My brother (a LEO) just told me about this and it appears to be what I am looking for, perhaps you too?
Have you actually fired any of these weapons?
Please don’t mind my asking, but are you a man or a woman? What size are you? What shape are you in? Athletic, sedentary, etc.
In other words are you capable of shooting a .45 and do you think it’s necessary? Do you think a .9mm can’t stop the average perp? Are you being stalked by The Hulk, Superman or Rambo?
I believe that most gunfights are within 15 feet and over in a few seconds.
Go to a range that rents guns and try out different ones and find one that you’re comfortable with.
I don’t know if you need to worry about “stopping power” Most criminals will flee upon just seeing a gun. Read John Lott’s book, “More Guns, Less Crime”. Most criminals will flee if they see ANY gun pointed at them. Most perps leave without the gun being fired. Fewer are actually shot, fewer still actually killed.
Guns are a deterant to most criminals. I hope you never have to shoot anyone.
I wouldn’t even want to be shot with a .22, .25, .32, .38, .357, .9mm, .40 much less a .45. Point a .22 at me and I’ll leave the premises.
Are you being stalked by Godzilla?
Auto loading pistols use magazines, not “clips”.
That's nonsense. .45 has a big advantage over 9mm for soldiers who must use non-expanding full metal jacket bullets, but for civilians who can carry modern hollow points, the difference is far narrower. Especially when you consider the lower recoil and quicker recovery time between shots with a good 9mm. A hit with a 9mm hollow point is going to do a lot more damage than a miss by a .45. Also, you can get pistols with up to 19 rounds of 9mm in the magazine. Try that in a .45.
Don't get me wrong, .45 is a wonderful caliber too. But your comment above is just silly.
Thus I am gonna wait and see what follows.............
Two in the chest, one in the head shoot that F'er till he's dead.
You want the jury to only hear your story.
Go to a range that rents guns and try them out. I prefer several but it is ALL what you can handle and deal with. A revolver is best for the not mechanically inclined.
A carry weapon is only good if you carry it. Look at the Kel-Tec P380 loaded with cor-bon DPX. It’s small and will get you out of a jam.
Look at a Sig P220 Carry or a P245 if you can find a clean, used one. Nothing wrong with a Glock 30 as mentioned above but a tad too think for a “carry” gun.
Any of the conceal carry LDA models from Para if you can find any of them, but you will have a hard time finding one at that price. Kimber has nice conceal carry single action models you should look at (again if you can find one).
Springfield XD in .40, buy a extra barrel in 9mm and .357 Sig. You’ll be able to shoot 3 calibers in one platform. A cheap but effective 9mm and a hard hitting .357 sig for punching through barriers and the .40 sits right in the middle.
My brother (a LEO) just told me about this and it appears to be what I am looking for, perhaps you too?
Don't forget to budget for leather. Cheap holsters will kill you.
Carry bump!
Find some really, really old guy, have him buy it for you. Let the Feds go to hell to get the paperwork.
Feces hits the air mass circulating mechanism, you don’t want your name on anything.
A few months into something and each and every police department will be calling you in to turn in what you got, or else.
You have no, zero, zip rights under martial law. You can be, upon orders of the President only, held indefinitely in prison and have all your possessions striped.
I agree with Birdlady and garyhope - go to a range and try them out and get a feel for a variety of handguns.
FWIW, my primary carry guns are a Glock G23 in 40S&W and a G21 in .45ACP. I like Glocks due to their simplicity and reliability.
If you don’t like autoloaders, a Smith and Wesson 686 in .357 is hard to beat.
Beginners should start with NRA Certified trainingI would recommend training from an NRA Certified Instructor in
Refuse to be a victim
NRA training for women
Basic pistol
Personal protection in the home
and the newly released
Personal protection outside the home
NRA Gun Safety Rules
Always keep the gun pointed in a safe direction
Always keep your finger off the trigger until ready to shoot
Always keep the gun unloaded until ready to use
I got a Taurus 1911 .45 a couple of months ago. It isn’t “brand” name like so many on here like, but I love it. It shoots great, and has a lot of custom gunsmith features that more expensive brands don’t have. Each time I shoot it I am surprised at how smooth it feels.
It gets my vote for value!
I do have a Kimber 1911 .45 with a 3” barrel, but I like the way the Taurus shoots better.
I too, like bigbluejon should learn to read before posting :)
You indicated you wanted a handgun that you could conceal without concern for the hammer getting caught.
Take a look at the Smith and Wesson 640-3. It’s a five shot hammer-less revolver with a 3” barrel. Very compact and concealable and packs a punch. I bought one for a former girlfriend when she got her CCW. It’s chambered in .357mag. As such, it will have substantial recoil due to its small size so it’s best to practice with .38 special for a while until you get used to the recoil. .357mag is one of the best manstoppers available.
wheelgun .357 and up....
or semi-auto in .40 or better if you’re “experienced”
High capacity “clip” in a 1911 frame? I’m really trying hard not to be snarky, but you sound like an idiot with that “big boys don’t use 9mm” comment.
The 1911 is a brilliant design that has stood the test of time, and is a fine gun for home protection, but it is not a good conceal carry weapon because of it’s size. Try to comfortably hide one on your body, with just a t-shirt and jeans, and without anyone being able to detect it, because the conceal laws in most states require that it is not detectable as a gun. The most important rule in a gunfight is to bring one. If the gun is not comfortable to hide on your person daily, you won’t carry it. I have several friends that are die hard 1911 fans that all bought little .380s to carry daily. I tried to carry my Beretta .40, became tired of constantly worrying if it was printing thru my clothes, or having to wear baggy clothes, quit carrying it, bought a Ruger LCP and now all is well in the carry department. The guy at the local gun club that has been teaching concealed carry classes for years, carries a Walther PPK, not a 1911.
The average gunfight takes place within a range of 20 feet, lasts 3-5 seconds, with an average of 3 shots fired. Unless you live in a very bad neighborhood, or are a drug dealer, rapist or thief, statistically you’ll probably never have to pull your weapon. I wouldn’t worry so much about high capacity magazines. BTW the standard 1911 only holds 7 in the mag.
If you’re dead set on .45 for concealed carry, get the smallest you can find.
Personally, I like the HK USP Compact — reasonably concealable, accurate, good stopping power. Its a little pricey. The Walther PPK is a bit smaller and less expensive, but also has good stopping power.
And — in looking for a picture to post, I found out that the HK USP Compact is apparently Jack Bauer’s sidearm of choice. Ha! Can’t go wrong there.
SnakeDoc
