Easy for me. Sig 365. Capacity, size, modularity options, optics ready, great night sights from factory, etc. If you prefer a manual safety the Sig version is waaaay better than the Shield. One of the reasons I got rid of mine. On the Sig add one if you want, remove it if you don’t. It’s incredibly modular in so many ways.

Nothing else touches what you can build out of one fire control unit. It’s a great shooter that shoots way better than its size would indicate.

I used to have a Shield and a G43 but got rid of both after trying the 365.

I don't even have one best carry pistol for me. I generally will carry either a M&P 2.0 compact or a 365 or a LCP Max, depending on what I am wearing where I am going.

10 y.o. LCP w/shorts in a Galco suede pocket holster


either the 9 or .45 w/jeans IWB Bladetech

The P290 was discontinued to make production space available for the P365 series. With the recalls it had & the volume of warranty repairs, it was an easy business decision as well. As for the best CC handgun? Damn, that’s akin to Ginger vs. Maryann (no Mrs.Howell) or Chocolate vs. Vanilla (damn Baskin-Robbins & screw Ben-Jerry’s)?
Very criteria subjective! S&W sells a lot of shields as well as J frames. Sig sells a lot of P365’s although Springfield has cut into that with there Hellcat series. Probably why Sig sued them,lol. Concealed to me is dictated by size & not capacity or trigger system\efficiency right? Otherwise, we’d all be carrying duty sized guns. Like many of us, I’ve gone through so many different pistols in search of the perfect one because let’s face it, we live in the golden age of pistols & there capabilities! IMHO, I don’t believe there is an overall best. Just a best for you

There is no one “best,” for everyone. I have large hands, but not the longest fingers or thumbs. Many of the small pistols that i see being discussed here, are impossibly too small for me to handle with any efficiency or consistency. Moreover, compact nines, as a class of weapon, have become painful for my aging hands to shoot.

Among the pocket pistols, the Seecamp LWS-32 seems uniquely suited to my hands, but I see it as more of a special-niche weapon, than a “carry gun.” My usual minimum “carry gun,” that I trust to be consistent, in my now-gimpy right hand, as well as my healthier left hand, is the Ruger SP101. The slightly larger Ruger Speed Six, and S&W K-Frame, are better, largely because there is more “work space” for reloading quickly.

I do not trust my right hand to be a reliably firm platform for all auto-loading pistols, and anything with a grip that does not reach all the way to the “heel bone” of my hand is painful to shoot, if 9mm or larger. That means dressing around a Glock with a G17-sized grip, or, a 1911 with a full-sized grip.

Something about the recoil impulse of the SIG P229, with .40 ammo, became to much for my arthritis, more than s decade ago, though I had to put up with it, until late 2015, when I was allowed to transition to a 9mm duty pistol, end elected to switch to the lower-bore-axis Glock G17.

When I can dress like a frumpy grandpa, in not-too-hot weather, enabling me to wear a voluminous sweater or light-weight-fabric hoody, my “best concealed carry gun,” that I have on-hand, would be a Glock G17, or full-sized 1911, or lugged-barrel 4” Ruger GP100. Otherwise, I’d say that a shorter-barreled, medium-frame revolver is “best.”

For you the best is what you like the best. I've carried an HK P30sk summer, spring, winter, and fall.

IMHO

P2000SK in 357sig.

Light LEM or TGS

Flat mag base plates, Trijicon sights

Whatever you carry comfortably is the best gun for carry. In my younger days, I used to carry a HK P7. Nowadays, I've switched to a lighter Walther PPS.

When I first applied and obtained my CPL I knew I was going to conceal carry a Model 38 S&W. I think my choice started with the iconic 1968 Eddie Adams Saigon photo during Vietnam. It is light, has a shrouded hammer, still can be shot single or double action… plus I was able to shoot it well. I bought this (shipped: Oct. 1972) M38 in 1973 and have carried it for 45+ years.
The ‘inexpensive’ knife is very useful, but if lost or stolen would not cause regret/heartburn VS a $400+ Microtech.

