No matter what autoloader I try to switch to or whatever gun I carry in uniform on duty I always end up right back where I started with a S&W J-frame.

In the past it's been a 442, a pre-36 Baby J, a 640-1 and a few others. Lately I've been carry a pre-lock 342 which is the lightest 38 Spcl S&W has ever made.

I would have said my P239, but then I moved to Texas where the weather is too dann hot 10 months out of the year to IWB carry, so now I nearly exclusively pocket carry a P938. I will still occasionally IWB carry the P239 on the cooler days in January/February with the P938 as a BUG, but I have become lazy now.

Glock 19M (Easy Choice)

My Previous Choices...

Sig Sauer P226
Sig Sauer P229 (40 S&W)*
Glock 23
Sig Sauer P228**
Glock 22
Glock 21


* Carried the P229 the longest...almost 16 years. Was a great pistol. A bit heavy, but great shooter and I had a 357 Sig barrel I could drop in. Tough to beat.

** Perfect 90s/2000s pistol. I would carry it today if I had a supply of parts for the stamped slide version.

Would love to find an New (Old Stock) West German Herndon, VA P228...

A very excellent concealed carry gun is a 1903 hammerless .38
It is slim with nothing to snag. It is a single stack magazine, but do you really need 13-15 rounds in an emergency situation?

Another excellent carry gun is the Beretta 951 Italian 9mm. It is also a slim, single stack with nothing to snag while drawing. It is slightly larger than the 1903 hammerless, but still very concealable.

Modern pistols seem to be much to thick for good conceal.

P 228 has been for quite some time.
Luckily I bought parts years ago.

My carry gun at work = P320F 45acp
My concealed carry gun = P320C 9mm
The gun I carry when I can't carry a gun = Kahr PM9

I'm very happy with the P320's and switched over to them from a P220 Carry DAK and P239 SAS DAK about three years ago.

I switched from a S&W 642 to a PM9 about 10 years ago. I have too much invested in the PM9 (2 guns, many mags, and three different style holsters) to change. If I did change, it would probably be a P365 once all the issues were ironed out.

Since moving from CA to Texas, this is all new to me. My carry gun right now is a G43, with a temporary holster while waiting for my R Grizzle ones to be finished. I also have an older Ruger LCP as a pocket carry gun. I have not used it yet, but I have a Milt Sparks Versa Max (G19) I bought cheap 8 years ago, I will try it out with my Glock 19. But I can see it as a never ending process to find just the right combo.

Sig P230SL with Hogue G10 Checkered Grips for IWB and Sig P225-A1 for OWB. Also I recently Acquired a Kahr K9 Stainless Elite and it has made the carry rotation. Same size as the P230 or a beretta 85 and conceals just as well.

quote:

Originally posted by blindref:
My carry gun at work = P320F 45acp
My concealed carry gun = P320C 9mm
The gun I carry when I can't carry a gun = Kahr PM9

I'm very happy with the P320's and switched over to them from a P220 Carry DAK and P239 SAS DAK about three years ago.

I switched from a S&W 642 to a PM9 about 10 years ago. I have too much invested in the PM9 (2 guns, many mags, and three different style holsters) to change. If I did change, it would probably be a P365 once all the issues were ironed out.

FWIW, my P365 fits all of my Kahr MK/PM holsters perfectly.

Sig P365 in Bear Creek IWB holster with 12 round magazine and Hornady Critical Care ammunition.

quote:

It is a single stack magazine, but do you really need 13-15 rounds in an emergency situation?

How do I know what I’m going to need? If I knew that, I’d take a rifle, or just not be there in the first place. I always find it silly when people, who statistics show likely will never need a gun in the first place, start asking about round count and what will be needed based upon what they think will happen statistically.

Thankfully, people get to wax poetic about this or that carry gun fr more than they get to use them.

Sig P239 DAK in .357 Sig

I love my P229 .357 sig. Not the smallest but it works

P239 9mm was my first...I was new to shooting and still struggled with the DA/SA trigger....looking back I’m kicking myself for selling it to fund a Glock 19 of all things which was my second Currently drifting back to hammer fired pistols - currently carrying a P30SK LEM. Just bought a PX4 compact carry. Unlikely I’ll start carrying it anytime soon (have a lot invested in the P30 system) but reflects my renewed interest and appreciation (also having improved as a shooter in general) for the DA/SA system.

Lately, my primary carry gun is my recently acquired S&W 637 PC. It is a natural when wearing shorts.

My other main carry gun these days is an XDs45 w/night sights.

Other carry guns that see use from time to time are a Walther PPS and a S&W M&P40C.

I currently carry a P224 in 357Sig, it could be a little lighter to be considered perfect.

Before that the P239 in 357Sig.

I would like something the size and weight of the Shield, but in DA/SA.

As these different posters have shown__there is no perfect carry pistol.
I have three different ones depending on the circumstances.
All three, although different all three have exactly the same manual of arms. (No manual safety) I've added a red dot sight to two of them. I prefer the 8 MOA for defensive situations.
Since it'll happen very fast I don't have to think about which of the three I'm pulling. All the time__and it'll be momentary and close__you'll just point and pull. I don't care how much you've practiced requiring anything but pointing and pulling that trigger__you won't be doing anything else. Been there and done that.
We've read the questions__usually new guys__how many magazines should I carry? Well__the one in your pistol is enough.
True, back as a street detective I packed a couple extra__there may be a perp barricaded.
What ever ones you choose, keep it simple.
Stay safe
Poli Viejo

The P365 is the sort of size, capacity, ergos, and manual of arms I prefer for city EDC. It's not yet proven enough for my tastes, but it has promise and I'm watching them closely.

The G29 is my woods/country EDC favorite, extra uumph for four-legged critters, while being more compact and having higher capacity than equivalent wheel guns in .357/.40...

A CCO 1911 is my true favorite, but for practical reasons such as replacement cost and capacity I carry other things nowadays. But nothing, ever, beats a 1911 trigger, to me, and the thin pointy nature of the 1911 is a beautiful thing. Functional art.

I have a 3rd Gen G-19 that pretty much covers 95% of my needs. $.50 trigger job and stippling by Polymer Refined, toss it in an incog holster, I'm GTG. It hits what I point it at, and goes "BANG" every time I pull the trigger. (Which are two very important defining factors when choosing a carry gun!)

If not, there's a S&W J frame or a Ruger LCP .380 in my front pocket, and a few extra rounds in the other.

I also dress to conceal a gun. Slightly larger / longer shirts, looser pants with baggy pockets. This helps dramatically. It's kinda hard to hide a pistola in tight "nut-hugger" pants and a fitted T-shirt.