What one gun for home/ccw...

U

USofA

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I want to get a semi-auto pistol for home protection backup to my shotguns, and for easy carry under light clothing (jeans, golf shirt) here in Tx. I'll be getting my cc liscense very soon and need a weapon for full time carry. I've owned quite a few handguns over the years, most all full size auto's and many were Sig's. They were tools to me, as I don't shoot pistols for pleasure much (don't have time to with all my other hobbies) and I want this gun to be as reliable as they were. I don't want any doubt if/when I need it.

To be short, beyond just the desire to defend myself from random acts of violence, a criminal who attemped to murder one of my best friends, then pistol whipped and beat him for 4 hours is soon to get out. I had warned my friend about him, he knew I did not like or trust him, and I was fairly involved in getting him put away. Unfortunately, for a disappointingly short period of time. He has stated to family his disappointment in not killing my friend, and his intent to exact revenge on those responsible for his time in prison.While not quivering in fear, I do want to be prepared if the worst does happen. There is no doubt he would kill. I am in construction, and we do a lot of work in the part of town this person did and will reside in. My wife is very proficient with a number of our shotguns and I feel comfortable we are as safe as possible at home. But I want to assure the best chance of my own safety while away from home.

I have read enough information here to fill a library, and need to stop coming in as it will cost me a fortune to get everything I now want. But I still don't know what gun best suits my needs now. It needs to be small enough for extended daily carry, much of which will be in my truck where it can sit in my console right next to me. I want to be able to carry it on my person comfortably when needed. I want the stone reliability I had from my full size Sig's, but I believe they are just too big to conceal with what I wear on a daily basis. I would set 9mm as my minimum cartridge. I am anxious and want to get this done before the week is over. Any help is greatly appreciated. Here are some of my 'question mark' guns that I have handled and liked, but don't have time to explore as thouroughly as I would like: (I personally do not like Glocks or Kel-Tecs and won't buy one, just personal preference... stating that to save time with any suggestions)

Sig 229,225,Pro, Walther P99 - Would trust, have good capacity, would work well in truck but worried about size for personal carry. These would be my choice if concealable.

Sig P239 - I would trust it, it is smaller, but small enough? Seems like a good choice.

Kahr MK40, MK9 or K40 covert - Have read much good, personally have no experience, and would like more capacity. Worth the tradeoff for carry comfort?

Kahr K40 - is it much easier to conceal than a P239?

Para 7.45 LDA - Good firepower, seems small enough, reliablility?

Any personal experience with cc of any of these, or others I've missed, will help immensely. I am 6'8" tall, but thin at 200 lb, and a P220 fits my hand perfectly for reference. Thanks for the help.

-a proud American
 
Given your choices....

Sig P239 (9mm).

Small enough for CCW, but shoots like a full sized pistol (very accurate and utterly reliable). My P239 has yet to malfunction despite having about 3,000 plus rounds through it.

Now, be sure to try several pistols out before actually buying.
 
My choice, and it should be your's as well

Based on your criteria, the world famous utterly
reliable Sig-Sauer P220A in .45 ACP. I have never,
ever experienced any kind'a problem with
my P220; and I've put thousand's of rounds down
range.:) :D :cool:

Best Wishes,
Ala Dan, Life Member N.R.A.
 
You'll have a hard time tring to stop someone who's intends to murder you,They will probably ambush you or shoot you from behind or at a distance with a rifle. I don't think I would wait for him to find me,you can spend the rest of your life looking over your shoulder and what about your family.I know what I would do but I can't rcommend it to you.
 
I owned and carried a P239 for a couple of years. Phenomenal little pistol. WAY more accurate than something that size has any business being. Two drawbacks (IMO): 8+1 capacity (not spectacular for a 9mm) and it's a tad on the heavy side for its size. The P225 is about the same size as the P239 (a smidge longer), and is probably Sig's best 9mm offering (once again, IMO). But with your size, I would think that a good holster would allow you to put away a P220 rather easily. I'm a little shorter than you, but bigger (6'3", 280 lbs.), and I can tuck away a full-size 1911 (about the same size as the P220) without much difficulty. That would be my pick from among the ones you mentioned in your post, even though it isn't in the short list at the bottom.

