Reggs
Veteran XX
I want detailed recommendations for CCW to check out, and reasons why I should. Do you own any of these? Good accessories to check out ect? I’m a novice with this stuff atm. Read a decent amount, been to a range twice for rentals and will go more, maybe gun shows.
I’ve moved out of my house and have freed up some time to prepare for the breakdown of society. Guns, water filtration, prepper food, solar chargers are among the things I’m learning more about atm. I got to go to the range a 2nd time and try out a few more guns. I want to get a pistol for CCW first.
On a side note, I won’t say where the gun range is, but I talked to 3 different employees there. All 3 of them just happened to have moved out of California very recently. It’s insane how many Californians are just popping up here in GA. One guy grew up in LA, wife and kids, and worked in Hollywood. His wife worked on him a number of years to move, and the riots were all around his family. He had anger in his voice explaining it to me and said he wanted to work at a gun shop and not sure if he would “ever go back to the movie industry.” but did not explain that. He was more deeply affected by CA than I was because that was always his home.
Specific Situation I want a gun for:
I’m slim and wear fitted clothes. The first gun should be for jeans/tshirt in the summer. I’m open to getting a CCW gun later on that's a bit larger that I could easily wear with a jacket. But for now, I want a slim man’s CCW pistol for summer clothing. Comfortable for everyday carry. Most likely situation to be used IRL would be some random encounter with a stranger who comes to me looking for trouble out of nowhere.
Guns I have shot:
Kimber 9mm Pro Carry II
https://www.kimberamerica.com/stainless-pro-carry-ii
This was an easy gun to shoot. Pretty comfortable and I felt I was more accurate than most other guns. Very enjoyable, feels good in the hand, nice trigger, good sights ect, but a bit too large. Might make a good home defense gun rather than a CCW for me.
Sig Sauer P238 .38
SIG SAUER 380 Micro Compact P238 Pistol for every day carry
Felt good for the small size. Pretty slim too. It has a kick, but if I get a stainless ver it should be heavier and look more attractive. This seems like a very popular go-to choice for CCW and people who have them generally say good things about it. I like this one a lot. I like the sights, but honestly I’m not sure if I’d ever use sights in a situation I’d need it for. Anyone else get that feeling? I shot the .38 ver.
Sig Sauer P365 9mm
SIG SAUER Nitron Micro-compact Handgun | SIG P365 for sale
I shot the 9mm ver of this. Despite a larger caliber than the P238 it seemed easier to shoot. The feeling of this in my hand is great, and the mag release is very simple and fast. I found this useful site to compare guns. It’s a bit larger and more heavy than the P238, 10+1 rounds of 9mm compared to the 6+1 .38 of the P238. This seems like a great choice for cold weather when I’d have a jacket. This gun seems like the best as far as just instinctual grab and shoot without thinking because it’s so simple and feels good.
Sig Sauer P238 vs P365 size comparison | Handgun Hero
Full size .45 all metal 1911
Defend Your Legacy Series 1911 Mil-Spec .45 ACP Handgun - Stainless - Springfield Armory
Pretty sure I shot the Springfield but can’t remember. .45 is powerful and the weight really helps. I feel as if I would not be able to shoot rapidly very well with this because it would take time to return my aim after a shot(is there a phrase for this?). Obviously not for CCW but I wanted to shoot it just for the history. It’s dropped so many of America’s enemies I felt obligated. Maybe a good choice in the future for display/having near computer desk for home defense. Still, the more I read it seems like 9mm has gotten so effective there is less reason to use .45 as there once was. I don’t feel I’ve shot enough to weigh in
Guns I’m interested in trying:
These guns are on my to-shoot list that I’ve read a bit about. Tell me what you can about these.
Seecamp .32 or .38
L.W. Seecamp Co. - Pistol Specs MSRP
Comes in .22, .32, and .38. Very old gun. Everyone raves about the perfect build quality and sublime trigger. So small I could easily just put this in my jeans pocket and it would be so comfortable for every day carry. No sights, but would you use them? I want to read more on the caliber difference. .32 does not seem to mushroom much in tests, but .38 does, so that’s a bit difference. .38 is said to be absolutely ferocious on this. I don’t yet have a good idea of how accurate I am with what caliber, but my hand/wrist strength is above average since I work them out for fighting. This gun is beautiful. I’d have to drive 40+ mins to handle one, and even then might not be able to shoot. Most interested in this atm.
Ruger LCP Max, .38 double stack
Ruger MAX Centerfire Pistol Models
Good reviews. I like that it looks smooth, not much to snag when pulling it out. Maybe for winter since it’s not super slim.
Beretta Pico, .38
Pico
Reviews are all over the place. It’s the most slim gun which is why I want to shoot it. .75 wide, very hard to beat how slim. Criticism of the gun relates mostly to the mag release you need another hand for, and it’s hard to pull back because there is not much to grab onto. But it’s made to be smooth for CCW, and any other mag release would accidentally release in the pocket I think. Some people say the gun has had failures while others say it’s reliable. I can see a fair trade off in comfortable usability Vs. comfort when carrying such a slim gun.
