SBEII

The Ruger LCP is a good choice for your budget. I have several friends who love them. I would also consider a small revolver. The revolvers tend to be more reliable if not cleaned as often. You will be surprised at how much lint and dirt wind up on a gun that you carry everyday. And as a bonus .38 ammo is usually pretty inexpensive.

shelbygto2

Yea I got a ruger sr9c and it's the best I've ever shot..comes with the compact clip and a full size 17 round clip to.

Muneblade

I stick to my trusty 12 gauge. =)

thedrod

I really think a lot of people put waaaay too much thought into the choice of caliber for a CCW.

If you aren't military or law enforcement in a heated combat situation, chances that you'll have to empty magazine after magazine and reload after reload are highly unlikely.

I don't know about you, but I wouldn't want to be shot with a BB gun, let alone a .22, .380, .9mm, .40 or .45.

In many cases, just drawing your weapon has been reported to stop the attack.

The OP is absolutely correct in that you do not want an expensive fancy gun for CCW because you will probably lose it to the evidence locker for a good while if you should ever have to use it.

Other people say "oh but this gun is extremely accurate" Most firearms are more accurate than the person shooting them AND almost all CCW situations are close range. It does not matter if the pistol can shoot a 1" group at 25 yards, you will probably not be shooting at anybody at that distance, you'll be telling them to "STOP" and to not come any closer.

I have two preferences in conceal carry pieces.... a small high capacity semi auto, or a hammerless revolver.

The revolver is super concealable, can fire either .38 +p and some models fire .357. Also, a hammerless design can be fired from within a jacket pocket without fear of snagging on clothes and jamming.

The high capacity semi-auto is a favorable choice as well.

Whatever makes you feel comfortable. Try a few guns, but don't over think the caliber choice. Modern designs of ammo in .380, .38, 9mm whatever are very effective. There is no magic bullet that will make your attacker fly backwards and go through a wall.

Your price range is very very reasonable. At that price you could find a nice Springfield XD, Kahr CM9. Reliability of Springfields are right up there with the best. They also have some safety features to give you piece of mind.


If it matters, I currently carry a Glock 27. Prior to that, I carried a Sig P220, (far too big and expensive), and a Kimber Ultra (far too unreliable and high maintenance).

Wife carries a S&W 442 hammerless in her purse or a Sig P239 9mm (not P238) in a holster if the outfit permits.

snopro269

Under a trench coat for concealment??

finnd1

as others have already alluded to, there is no right answer for anyone. You need to find a gun that you shoot well, and can conceal well. How tall are you, how much do you weight? Are you apple or pear shaped? Maybe just like a big barrel? These will all impact what you can carry and how. I'm 5'10" and about 220lbs and carry a full size sig 226 9mm with ease. Pick your pants and shorts correctly (deep pockets) and you can fit a .380 or even a 9mm in there with no problem. But in the need, it doesn't matter what gun you can fit if you can't shoot it worth a damn. Go to a couple of 'range days' with your coworkers or buddies and try all their pistols to which which is best for you.

DawgsYellowJK

Ruger lc9

clemons

Oh mah jeez.

bigbluejk

Not to hijack the thread, but I have a question about the newer keltecs. Is anyone having trouble with that cheesy spring steel extractor spring they are using? I understand that it cuts down on cost and maybe even moving parts... but to me it just looks like a weak link. I have never seen any other guns use that design, and I have wondered if that spring steel could bend or break? It just seems like if they didn't get the heat treating on it just perfect one or more of a few things could happen: 1. the steel could bend outward and not have the pressure for the extractor to grab the casing 2. the steel could become weak in a point and break off 3. the hex screw that holds it on the hot moving slide sometimes come loose on these guns 4. It not be able to grab certain types of ammo due to differences in casing size.

A couple reasons I have had these concerns (and I think keltec guns are great for the money btw) is because I have read about guys having to put two of those extractor springs stacked together for it to be strong enough to extract 100% reliably. Another reason I thought this design may be inferior is because I have read how the p32 can not extract magtech and some other self defense ammo and I have a p32 and it eats that ammo without ever a hiccup. Then I noticed the ones in the pics and videos online that were having those problems had the spring steel type extractor spring. My gun is older and the extractor it has uses a traditional style extractor with a coil spring and pined in extractor. I don't know if that makes it extract better or not'?

clemons

I didn't ever have a problem with the spring itself. The extractor they shipped with my gun was not hardened properly and would not grab the casing. After I got mine fixed it ran 100% and I sold it to a very close friend. I have seen on the ktog forum people doubling them or bending it for more pressure but most of the problems people are having are limp wristing the weapon due to its light weight and larger caliber.