CCW Recommendation

C

CCWBeliever

Inactive
Hello all,

My wife and I are scheduled to take the Carry Permit/Gun Safety class in order to get our carry permits. I currently have a Phonix Arms .22LR handgun and a Makarov P64 9x18mm handgun. The .22 is good for practice, and my wife should be able to use it just fine during the class. The Makarov, however, is what I would likely be using and while a fine handgun it is, firing it for hours on end can get tiring... because of the sharp recoil.

I'm looking for suggestions on the purchase of a 9mm that both my wife and I could carry. I may purchase 2 of them, just so our training for either weapon is the same... she could easily shoot mine... and I could easily shoot hers...

I'm looking for suggestions of a good conceal carry weapon, that would work for both of us. I have large fat hands... she has petite hands. Something that is simple to operate, comfortable to shoot a the range for an hour or two when practicing, and is not too tough on the pocket book.

It would also be nice if the gun has rail mounts for optional flashlight or laser, so that we could also use it as a home defense weapon.

I'm smart enough to know that "one size fits all" is not entirely realistic, so I'm just looking for some options.

Recommendations?

Thanks!
 
Glock 19. This is Glock's mid-size 9mm. Conceals well and still 15 + 1 rounds of 9mm. I've been carrying mine for 11 years
 
I think its a mistake to select a gun for your wife, especially one neither of you has fired. If you don't like the Makarov recoil, you or your wife might find the recoil of some of the compact 9mms to be objectionable as well.

Are you trying to buy something quick before your classes? I don't know what state you are in, but the concealed carry classes here already assume you know how to operate your weapon, and if you do not, you should take a basic firearms handling course before a concealed carry class. Your comment about shooting "for hours on end" got my attention, as our courses are mostly classroom and I fired a half box of ammo at the range for my class to qualify, and not to train how to operate my gun.

I was just looking for clarity as to how your classes will operate there, as they would seem to be different than the picture I have in my mind based on my experience here.
 
CZ 75 P-07 would be a good bet for a do it all 9mm. If both of yours hands fit another one to look at would be an EAA Witness polymer compact. Either would be a fairly soft shooter.
 
One with big and beefy hands, the other petite... This really challenges the concept of a one size fits all gun, which I really don't believe is out there. You mentioned getting two guns, but wanting to make sure that each of you could use the other's gun if needed. How about getting a larger one and a smaller one that have the same manual of arms? That way you can switch between the two without worrying about changing your drawing and firing habits, but you both have something that fits your own hands for regular use.
 
Either a Glock 19 and a 26 or a Glock 19 and a Shield. Since you do not seem to be an experienced so I wouldn't go above 9mm.

Don''t believe those who will tell you that the 9mm is ineffective, it isn't. With the proper bullet the 9mm is very effective. It got that reputation around the FMJ round nose bullet, just like the 38 special got its reputation around the 158gr lead round nose.
 
There are a lot of options out there for a 9mm carry...
Glock 43 or Glock 26
CZ 75 P-07
or the Kahr CM9
Those are the first ones that pop into my head, and the 3 I would look at first. I'm sure there are at least 1,000 comparisons online for small 9mm pistols.

I would suggest you don't limit yourself to 9mm autoloaders. For the full size gun you should test a full size .357 magnum. They are very versatile and have the option of shooting light 38 special loads, heavy 38 special +P loads and full strength .357 magnum loads. The target 38 special loads feel like 22lr and you can shoot for hours if you want. The full strength .357 loads make 9mm seem tame.
 
I have the P64, and agree, the shape somehow seems to magnify the felt recoil way beyond what it should be. I found the $10 Pachmayr sleeve seems to help some, might try it before buying a new gun.
For a compact 9mm, I like the Glock 43, or the Walther PK380 in 380 ACP if you want a bit less recoil.
 
Your question really opens up a can of worms....IME, petite women really need low operating force, small gun and small recoil.

Kahr's larger 380 might be a good choice. An XDS 9 might be upper limit of recoil tolerance and be ok.

Glock 19 is great, but likely too big unless you guys are really committed to CCW.

Bersa's striker fired 9mm or 380 are also good options.

The Kahr P9 and Sringfield XD series as well as the S&W M&P should be there too.
 
My wife and I are scheduled to take the Carry Permit/Gun Safety class in order to get our carry permits. I currently have a Phonix Arms .22LR handgun and a Makarov P64 9x18mm handgun. The .22 is good for practice, and my wife should be able to use it just fine during the class. The Makarov, however, is what I would likely be using and while a fine handgun it is, firing it for hours on end can get tiring... because of the sharp recoil.
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What you have, strictly speaking, is not a Makarov.

This (from Wikipedia article on Makarov) is the real thing:

300px-9-%D0%BC%D0%BC_%D0%BF%D0%B8%D1%81%D1%82%D0%BE%D0%BB%D0%B5%D1%82_%D0%9C%D0%B0%D0%BA%D0%B0%D1%80%D0%BE%D0%B2%D0%B0_%D1%81_%D0%BF%D0%B0%D1%82%D1%80%D0%BE%D0%BD%D0%B0%D0%BC%D0%B8.jpg


You might try one of these instead. Though, they're aren't the insane bargain that they were 15 years ago. They do beat up the hand, after a while. It's the nature of the beast, for a blowback pistol in a larger chambering.

