So I was sitting around the other day musing as I am to do from time to time and I got to thinking about all the people who ask me for advice regarding firearm choices. I then got to thinking about how many folks come to forums as new shooters/potential shooters to ask for advice.

We typically bombard them with a myriad of choices most likely throwing them into analysis paralysis. So I started thinking it might make sense to simply post why I personally chose "my gun" if you will.

You see, in my opinion there are so few bad choices that one can make as far as firearms go and the choices that are made really come down to our various personal preferences. Certainly there are BAD guns like a POS Jennings or some such but beyond those there are really no bad choices. Semi auto, revolver, small, large, double stack, single stack etc. etc. None of those are bad choices.

At any rate I figured it would be cool to start a thread simply pointing out why we chose what we did for our personal guns and that those personal insights might help more then simply saying buy this or that.

So I will start. Now keep in mind these are my personal opinions and choices for ME. They are not the only choice and they certainly are not the BEST choice for everybody. That is the point of this exercise, to explain your personal choices to add to the data and education of others making their own choices.

My personal defensive gun of choice for quite some time is the HK P2000. Not only is it the DA/SA variant but it is the .40S&W variant as well. Crazy I know. I have a 9mm version as well but the .40's are my go to guns.

So why the hell would I choose this gun?



1-AMBI PADDLE MAG RELEASE - I have fairly small hands and although many hate the paddle mag release I love them. I am able to use my trigger or middle finger to quickly and easily drop a mag and just generally like having ambi controls on a firearm even though I am right handed, I like the redundancy. I also find the paddle mag releases resist accidental mag releases better then button releases.

2-DA/SA WITH A REAR DECOCKER - Striker fired pistols are the way forward. They are easier to learn, simpler to make and damn good guns. For myself personally though, I find that I both like the heavy double action first pull and the better quality subsequent single action pulls vs. a striker. In my world administrative gun handling is way more likely then gun fighting.....thank God may it ever be so. and I like the additional safety of that heavy deliberate first trigger pull. I also very much like the rear mounted decocker location on the P2000.

3-THE CONTROLS - As I said I like ambi controls even being a right handed person. I like the redundancy. The slide lock/release levers on the P2000 are perfect for me. They are just the right size for my use as either a slide lock or slide release. Many prefer more minimalist controls and they are not wrong. I however prefer a more positive slide lock and release.

4-STEEL SIGHTS AND PARTS - I like when a gun comes from the factory with good quality steel sights as well as an easy to find night sight option. I also like steel guide rods etc. These are preferences, as polymer has certainly shown to be more then up to the task.

5-MINIMALISTIC MOUNTING RAIL - I like the ability to mount a light but don't generally like the full Picatinny cheese grater setup. For this reason I like the rails on the P2000's and Glocks

6-MAG WELL INDENTS - I like being able to get a positive grip on a magazine to tear it out if necessary. The little indents do a marvelous job at this.

7-CALIBER - First and foremost if you are a new shooter DO NOT STRESS OVER CALIBER, HELL DON'T EVEN ASK WHAT CALIBER SHOULD YOU BUY. Its a can of worms and the reality is this. ANY MARTIAL CALIBER (9MM, .40S&W, .45ACP, .357SIG, .38 SPECIAL, .357 MAGNUM ETC. ETC.) is perfectly adequate for self defense with the proper bullet/cartridge choice. Do they all do something better and worse then each other....YES. Is it in the statistical minutiae...YES.

So why did I choose .40S&W, especially when its on its way out. I generally like the penetration characteristics of the round and the fact it's carrying more weight. Its also still the generally used round around me and has a good track record on the streets. Mostly I just like it. (I also carry 9mm, .45, .38 etc.) It doesn't matter, but I wanted to point out why I chose what I did.

8-HK'S HOSTILE ENVIRONMENT FINISH / FIT AND FINISH - I think the finish on HK's guns is excellent durable as hell. I also think the fit and finish inside and out is spectacular. I appreciate the machine work, the cuts, the feel, the attention to detail in the metal and polymer work. Does any of that make it a better weapon.....nope, but I appreciate it.

9-THE GRIP/SIZE OF THE GUN - What is more personal then how a gun feels in your hand. The Glock 19 is arguably the BEST overall option in a self defense firearm today. Has been for a long time. For me personally I wanted a Glock 19/23 sized gun but with a hammer and a grip that fit my human hands. The P2000 damn near feels like a single stack in the hand, while being almost identical to a Glock 19/23 in size. I just find the gun extremely comfortable to shoot and carry. I also appreciate the stippling on the front and back but flat on the sides, as this makes carry without an under garment much easier for me.

