Ekshail

I'm looking at the S&W M&P 40 compact. I'll be at the gun show on Dec 3rd searching for the best deal.

optiplex

if you are wanting to CC..I highly reccomend the S&W Bodyguard 380 semi..

i have one and its been the easiest gun to conceal..feels good in hand dispite having small grips, it also comes with a built in laser.very managable recoil, and pretty damn accurate to boot for just a small gun...

depending on what you want to spend, I also love the Colt 1911 Defender, which is a small version of the tried and true 1911..you can pick one of those up for arond 8-900 bucks

the S&W Bodygurad can be had for around $350...

GreatWhiteZ28

iTrader: (15)

just suck it up and get a FN Five Seven......just kidding, that's going to be my next gun, but not for CC......I think my dad has a Xd40 compact he's about to sell cheap to get the new Ruger 1911

speedtigger

iTrader: (16)

My favorite carry piece is the Ruger P345. I find it to be reliable, light, thin (for a 45), accurate, easy to clean and best of all inexpensive.

I have many other and far more expensive handguns, but I always go for the P345. If I need smaller, I also have a Ruger 5 shot snub nose revolver with a pocket holster.

Hell-Bent SS 2

I love my XDm 3.8 compact. Great at the range and even better to carry.

Alien

iTrader: (1)

Digging this one back up.

Last year, I got a Glock 19 (Gen 3) for HD. It's a touch big for my wife's hands. We're planning on getting a G23 (Gen 4) also for HD, later this year with the slightly smaller grip. She's handled that, not shot it, but think it's going to be ok.

In the meantime, we've been shooting the G19 and she's developing some bad habits. We're both fairly new to shooting, taught by some friends I trust, and both want to take a course soon. Her big thing is flinching, so we're looking at a .22 primarily for range shooting before getting the G23.

Something lighter and smaller than the Glock compacts, but not micro so that some of the learning will transfer over to the Glocks. Prefer a semi-auto, something just for the range (maaaaaaybe for her to carry later, I know I know, .22 isn't ideal, but somethings better than nothing type of deal). If she really wants to carry later, that's what the G23 is for, or may just get something else in addition to the G23, .380 or something, but either way, thats a few sets of race tires away from now.

Went to Gander Mountain and handled a PPK, but it's all steel and a bit heavier than it looks, so no Bond James Bond for us. Sad me. Sig mosquito was too big (too close to what we already have, don't want 3 near fullsize guns). The Browning Buckmark and old style Rugers (Mark III) are just ugly to me. Didn't really even look at the Taurus because of bad word things on teh internet. Anybody have a reason I should look at Taurus?

They did have a used Walther P22 for $265. It fits nicely. The controls are kinda funky, and it's a DA/SA. If it's just going to be a range gun, it shouldn't be much of an issue. That first pull was stiff. Looked online later and found the Ruger SR22 is similar (tho not the greatest reviews), so may find a range at some point to shoot at least those two, the P22 and SR22.

Any comments on the P22 and SR22 or any other suggestions?

VinR1

iTrader: (17)

I'm a huge fan of both the Beretta 92 and any decent 1911... however both may be a little larger than what you're looking for

like mentioned, find a gun shop with a range that'll let you rent and shoot whichever weapons you're interested in - thats really the best way

luvmeZ28

iTrader: (3)

You would be very happy with glock or XD if you're looking for subcompact.

Alien

iTrader: (1)

If I'm not mistaken, the Beretta, XD, and Glock would all require a conversion kit to make them a .22. It's an option since I'm planning to get another Glock and have one already. Would rather not deal with the hassle tho, but it's an option. There are some 1911's out there in .22 tho they tend to be on the heavy side. My wife gets tired holding the G19 out at arms length by the end of the mag. Also, to me there's something plain wrong about a full size shooting .22's with maybe the expection of a Ruger MkIII or similar. I tried not to laugh when the couple next to us last time at the range were shooting their .22 AR's. Yeah, they also had .223 or .3078 AR's with them, and it saves them money etc, but it was still funny.
That's the plan. It's just a bit overwhelming at the counter, so I'm trying to narrow down the ones I'm interested in before we get there. Just wanting to go in and say, I want to shoot the ____ , ____ and ____. Shoot them, pick the best, and buy it. Not just go to shoot a bunch of different ones assuming they have all the 'good' ones, try narrow it down from two dozen to one or two, go home and do research, discover it's make in korea, back to the store etc etc.

99 bad aSS

iTrader: (3)

When i first started shooting I had this problem a little bit. What someone did for me was they would hand me the gun without me knowing if it was loaded or not. When you put the pistol on target someone would put an empty casing on top of the slide. If you jerked or anticipated recoil and it was unloaded you looked like a dummy cause the casing would just fall off. I kept doing this until I wasn't jerking anymore and the loaded shots were hitting right on target. I think it's a good exercise for people starting out worried about recoil or not having proper placement of the trigger finger or not pulling directly back. It helped me anyway.

