Quality SA/DA Carry Pistol

Posted in a local gun forum and was able to find a range that lets me rent a large number of the options presented here, so going to try to make a trip out of it an upcoming weekend. At the very least they have an assortment of HK USP's, multiple Walthers including a P99 AS, and a number of Sigs including the 226 and 229.

I had the opportunity to check out a few Sig's that were on sale at a gun store I don't visit very regularly, and found that the P229 (the specific model they had being the Scorpion. Loved the beavertail ) fit absolutely perfectly in my hand. The P226 seemed just slightly too thick, though they only had the base model for it for me to try. I did like the extra length of the grip though, so will probably just have to shoot both and see.

Still haven't had much luck with Walthers, the stores/ranges near to me just don't have anything.

Thanks everyone so far for your input.
 
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I have the Beretta and the CZ75. I love them both. They are great for range guns or HD. They are too big for most people to carry concealed.
 
I have the Beretta and the CZ75. I love them both. They are great for range guns or HD. They are too big for most people to carry concealed.
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Both Beretta, and CZ make compact, lighter weight pistols designed for concealed carry.
 
jmr40 said:
Sig would be my choice. I think the CZ's are highly over rated on the internet. You'll never see anyone who carries a gun for a living choose one, and for a variety of good reasons. Beretta makes a good gun. I just like the Sig better. No experience with the others.
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Love to hear these reasons. And why you think they are overrated.
 
The CZ slide would be harder to run in the rain, with sweaty palms, and the anxiety of a malfunction in a life or death struggle. That's the only reason I can think of, and gloves solve that problem. I was impressed how small the visible, grabbable slide on a cz75 is when I got mine.

And the czechs don't seem to struggle, so I think it's a familiarity and training issue.
 
The CZ slide would be harder to run in the rain, with sweaty palms, and the anxiety of a malfunction in a life or death struggle. That's the only reason I can think of, and gloves solve that problem. I was impressed how small the visible, grabbable slide on a cz75 is when I got mine.
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This may be true, but I know that when I practiced malf drills with a 75 B, I had no problems. My P-07 has monster serrations on the front and rear of the slide and I had absolutely no issues quickly clearing malfs (turns out when new my P-07 HATES weak 115 grain ammo, better now with almost 1000 down range) when I was shooting in the rain, sleet and snow (yeah, weather has been great for outdoor shooting lately...) with and without gloves.

Granted, none of that was life and death.
 
This may sound nutty, but for a DA/SA, for the ten years my friend has had his Russian-made Makarov, it stove-piped ONCE when new and has never had a sigle malfunction since. Also it has been the most accurate and reliable out of the box semi he and I have ever fired, and we've had MANY guns (expensive ones at that) and have been shooting for over 40 years. I think people are realizing how good that Eastern Block gun really is as time goes by, as the Maks have greatly appreciated in value. You know the saying "Careful, or you'll put someone's eye out with that thing!" His Makarov is accurate enough to do it.:)
 
I absolutely LOVE my CZ75. Out of the box, it's proved to be the finest feeling and functioning pistol I have ever had the pleasure of firing. Heavy, stable and accurate.

That said, it's no carry gun. It's heavy! I holster it when I am in the desert, camping and poking around, but I would not want to have to lug her around for hours on end.

If I was carrying daily, I am a fan of the Ruger LCP or the LC9. Sleek and small, the LCP gets overlooked too often. It's also priced right.

If you don't like DA only and are comfy carrying condition 1, I really like the Sig 238 and 938. They are both SAO, but I carry my CZ condition 1, so I am used to it.
 
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I holster it when I am in the desert, camping and poking around, but I would not want to have to lug her around for hours on end.

If I was carrying daily, I am a fan of the Ruger LCP or the LC9. Sleek and small, the LCP gets overlooked too often.
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Funny how people are different. Lugging a Redhawk around the tundra/riverbeds for years has made all day carry of steel frame autos easy for me. Good belt and its fine.

Now those itty, bitty, .380's and 9mms bother me. Too small to holster, OK in the pocket. Truthfully, if I'm only getting 6-8 rounds of 9mm, I'll just take 5 of .357 mag in a j-frame.
 
Yeah, I forgot to mention that about the CZ75. The original is big and heavy, but there are lots of variants now: full sized polymer, smaller sizes in steel, or smaller sizes in polymer. If you find a CZ75 and like it, you would have lots of variants to choose from.
 
Funny how people are different. Lugging a Redhawk around the tundra/riverbeds for years has made all day carry of steel frame autos easy for me. Good belt and its fine.

Now those itty, bitty, .380's and 9mms bother me. Too small to holster, OK in the pocket. Truthfully, if I'm only getting 6-8 rounds of 9mm, I'll just take 5 of .357 mag in a j-frame.
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Well, the OP was asking about EDC. I just think a full sized, steel framed pistol is unnecessary and cumbersome. I can handle the bulk and weight, I just choose not to, unless I have a specific purpose at the time. For EDC, when the chance you might need a gun is so, so unlikely, why not enjoy both preparedness, and comfort. Also, concealed or open carry, I am turned off by people who flaunt what they have. I take comfort in the knowledge that the dude in the neighboring booth at Denny's is armed... But I loathe, and fear a little, the dude who's got his pearl-handled polished nickle plated 1911 hanging for all the world to see. "Look at me, i'm super cool!" I'm not a fan of that, so put it away, Tex.
 
