best gun for conceal/home defense?

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shfd321kmc

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I am about to buy a new gun for concealment and home defense. I have no sure idea what will be the best combo gun for both. I have been leaning towards a Glock 23 Gen 4 .40. I live near a Glock dealer that sells to only military, fire, and police. I can get that gun (new) for $450. I have been told about a S&W M.P. that also might be a good combo fit. Any sugestions on what I should look into getting?
 
you could go with the G27 and use alternating mags for concealment and HD assuming it is like my G26. i use 10 round mag for CC and 17 for HD and 33 rounder for SHTF. 3 guns in one
 
I am about to buy a new gun for concealment and home defense. I have no sure idea what will be the best combo gun for both.
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Generically, I'd say the most stable, natural shooting gun you would be willing and able to carry on a daily basis. That will therefore likely be a medium sized platform of some type. If I were limited to just one gun for home and carry, it would be a 3" or 4" .357 Magnum. But YMMV.
 
Try the Springfield XDm 3.8 9mm. It has a 19 round mag +1 in the chamber for home defense and a smaller mag for concealed carry. The XDm platform is very reliable and ergonomic. Most prefer the feel of the XDm over the glock. The glock is a little "blocky". Give it a shot. I bet you will like it. I have both. :D
 
To me - these two uses specifically represent different ends of the spectrum. If we didn't have to put up with the laws of physics we could have a 4" pistol with an 8" sight radius that weighed 5 oz but recoiled like the pistol weighed 50 oz.

For CCW you want something small as far as OAL, and something light weight, and usually the lighter the better. None of these requirements are present with an HD pistol.

With an HD pistol you can have a longer sight radius, greater magazine capacity, something heavy. Different strokes for different folks but for a lot of people, when they have to haul something heavy on their person all day, it gets tiresome. Your night stand probably won't get tired holding up your full-size pistol, and when you have to deploy it - chances are you're not going to notice the weight at all.

I personally think trying to pick a pistol that will be good for both will land you with a pistol that doesn't excel at either.
 
Best post ever...

There are many "What's the best handgun for carry or home protection?" topics posted on TFL.
It's a real FAQ here.
In short, if you feel you have the training & skills to safely use a Gen04 Glock pistol then have at it, :) .
I'd suggest a .45acp or a .357sig but other calibers or pistol loads could defend you too.
If you want to check other top models in the $400-$500 range, I'd look into a Beretta PX4 C format 9x19mm, a Smith & Wesson SD9 9mm or SD40 in .40S&W, a Ruger SR9c(a industry award winner) or the new SR40c(.40).
I prefer hammer fired DA only pistols like the HK P30 LEM or P2000 LEM. The SIG Sauer "Classic" models in DAK with the 1913 or R(rail) would be good also.
I'd suggest adding a white light or green dot laser aiming system to the home defense firearm. It may aid in threat identification or with a bright strobe, may disorinent a felon who breaks inside during low light hours.
The Viridian green laser models work very well and may be seen in bright daylight also
 
If you're only going to own a single pistol for everything, IMHO it should be a
.38 or .357 snubnose revolver for utter simplicity, reliablity and versatility. The Glocks pistols are good guns (I find the XD's more comfortable and equally reliable though) but even the subcompact versions are too bulky for my taste as a ccw weapon. YMMV.
 
I recommend the Glock 26....

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I know you want a combo gun, but for home defense nothing works better than a shotgun. Look up the Remington 870, a true American classic, and very inexpensive to buy. That way you can get your gun for CC, and have yourself a shotgun (the best home defense weapon) without putting a hole in your pocket.
 
American Eagle makes an important point.

Your home defense gun can be a long arm because you don't have to compromise on size and weight to carry a handgun on your body all day. Consider how much more effective a 12ga load of 00 buckshot with 12 pellets is at 25 feet compared to any defensive (exclude cartridges of full powered .44 Magnum and up) handgun cartridge. With training and practice you can shoot either a shotgun or a handgun equally fast and accurately at inside the home distances.

I submit that all defensive handgun cartridges are under powered. That is why it is taught to shoot at least twice, assess and proceed as necessary. In choosing a defensive handgun, you must keep in mind that you are balancing power, accuracy, and speed. Whichever cartridge you choose, you have that as your power. You then practice to balance speed and accuracy. You can not miss fast enough to win. You must be accurate, but you must not waste time.

Choose your cartridge for sufficient power. Choose your platform (the actual handgun) for what feels best to you. Get training and practice. Thinness/thickness of the handgun is the dimension of greatest concern in concealment (within reason, I'm not suggesting 8" barrels or 32 round magazines).

If in a couple of years you find, through experience, that you prefer a different handgun; welcome to the real world. I suspect that most posters here have found that they prefer some other handgun than the first one they bought.
 
