My buddy has one, and im thinking about picking it up.

 

Not to beat a dead horse, but I've heard quite a few stories of off-duty police officers getting into a shootout and the "bad guy" got hit with 3 or 4 9mm shots and ran away.  95% of us will never use our CCW, but if you do you want it to work.  You got a spending limit or anything?

 

I will disagree with kayback on the kahr and kel-tec though.  Reliability is huge for me, and I've heard alot of bad things.  Kahr has the PM9 which is modeled after the Glock 36.  They have had numerous magazine drop issues and Kahr has done hardly anything to fix the problems and their customer service is almost non existant.

 

http://forum.pafoa.org/general-2/5354-kahr-pm9.html - http://forum.pafoa.org/general-2/5354-kahr-pm9.html

 

^More info on the PM9.

 

I personally carry the Glock 36.  It's a single stack grip, so it holds 6+1 of .45.  It's one of the smallest glocks ever made, so on my 6'2" 205 lb frame it's not noticable at all. 

 

 

I'm looking at picking up a Ruger Sr9C.  Beautiful gun and it has been getting great reviews in alot of mags.

 

 

We need more info though, how much you looking to spend and other than ppk what models do you like?

I carry a Kel-Tec 32 all the time.

 

It is small, lightweight, and very reliable. I have shot over a thousand rounds through it with zero jams, and for the size it is very accurate, if you know how to handle a pistol.

 

But, when I say accuracy, I am figuring 20 feet or less. As a conceal carry, anything further away than that is just illegal in most instances.

 

I can hit a 8 inch target with just about every shot from 20 feet with my kel tec 32. (plus it holds 8 bullets, instead of 7 like the 380) And trust me, a hollow point 32 is nothing to sneeze at. It will drop you just as fast as a 380.

 

In our family we have had most of the conceal carry guns at one point. 

 

My father in law sold me the kel tec because he wanted to get a new gun, and he ended up with the walther pk380... which shoots just like the kel tec, and has only jammed a few times since it was new... But, it is too long, the hammer sticks out of your back pocket, making the whole "conceal" part moot.

 

Kel tec, very small, you can't even see it in your pocket. I have even switched my wallet to the other side a few years ago, and I don't even think about it anymore. Only problem is when you forget and reach back there and pull out your "wallet" and it isn't. Which I haven't done, but I have a friend who has...

 

My brother in law has a Taurus 9mm similar to the judge... hammerless.  Hates it, it sits in a drawer, he only carried it a few times, WAY too heavy and bulky.

 

He got it to carry, but didn't like it and kept it to shoot, but it has such a big recoil, that he doesn't even shoot it that much. He just uses his XD 9mm, which is also a conceal carry gun, but too big to actually carry daily.

 

We have also had the kahr p380... bought new, it jammed on every load at least once, sometimes twice. shot it about 300 times, and it was still jamming.  size was decent, little fat, and heavy if you have ever messed with a kel tec or lcp

 

sold it.

 

My brother in law ended up with a ruger lcp, which is 380, and he loves it. It shoots just like the kel tec, (actually it is almost identical to the kel tec 380, but with a fancier finish.

 

really nice gun, but to me I like the kel tec better, as I can draw it faster from my pocket holster than the ruger.

 

We also have a glock 27 40 which is a good bag gun, but again, too big to carry daily concealed. Nice shooter though, if you like glocks... Which I don't as they tend to point too high with my natural grip...

 

we also have a walther p22... Which is a really nice gun for shooting. In fact one of my favorites as it is cheap to shoot, and lots of fun, but I wouldn't recommend a 22 for a conceal carry gun, unless you are a good shot.

 

 

For me the biggest consideration is a gun with no safety, that I can carry without noticing it, and conceals easily, but enough firepower that if I ever needed it, I would have enough shots...

 

It is not a "home protection" gun, where you might use it for longer distances, I use a S&W SV9VE sigma for that... 17 rounds... all hollow point. no safety. I have hit a 8 inch target from 150 feet with that gun... Very accurate, and fun to shoot.