10-MAGAZINES/PARTS/CAPACITY - All HK parts are in house and the QC is generally excellent. I have always liked steel magazines more then polymer or polymer coated as they are thinner.

As for capacity I am happy with anything 10 rounds or over. Don't listen to somebody who tells you if you carry a high capacity gun you cannot shoot and also don't listen to those who say you cannot possibly get by with 5 or 6 rounds. You make your own personal risk evaluation, weighing in factors of weight, size control etc. etc. and you make an educated decision. For me its 10+ rounds. Doesn't make you wrong if you carry 6 for sure in a revolver on 19+1 in your full size wonder nine.

11- TRACK RECORD - The HK P2000 has seen service with several law enforcement entities and while this should never be your only factor in making a firearm choice it does provide a level of testing that guns not adopted by law enforcement or the military will not have.

So that is why I have two of the same gun setup for my bedside and carry roles. The muscle memory is the same for both shooting one is practice for both and parts interchange with both. In today's high speed Glock, 9mm world they are an anachronism and many folks would probably tell me I am completely wrong in my thinking......but these are my personal choices and I have been very happy with them.

Also keep in mind I have a ton of guns and shooting experience so my choices come from lots of trial and error.

Also keep in mind that by shooting experience I mean hobbiest. I am not a LEOGUNFIGHTERSPECOPSSEALTEAMGSG9 anything. I am not even part of the militant arm of the girl scouts. I have NO desires, or fantasies about ever having to use violence on anything. So keep that in mind and never take what I say as training or fighting education.

As always, take care and shoot safe. I hope that any one of my personal observations on my gun of choice might drive some though in somebody else and be a data point for or against a feature they are considering.

Chris

I love my P2000 but mine is LEM.

I own many guns, but when it comes to carry and my bedroom i choose Glock.

I carry a G43 or G19. In my bedroom a G34, and in my office a G17

I chose them because I like the 9mm, they all provide a lot of firepower, 15 to 17 rounds, and I shoot the 9mm well as does my wife. I love my G41 but the .45 is a bit much for her. The 9mm is enough stopping power, accurate, and easy for quick follow up shots. I chose Speer GDHP 124gr for my ammo.

I like the glock because it works everytime, has good ergos for me, and is easy to maintain, and fixing one is easy, there are few parts and they can all be replaced easily, cheaply, and are readily accessible. Mags are cheap so you can have many, and the bigger models can be used in the smaller pistols .

I like that there is no safety to manipulate before you can fire. Aim and squeeze, and bang. I like the striker fire, same trigger pull every time.

They work everytime, they shoot well, parts are available and cheap, you can customize to your heart's content and that is also cheap and easy. They are hundreds less than some other brands and work just as well.

I used to not like them, but after a 2 day LFI course, dropping mags in the dirt and slapping them back in, feeding them all kinds of ammo from +P+ to cheap stuff without a hiccup, and just abusing a G19 I had, it kept going and asked for more. I became a Glock fan.

Just wanted to say thanks to you cslinger for the excellent well thought out and detailed post. I wish you worked at a gunshop that I had visited in the last 20 years, the horror stories of bias and misinformation I am sure we have all heard are painful.

I am still on my journey to arrive at the perfect carry gun. I grew up shooting my father's Sig's and the issued Beretta so I naturally lean toward DA/SA handguns. That said a Glock 19 has been my primary carry gun for several years because it does everything I need it to, and it just seems to be a perfect size.

excellent post!! I don't carry much but when I do it is my HK USP compact or my HK p30sk. I have several SIG's, CZ's, a few Glocks, but I have 11 Hk's. I love the paddle release (as a lefty) and just think they are great guns. By my bed is a Ruger GP100 and an HK Mark23.

I fully agree with your choice. I'm a big fan of the P2000. I love the paddle release and the location of the decocker, it's in a much more ergonomic location than on the side. The grips feel really good too. I hope HK doesn't discontinue them, they're a greatly underappreciated pistol.

Good topic! And a nice change from the usual approach. After trying many of them, I finally figured out I was looking for a unicorn. Something which did not exist. Further, I realized that if I had spent the time and money I spent reading, researching, and trying out different guns, on just shooting and training with my gun - I would be much more proficient in the use of it.

