Are there any CCW or gun geeks out there for questions?

[Buck52]

Ain't that the truth John

I wish time would freeze and we never aged, I'd settle for age 30   eh!

[kanewnut]

On youtube a guy is doing some interesting testing on 9mm and 380 ammo. It is under ShootingTheBull410.

[john999]

In summer in Florida I usually wear cargo shorts and tee shirt due to incredible heat and humidity.  Very little place to conceal a larger firearm.  I do have .380 pistol and .45.   The .45 Model 1911 is much easier to shoot than the smaller piece, but impossible for me to conceal in this climate.  The action on the .380 requires major pressure to fire.  You really have to squeeze.

[vetquest]

Being hard to squeeze the trigger is not an issue with the 380, it is an issue with the make and manufacture of the gun.  380 is not popular in the states but is very popular in Europe.  I have carried one on occasion.  The S&W shields are good guns, I have a full size model 2 in 45 that is my home gun.  I use a 357 Ruger SP101 as my carry gun.

[Grumpbox]

@john999 WHAT A GREAT QUESTION!!!  I cant believe I just now saw this!

What caliber / model to carry and more so, how to carry the CCW? Ah!  A noteworthy post worth the effort!!!

These decisions rest firmly on what many view similar in the purchase of a new or used car.  The one object many consider is price; that is, unless you are like me.  I want something RELIABLE. I want a CCW that is tried and true; one that's put through rigorous testing, austere environments, and tested by experienced shooters.  Then we face the old: What caliber will kill the most?  Some say nothing less than the ole' .45.  Some like @asknod advise the souped-up .22cal will do the job for indoors.  Each have merit for various situations. By no means am I downgrading the advice/personal preference of one's choice for the CCW posited thus far.  What I will do is offering my two cents for the group/continued dialogue for a subject I love!

Fortunately, I was afforded the opportunity during my military career (and afterwards for a security company) to work with some three acronym companies.  I saw and used what many of these companies swear by, use, and purchase through purchased contracts.  Everyone knows Special Operation Forces Teams (SOFT) use the Glock as a sidearm/CCW.  Plus, DEA, FBI, and many others recently made the switch from the SIG; that is, except DOD.  They recently went with the new SIG Modular System for a sidearm.  If its good enough for these agencies, then I felt it was good enough for me as a CCW.  

Personally, I carry either a Glock 19 Compact 9mm or my Glock 32 Compact .357SIG. My Glock 19 has an extended barrel for a suppressor, and I have a RMR Trijcon Optic.  My .357 has just standardized sights.  Both of these handguns are identical in size and weight and can be easily concealed using a little larger, button-up short-sleeve shirt.  No one ever knows I am carrying.  

As for home defense - this really can go either way.  Personally, I like a shotgun with either buckshot or some type of 6 to 7 oz birdshot.  However, in the middle of the night, I'd have a hell of a time wielding that thing after I ripped off my CPAP, yanked out my mouth guard, and pulled out my ear plugs (my wife snores like a wild bear)!  Having said that, I keep one of my Glocks close by. I am use to the operation of this weapon and feel confident that if there was a malfunction, I could manipulate it in my sleep. Plus, I've got at least 12-13 rounds in the magazine, which brings me up to the next discussion: Interior Walls/Sheetrock.  The 9mm or even the .357 SIG round would have no issues with penetration through sheet rock.  Having said this, I feel confident in the event I missed, thereby scaring a would-be robber, I could walk these rounds through the wall as this robber fled with good muscular/skeleton tissue penetration.  This is a pretty common theme taught throughout the world of Close Quarters Battle (CQB). 

@john999 Take a look at the Glock 43.  Its a single-stack 9mm.  Very small in the hand and light in weight.  One can even get a grip extension for the lower end of the magizine; plus, they make small lasers for those with shaky hands.  If I was an intruder in someone's house and saw a laser zero in on me, I'd jump through a window to get out of that house!!

Good Luck with the CCW search!!

Grumpbox out...

 

[FormerMember]

Jez, you better leave the earplugs in if you want to rip a clip of 9 mil indoors. It's supersonic, sir. It will rupture your eardrums indoors and probably blow out a window in an enclosed bedroom area. You don't want to get into a running battle with a bad guy. Shoot to encourage him to leave. If you hit him, so much the better. The object isn't a trophy for the wall, it's to get back in bed and go back to sleep with out a trip to the ER for the eardrum mishap. 

I carried a Browning Hi-power in Laos at first but the dirt screws up any semi.  https://asknod.org/2015/05/08/the-guns-of-air-america/ You can't fix that in an emergency. Same for a smokestack. Your brain is on Adrenaline. If the shoot stick quits working I've seen guys just keep squeezing like it's going to change things. If you must shoot indoors, a .38 +P will do the job right through walls. Your ears will thank you and there's no safety. You just keep pulling the trigger until she clicks. If it takes you six bullets to do anything, it's time for a trip to the range. Never, never never ever underestimate a .22. for close in stuff. If it doesn't scare the bad guy, then he's not there for the jewelry. 

 The wheelgun. So simple a cave man can figure it out. I still have it. https://asknod.org/2012/05/15/footlocker-beginnings/ .