 

And just my two cents-when you look at a concealed gun, you pretty much anticipate than you'll never have to use it (i.e. you want it light, and concealeable), but you plan on using it in the worst case scenario. To add to what FE was saying, I consider a good carry gun one that you can shoot accurately out to 25 yards, and very accurately at 15. That means anything in that range you'll be confident that you can shoot, even though legally you'll probably never get close.

 

So when you consider these things, or at least when I do, these are the qualifiers that come to mind-

 

-Profile. This is by far the most important for me. It's really just saying how a gun "points". For alot of people, this is why the 1911 style .45 / .380's are really the end all gun. They don't carry alot, but they're incredibly thin, and compacts are very light, and their 7-8 rounds (I think there are high caps out there now) pack all the punch you need. However, that said, I can't shoot a 1911 to save my life. For me, the Glocks are like a natural extension of my arm. I'd also be willing to trust my life to a USP or XD subcompact, but the taller rear profiles lower my reaction time.

 

-Sights. This is a biggie. Alot of the "old style" subcompacts have those godawful indentions in the barrel, or very small sights that are for concealed carry. For me, I can't aquire a target with those. I need the pronounced bright white sights, and at worst case, I'll use whiteout to create them :D

 

-Recoil. For me, I want a gun that allows to put a few bullets in the same spot. Some guns (see: Profile) will fit your hand better than others, and will allow you to handle the recoil better. Again, speaking for myself, the smaller the gun, the more unwieldy the recoil and therefore the longer it takes me to get back on sight.

 

As far as performance, I start at 15 yards and work my way back. I can tell almost instantly after shooting a handgun if I like it. Unlike rifles, with handguns it seems like I'm either really good in the first few shots, or else I'm just not gonna get it down.

 

And if you're looking at hammerless DOA guns like the Sigma, Ruger, or Sig, dry fire one first. I hate the incredibly heavy pulls these guns have, I far prefer the polymer styles of the XD and Glock, or the SA / DA Berettas, H&K's, Sigs, etc etc.

 

Again, if you can shoot one accurately and comfortably, you won't beat a 1911 sub compact. They're just great, high quality guns, especially the Kimbers and the like.

 

Oh, and my uncle doesn't shoot .380's, so no help there, lol.

 

 

 

OP-  What's your height and weight?  That helps alot on concealability.  If your 5'5", 140 lb then a .380 is probably the best route to go.

9mm though, DeTrev, so if you're looking at .380 you're already away from those.

 

Get something that you can train with often. Revolvers are always favored. Point and shoot. No FTF's, no weak magazines etc.

 

But the bottom line, get what you want. ( Not that you like in your head). Go to a range, rent a few different guns in different calibers. Pick the one that is the most comfortable, buy it, shoot it, CARRY IT. I amazed at the amount of people who have CCW's and don't carry ALL the time.

I do love shooting cowboy guns though. I've been looking around for years to find a good deal on the discontinued Ruger birds head .32 magnums. Not for power, just that they were gorgeous guns. At this point I'd settle for almost any good birds head stainless cowboy gun.

 

Lots of guys said I was crazy to sell my bikes... But, I could care less. I have pictures of them, and really what do I want with an old 20 year old bike, that is getting worn out, when someone will give me a grand for it!

 

If you can't use it the way you want. Sell it, and get what  you want, having another gun sitting in a drawer does nothing for you.

 

Course, me personally I got my home protection gun first. Then my conceal carry gun. (and all of these after I got my target shooting guns, (ruger mark 1 and mark 2, which I shoot all the time...)

 

I shoot my home protection gun second most often, as it is 9mm and ammo is easy to find.

 

Another reason I went with the kel tec 32 is that 32 ammo is very easy to find... Wal-mart almost always has it, and they hardly ever have 380 ammo...

 

course you have to go to a gun show to get hollow point either way... But, you should only ever need one box of that, as that is what you keep in the gun when you don't actually shoot it... hopefully.