I chose mine for three reasons:

1. Reliability. I can always count on it to work without fail. I have never experienced a stoppage of any kind with any ammo.

2. Size. It is large enough to shoot well, and hold a reasonable amount of ammo, but small enough that I can conceal it easily without making changes to my normal wardrobe.

3. Ubiquity. I can find holsters, magazines, and even small parts, in almost any gun store near my location, and most stores in the US.

I have several hand guns in several platforms from several manufacturers - all of which I enjoy - but I choose to carry a Glock 26. I do not think mine is the best. If I were a lefty, or if I had smaller hands, or if I had less money, or if I could convince myself the .40 or .45 was better, or any number of other reasons, I'd likely make a different choice. But that wouldn't make me right, or make anybody else wrong.

As the weather cools I shift to my Beretta 92F. I wish I could say my reasons are based on the well thought out logic of the OP, but the truth is I think the 92F is cool. Because I think the 92F is cool I practice with them more and had shoot them more accurately the most other guns.

I think people discount the "I just think it's cool factor"

Sometimes the aesthetics, the history, the "cool factor" are what brings that gun to the range all the time and subsequently makes you a better shooter with that gun.

I have Glocks, Glocks are FANTASTIC guns, I shoot them reasonably well.......I just find them sort of blehh if you will and they don't get to the range much because of it hence I don't shoot them as well as other guns that may technically be inferior by the numbers.

This is exactly the insight I think new shooters can use. It's like magazine racing cars. It's easy to say X car is the one to get because it's the fastest on the track, has the most parts etc etc whatever the numbers say. The. You drive one and realize you cannot drive it well or dislike it much more then the more "inferior" model that you both enjoy more and drive way better.

My EDC is a Sig 239, 9 mm. Has been since I retired about 14 years ago. Not the greatest fire power but it's for self defense. No longer working I think 8 rounds in the weapon and 8 in a second mag is enough. Saying that though I have looked long and hard at my CZ P07 and it may to go into a rotation.

cslinger, I have always enjoyed your posts. This one is in keeping with your great style and I am going to take advantage of the substance of what you say. I Hardly ever carry the same pistol. I rotate with mood and which gun am I in-love-with that day. Also, it varies based on where I’m going, what I’m wearing and how I feel. I have carried full-size to mouse size pistols in OWB and iWB, or just inside my briefcase. Yet lately I have been carrying even to church (don’t tell anyone) a tremendous little 9mm, a Kimber Custom Micro 9. It is accurate at 15 yards, has a 7rnd capacity, and carries very well in pocket or OWB in a Crossfire Camouflage holster. What I do like best is that it is a smooth, more sophisticated Sig P938. I can rack the slide while on safety, load a round in the chamber and have it remain and safety. Carrying this pistol has severely slowed my carry rotation.
I must add however that I agree with you on the H&K P2000. Mine is identical to yours in .40, though I wish H&K or other barrel manufacturers made a conversion barrel for .40 to 9 mm.

Great topic, CSlinger, and great initial post. I'll keep mine much shorter.

In the past decade I've carried a long list of SIGs, HKs, KAHRs and a few other makes. As I trained and thought and dry-fired, I settled on a current gun wardrobe that depends mostly on my clothes wardrobe for the day. It looks like this:

Tucked shirt, no jacket:
Ruger LCP .380/Crimson Trace. I have the original from 2009. Can't hit much of anything without the laser because of there being no sights, but I'm pretty decent even at speed with the CT. I either carry in a back-pocket leather wallet or a thin Kydex in the front pocket.

Thinner Untucked shirt or knit untucked shirt that tends to wrap the body a little tighter, or days I just want to keep the weight to a minimum:
Walther PPS 9 Mark II. I can't say enough good things about this pistol. The single stack size fits my medium sized hands sublimely. The stock sights fit my eyes perfectly. I shoot it better than I shoot most full-size combat pistols, at least out to 12 yds. And the Mark II corrects the weird back-of-grip safety thingy in the Classic, as well as giving me a more conventional button mag release (I love the paddle releases in my HKs, but found that switching platforms during a shooting session always confounded me.) This is my choice at least 80% of days, and I almost always appendix carry in an outstanding Klingler Stingray IWB, but if I'm tucking my shirt in but wearing a sport coat, then I use a Country Boy leather OWB at 4:30.

