speeddmn

So, I'll be getting my CCL soon and gonna go pistol shopping again. Already have a few but there more for target, home protection, etc. Age old debate still haunts me, 9mm, .40, 45ACP.

9mm ammo is still cheaper, that means shoot more and be more proficient.

.40sw isn't that bad priced, has much better stopping power than a 9.

45ACP has even more stopping power, but decent ammo is still 40-45$ per 100.

So i'll figure out what caliber to buy soon enough. My question really is what would be a dependable, accurate, and carry-able pistol. I'm looking between a Sig P250, Ruger P95, S&W M&P Shield, XDM, or a 1911 Commander.

It has to be reliable first, then concealable second. Thoughts? Also trying to keep out the door price of 450 or so. Figure if I ever had to use it I don't want to lose a gun thats worth a ton more.

nictac1

h&k .40. reliable, fits sthe hand well......kinda pricey though.

stratman2

Bersa 40 is reasonably priced, reliable and easily concealable.

clemons

I was worried about caliber when I first got my Ccw, I bought a usp "compact" to carry. Yeah right. It's huge and cannot be concealed whatsoever. I am about 5'9 and 170lbs. Next I bought a keltec pf9 (still have the hk) which was amazing to carry. I could not get it to run right even though most people have no problems with them so sent it back for repair and began my search for a medium sized thin dao 9mm or .40. I ended up with a Walther pps in .40 s&w, this is my daily fall, winter carry. I have never had one ftf or fte and I have lots and lots of trips to the range (backyard) with it. In south ga where I live in the summer it is so muggy and hot I had to have a smaller weapon to carry in tshirt, shorts and flip flop weather. Ruger lcp is the way to go. They aren't as pretty as some other .380's but is 100% reliable. I have a great pocket holster and techna-clip for iwb carry. You cant even tell your wearing it so I do not take it off even while driving. Holsters add lots of bulk so the thinner the better.

Tankbambam

Glock is a very reliable and true weapon. 9, 40,45 ,357. Good guns and hold up after thousands of rounds in the worst conditions.

bigbluejk

That price range is going to make it a little tough to find a good quality handgun that you can conceal. Most people on here are going to recommend what they have. Just like they do with lifts, and tires, and everything else.

A gun that I do not have but I am about to buy is the kahr cw9. I was going to buy a pm9 with night sights but the price difference between the two pistols is substantial. They are essentially the same gun except for the sights and the barrel on the pm9 is match grade polygonal rifling where as the cw has the traditional style lands and grooves riffling. Both have walther barrels. The CW only comes with one mag and the PM comes with 2. The slide stop lever on the PM is machined from solid steel where the cw is MIM. I know MIM has come a long ways and is likely 100% fine. hell a few 1911 frames are MIM these days. They have the same cam trigger system and both shoot great.

Anyway, I have a point. Here is how I am going to set one up and it will be close to if not in your budget of $450. You can get a CW9 for $369 on gun broker! That is cheap. Then you can buy the machined slide stop lever from Kahr for $24 if you want to replace it like I would. Then through some night sights on it. Factory trijicon ones are only $80. I really like XS big dot and XS 24/7 sights for my carry guns. You need sights that work for you of course. XS big dot sights are $90 for only front glow and the big dot or 24/7 sights that glow in the front and rear are $120. I use the 24/7 front and rear glow on my EDC G30sf and I can hit really fast and accurate with them.

So you are talking $369 for the gun $24 for the slide lever upgrade and $80-$120 for sights and an extra factory mag for $30. That leaves you with a total of $503-$543 depending on the night sights you got. I am sure the MIM slide lever is just fine, I just like machined steel better. If you just got the gun with no extra mag, no machined slide lever, and through on some factory night sights you would be at only $449 and that is right under your $450 mark. That gives you a great quality handgun. The trigger pull is a little long but not bad, keeps you from accidental discharge. It breaks really clean for a double action only trigger.

I am not going to get in the 9mm vs 40 vs 45 debate. I think it is silly. My opinion is winchester ranger T ammo is the best commercially available defensive ammo you can buy. The CM9 and PM9 are both rated for +p ammo. The 9mm winchester rager TA (RA9TA) is +p+ wich I wouoldn't shoot all the time, but a few mags of it will not hurt the gun at all. The +p+ talon is 1250fps and 440ft/lbs without that much recoil. Federal hydra-shock which is a popular defense load in the heaviest round (180gr) is only 1000fps and 400ft/lbs and has more felt recoil.

I love .45ACP but you cannot deny that the talon is deadly in any caliber. the T has great ballistics in 9mm smoking most .40 and .357sig.

check out the difference in expansion between the winchester T (talon) and federal hydrashock

Winchester T (talon)



Federal Hydra-shock

snopro269

I have a carry gun which is .40 when I carry concealed and not print with certain clothing, and there's my .380 Sig that I go everywhere with. It's not hand cannon by no means but I qualify or practice once a month and feel confident having it.
There's a newer American company called Skye I believe that makes .9mm for a great price and I know a few Law Enforcement Officers carry them as backup or concealed as well.

unl94

I carry a Sig Sp2022 in 9mm but it is kind of big for my size. Am looking at a S&W M&P Compact. As far as ammo is concerned I won't enter the caliber debate but you can't go wrong carrying the brand your local law enforcement carries. That way if you have to use it, you can't be accused of using some exotic ammo as a "vigilante"

ScruffyRubicon

I carry a Ruger SR-40. It conceals well and I am only 5' 6" - 135lbs. They also offer a compact version of it (SR-40C). Has been very reliable and not expensive.

clemons

Keltec pf9 is what you want. Inexpensive, light, slim and can run with a belt clip. There is a trigger made by north wood components that is worth every penny. I will be buying another pf9 soon. With that belt clip you will save 50-60$ on a holster. A box of 9mm is 20$ for 100 rounds at Walmart and you can run some hornady or spear gold dots and will take out pretty much anyone. It's all about shot placement anyways. You can score one for under 300 out the door and they look good.



Side by side of my usp compact and pf9 mag both are 9mm