchangable barrels in 44mag and a polished stainless Colt P King Cobra in 357mag. The Dan Wesson was heavy but with Pacmyr grips was still comfy to shoot. (yes I have big hands) The Colt on the other hand was an absolute sweetheart. Smooth action and deadly accurate up to 25 yards (which is the longest we used to shoot...7-15-25 yards with handguns)
I also owned two Desert Eagles, a blued 357mag and brushed hard chrome 44mag. The 44 was plenty to handle even with two hands. I cannot begin to imagine the hand held cataclysm that 50AE would be...no thanks. I had plenty of people looking down at me at the shooting range with my 44 DE as hot load shells are required for any DE for good gas operation. This beast routinely blew 6-8inch flame bursts from the barrel and when you ripped off a three round burst the noise was like a hand cannon.
The 357 DE actually turned out to be my favorite over time and I had a nice shoulder rig to carry it in with quik pull holster. 10 rounds in the mag gave it good capacity and the slide action takes so much of the recoil off your hands it becomes a very smooth shooter. I used to love using the "hostage" targets at the range and blasting three round burst to the head of the assailant. I found this gun to be much more fun to shoot than any 45 1911 I ever tried and it had much less recoil.

crimpton makes the strongest point, USE whatever you buy...get familiar with it like your own hands. I could put my DE together blindfolded (it does have very few parts) but still hope you never have to use it, but if you do be able to use it with confidence and poise. You cant do too much research on this in my opinion...its lot of money, make it count and be comfortable with what you get...dont fall prey to a "show gun" that doesnt serve a good purpose.

Good Hunting

Not interesting guns stuffs but this story is crack me up. I can't imagine if he actually really sitting in bathroom for doing it. It would be funny to see pile of craps on floor.

I sure feel sorry for that guy, kinda. Maintaining your arms and your equipment MUST be the first order of business for anyone who wants to enter the life of arms. Then his holster fails him. Embarrassing. I would certainly not wanna go home to my wife:

"Honey, you remember how I begged and pleaded for the Kitchen Authorization for that REAL nice thousand-dollar concealer that I bought?"

"Yes, sweetie, I sure do. Why do you bring it up? Lemme guess. You want another, don't you?"

"Well, kinda. The cops have mine, so I think I need another."

"What in the world happened? Was anyone hurt?"

"Kinda. Some woman complained of chest pains after I shot the [crap] out of a [crapper]."

T-Bat's right. You need to have the feel and personality of any weapon you buy to become symbiotic.

The ranges at which you are likely to engage any threat will be at 25 meters and less. That does not mean that you should or can skimp on 50-meter training. Reflex shooting. Ok, lemme stress this adequately:

REFLEX SHOOTING!!!

Once done with that,

TRAIN ON REFLEX SHOOTING!!!

Then do stress shoots. Strenous exercise to point of physical incapicatation, then PERFORM REFLEX SHOOTING!!!

A cop or combat-arms service member should be able to train you adequately before you go through the CWL certification.

You heard from the others here that they LOVE the feel of the M9 and M1911 and DE weapons. I can NOT stand the grip of any of these. The M1911 was a DREAM to shoot, but a beast to hold...for me. Likewise, if I told T-Bat to shoot my sub-compact Sig 239, he'd gripe all day. Here's a plan that I developed for you to try. Lemme know if it works.

Find a holster that you would make good use of. Shoulder, verticle? Shoulder, horizontal? Waist, rear? Waist, front? Cross-draw? Stuffed into your boxers and hope it dont fall down your pants leg? Find a holster that best fits you.

Find the weapon size that you like. Appropriate grips for your hands. Weight. Balance. Control locations. Hammer or hammer-less (for a concealer, I recommend hammer-less of a low-profile hammer). Barrel length. Revolver or handgun? Caliber that you feel is just above-adequate (the Army is so effective because we dont fight fair. You bring a knife, we bring a M249. You bring a M249, we bring Abrams and Blackhawk gunships. That kinda thing.)

After finding the holster and the weapon, find the practice ammo. Then find the service ammo that you want. FMJ? JHP? Hydro-shok? Flachette (dont get caught with these rounds. You've been warned)? There's another kind out there, I'll hafta talk to my co-worker about them. Cor-Bon makes them.

Once you got the weapon, the holster, the rounds, the target, the cleaning kit with CLP, find the range. Shoot fast, shoot slow. Shoot reflex, shoot point-target. Shoot close-in, shoot something stupid far, like 150+ meters. Stress shoot, shoot relaxed and fresh. Change mags/cylinders fast, take your time with it.

After AT LEAST 500 rounds, the weapon should be broken in and ready to train with. After 5,000 rounds, you SHOULD be familiar enough with the weapon to attempt the CWL.

After months and months of looking... I think I have fell in love.

http://www.the-m-factor.com/

Went down to the shop to check her out. I am more 'n likely gonna pick up a Springfield XD(m) .40 caliber pistol. I understand this is not the carry type of weapon but as my "first firearm", I am in love with the features and feel of this pistol. Now i'm on the phone with different places trying to find a reasonable/"best" price.

I have had my CCL for about a month now and I think for a future carry piece I might pick up the Springfield .45 Compact.

So many nice guns, so many choices, not enough ammo... LOL!

One thing I noticed that wasn't hit on. When it comes to ammo you really should practice with what you intend to carry. In a panic situation predictability is key. You need to know what to expect when you pull the trigger. Each brand/type of round could give you a different sensation when firing. Cheap ammo may be short on powder as a result when you practice with it you'll get a smaller kick then what rounds you intend to carry will have. Resulting in poor control.

good point, Herc, that had totally slipped my mind. Good catch.

Taz, my dad bought an XD(M) in 9mm. It's a very nice weapon, and has won all sorts of Best Pistol-type awards.

I personally prefer my Beretta, but that's just me.

Ace, I do love the look of your pistol. Just something about that Beretta style that pulls me in. Might have to give that a look too, the next time i'm at the shop.