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Your carry gun

bowhunter1023

Owner/Operator
Staff member
48,879
274
Appalachia
Taurus 709 Slim with mag extension and Hogue rubber grip. I have always liked a 9mm and this is a good sized carry piece. It easily carries IWB and can be carried in the pocket of a pair of cargo shorts. It was also reasonably priced for a guy that hates to spend money on pistols...
 

Beentown

Dignitary Member
Supporting Member
15,740
154
Sunbury, OH
Kahr CM9

I have went through many carry guns and this one just fits the bill for everyday carry. The only down side is capacity because even with the larger mag it only holds eight rounds. Positives:

- Disappears for IWB carry
- Easy to pocket carry (shorts in summer or quick trips)
- Reliable
- No safety to manipulate when gross motor skills suck (high stress situation)
- Accurate
- Long but nice trigger
- Price
- Cheap to shoot (comparatively)

I use a Crossbreed Supertuck for IWB and a Desantis Nemesis for pocket carry.

Kahr - $360
Extra mag - $35
Desantis - $20
Crossbreed - $40 (www.crossbreedseconds.com)

So for $455 you have a complete carry package. Hard to beat IMHO
 

Hedgelj

Senior Member
Supporting Member
7,144
178
Mohicanish
I think beentowns advice is pretty spot on.

First off, figure out what way you are going to carry most of the time. This will influence your choices from that point on. I carry primarily IWB with some pocket carry also.

If you choose either IWB (inside the waistband) or OWB (outside) both of which can be concealed (some people think owb equals open carry which it can but does not need to) the choice of a good belt designed to help carry a gun and a good holster will make ALL the difference in the world in comfort. I love my wilderness instructor belt and my crossbreed supertuck.

I primarily carry a Sig C3 which is a .45 1911 style pistol. The single stack is very slim and disappears easily on me. It does require additional training due to the manual safety and 1911s are more finicky with regards to maintenance than the polymer pistols. My smaller carry option is a sig p238 a .380 miniish 1911.

I am contemplating changing to something else in the 9mm caliber for a couple of reasons. The difference in the 9mm and. 45 performance in high quality jhps is minimal at best. 9mm is cheaper to train with and generally gives more rounds to carry also. I am also a little faster on follow up shots than with my 1911. If I pick up a 9mm it will probably be either the sig p938, m&p shield or the m&p compact or the cm9.
 

Beentown

Dignitary Member
Supporting Member
15,740
154
Sunbury, OH
Good point on the belt Doug.

I also use the Wilderness Tactical belt and it makes all the difference in the world.

It may seems like I am against safeties, I'm not. Just don't like them on any carry gun. Now if all I used were pistols with the same manual of arms then that would be a different story.
 
Kel Tec P 11 9mm with the belt / pocket clip

11 Remington Golden Saber 124 Gr +P rounds

It works
It will take S&W High Cap mags

Not a target pistol , It just works 100% of the time

I normaly carry it in my pocket

John
 

DJK Frank 16

Senior Member
Supporting Member
9,358
133
Hardin County
Glock 26. A little thick for a 9mm but it carries well. Especially with 11 round (10+1) capacity. In the winter with thick clothes I use the regular 9mm glock mags and a grip extender and carry it with 16 rounds (15+1).
 

Hedgelj

Senior Member
Supporting Member
7,144
178
Mohicanish
Good point on the belt Doug.

I also use the Wilderness Tactical belt and it makes all the difference in the world.

It may seems like I am against safeties, I'm not. Just don't like them on any carry gun. Now if all I used were pistols with the same manual of arms then that would be a different story.

I agree, maintaining the same manual of arms on my carry firearms is important to me. That is why the Sig p938 is at the top of my list for potential new carry guns. I find myself pocket carrying more often at my new job than IWB. This is b/c I change in a communal locker room and I don't want to be asked about the holster on my pants. However, I want to take some more advanced pistol classes and that along with what I have learned in the pistol classes I have taken so far is why I am possibly going to change my carry gun to a different platform aka the M&P and then I would be looking at a compact and potentially a shield for pocket carry.

Another great option is a small pocketable 38 special like the Ruger LCR or the comparable lighterweight options from S&W. I'm not a wheelgun type of guy but they are a great option for someone who wants simplicity and pocket carry.
 

hickslawns

Dignitary Member
Supporting Member
39,721
248
Ohio
Kahr CW9 or S&W 642 are my main two carry pieces. Occasionally carry a S&W 6906 but generally in the winter. The wheel guns are very nice because it WILL function without fail.
 

Mike

Dignitary Member
Supporting Member
15,840
223
Up Nort
Kahr CW9 or S&W 642 are my main two carry pieces. Occasionally carry a S&W 6906 but generally in the winter. The wheel guns are very nice because it WILL function without fail.

The 642 is the one I have my eye on.
 
Mike said:
I've completed my ccw training. What is your carry gun and why?
Mike,
I think you'll find the answers to your question, both diverse and lacking in similarities. What people carry is as different as the way they choose to carry it. There are as many caliber debates as there are magazine/cylinder capacity debates too.

As for myself, it just depends on which way the wind is blowing as to what I carry. I've carried M&P 9mm Compact, SS Taurus 38spl. Snubby, M&P Service model 9mm and Springfield Armory V10 in SS 45acp.

If you want to gather some more info on the subject, check out these forums.
http://www.defensivecarry.com/forum/forum.php
http://ohioccwforums.org/index.php?sid=4e50c52dccfab85e77a6681227edb457

Bowhunter57
 

Jackalope

Dignitary Member
Staff member
38,841
260
I used to carry a Taurus PT145. A small compact .45 with a 10+1 capacity. However I purchased Jessica a S&W 642 and love it. More often than not its what I carry now. When she gets her CCW I may have to purchase another. It's a dream to carry IWB OWB or in a pocket holster. It's light, compact, and accurate as all get out at 25 yards. The .45 is a great carry gun but the .38 is a dream.