After that, I'd go with the P225.
 
You said you have handled them, have you fired your finalists? Anything I tell you is going to be my opinoin, and may not be the best for you.
Is there a commercial range near you that rents pistols? I think that one or two mags wil be enough to tell you which you find the most pleasant to shoot. If not, try hanging out at the local gun shop and see if someone is ogiung to the local club or gravel pit--common practice in TX, IIRC from my dauys in San Angelo--and would be willing to let you come along for the price of a box of ammo or two.
Again, my opinion is that 9mm is a waste of brass, powder, and lead. You can get a .40--even a .45!--that is as small a package, with nearly as many rounds--and unless this goblin comes after you with all the goblins in TX, one mag should be enough, if you do your part.
I'm a 1911 man, BTW. Not sure how a beanpole like you ;) would do concealing a double stack, but the Para 6.45 or 7.45 shouldn't be too bad. But, if you like SIGs, by all means stick with 'em.

Hope this wasn't too much of a waste of bandwidth...
 
P229

Of those you have listed the Sig 229 in a forty SW would be the choice....slide is out of a solid peice of stainless and a solid foundation very reliable..9mm ......maybe not for home defense..forty is a good compromise between 9mm and 45
hey just my opinion ....a glock g22 in forty or better a g23 in forty
a Colt combat commander..the list could go one for a long time
but it looks like you are partial to Sig's ..good choice...P229
 
Thank you all for the reply's.

1goodshot,

Yes, I know it isn't completely in my control, but I can only be as prepared as I can.

Ala Dan,

My P220 was my favorite pistol of all I've owned. But not being experienced in cc, I'm not sure if I could make it work. It seemed like a lot of gun to hide on my frame. I don't wear a jacket (it's 95 deg. most of the year), so what are some good ways to conceal it wearing jeans and a tucked-in golf shirt? And if I'm just kidding myself on hiding any of these with what I currently wear, please tell me.

Bob Locke, SNOWPIG, CZ_,

Thank you for your replies. I didn't mean to imply those were my only choices. By all means tell me what you would/do carry. I guess my main concern is concealability. Have any of you carried a P225 or P229? What is the best way with no jacket? I'm new to CCW and don't even know all my options for concealment.

Thanks.
 
I carry a full size 1911 without a jacket.I waer golf shirts one size bigger and guyaberra shirts in the summer.I think the thinner profile of the grip and gun allow me to do this.I don't think I could do it with a SIG and I couldn't do it with my P12.
 
I have owned guns of all sizes and have decided that the only two sizes that are really useful are full sized and pocket sized.

A lot of people will recommend for ccw a medium sized gun like a baby glock, or the small sized sig, or an officer's model sized 1911, or a Kahr.

The problem I have with these is that if I can conceal one of these, I could have concealed a full sized 1911 or Sig 220 just as easily.

The other problem with these medium sized guns is they are not as accurate, or as user friendly, as their full sized counterparts.

In the end, your choice of what to conceal is a tradeoff between size, accuracy, and usability. To me, the medium sized guns are in fact a culmination of the worst of all three. Too big to conceal easily in summer clothes, not as accurate as full sized guns, and not as easy to shoot as full sized guns.

So for me: if I cant carry a full sized gun, I carry a Kel Tec p32 in a DeSantis front pocket holster. If I can carry a full sized gun, it is either a 1911 or Sig P220.

Incidentally, I made this discovery after buying several different medium sized guns, and discovering they just didnt work for me. Your results may vary.