You did say best...

quote:

Originally posted by Genorogers:
Another LCP fan here, I have several including the Max but the one in my pocket everyday is a Custom. It's been 100% reliable but I still dump a couple mags on each range trip and then a quick clean. Regardless of what I might have on my waist the LCP is always on me.

The LCP Custom is also my best carry gun. I have never had an issue.

What is the BEST Concealed Carry Handgun Out There?

This is like asking someone to inform you of your favorite color.

Well, it depends. Likely the one the owner will train with, can shoot well and then actually use it as an EDC.

Needing to use your concealed carry handgun means multiple levels of your preparedness and situational awareness have failed.

For me, GP100, P220 Compact and/or P239.

I'm new to carrying. I've been switching between a P365XL with manual safety and 18 round mags and a P226 Legion SAO with 20 round mags. I do wear the P226 mostly.

I wear either under a tee and an unbuttoned shirt that covers any printing.

quote:

Originally posted by TheFrontRange:
I try to carry the largest gun that I reasonably can. The clothing I’m wearing / environment I’m expecting to be in will factor into the mix.

I’ve found that I can almost always carry a full-size 1911 and 1 or 2 spare magazines IWB and conceal them effectively. I have other choices available as-needed / desired.

Would you mind sharing what brand holsters you use for your 1911?

I've held off for 2 weeks waiting for someone else to say it, but so far no one has - so, with respect to all the photogaphers out there, the answer is:

The one you have on you.

The one that doesn't exist. A P938 DA/SA with P365 12 Rd magazine.

When I carry small, which is rare, it is a:

CZ RAMI
Then
P938
Sometimes
P365

The best for me?
Pocket carry - p938
Edc - g19 or CZ PCR
full size - g34

Whatever handgun is in your holster in the unlikely event the SHTF. I'm agnostic. Have always felt awareness and tactics come before the gun itself.

Having said that, my preference over 50 years has been mid-size guns. S&W M39 9mm, S&W M19 4" .357 Mag, S&W M686 3" .357 Mag, Ruger SP101 3" .357 Mag, 1911 .45 ACP, P229 .40, Glock G19 9mm. Never used a mouse gun as a primary, only as a BUG.

Waste of time searching for magic guns, magic bullets and magic holsters. IMHO, time better allocated to developing rock solid fundamentals at the range.

So I read this and see all these "fad of the day" guns. A couple of smart guys that just carry the same ole gun they have for years. That probably aren't made of plastic. Stainless lasts about forever. Regular steel lasts nearly as long but the finish doesn't.

So do the fad followers always buy the newest gun they see on the market? How do they become proficient in just a year or two? Do they shoot it as well as the ole buddy in its ratty old holster? My Model 60 is from the 1960s. Back when S&W gave a shit and polished them. Oil just rolls off if you're dumb enough to try to coat it. Car wax works better. I didn't get it new in 1965, but I bought it used (probably from someone chasing a fad gun).

quote:

Originally posted by rburg:
So I read this and see all these "fad of the day" guns. A couple of smart guys that just carry the same ole gun they have for years. That probably aren't made of plastic. Stainless lasts about forever. Regular steel lasts nearly as long but the finish doesn't.

So do the fad followers always buy the newest gun they see on the market? How do they become proficient in just a year or two? Do they shoot it as well as the ole buddy in its ratty old holster? My Model 60 is from the 1960s. Back when S&W gave a shit and polished them. Oil just rolls off if you're dumb enough to try to coat it. Car wax works better. I didn't get it new in 1965, but I bought it used (probably from someone chasing a fad gun).

Yeah, its easy to do now days with so many new guns being released.
Ive run down the fad trail a few times, most recently a Shield Plus. The capacity is nice for the size but it didn't fit a specific need. Too big for pocket carry and if im going to carry iwb, might as well go for the tried and true g19/g34. Bee carrying the g19 for 11yrs and the 34 for 7 or 8yrs.
They just work and are a pleasure to shoot.