For civilian concealed carry I have experimented with a full size M1911, commander M1911, Kahr K9, Sig P220, Sig P225, S&W M640-1, and S&W M442. I belong to the "one gun all the time" crowd. Here are my personal observations:
M1911 full size: too big and too heavy but great caliber. got to remember to off-safe
M1911 Colt CCO: light weight is nice. hasn't been 100% reliable. got to remember to off-safe
Kahr 9: small size is awesome. heavy. mine was unreliable
Sig P220: too big. nice weight. awesome reliablity and accuracy. might forget to decock.
Sig P225: nice size. nice weight. awesome reliablity and accuracy. might forget to decock. is the 9mm "enough"?
M640-1: nice and small. beautifully engineered revolver. very accurate and controllable with 158 grain +P .38 special, a little heavy for only 5 rounds. is 5 rounds enough? idiot proof.
M442: mine was not reliable. nice and light. is 5 rounds enough? idiot proof.
I still haven't settled on a piece to carry "all the time". I am very inclined to go back to the M640-1. If I do, it will be with the aforementioned 158 grain +P .38 special load.
One other pistol that might fill the bill is a Sig modified to be DAO. Say a P225 or a P239 in 9mm. That way you get all of these features: reasonably small package. 8 rounds. light recoil and potent cartridge. Sig reliability and accuracy. a factory tuned DAO trigger for ease of training. can't forget to decock. close to idiot proof
Seems to me that a DAO Sig P225 or P239, with a smooth trigger, would be as reliable and simple to operate as a revolver, but with 8 rounds. The Best of Both Worlds.
Thoughts?
M1911 full size: too big and too heavy but great caliber. got to remember to off-safe
M1911 Colt CCO: light weight is nice. hasn't been 100% reliable. got to remember to off-safe
Kahr 9: small size is awesome. heavy. mine was unreliable
Sig P220: too big. nice weight. awesome reliablity and accuracy. might forget to decock.
Sig P225: nice size. nice weight. awesome reliablity and accuracy. might forget to decock. is the 9mm "enough"?
M640-1: nice and small. beautifully engineered revolver. very accurate and controllable with 158 grain +P .38 special, a little heavy for only 5 rounds. is 5 rounds enough? idiot proof.
M442: mine was not reliable. nice and light. is 5 rounds enough? idiot proof.
I still haven't settled on a piece to carry "all the time". I am very inclined to go back to the M640-1. If I do, it will be with the aforementioned 158 grain +P .38 special load.
One other pistol that might fill the bill is a Sig modified to be DAO. Say a P225 or a P239 in 9mm. That way you get all of these features: reasonably small package. 8 rounds. light recoil and potent cartridge. Sig reliability and accuracy. a factory tuned DAO trigger for ease of training. can't forget to decock. close to idiot proof
Seems to me that a DAO Sig P225 or P239, with a smooth trigger, would be as reliable and simple to operate as a revolver, but with 8 rounds. The Best of Both Worlds.
Thoughts?