View Full Version : Favorite carry pistol
Having shot and used 1911s for close to 50 years (learned to shoot a handgun with one when I was 12) I have really taken to 9mm versions. Couple of months ago picked up a Springfield RO Elite Compact-had the .45 and sold it off to get the 9. This little blaster has been 100% reliable with everything I've put through it and is quite accurate, very fast for follow-up shots.
Easy to carry, so light I almost forget it's there (use a Sparks VMII or Galco Avenger). Recently swapped out the fire control parts for Ed Brown's tool steel kit. Trigger breaks very crisp, clean at 4lbs. Just ordered some standard width VZ grips in the same color/pattern as the thin versions. For my style of grip with the right thumb riding on top of the safety I get a better grip, don't loose anything in concealment. For the .45 full size all steel guns are great but this one rocks for a daily carry.
https://i.postimg.cc/XNfLbYZW/F14A5A1A-5021-4349-B749-80EE658B0820.jpg (https://postimg.cc/Z0qpPZFs)
hurley842002
12-26-2018, 21:20
I'm liking that one!
I too carry a 9mm. [Awesom]
buffalobo
12-26-2018, 21:27
Certainly easy to like.
SouthPaw
12-26-2018, 21:44
9mm or bust!
I was a .40 guy for a few years but every time we went shooting, I found myself liking my brothers HS2000 9mm more and more (anyone remember those?). I sold my G23 and bought a G19 from the Kazoo IIRC, but that was many moons ago. Since then, I’ve stuck with a G19 of some variant and never looked back.
Great-Kazoo
12-26-2018, 23:13
9mm or bust!
I was a .40 guy for a few years but every time we went shooting, I found myself liking my brothers HS2000 9mm more and more (anyone remember those?). I sold my G23 and bought a G19 from the Kazoo IIRC, but that was many moons ago. Since then, I?ve stuck with a G19 of some variant and never looked back.
The SA XD series birth parent.
I like the 19's, carry a 43, have a few full size 1911's in 45 & 9. Keep looking and have handled / shot a few of the compact's in 9 & 45. If i were to buy another semi auto hand gun, that SA is a very close finisher on the list. Unfortunately i went from a gun buying moratorium to one of any decent to vg condition S&W 357 revolver kick.
buffalobo
12-26-2018, 23:46
My favorite is EMP in 9 but it is church/bbq carry. Daily carry is LC9.
USMC88-93
12-27-2018, 00:12
Gen 3 RTF2 G19 for me most days....
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v651/PhotoTWB/Weapons/Pistols/2010-11-01125907.jpg (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/PhotoTWB/media/Weapons/Pistols/2010-11-01125907.jpg.html)
Theres only 1 handgun I would stake my life on working everytime straight out of the box. The g19 with a g17 mag for a spare is my preferred carry gun. I will and have carried others but if given a choice it's the g19.
Doc I bet that 9mm springy is a smooth shooter!
DireWolf
12-27-2018, 14:14
Theres only 1 handgun I would stake my life on working everytime straight out of the box. The g19 with a g17 mag for a spare is my preferred carry gun. I will and have carried others but if given a choice it's the g19.
^pretty much my thought exactly...
Have never seen a 9mm glock fail without a good bit of neglect/abuse (or shit ammo), and their ubiquity means there's less concern over replacement should it be lost/stolen/used & held by LE (maybe it comes back eventually; maybe not), etc.
I also find the g19 with g17 spare is usually an ideal compromise on size; however, on occasion will opt for a g26 w/ g17 spare, and/or g43 w extended spare (if really need to keep low profile).
Any 9mm Glock. Usually a 19
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I've been carrying my G43 for about two years now and love it.
Thanks all. I've owned numberous 9mm pistols since 1978 (the first was a S&W 59) but this is my first 1911 in 9. A late very good friend was a big fan of .38Super 1911s and they were tons of fun to shoot but considering modern 9mm ammo (I use Federal HST in the Springer) it's a no brainer for me. I was always a "if it's a 1911 it's a 45" guy. And as I mentioned in the original post in full size all steel guns I still feel the same way. In a lightweight (aluminum frame) smaller package no reason to not use a 9. I take a little comfort in that both Ken Hackathorn and Bill Wilson have transitioned to 9s as they've aged lol.
After a long day on the range the 9 is definitely easier on my older hands than a 45.
My first gun was a Ruger LC9s, and to date I have yet to have one feel as good in my hand. I hear a lot about Glocks, but last time I was at Ark Tactical, I asked to feel them all, thinking I would be in heaven trying a (full size) Glock on for size. None of them came close to feeling good.
