Beginner Searching for a CCW

i had stated in an earlier post that he instructed firearms classes. and apparently i have been misunderstood, my friends father is not teaching me, my friend who was taught by his father will be.

just so were clear he isnt teaching me insanely complicated stuff, just the basics, accuracy, proper gun handling, how to combat the shakes, that kinda stuff

anyways, i will eventually get formal training, once im 21 an have more experience shooting in general.
 
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Ryan,

I live in Arizona, shorts and t-shirt year round. About a year ago, I bought my first CCW gun, and it was a 9mm Shield (Crossbreed Minituck). Eventually, I decided it was too big and bulky for everyday use (and it's a small single stack) and got the Bodyguard 380, which I now carry every day all the time (Crossbreed Appendix).

All this baloney about wearing a Hawaiian print shirt, fanny pack, baggy clothes, etc??? NO WAY dude. I'm 27, wear a regular tee shirt (not oversized), jeans or shorts (not baggy, in fact Levi 501), and the pistol DISAPPEARS in my waistband. I carry in an appendix holster at 2 or 3 o clock.

Why did I move away from the SW Shield ?

1) Most larger pistols (anything except seecamp, bg 380, lcp, etc) are usually carried at the 4 o clock or 5 o clock position, assuming you're going to carry IWB. I didn't like the pistol being behind me. What if you're disarmed? What if you need to keep your hands in front of you in a struggle? What if gun gets caught in shirt on the way out of holster? Lots of room for error.

2) Bending over or reaching up to get something would often expose pistol. Now, anyone nearby may know I'm packing. It was also REALLY annoying. Gotta grab items on bottom shelf at grocery store? Hello, exposed pistol. Old lady asks you to grab item on top shelf? Better hope you can grab it with 1 hand, because other hand will have to hold shirt over pistol or hope grandma doesn't mind when your gun becomes exposed.

3) My gun is behind me!!!!! See number 1!!! ugh!!!!!!!!!

4) I wasn't comfortable carrying the Shield without the safety being on. The trigger was a little light for my taste, but I worried that I may not take safety off in a defensive situation.


why BG 380:
-Trigger is heavy enough to carry w/ safety off
- very compact, no one ever knows I'm carrying.
-No worrying about gun being exposed in day to day life
-gun is in FRONT of me


I will say, unfortunately you need (at least) 2 guns, because no single gun is going to be perfectly concealable and fun to shoot. You will not find the BG fun to shoot at all, but you need practice. The BG (or LCP) can be painful after 50 or so rounds. 380 ammo is hard to find, and more expensive than 9mm. So, in addition to it not being fun to shoot, it's HARD to even have the opportunity to shoot it. I haven't tried the G42, but it's a little big for my taste.

The Shield wouldn't be a bad choice (9mm, not 40), but I do think it's a bit big. I wanted a gun that I would always have with me 100%.

You need to put lots of rounds down range. I shoot 3x a week, usually with my 22 buckmark camper and rotate out between my shield (now my nightstand gun), my bodyguard, and my 12 gauge (under bed gun) with the 22 so that each gun is shot once per week.



I know it's lengthy, but I just wanted to share my experience because there are a few similarities between my situation and yours.
 
Bending over or reaching up to get something would often expose pistol.
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With a holster at 4-5 o'clock, to keep from exposing your pistol in such situations: 1) Kneel to reach for things on the lower shelf, and 2) Reach with your support hand for things on the upper shelf.
 
and 2) Reach with your support hand for things on the upper shelf.
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I mentioned this in my post, but it still limits you to just one hand since the other is occupied.

I'm not saying that carrying at 4 or 5 o clock is awful -- it is comfortable. Just pointing out the drawbacks that I discovered in my experience.
 
So i went and shot with my friend today, it was a lot of fun, and i have definitely refined my list of candidates. anything ruger is out. the LC380 sucks. the trigger pull is so long, and if im using the term correctly it doesnt break until it practically hits the front of the grip.

i shot .40 s&w in my friends s&w SDVE and a ruger lc380.

im way more comfortable with recoil and size on the ruger, so i think have refined my candidate due to price and caliber to the glock 42
 
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As I said, you'll very likely need 2 pistols. No micro pistol is going to be fun to shoot. As you said, it sucks to shoot!
 
buttin' in

First?
A 38 Special-chambered S&W Airweight of whatever particular flavor you prefer.
But one of those.
First.
 
Welcome to the forum, ryanjblajda!

Concealed carry is a personal choice, and while you'll get a lot of great information from this forum, ultimately what you decide on carrying and how you carry is up to you. The models that you've listed are all pretty popular choices for carry and it wouldn't surprise me if you end up purchasing a few models to suit your wardrobe.

You might check out this article on carrying options. It gives a good starter's guide to concealed carry.

http://www.artofmanliness.com/2012/09/26/guide-to-concealed-carry/

Best,

Ambishot
 
Blawkhawk makes some shorts that are pretty awesome for cc and don't look overly "tactical". They might be worth looking at.
I wear them and a normal t shirt and have no trouble concealing a glock 19. It prints a bit if I bend over, but a button-down fixes that.
There's no need to go full blown "old guy with a gun" in the wardrobe department.

As far as guns go, there are a ton of great options. Try as many as you can before you buy.

As far as holsters go I like the hybrid iwb models. They might look stupid on the outside, but once you get them in where they belong they're insanely comfortable.

But you'll come to your own conclusions. That's why most of us have a safe full of guns and a drawer full of holsters.
 
lol sounds good. i want to go shooting again but all my friends and i dont have the extra money to spend on ammo and range time. so ill have to wait till next month to go again.
 
The thing about underwear holsters is, you have to either do the laundry every night, buy enough copies to get you through to laundry day, or wear dirty underwear all the time. Leather or kydex might serve you better.
 
I have a Glock 27 gen 4. Fine gun, but I would really like to have the Ruger SR40c. I have a Ruger SR9C that is my EDC. The grip is thinner than the Glock, and fits my hand better.
The SR40C will probably be my next gun. My neighbor has indicated that he would like to buy my G27, so maybe I will sell. It's not that I don't like the Glock, I just think I like the Ruger better.
 
Those are two very different gun designs on the Ruger. On the LCseries the long pull is the safety. The SR has an external safety. I prefer a long pull in this case. No key lock on eithr as someone earlier misinformed.

Good luck in your search. Welcome to the forum.
 
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