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I am about to buy a new gun for concealment and home defense. I have no sure idea what will be the best combo gun for both. I have been leaning towards a Glock 23 Gen 4 .40. I live near a Glock dealer that sells to only military, fire, and police. I can get that gun (new) for $450. I have been told about a S&W M.P. that also might be a good combo fit. Any sugestions on what I should look into getting?
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That's a good gun, and a very good price.
 
agreed and my two cents

valid points all

We are looking at several uses, as with all cases use dictates form. My personal carry gun is a Glock 30 SF, previous to that was a Glock 30. I use Glock 21 Magazine's for my reloads and "stash" ammo. It works well for me.

As to the gentleman who prefers the XD that raises a very good point. Some people have better luck and accuracy with differant pistols, grip angle and girth does factor into your choice. If you have the chance I do suggest either borrowing or renting a few of your "short list" firearms and see how well you shoot them.

v/r
 
shfd321kmc:

Any of the name brands of small auto loading handguns 9mm or over are adequate for home defence and concealed carry. However, I prefer a revolver because I feel that I can control it better. I don't carry but when I was selling guns I open carried a N frame Smith & Wesson model 625 in .45 auto rim. I wore it for eight hours a day and I never knew that it was on my side. For concealed carry a J or K frame Smith & Wesson would work well.

Semper Fi.

Gunnery sergeant
Clifford L. Hughes
USMC Retired
 
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Any sugestions on what I should look into getting?
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There's no such thing as the best gun for anything. Glock owners will recommend a Glock. SIG owners, a SIG, etc. There are lots of excellent firearms and for most of us, we choose after trying different guns by actually shooting them. The gun we started with isn't necessarily the one we prefer now.

A home SD gun can be a full sized pistol. Mine is. My carry gun is either full sized or a compact version.

For others, a carry gun can't be small or moussy enough. If it isn't light enough to float in the bathtub and fit on a key chain, they abhor it.

As Clint Smith says, no gun is too light for CCW. No gun is too big when the shooting starts, and a gun should feel comforting--not comfortable. I lean toward this preference. Such a gun is also good for HD.

Decide after you shoot some on a range. Try several. Then, at some point, expect to try another gun you like better. Pretty soon, you end up with a number of guns like the rest of us.:cool:
 
I have lots of Glocks and M&Ps (all in 9mm and 45 but that's a different debate...) and you can't go wrong either way. I have never had a FTF/FTE in any of them except with terribly crappy ammo and there's a 99% chance it was the ammo's fault.

I say see what feels better in your hand because they're both great guns.
 
A gun compact enough to serve as CC can double as a HD weapon, but a big gun for HD may not carry easily. Pick what you like for CC and find it a nice spot in or on your nightstand for home duty. Then if you want to add something bigger later dedicated to home defense and range duties, you can. My CCW is a Glock 26 and I am satisfied, but there are certainly other good choices out there. The Beretta PX4 lineup is particularly attractive to me these days.
 
Go to a rental range. Handle and shoot several guns in the sub compact and compact size range. If you are new to guns try both the 9mm and the .40S&W.

The .40S&W can be very snappy and uncomfortable for some people. It is better to buy a gun you like shooting and will practice with. You can't miss fast enough to win and there is no such thing as a magic bullet. A well placed 9mm or .38spl+P is better than a miss with a .40 or .45.

As far as a particular gun, I am a huge CZ fan. I would recomend anything from their compact or sub compact line. You can get the Rami P or P-07 Duty for $400 to $500. The CZ75D PCR is another great gun in the compact size. It has rounded edges to make carrying and drawing easier.

Personally I carry a CZ P-07 Duty everyday. It is balls on accurate, it feeds anything, it has passed rigorous stress testing by several police agencies, and it is thin enough that you won't believe you're carrying 16 rounds in the magazine.

Dave Anderson of American Handgunner wrote, "... and frankly there is no reason US LE agencies shouln't take a hard look at it."
 
As the old saying goes;
Buying a gun no more makes you a warrior than buying a piano will make you a musician.

YOU MUST LEARN TO UISE THE TOOLS WELL!

A small handgun carries well, and can be with you all the time, but it’s harder to learn to shoot well then a larger gun.
A home defense gun need not be small. In fact, the best choice for such a weapon is most often a good 12 gauge shotgun.
But if you can ONLY have one gun for reasons of budget, I would recommend a 40 or 45 cal medium sized handgun of GOOD quality, and no matter what gun you buy, get 1000 round with it to become proficient with. This ammo is NOT to be “saved” but you should shoot it up in the first year, and learn to use the tool you have purchased. You can buy 1 small box of good hollow point ammo as your “carry ammo” but that 1st 1000 rounds should be fired so that you can learn how to use the new gun well. If you are a new shooter, get a trained coach to go with you shooting and learn from your mistakes (you’ll make some, and that’s why you want to have a trained man or woman with you to point them out, and show you how to correct them)

Dry Fire teaches you technique. Live fire validates your progress.
 
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