There is no need by the way to only have "one gun" for home defense and ccw. You could get a servicable Ruger semi-auto in your favorite caliber PLUS a Keltec P32 for little or no more than you would pay for a Glock, Sig, or Kahr.. Might not be a stylish combo, but it would definitely be servicable.
 
Capbuster and myself know of a fellow in his early
to mid 70's who stand's approximately 6' tall, and
weigh's maybe 200 lbs. He carries a Sig P220 every
day, concealed in the front pocket of baggy pant's.
I'm 5'10" tall and weigh about 210, I carry my P220
"Mexican style" most of the time; with jean's, T-shirt
and ball type cap.:) :D

Best Wishes,
Ala Dan, Life Member N.R.A.
 
I'm 6' 2" tall and 235lbs, and I carry a Glock 26 (Baby Glock) concealed, in a Sidearmor IWB holster behind my right hip. The biggest problem I've always had with concealing firearms is the butt sticking out and printing (the width of the slide really doesn't matter to me), I have some slimmer friends and they say that is a problem for them as well. The reduced butt length of the Glock 26 really helps in this regard, as long as I wear a cover shirt or jacket, I don't really have to worry about this. One big plus (to me) is that the Glock 26 is very accurate, much more accurate than you would expect a smaller firearm to be (not only my experience, many people say this).
 
Very good idea lonegunman. I'll pick up a P220 that I know and trust this week and order a MK40 for when/if it won't work. Should have thought of that type of combo myself. Thank you all for the help.

Also, I still have some old Winchester Black Talon's in .45 that I used in my P220, but can't find any new ones. Those things were nasty, and I'd like to get more since I only have about 75 left. Any ideas on where to get them?
 
The SIG wont let you down..but neither will the Kahr. For a small and thin gun with a kick, the Kahr is hard to beat...I like the MK/K
40..both are VERY concealable, accurate and dependable.

Shoot well and good luck with the whole rotten situation...
 
USofA:

The "Black Talon" is no longer available... but you can get pretty much the same thing in the Winchester Ranger SXT. The box is labelled "law enforcement only" but that is not legally correct, anyone can have it, Winchester just does that for liability reasons.

You can still sometimes find Black Talon occasionally at gun shows at exhorbitant prices that only a moron would pay. The Ranger is expensive, but not nearly as bad as what people want for Talons.

Now, if you are hung up on the idea of carrying hollowpoints, I would also look into the Federal Hydroshock and Remington Golden Saber. Very good ammo also, perhaps some would say best on the market.

Or you could do like me, and go with FMJ's, but everybody here seems to think I am a fool for doing that; but thats another long story entirely.
 
Of your choices...

...if it's going to do double duty as a house gun and a CCW gun, I'd go with something bigger than pocket-size.

IMHO SIG P-228/229 or Walther P-99 are your best choices of those listed.

I've pared down to one all-purpose pistol before and gone with the similar-sized Glock 23. For an "all-'rounder"I like a gun that's big enough to really get a hand on and that preferably is capable of accepting full-capacity mags and has a modicum of sight radius, yet is small enough to tote.
 
Now, if you are hung up on the idea of carrying hollowpoints, I would also look into the Federal Hydroshock and Remington Golden Saber. Very good ammo also, perhaps some would say best on the market.
Click to expand...

That doesn't quite make sense; Federal Hydra-Shok and Remington Golden Saber ARE hollowpoints. I think you mean not liking taloned hollowpoints, which IMHO is silly -- bullets are for killing, and when MY ass is on the line, I want the deadliest ammo I can get, PC be damned. Guns in general aren't PC anyway.
 
This is probably not the time to go experimenting with new designs or weapons you are not familiar with. I would recommend you purchase whatever you are already comfortable with and practice like you never had before. Getting hooked up with some IDPA shoots and/or taking some training classes would also be something to consider. If this guy is as dangerous as you make him sound, change your summer wear to something which will accomodate the heat you're going to be packing and deal with it.
 
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