Advice on 1st CCW Gun

K

Kreyzhorse

New member
Okay - I convinced a good friend of mine, who doesn't own a handgun, that it was vitally important to get his Ohio CCW permit and he is currently in the process of doing so. (While he doesn't own a gun, he is familiar with them and grew up shooting 1911s.)

Since he is well on his way to having his CCW, he is now shopping for a gun that will be easy to CCW as well as be a good target shooter. Additionally, he has stated that wants either .357, .40 or a .45.

I suggested a revolver, ideally a Ruger SP .357, but he is dead set against revolvers. I suggested a fullsize 1911 and he stated he wants a smaller CCW than that.

I carry 3 gun types; a pocket gun (LCP), a snub nose (S&W J-frame) and a full size 1911 (TRP). None of those guns work for him and those are my area of expertise as it were.

I'm looking for suggestions of a good semi-auto in .40 or .45 that is both fairly easy to conceal yet is a gun that allows itself for prolonged target practice.

Any suggestions?
 
Prolonged target practice will mean reduced loads. The .45 ACP is easier to set up to handload for, so I, personally, would narrow it to that. If your friend doesn't shoot much, though, the recoil of any light handgun in either .45 ACP or .40 S&W is going to be discouraging as far as volume of practice goes. If he wants little but manageable, I would even go down to the .380 Magnum (9 mm) and let him get gear to load that down. It isn't a .45, but the Federal Hydrashock is one load that exists for it that I know penetrates gelatin well enough to keep up with the .45 HP's penetration. It is the carry load I would use if I didn't have room for a .45.
 
#1 Choice: M&P Compact 40 - Compact version of the full size M&P

#2 Choice: M&P Compact 357
My preference on a short-barrel auto bullet would have to be the .357 sig. The shorter the barrel, the harder it is for a round to get to a decent velocity. The main detractors for the .357 sig is cost and availability.

Hmmm... I suppose you could get the M&P Compact 40 and get the .357 replacement drop-in barrel. .40 cal for the range and .357 sig for CCW.
 
has he looked at some of the smaller types of 1911's? since that is a platform he's familiar with.

a glock 27 is a sub-compact .40 and there are units to convert it to shoot .22lr making practice easy, cheap and fun. also you can use mags from the larger model glocks in conjunction with a grip extension

glock 30/36 tad bigger than the 27 but in .45, again .22 kits are available.

it sounds like he's looking for something in the compact/sub-compact(but bigger than a pocket gun) and there are loads of options out there. you should take him to a few gun stores (like sportsmans warehouse)
 
+1 to Glock 27 and S&W M&P Line.

Great guns. The M&P is a very comfortable shooter for target/range use, while still great for protection.

I like the idea of the M&P .40/.357 Sig adjustment too.

Ultimately, have him try many guns and find the one he likes the most.
 
Well, now that you said .45 and 1911, I was reading about these hi-cap Para Warthogs. They're very compact 1911's and they come in .45, very ideal for CCW. They're only a few inches long. They hold 10+1 rounds, that's more than the full size. And as far as I know, Para Ordnance is a prominent 1911 brand. Price didn't look too bad either. Don't think it was over 1k. If he tests one out and doesn't like it, The .45 compact and sub-compact XD's are still a great option.
 
If he's not a fan of polymer-framed guns, I suggest the SIG P229, S&W 4013 (DA/SA), or S&W 4053 (same as 4013 but DAO). The S&Ws have single-stack magazines and IMHO strike just the right balance between concealability and shootability. Unfortunately, niether of the S&Ws are manufactured anymore, thanks to S&Ws recent decision to concentrate on plastic. :(

FYI the versions of the S&Ws that carry a "TSW" suffix (eg. 4013TSW) have double-stack rather than single-stack magazines, which equals higher capacity (9 vs. 7 IIRC), but the frames are wider and the guns are heavier, which are obvious hindrances for CCW.

{EDIT} Caught my own typo, P229 is not single-stack. :)
 
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Wow. That ParaOrdnance looks like a handful to shoot. I guess having a double column magazine full of .45 caliber pills will help weight the thing and dampen recoil, but still - you don't have a lot to hang onto there!
 
Take him to a range/gun shop and let him hold some and shoot some. When he has an idea of what HE likes, then start looking for real.
 
Take him to a range/gun shop and let him hold some and shoot some. When he has an idea of what HE likes, then start looking for real.
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That's a great idea, but he is one of those guys that researches every thing to death and then goes for a test drive. To him, the research is almost as much fun as buying something so I'm trying to point him to a couple of likely options.

Great suggestions so far guys. I had thought about the compact Glocks, but didn't even think about the S&W M&P.

A compact 1911 is a great idea too but are they target and extended range time friendly?
 
Thanks for the input guys. I floated the M&P, sub-compact 1911s and the Baby Glock to him and he is intrigued by the M&P. We'll see how this turns out though.......
 
My wife enjoys shooting my Ultra Carry in .45ACP and it's probably lighter than the Para Ord.
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I wasn't thinking so much of the weight as the (miniscule) length of the grip. I have fat hands and fingers and don't see how I could get much more than my index and middle fingers around that thing.
 
The Kahr P40 is another great CCW gun. Very accurate and reliable in a small, super thin package. I've shot a Glock 26 (9mm) and thought that it was a great gun; the .40 may be pretty snappy given the guns short grip. The M&P compact would give him more grip for control; I personally dont like the trigger on the M&P...long and too much creep but for a defensive pistol it is alright I suppose. The Glocks trigger is shorter and lighter. Hope this helps.
 
either the desert eagle or automag v in .50 ae or the s&w 500 magnum w/ 4 inch barrel, no need to carry anything less than half an inch in diameter,jk a nice 357 mag should do it, no safety to worry about, no jams, ect
 
csmsss said:
I wasn't thinking so much of the weight as the (miniscule) length of the grip. I have fat hands and fingers and don't see how I could get much more than my index and middle fingers around that thing.
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The UC is 2.25" from the botton of the trigger guard to the bottom of the grip, 2.50" to the bottom of the Wilson mag, if that's of any help to you.
 
I use a Glock 27 for my carry gun. I have a +1 extension on the mags for a longer grip and it works really well. XD also makes a great sub compact. Personally, I tend to not trust subcompact 1911 .45's due to some bad experiences with them jamming.
 
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