I'm looking for suggestions on the purchase of a 9mm that both my wife and I could carry. I may purchase 2 of them, just so our training for either weapon is the same... she could easily shoot mine... and I could easily shoot hers...
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Budget?

You can't go too far wrong with a Glock.

I picked up a Springfield XDS in 9mm recently. With the extended magazine that comes with it, It's out of the pocket pistol class, and close to Makarov size. Very handy.

rail
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Check. Most do now, that aren't the micro pocket pistols.

I'm smart enough to know that "one size fits all" is not entirely realistic
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Smart man.

The search for "just right" is never ending. "good enough", is. What fits and works for you, may well not for La Esposa.
 
One option..

is the Smith Sd9. About the same size as Glock 19, 16 round capacity, tritium front sight, comes with 2 mags and is $299 in my part of the country.

I'd also look at the Glock 42. I realize it's only a .380, but is is very easy and fun to shoot and a dream to carry. Good luck with the search!
 

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For CC:
1. Kahr K9 --- maybe the CW9 for less money.
2. Xdm compact 9mm.
3. Glock Gen 4 9mm (pick your number).

My wife has small hands, too. the K9 fit well, followed by the Xdm. She can shoot the Glocks but does not fit as well as the Xdm or Kahr which have shorter trigger reach/break point than most pistols of the same size.
=================
- One of the recent G&A magazines rated the Taurus 709 slim as being a very good CC pistol ----- tempting... but it is a taurus.
- I think the Walther PPQ was fairly high on the list, too.
- They also tested the Glock 43/42 - i think the verdict was typical glock - which is good.
 
As far as options go, there are plenty. For the small hands, a single stack is likely a good option. I have grown rather fond of the Bersa BP9cc. I haven't bought one yet, but a buddy of mine just got one, and I really like shooting it. It is just big enough to give me aa sturdy grip (I wear xl gloves, and they are sometimes too tight), but slim enough for mybuddy's GF, and she is quite a petite little thing. It has the same manual of arms as a Glock, or any number of other striker fired safetyless guns, so finding it a larger companion would be easy.
 
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Kahr K9 --- maybe the CW9 for less money.
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Either of these single-stacks is a great size and versatile choice. I have big hands but love my CW9. The heavier K9 will shoot softer but carry... well... heavier... of course. (They would make a great pair.)
 
Glocks and CZ75 clones and Beretta (and possibly some others) offer what is basically the exact same pistol but in two different sizes. A full-sized version for you and a compact version for her might be a good idea.
 
Maybe a Glock 26 or 19 for you and a 43 (single stack 9 mm) for her? Mags wouldn't interchange, but it would easy for each of you to pick up the other's pistol and instantly understand the manual of arms.

FWIW, my wife and I both have CWPs and carry daily, but our carry pistols are pretty different. I carry a Glock 26, and she carries a Sig P238, which has been compared to a miniature 1911. We have both shot and handled the other's pistols enough that we transition between them very easily, though. Familiarity through range work and dry firing is very valuable if you make a similar choice.

The small .380ACP pistols like the P238, the Ruger LCP, and similar give women a lot of options to dress fashionably and still conceal, or to carry in their purse.

PAX's site, corneredcat.com, will be excellent for both of you.
 
I have the P64, and agree, the shape somehow seems to magnify the felt recoil way beyond what it should be. I found the $10 Pachmayr sleeve seems to help some, might try it before buying a new gun.
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The P64 operates similar to other .380 and smaller handguns. It is a blowback operated pistol unlike 9x19 and larger calibers which tend to be short-recoil.

If my math is correct, self-defense 9x18 JHPs tend to have a muzzle energy of close to 250 ft/lbs. 9x19 rounds tend to hover around 350 ft/lbs.

.380 ACP tends to be around 200 ft/lbs.

According to some, the short-recoil operation does minimize the felt recoil. I've heard a lot of people say that a lot of semi-compact 9x19s are more comfortable to shoot than their .380 counterparts.
 
Another vote for a pair of Glock 19's or a 19 & a 26. This way you have interchangeability or magazines.

That being said as long as you stick with a good quality brand you should be good to go.

Examples:
S&W M&P
Glock
Ruger
Walther
Springfield XD

Maybe both of you could head over to your local indoor shooting range that rents pistols for use on the range. Try a bunch of the above and see what you shoot best with.
 
The P 64 would be very close to the bottom of my choices for novice shooters as every aspect of the pistol (excpt SA) is challenging to say the least. It probably has the deserved reputation as being the most unplesant pistol to fire. Both you and the wife should spend time at a range trying out various pistols and making your own evaluation / purchase. My "Glock, XD, Kahr,etc." as reported on a forum will normally only produce biased information ( like my comments on the P 64).
 
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