I carry one of the following in custom IWB holsters I had made for each of them:

Sig P228 - 9mm

HK USPc - .40 S&W

Colt 1911 - .45 ACP

Here you go ... you answer your own question.

And yes, I do have sources for the good ammo

From Jordi, I do believe and agreee

If I expected to be going up against body armor, I would be bringing rifles and friends with rifles

As most of you know by now, I'm a pretty hard core "revolver guy". Several of you have already mentioned various .38 Special snubbies; my primary carry piece is similar, but in .44 Special. It's an old Charter Arms Bulldog Pug.

I believe revolvers to be far more reliable and useful under heavy stress than any auto, especially for a casual shooter. Not mechanically reliable, as they function as well as any revolver, but "reliable" in the sense of being usable under heavy stress. There is just too much to do on an auto, even if it is only releasing a safety. The extra capacity of an auto is pretty much useless in a civilian self defense situation - history has borne this out. Hell, Sgt. York took out a German machine gun nest and I'm not sure he even emptied the first mag on his 1911. Don't worry about capacity - "only" five rounds in a little snubbie is more than you will ever need to defend yourself.

agree on this. ..........5rds is fine for self defense. its all SHOT PLACEMENT!

lil mouse guns...........aim for head.

big guns aim anywhere!

i over the years have made a lil game of watching people re: CCW and how many PRINT THEMSELVES! the biggest dead giveaway is a goofy assed fanny pack turned frontwards. the next biggest give away are full size anythings. the next give away are ill fitting ankle holsters.

crap holsters combined with dress combined with improper locating are a dead giveaway. i have even commented to people much to their surprise and embarassment "what cha carrying/packing" and really got their attention as to HOW OBVIOUS IT WAS!

i dont want anyjuan knowing im carrying ever. i have watched people freak carrying open. what they dont know is wayyyyyy better and honestly its none of their damn bizzness.

the chances of getting jacked are very very slim if you keep your eyes on yer surroundings. nobody here in their right mind wants to get in a gunfight EVER! i sure as hell dont. bullets HURT..........ALOT! buttttttttttttttt................crime despite FBI reports of going down in certain areas continues. desperate times = desperate people.

phx. is on track this year to eclipse last years bank robbery numbers! OH BOY thats sumthang to be proud of???? bank robberies/carjackings/armed robberies/kidnappings are known for people getting dead.


what makes the paper has to be pretty bizzarre now a days to make 10pm news. yesterday we had another home invasion. they seem to be the fashionable/popular crime here these days. be it drugs/guns/money/illegal aliens/turf wars etc. it still goes in in some very different zip codes. ie. they are not all in the bad side of town.

keep your eyes open and watch your surroundings at all times is the best advice and go with your gut feeling. the other morning at 430am i had to get cash from an ATM on the way to the combat wombat range shooting match. do ya think i was carrying???? HELL YES! i was putting myself in a possible bad situation and i was prepared.

ATM's/convienance stores/liquor stores/quickie cash stores/gas stations etc. are all possible bad situations including underground parking lots,mall parking lots. anywhere bad guys think they have an opportunity for a quick cash advance, should be suspect in your mind at all times.

I do have a CCW (I live in a different county) and the air weight was my choice too. I got a seven shot 22 mag. No recoil to speak of compared to a center fire....and 22 Mag will open a big hole.

I certainly prefer having my "mouse gun", to nothing.

What I want to know...where are the 0.50 cal recoiless semi-auto pistols, that "Harrison" always talked about? Those were supposed to be the "mouse" guns, compared to the 0.75 cal recoiless semi-auto pistols that most people carried.

I typically carry a .40 Cal Glock mid sized frame model 23 with night sights. The reason for the glock is that I like the polymer frame because its light and the finish on the slide holds up well with little to no maintenance. Also you have double action on the first round and night sights. My second choice is usally a tie between my 2 inch snub 357 Mag or a Sringfield 1911 .45 ACP The main two drawbacks to my 1911 is weight and single action. You CAN get a double action 1911 in a Para model LDA. Third choice or backup is usually a S&W light weight .38 Spl Snub. The .38 makes a great carry piece, it doesnt weigh anything and its double action.

If you're anticipating going against men in class IIIA vests wtf would you ever use a pistol for?

Precisely.

Sgt York had a semi-automatic...

;)

I live in a state that believes I only have the right to self defense within my home, and only when already threatened with deadly force.

Why do you subject yourself and your family to that? Further, why do you contribute to said state's tax base?

Move.

Mostly because I do not anticipate anything but rather plan for it. Also carrying my Class III SBR HK51 does not seem a very popular Conceal Carry choice.

Someone ask for ideas and opinions about Conceal Carry, I give mine. Probably our backgrounds are different, some day over a couple of beer I can tell you about mine, or you can ask Rick Lee or red-beard .. they have some of my background.

Otherwise ... snow tires.

Or you could shoot me a PM if you wanted to. ;)

The problem with the 5.7 to me is what it does when there is no vest present as opposed to a 9mm (or larger) JHP.

I would anticipate a much smaller, less destructive wound.

I've shot Jordi's 5.7. It's a cool gun, just not my cup of tea, as the ammo is expensive and hard to find.

BTW, didn't H&K just come out with a smaller round, something in the 4.6 range?

I have two guns in .357SIG and that's about as exotic a caliber as I want. Its ballistics are also probably overkill for CCW and it ain't cheap to buy. But it is a super round.

That applies to 9mm now days! SmileWavy

5.7 is expensive even when it's not hard to find. 9mm will eventually come back down to Earth.

BTW, the first time I met Jordi, it was in the low 30's outside and I was wearing very full, layered riding gear on a motorcycle. I looked like the Michelin Man, so a 5.7 would have been perfect for penetrating such an outfit. I often carried a .357SIG when I lived on the east coast during cold weather because any potential assailant was likely wearing thick, layered clothing. I don't have to worry about that around here too much, but you need some penetration power in cold weather times and areas.

But he didn't empty it. Even once. Coulda used a New Service and accomplished the same feat.:p

My point is that he didn't get confused as to his 1911's operation. ;)

I think what you say is possible- to get confused in the heat of battle- but i think the people most likely to have that happen to them are the people with a myriad of different weapons in their arsenal.

As Jeff cooper says, "Beware the man with just one firearm, for he probably knows how to use it."

I've carried the same S&W 9mm semi-auto for over a decade. I assure you, i won't forget how it works if the time comes. ;)

Loaded with my round of choice, the 115gr Cor-Bon 9mm+P+, it's the equivelant of packing a 16 shot .357 magnum.

I think owning a wide array of dissimilar weaponry is probably not that great an idea.

I have no problem with your .44 special revolver either though. Seems like a solid choice as long as there are only a few badguys.

It seems that a quite a few of you guys are carrying a concealed weapon. I was wondering what made you decide to get a CCW or just carry without one....that is assuming you're not in law enforcement. Are you armed ALL the time? Do you live in or spend time in rough neighborhoods? Do you often find yourself in threatening situations? Have you ever been personally assaulted? Have you ever drawn your weapon in self defense? Have you ever had to actually shoot someone on the street?

Let me say here that I am ex-military and have used many different weapons, ranging from hand guns to shoulder-fired anti-tank rockets. I don't carry a concealed weapon myself but I'm not anti-gun and stand by our 2nd amendment rights. Just curious...that's all.