I admit that I am probably just used to my LC9s, but there you are, I like the LC9s.
-John
Glocks aren't known for feeling good, just being reliable and having a tactile trigger reset. An M&P or CZ will feel good in your hand though.
Every year they come up with a new grip on Glocks. G1, G2, G3, G4, G5, etc. Probably trying to design a grip that feels good? I understand they invented a lot of technologies etc., but at the end of the day, fitting well in your hand is important too.
-John
USMC88-93
12-27-2018, 21:19
I hear a lot about Glocks, but last time I was at Ark Tactical, I asked to feel them all, thinking I would be in heaven trying a (full size) Glock on for size. None of them came close to feeling good.
-John
The best fitting handguns for my hands are the Beretta 92 / M9 series. But I am not going to conceal carry one. The grip angle on Glocks drives me nuts at times but it still goes with me everywhere.
Currently it?s my Glock 34 Gen 5.
Previously I?ve carried and used Gen 4 19, G43 Gen 3 19, Gen 3 23, Gen 4 17, M9
PX4 .40Full Size, XdM 9mm Full Size, & M9A1
The following is in regards to grip angles, feel, width, texture etc.
Ever hear of a car marketed for the comfort of its stock steering wheel? Or people lining up to buy a certain vehicle because the gas pedal had an out of this world feel to it? Sure ergos count, but most people place that factor much higher than they probably should.
What is important when it comes to Grips are, can you, without dropping the handgun;
1. Reach and defeat the safety?s?
2. Pull and reset the trigger?
3. Hit the mag release?
4. Operate the slide lever?
5. Does the grip cause you to be injured just by using it (correctly)?
No?
Well there?s probably a proven/vetted work around technique, or a quality inexpensive factory or aftermarket option to allow you to accomplish the aforementioned 5 tasks.
Lastly the majority of handgun shooters utilize a sub optimal shooting grip, regardless of what handgun they are using on any particular day. Fix YOUR grip first, then worry about the ?feelz?.
There are many wonderful proven handguns available today that weren?t on the market 5, 10, or 15 years ago, but if you are handed a Glock, or must use one for work, don?t disregard it out of hand. There?s probably a work around, be it Software, or Hardware.
76940
For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.
1 Timothy 2:5
Sig p226 legion, 9mm.
1) DA/SA, so pretty brainless safety
2) love the DA/SA, long enough DA to make sure you want to shoot, super short reset and SA for followups
3) Slightly awkward mag release but manageable
4) hard to press the slide release, but I prefer to rack the slide
5) no injuries shooting it, unlike my p938 which OP starts to hurt on of my fingers from the knurling and the recoil of a small gun combo.
Plus, hard to argue 18+1 rounds with a mec-gar mag, and a 20 round back up.
I carry a Gen 4 G26. Not my favorite gun to shoot, but lightweight, concealable with my weird body proportions, reliable as an anvil, and cheap enough that if I am forced to use it, it won't break my heart if it spends years in a police evidence locker.
Ever since I stopped competing with my carry gun, I don't really think about the one I carry anymore.
The way I figure it, my carry gun has to be the gun I am most familiar with, and therefore the one I practice with and shoot the most.
I do realize that smaller guns are not ideal for shooting, and that's why every bit of comfort/fit and feel count.
I remember you actually did very well in a shooting comp with a Ruger LC9s, no, Irving?
-John
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20181228/35b07b7fd373f17a51245cdb5f47829f.jpg
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The way I figure it, my carry gun has to be the gun I am most familiar with, and therefore the one I practice with and shoot the most.
I do realize that smaller guns are not ideal for shooting, and that's why every bit of comfort/fit and feel count.
I remember you actually did very well in a shooting comp with a Ruger LC9s, no, Irving?
-John
It was an M&P 40 compact. Now I shoot with a Glock 23 and carry an M&P Shield 9. So my carry gun isn't any different operationally than my M&P, and even my Glock really. I did do a classifier match with my Glock and Shield once and actually did better with the Shield. It's been so long since I've done a competition that I really shouldn't talk like I'm even currently shooting right now anyway. Need to get back into it. Just got a 9mm barrel and mags for my G23 and have plenty of 9mm to work through.
Nagant1984
01-27-2019, 02:05
I carried a G26 for years. After breaking my back a few years ago I switched to appendix carry mostly. I carry a Glock 43 or a HKP7M8 depending on what I’m doing that day.
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