Heavy shirt, layers, winter or sportscoat:
SIG P320 Compact, 9mm or .357Sig. I wanted my two main platforms to operate with similar controls. The Walther and the SIG do so now that I have a Mark II PPS and a striker-fired SIG. I suppose if there had been a DA/SA single stack (like the just-released Springfield XDE) I might have stuck with the DA/SA P2000SK or P30 and added a hammer-fired DA/SA single stack. That would have been my preference. But alas, I put those in the safe, bought the P320s and joined the striker revolution. I carry in the same two holsters as the Walther -- Grizzle Country Boy or Klinger Stingray. Truth is, though the 320 is a competent pistol and I shoot them well, there's no sense of ceremony, nothing special about them to me. I much prefer just shooting the DA/SA platforms.

Another LEM fan here. As much as I like my DA/SA SIGs, I was never impressed with HKs DA/SA triggers. I know people either have a love it or hate it relationship with LEM, but for me the trigger simplifies operation of the pistol and provides a consistent trigger (that isn’t a 10lb DA pull) while offering a greater margin of safety when reholstering (particularly AIWB) that striker pistols don’t have.

Several of my handguns I've chosen solely for their purpose (my 44s and the G20 as woods guns). The others that I have bought have generally been purchased in the search for a perfect carry weapon (with several exceptions for purchases just because I wanted one).

I mostly started this search with a Kimber Ultra CDP II. Since then I've purchased about a dozen handguns looking for something better...most recently a Shield in .45 a few weeks ago. The Kimber still wins out for me(with my G36 being a close second).

Size, concealability when needed, comfort, fit, accuracy, reliability, and caliber are what I look for. These are all very subjective and dependent on the individual. I'm sure there are many who don't care for the Kimber or the G36, but they both are fantastic for me. Slip one in a leather paddle holster and I'm a happy camper.

Just don't tuck your shirt in, those crosses are a dead giveaway.

Swap that small P2K mag paddle for the extended mag paddle on the USP.

You're welcome.

Might order the spring and pin as well.

https://www.hkparts.net/shop/p...HK-Pistols-p1669.htm

I like weird stuff, so I carry a Steyr M357-A1.
also I like the sights and it fits my hand wonderfully.

CSLINGER, great post.
I recently did an in-depth analysis for the best CCW weapon that met my requirements of weight, capacity, size and reliability. It came down to 2 pistols; the Glock 19 and the P2000 (9mm). It was a very close race, but I settled on the P2000 because of the superior ergonomics and DA/SA. My P2000 is outfitted with the flat magazine base plate making it virtually the same size as the Clock 19. Loaded with 125 grain cartridges, the P2000 is only .5 oz heavier than a fully loaded Glock 19.
I was considering CCW'ing my P2000 in .357 Sig, but concluded I would not get a significant improvement in ballistics over the 9mm because of the short P2000 barrel length in .357 Sig.
So, 3 seasons out of the year, my P2000 in 9mm will be my companion.

Great write-up. If I had the time on shift I'd do a similar one on my P229 Legion, or the P320C-MS I plan to adopt as my carry pistol.

Within certain guidelines you mentioned - quality manufacturer, suitable defensive caliber - it really does come down to end-user preferences bounced against expected need.

You know I forgot to mention another big personal preference.

I prefer the field strip to not require a trigger pull. I think SIG does this best but do also like the HK/several other hammer designs remove the slide stop method.

Is it a HUGE DEAL!!! No of course not. I would hope EVERYBODY follows all the rules all the time even when disassembling their pistol with the big one being SAFE DIRECTION and BULLETS TEND TO GO THROUGH THINGS so drywall.....not always safe direction but the digress. At any rate this goes back to my belief that administrative handling of a firearm is more often then not the rule of the day (praise God as it hopefully ever shall be) and I appreciate not having to pull a trigger on takedown.

Now is this a big fat friggin hairy deal??? No not at all especially considering after cleaning I run function checks that include a trigger pull so ....... file it under a bless his heart personal preference.

Love the replies. If I was a new shooter I would be getting way more info then buy a Glock 19 or 1911 or if your caliber doesn't start with a 4 go home.

Also I agree with the crossbreed crosses although I would argue VERY few folks would notice or know what they are and help these days they would probably be afraid of offending some religion or another. . Reality is I always carry with cover garment covering everything and 95% I am OWB 3ish o'clock.

I have thought of replacing the mag releases with the newer HK45/P30 style but I have those as well and honestly I like them a tad better but the smaller releases give me no issue.

Chris