Well, the OP was asking about EDC. I just think a full sized, steel framed pistol is unnecessary and cumbersome. I can handle the bulk and weight, I just choose not to, unless I have a specific purpose at the time. For EDC, when the chance you might need a gun is so, so unlikely, why not enjoy both preparedness, and comfort. Also, concealed or open carry, I am turned off by people who flaunt what they have. I take comfort in the knowledge that the dude in the neighboring booth at Denny's is armed... But I loathe, and fear a little, the dude who's got his pearl-handled polished nickle plated 1911 hanging for all the world to see. "Look at me, i'm super cool!" I'm not a fan of that, so put it away, Tex.
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Many people carry a fullsized steel gun like the 75B all the time. I am by no means a big guy and I can easily carry a 1911 Govt or BHP. I find both of these easier to carry and conceal because of the slimness of the slide. My Glock 19 and CZ P01 are much blockier and tend to cut into me more when I carry IWB which is my preferred method of carry.

I believe that 99% of the time people do complain about the weight of a steel pistol when carrying are carrying in the wrong holster for them and do not have a sturdy enough belt. The personalized right combination can make even a gun like the 75B easy to carry. Is it as light as a LCP no but it has a lot of advantages over it IMHO. There are always trade offs.

My advice to everyone who carries is always carry what you shoot best and are most comfortable with because if and when it is needed you want to be proficient with it because the stress and speed of the event will diminish even the most seasoned concealed carrier.

As to the end part of this post I am confused. I need to get out my little Orphan Annie secret decoder ring so I can understand what you mean by this part of the post? Who cares what someone else's carry gun looks like and why on earth are you making assumptions about their proficiency based on the grips and finish of their chosen pistol. Statements of this nature do little to establish your bona fides IMHO. In fact I think they do the opposite. YMMV
 
In my experience so far the weight really hasn't matter for me much, at least now that I've finally worked my way into carrying IWB at about 3 o'clock after having begun at nearly 5 o'clock.

I haven't experienced it with a full steel pistol but I know the weight has become much less significant even in my existing polymer pistols after making this change. It also helps that I am always wearing an Aeris Gear Aegis Enhanced belt, which is quite sturdy.

The width of the frame has never been much of an issue for conceal-ability for me, however I am finding now that too long of a grip can print when I wear at 3 o'clock.
 
To the OP there are so many good DA/SA guns out there that you simply need to continue to handle and shoot as many as you can. People too often approach this type of purchase as if there is a single "objective" best gun which is head and shoulders above all others in a universal sense.

Nothing could be further from the true. 99% of what makes a certain gun the right gun for you is subjective factors. We are lucky that in todays market we have a ton of good choices. In your price range of the guns you have mentioned you will be hard pressed to choose a bad gun. That however does not mean you will necessarily choose the best gun for you or the best value for your $$.

I highly recommend shooting not just holding the pistols once you narrow down the field. I personally think that a pistol can feel different when actually firing it with live ammo vs holding and dry firing. If you have the access and availability I would suggest shooting 50 to 100 rounds out of the one's that feel the best in your hand.

Shooting the pistols will in the end allow a pistol to choose you as much as you choose a pistol. It will put many of the subjective criteria in full and plain view and will help you choose much more than any post on an internet forum could. IMHO YMMV
 
The width of the frame has never been much of an issue for conceal-ability for me, however I am finding now that too long of a grip can print when I wear at 3 o'clock.
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For me it is never about the width of the frame it is always about the width of the slide. It is the hardest part to conceal IMHO.

I do not worry too much about printing. I live in a open carry state.
 
For me it is never about the width of the frame it is always about the width of the slide. It is the hardest part to conceal IMHO.
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I'm always amazed at how different everyone is. For me the width of the frame or slide is far secondary to the length of the grip. 5" to 5.3" is my sweet spot for concealing under a regular t-shirt, be it compact 1911, BHP, Glock, CZ, whichever.

For what its worth, my ideal CCW size is the Glock 19 (or P-07, my current EDC). Good balance between easily concealed (without printing) and easily shot. Bigger and I need a different cover garment (i.e. unbuttoned shirt or sweatshirt, not really a problem unless it's really hot) or it's too small for me to shoot quickly and accurately.

Everyone else's mileage will inevitably vary.
 
I'm always amazed at how different everyone is. For me the width of the frame or slide is far secondary to the length of the grip. 5" to 5.3" is my sweet spot for concealing under a regular t-shirt, be it compact 1911, BHP, Glock, CZ, whichever.

For what its worth, my ideal CCW size is the Glock 19 (or P-07, my current EDC). Good balance between easily concealed (without printing) and easily shot. Bigger and I need a different cover garment (i.e. unbuttoned shirt or sweatshirt, not really a problem unless it's really hot) or it's too small for me to shoot quickly and accurately.

Everyone else's mileage will inevitably vary.
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That is exactly what I am talking about. Everyone is different. Different boy shape, posture, carry position etc... Subjectivity rules!

Grips length matters when you take printing into consideration but in terms of comfort not so much.

It is not that I do not carry smaller guns I carry a Kahr CW9 often. It is my throw it on as I go out the door gun. Otherwise it is a BHP, Sig P228 or 1911 of some variant depending on my mood.
 
Even carrying my big Glock 17 (though I know there are bigger) I've never had a real problem with comfort.

In the end its all a matter of how it feels when I shoot it, which is why I'm going to find some range time with all of these. Have more than a thousand rounds of 9mm ready to go through all of them.
 
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