-Ross-

iTrader: (2)

Look at the Beretta PX4 Storm SC .40. Here it is next to a Glock 26.



I have the 9mm version. It's a little wide for a daily carry gun, but it could definitely be used as one.

Here's my 9mm in my Cross Breed Supertuck holster.

99 bad aSS

iTrader: (3)

Honestly the best way to pick one is to go shoot a bunch. There are so many types of pistols you really don't know what you'll like untill you fire them. You may like SA or DA/SA or DAO. striker fired or hammer. Usually when I go to the range I"ll bs with some people and they'll usually let me shoot a mag or two if i've never shot one before just to test it out.

99 bad aSS

iTrader: (3)

And if you do carry, I'll back up Ross with the supertuck deluxe. Best damn conceal holster on the market

Alien

iTrader: (1)

That's a good idea. May pick up a couple of snap caps and randomly put them in the magazines. Last time at the range, she was way off, I think up to the left. Unloaded it and made her dry fire it a dozen times. Mag back in, immediate improvement.

I'm hoping jumping down to a .22 will keep her interested in shooting since she's starting to get a bit frustrated with the 9mm.

rabiddog

iTrader: (1)

Fn 5 7

Greed4Speed

iTrader: (7)

The XD doesn't have a .22 conversion. Don't know about the Beretta. Conversions tend to cost close to what a dedicated .22 will cost. My advice for flinching is to get a revolver. Load it and leave some chambers empty. She'll be able to catch herself flinching. You can do the same with a semi by adding snap caps, but you have to cycle them out yourself.

I would take her and let her pick her pistol. Most ranges have rentals you can shoot too. I know of no women that would choose a glock for themselves after handling other pistols. I'm sure there are some, but most have them because thats what her husband bought which isn't ideal. Each person is different. I would also recommend something with a little more weight to reduce felt recoil for her. Check out a Sig P239 with a hogue grip. I have yet to have someone not like that set up. If her arm is getting tired then she needs to work out, or learn to aim quicker. I'm assuming she is shooting 2 handed. Honestly, there is no reason she can't shoot half filled magazines and not have that issue.

LS69TA

iTrader: (30)

I carry a baby Glock 27 .40 with extended mag. as my concealed everyday gun, a Glock 22 .40 as my duty gun, and the .50 Desert Eagle for when the fecal matter hits the oscillator.

NV my V

I personally carry an xd9 sub compact daily. It fits my hand perfectly (with the extended mag, it fits my husband if he wants to shoot it for any reason). It is top heavy, so i don't get a lot of muzzle flip when I shoot it. My only con is that overall, it's really heavy for my purses. My solution to that is I leave maybe 5 bullets in it, and then carry an extra mag elsewhere. I've gotten used to having that weight in my purses though and feel weird without it now.

I was also looking into getting a Kahr PM9 for something lighter, but I haven't had a chance to shoot one yet. Just suggesting because I, personally, wouldn't carry anything smaller than a 9mm.

GulfM3

iTrader: (14)

[QUOTE=-Ross-;15993081]
Here's my 9mm in my Cross Breed Supertuck holster.

You guys really like the Cross Breed? I have one and never really warmed up to it, it always dug into my back when I was driving. Any suggestions?

For the last several few months i've been carrying a Taurus SLIM 9mm with a Kangaroo Carry holster, super comfortable and it hardly ever prints. Which is huge for me, I'm a skinny guy and don't care for baggy clothes.

Alien

iTrader: (1)

Good training to clear the gun too.

This is probably true, but the G19 and (future) G23 are here to stay for HD (I'm not even going to mention I/we may eventually carry the 23... oops). I get the feeling Glock is one of those love them or hate them brands. Before we got the G19, we did goto a gun show and handle what was out there, especially the XD vs the Glock. She didn't say any one style was better than any other, but I guess it's kinda hard to know what feels good when you don't exactly know what feels good. She wasn't turned off by the Glocks, but did prefer the 4th gen over the 3rd gen. I want her to be able to use them of course even tho they're not ideal. For the .22, I'm trying really hard not to sway her decisions, else I'd already be here playing James Bond with my ... I mean her new PPK Just want to be able to give her the idea of which ones to ask at the dealer/range. Standing at the counter and asking which one of the 30+ she wants to look gets an "I don't knoooow" reply. Having them pull out 4 and asking which feels best is working, that's how the P22 is on the list to rent at a range. Just don't want to miss one simply because the store didn't have any in at that time.

Agreed on the first statement, but don't tell her that I said that Two handed isosceles, yes. I never thought of half filled magazines, that's an easy place to start.

Do the Kahr or the XD9 have any less recoil than a Glock, or are they all about the same?

My mistake for even mentioning the slight possibility of using it as a carry gun later on, but thanks for the woman's POV.