I’ve moved out of my house and have freed up some time to prepare for the breakdown of society. Guns, water filtration, prepper food, solar chargers are among the things I’m learning more about atm. I got to go to the range a 2nd time and try out a few more guns. I want to get a pistol for CCW first.
On a side note, I won’t say where the gun range is, but I talked to 3 different employees there. All 3 of them just happened to have moved out of California very recently. It’s insane how many Californians are just popping up here in GA. One guy grew up in LA, wife and kids, and worked in Hollywood. His wife worked on him a number of years to move, and the riots were all around his family. He had anger in his voice explaining it to me and said he wanted to work at a gun shop and not sure if he would “ever go back to the movie industry.” but did not explain that. He was more deeply affected by CA than I was because that was always his home.
Specific Situation I want a gun for:
I’m slim and wear fitted clothes. The first gun should be for jeans/tshirt in the summer. I’m open to getting a CCW gun later on that's a bit larger that I could easily wear with a jacket. But for now, I want a slim man’s CCW pistol for summer clothing. Comfortable for everyday carry. Most likely situation to be used IRL would be some random encounter with a stranger who comes to me looking for trouble out of nowhere.
Guns I have shot:
Kimber 9mm Pro Carry II
https://www.kimberamerica.com/stainless-pro-carry-ii
This was an easy gun to shoot. Pretty comfortable and I felt I was more accurate than most other guns. Very enjoyable, feels good in the hand, nice trigger, good sights ect, but a bit too large. Might make a good home defense gun rather than a CCW for me.
Sig Sauer P238 .38
SIG SAUER 380 Micro Compact P238 Pistol for every day carry
Felt good for the small size. Pretty slim too. It has a kick, but if I get a stainless ver it should be heavier and look more attractive. This seems like a very popular go-to choice for CCW and people who have them generally say good things about it. I like this one a lot. I like the sights, but honestly I’m not sure if I’d ever use sights in a situation I’d need it for. Anyone else get that feeling? I shot the .38 ver.
Sig Sauer P365 9mm
SIG SAUER Nitron Micro-compact Handgun | SIG P365 for sale
I shot the 9mm ver of this. Despite a larger caliber than the P238 it seemed easier to shoot. The feeling of this in my hand is great, and the mag release is very simple and fast. I found this useful site to compare guns. It’s a bit larger and more heavy than the P238, 10+1 rounds of 9mm compared to the 6+1 .38 of the P238. This seems like a great choice for cold weather when I’d have a jacket. This gun seems like the best as far as just instinctual grab and shoot without thinking because it’s so simple and feels good.
Sig Sauer P238 vs P365 size comparison | Handgun Hero
Full size .45 all metal 1911
Defend Your Legacy Series 1911 Mil-Spec .45 ACP Handgun - Stainless - Springfield Armory
Pretty sure I shot the Springfield but can’t remember. .45 is powerful and the weight really helps. I feel as if I would not be able to shoot rapidly very well with this because it would take time to return my aim after a shot(is there a phrase for this?). Obviously not for CCW but I wanted to shoot it just for the history. It’s dropped so many of America’s enemies I felt obligated. Maybe a good choice in the future for display/having near computer desk for home defense. Still, the more I read it seems like 9mm has gotten so effective there is less reason to use .45 as there once was. I don’t feel I’ve shot enough to weigh in
Guns I’m interested in trying:
These guns are on my to-shoot list that I’ve read a bit about. Tell me what you can about these.
Seecamp .32 or .38
L.W. Seecamp Co. - Pistol Specs MSRP
Comes in .22, .32, and .38. Very old gun. Everyone raves about the perfect build quality and sublime trigger. So small I could easily just put this in my jeans pocket and it would be so comfortable for every day carry. No sights, but would you use them? I want to read more on the caliber difference. .32 does not seem to mushroom much in tests, but .38 does, so that’s a bit difference. .38 is said to be absolutely ferocious on this. I don’t yet have a good idea of how accurate I am with what caliber, but my hand/wrist strength is above average since I work them out for fighting. This gun is beautiful. I’d have to drive 40+ mins to handle one, and even then might not be able to shoot. Most interested in this atm.
Ruger LCP Max, .38 double stack
Ruger MAX Centerfire Pistol Models
Good reviews. I like that it looks smooth, not much to snag when pulling it out. Maybe for winter since it’s not super slim.
Beretta Pico, .38
Pico
Reviews are all over the place. It’s the most slim gun which is why I want to shoot it. .75 wide, very hard to beat how slim. Criticism of the gun relates mostly to the mag release you need another hand for, and it’s hard to pull back because there is not much to grab onto. But it’s made to be smooth for CCW, and any other mag release would accidentally release in the pocket I think. Some people say the gun has had failures while others say it’s reliable. I can see a fair trade off in comfortable usability Vs. comfort when carrying such a slim gun.
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