?Most Important feature of a concealed handgun??

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glock06

New member
Alright guys!!

What is the most liked feature of your concealed handgun whether it is a revolver or semiauto? What is your favorite go to gun when you rush out the door? Why and how do you conceal it??

Weight?
Compact size?
Reliability?
Firepower? Caliber or round number?
Accuracy?
Ammo characteristic?
Instinctive pointing?
Ergonomic shape?

I have a fondness for 40 and 357 Sig Glocks. I like their reliability and compact firepower.Their ergonomics are great. They point well for me. 1911's are fun and have great triggers but mine have not been particularly reliable. Sig's and HK's DA/SA triggers do not work well for me.

What are your favorite carry guns and why?
 
Weight?
Compact size?
Reliability?
Firepower? Caliber or round number?
Accuracy?
Ammo characteristic?
Instinctive pointing?
Ergonomic shape?
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All of these things are important, and my #1 carry gun is the best compromise for me.

Steyr S40
Weight - 26 oz. Not light, but the weight makes it controllable.
Size - 3.5" barrel, 10 round double-stack mag. Not very compact, either.
Reliability - 100% with about 1000 rounds through it.
Caliber - .40 S&W. For me, the best compromise of "the big three".
Accuracy - I can put a full mag into the 10 ring at 7 yards in under 6 seconds.
Ammo Characteristic - Corbon DPX, good ballistics.
Instinctive pointing - Yup, the muzzle naturally goes where I point my finger.
Ergonomic shape - It's the single most ergonomic gun I've ever held, followed closely by the Springfield XD Sub-compact.

My other carry pieces include a Bersa Thunder .380, a Taurus 85 2", and a Springfield XD9 Sub-compact. All of these are compromises of the criteria you list.
 
Just bought it, but I really enjoy carrying my Kahr K9. Very thin, nice trigger, simple operation, feels 'substantial' in the hand. For such a small pistol the ergonomics are quite good, better than a few full size semiautos I've tried.
 
For me....

... reliability trumps all, for every firearm I own.

Other factors can come pretty close, though.

Accuracy and controllability come next.

Then concealability and power.

Please note that being last in my priority list doesn't mean that concealability and power don't matter to me - I don't carry if I can't keep it adequately unnoticeable, and I don't carry anything less than 9mm in a few different flavors of +P hollow-point. However, I need to know that the weapon will work every time, and that I can reliably hit the target with initial and quick follow-up shots as needed.
 
Does not matter what you carry if it is not 100% reliable and semi-auto handguns are anything but 100% reliable.

I'm sure someone will say, "Well I shot 18,000 rounds from my semi-auto with not one single malfunction" and I would just have to laugh about that joke.

After testing many semi-autos and not finding a single one that did not have some kind of problems stove piping, slide shooting lose and inaccurate until the slide was repinged, I got tied of them and switch to a six shooter and never had a problem again.

You can put all the +P ammo in those little 9mm semi-autos you want but they still will not hit a bulls-eye at 100 yards like my 357 colt king cobra does :D
 
For me: Reliability & Portability are equally important and cannot be seperated.
Next on the list: Proficiency and Accuracy: I must be proficient with the firearm and accurate.

Enjoy,
 
#1. Reliability - If you can't trust it to go bang every time you pull the trigger, or there is the SLIGHTEST fear of it not feeding/cycling rounds, don't get it. This is true for any CCW or HD gun.

#2. Concealability - If it isn't a comfortable enough size, or you can't find a variety of holsters for different situation, you won't carry it. Make sure you can find well made pancake, pocket, and/or IWB holsters.

#3. Weight - Just because you want to carry a full size 1911 on the small of your back or in an IWB doesn't mean your body wants you to! Most of my lumbar is fused. Although I'm only 24 and in great shape, I find that my Glock 22, SA 1911, IWI Jericho, and S&W Model 66 simply too heavy to carry for any extended period of time or while sitting/riding in a car for more than an hour.

As for point of aim, accuracy, caliber, etc.: While important, they are not determining factors IMHO. With accuracy, you aren't looking to drive nails at 20 yards. You need something that can hit an average sized person at 10-15 feet. You don't need a pocket cannon either. Any bullet is better than no bullet at all.
 
Reliability is key. I really don't care about anything else.
P345 is a good carry for me. Why? Because it fits in my hand, has safety features, shoots dead on, and was affordable. Comfort is good next to conceal ability. I can conceal this fine with a tank top IWB and jeans/shorts. You just can't tell. Comfort, that is a holster thing. I ride around in the car for hours, im ok with it at around 4-5 oclock. I wanted a 45 from the start and I shot every gun at the range that was a 45, and decided I loved this one. I made the right choice.
 
I carry a Ruger LCP in a Mika pocket holster. Small and concealable make it something I grab and go. When wearing shorts with bigger pockets there is the 642, also in a pocket holster. Comfortable carry makes it something I will do all the time. Love to carry the 686 OC but that ain't happening around here!

Bob
 
reliability is essential, but the most important factors of a concealed handgun are these.

-that you actually have it on you when a greasy junkie is trying to take your wallet at knife point
-that said junkie doesnt know its concealed until its pointed at or into one of junkies bodily orifices.

Thats the real deciding factors. once you take care of that, then you can dicker about make and model and cartridge.
 
Reliability first, Weight second, and finally Compact size.

I use IWB carried Glock 19. When not, I carry Smith airweight J frame or an older Colt Agent in a pocket holster in cargo shorts. I prefer the lighter weights so it does not seem burdonsome and invite temptation to leave it at home or in the car.
 
Reliability is first and foremost the most important aspect of a CCW gun.

After that, it gets murky for me. I can dress around a 1911 just as easily as I can carry my Ruger LCP. To me, it's less about size, shape and weight and more about how reliable is it.
 
What is the most liked feature of your concealed handgun whether it is a revolver or semiauto?
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I don't keep guns i don't think are reliable so that's no consideration. Same goes for ergonomics, if i don't like shooting them i sold them when i figured that out. If i pick it out of the pile...it works, and i like it. I don't collect handguns.
So i vote how it conceals, for the day's activities/chores.
go to gun when you rush out the door?
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That will never happen(unless the house is on fire, might as well grab the whole bag).:)
 
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Keltyke said:
All of these things are important, and my #1 carry gun is the best compromise for me.
Click to expand...
Nailed it.

MEATSAW said:
#1 Reliability
#2 Your accuracy with it
#3 Your comfort and proficiency with it
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I agree. One's proficiency with their chosen gun is very important. It doesn't matter how good the gun is supposed to be if you can't use it.



I think reliability first and foremost is the obvious answer. You may have to trust your life, and perhaps those of others', to it so it best work.

I'd say the second most important thing, as MEATSAW put it, is your proficiency w/ it. Can you handle the gun well, point shoot, know the safeties inside and out? Can you clear jams, reload quickly, make it safe? You'd better be able to if you want to rely on it.

Aside from that, I'd have to say size/weight/concealability. As much as I like the firepower behind a 1911 or such, I am not going to carry one for concealed carry.
 
I respectfully disagree with reliability being the MOST important factor - IMHO, most important is being able to carry the gun almost anywhere. Selecting a handgun for concealed carry is all about COMPROMISE.

A Glock 26 or a S&W snub-nose revolver both are small handguns that have great reputations for reliability, but both are too big for me to carry concealed in an office environment. (I'm 5'9" ~180lb)

I carry a pocket semi-auto daily because it is small enough to carry almost anywhere - DESPITE the limited reliability inherent of ALL pocket pistols.

First rule in gunfight - 'Have gun'.
 
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