Looking for advice on a first handgun

Yeah, I'm a big dude. Just a hair under 6'5" (max height for an ANG/Air Force pilot is 77", incidentally :cool:). Broad shoulders and wide hips to boot.

I believe you when you say that I could hide a 1911 if I had to, but it'd be a lot easier to conceal a PX4 SC, and I don't think I'd be as self conscious as I might with the 1911. Not that I can afford a 1911 in the first place lol.

Plus I'm inconvenienced by the fact that I usually dress pretty nicely, both for work and otherwise. I like to tuck in my shirts, and it's usually a button-down, not something baggy hanging untucked.

So if I CCW, I'm thinking it'll probably be OWB under a coat or on my ankle. And I hate wearing coats unless it's FREEZING. ;)

Which brings me back to the PX4 SC.
 
You plan to ankle carry a PX4?

Do you have any idea how difficult and uncomfortable that will be? It weighs 25.2oz without the magazine even in it, so add the weight of ammo plus magazine to that 25.2oz. It's also 6.2 inches long.

Compare that to a more typical ankle carry handgun, say an S&W Model 438 Bodyguard snubbie, at similar length but less overall bulk, and 15.1oz.

I don't even like boot knives; I can't imagine a PX4 in an ankle holster, but if you put up with it more power to you.
 
Well what do you do if it's too hot for a jacket and you have to tuck your shirt in?

Compared to something IWB or in my shirt, ankle sounds more comfortable and more discreet. But then, I have no experience CCW of any kind. What I do know is I don't want to look like I'm pregnant. What is your recommendation?
 
One option would be a holster by DeSantis...

...it's a tuckable IWB holster, designed for use by air marshals. The hook that rides over the belt is designed with a deep U curve between the belt/waistband and your body, so your shirt can be tucked into the U and over your gun.

$37.00 on the DeSantis website, link below the picture.

M24.jpg


http://www.desantisholster.com/storefrontB2CWEB/itemdetail.do?action=prepare_detail&itm_id=10971&itm_index=0

You have to pull out your shirt to get to the weapon, but it's no slower than trying to pull up your pant leg and reach your ankle. Not sure if a PX4 is comfortable for IWB, but suspect it would be much less irritating there than banging around on the pendulum of your ankle.

You could also look at SmartCarry, etc.
 
FWIW, I always recommend a .38 Special revolver for the house gun and a small sized 9mm semi-auto or .38 Special revolver for the concealed carry gun when newbies ask me.

With these smaller guns, you could even pocket carry.
 
Wow, dirt cheap, and not a bad looking gun either. Very interesting, thanks for the tip. Now I have one more option to weigh. Any one else have good/bad experiences with kel-tec?

One thing that really appeals to me is that, as a big dude (6'5") I'm sure I have bigger than average hands, and the little pop-down grip extension on the PX-4 will probably come in handy [punned!] for me.
 
Little late the discussion, but in case you are still looking...

Have you considered the Sig P6 (aka 225) in 9mm? Good used ones can be had for $300 to $350. There are a *lot* of reviews of it out there. I considered this one early on, but ended up not getting one at the time. Thinking about it again I may yet buy one to add to the collection just for the heck of it.

I'm with the mod on this one: concealable pistol may not be the best choice for a first handgun for a variety of reasons. I've tried a lot of small pistols and have found few that feel comfortable in my hands. Also, shooting a small, light weight gun quickly gets tiring (from the recoil).

Here's a pocket auto comparison to show how several of the small guns are likely to fit in your hand.
 
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