I’ve got a couple 365s an XL, 43 and a few others, I still find myself carrying a 340 pd or 442 most of the time, LCP or LCP max the other times. Cargo shorts and tshirt about 5 months of the year so I pocket carry a lot

The Shield Plus and 365XL are hard to beat but lately it’s been the 320 X Compact for me.

My most concealable firearm is my Smith model 340. Then a slightly heavier pistol about the same size is my 365. Then my Glock 43X. Then it's the Glock 19. Most of this summer I have grabbed the 43X before the others. For some reason I seldom carry the 365, even though I do like that pistol.

With colder weather approaching I'll switch to the 19 like I have done for many years now.

The BEST Handgun for Concealed Carry Out There: The one for that individual with the most firepower and accuracy that the person can manage to carry.

The MOST gun you can bring basically

This is not directed at anybody. However, when I hear "firepower" I cringe. More capacity is better is the chorus nowadays from many shooters. Obviously, the gun manufacturers have obliged. Don't necessarily blame them.

Having said that, I would like to share a true story about an LEO friend of mine who has since retired. The point isn't to disparage ammo capacity, but to emphasize the old adage that "hits matter".

The incident happened a number of years ago. A supermarket was robbed by two perps with handguns and AK's strapped to their bicycles. One escaped and was later caught in Texas. The other one was engaged in a firefight by two of my friend's fellow officers. Fortunately, he was never able to deploy his AK.

My friend was called in as backup after the fight began. By the time he arrived, the gunfight had expended over 100 rounds (after action report). He drove up, flanked the gunman and took cover. Then he fired three rounds, made three chest hits and stopped the gunman. Gunfight over.

He was not an average LEO in regard to gun handling skills. He had worked in a security capacity for the State Department overseas. He also was part of our defensive shooting group at my LGC. We were heavy on fundamentals and shot weekly.

Once a year we would build a live-fire scenario on our outdoor range. Real walls, doors, rooms and other life-sized props. Also an occasional junkyard auto towed in for a realistic shoot from/around car stage. Fun, but serious.

Obviously, firepower was appreciated by the two officers that originally engaged, they are still alive even though they didn't hit anything. However, fundamentals and hits are what stopped the gunfight.

Sorry for the length, instead of two cents it ended up a quarter.

quote:

Originally posted by Nipper:
This is not directed at anybody. However, when I hear "firepower" I cringe. More capacity is better is the chorus nowadays from many shooters. Obviously, the gun manufacturers have obliged. Don't necessarily blame them.

Having said that, I would like to share a true story about an LEO friend of mine who has since retired. The point isn't to disparage ammo capacity, but to emphasize the old adage that "hits matter".

Yeah, the strategy from 1986 are far different from today. In 1986 the classes I took consisted of well placed shots from a S&W model 66. I took a class a few years ago, and I was surprised that the strategy seemed to be primarily mag dumps, reload, and more mag dumps. I was a bit disappointed.

That said, my CCW is still a revolver. My strategy is to shoot just enough well placed shots to be able to get the heck out of Dodge. I'm not an LEO and I'm certainly not a hero -- God gave me 2 gifts: Run and Fight. I plan to use run whenever I can.

This could also have been best carry gun for winter or summer…. Here in south Florida with temperatures in the high 90’s and humidity in the 70-80% concealed carry has its challenges. If you wear directly against your skin it’s not the most confortable with the sweat, park your car and walk 2 blocks and you will be wet from sweat. (Lived in Phoenix and it was hotter but less wet). Pocket carry is a better option unless you want to look like a beach bum. So the best gun is what’s the largest gun you can shoot efficiently and still fit in front or back pocket. Then again for a quick trip to Publix I sometimes grab my P229. But if have to do an all day run errands get in and out of cars and be outside pocket carry is what works best for me. Fanny pack carry is also an option I sometimes use after all I do live in Florida. LCP is what I find in my pocket most of the time in a leather indexing holster in my back pocket of my Levis.

10-4 radioman. Old guys like us grew up on revolvers. With limited ammo supply, the priority becomes making hits quickly, not spray and pray. IMHO, every time you miss is an opportunity for the BG to kill you. Having said that, advent of semi-autos with high capacities is a welcome development.

Starting in 1962, I'm mostly self-taught, with the guidance of old timers like Cooper and Jordan. The small number of courses I've taken were with guys that saw the elephant. Like Jimmy Cirillo, Walt Rauch and a couple of others. Also, head of our defensive shooting group at our LGC for 25 years, a guy who punched above his weight class named Pete. He stressed FUNDAMENTALS every minute of every hour of every day. He could get hits standing on his head under any conditions.

Despite my occasional grumblings, we are probably in the Golden Age of equipment. Hopefully, more of it will be available "In-stock". Helping a young friend of mine get started. Bummer of a marketplace regarding availability and pricing.

I’m good with a USP or VP in 9mm or the like. Mostly I prefer standard size polymer frame 9millies. The exception is a non railed P226. I know the idea is to carry concealed, but I’m okay if I print a little since few people recognize what they’re seeing when I print. When I go in the woods, I carry a .45 Win Mag or .44Rem Mag. Those get heavy by day’s end.