First gun / CCW recommendations?

How is a 1911 difficult to clean?

For carry, I would go with a 3" 1911 or if you can't get one a 4.5 scandium. Easy to shoot, easy to carry

If you don't have the bushing tool, take-down and reassembly can be a real PITA. I know this because my 1911 was used and did not come with a bushing tool. Which reminds me, I need to order one...
 
if i might suggest the ruger p345 approx.500 nib. shoots great very accurate and concealable. take a look.

I do have to agree here. I like my P345, but I always wanted a 1911. The advantage the P345 has is that it is rather cheap compared to a 1911, and the take-down and cleaning is straightforward and easy.
 
I am not a large man (5'9" 185 lb) and I can easily conceal a SIG P226, S&W M&P9, and S&W N frame.

Of all those that you listed, it seems to me your best bet is a 226 in .40 S&W. You will have no trouble finding full capacity magazines, you can switch it to .357 SIG with just a barrel swap, and with the right holster you will have no trouble concealing it.

I can make mine disappear with a Desantis Speed Scabbard pancake holster. I've also tried it in a couple of the IWB holsters I have for my M&Ps and it completely disappears under a loose fitting untucked shirt or sweatshirt.

ETA: Those who can't master the DA/SA trigger transition do not shoot much.

ETA 2: SIG-Sauer sells a slide/barrel/magazine kit to convert the 226, 229, 228, or 220 to .22LR for about $300.
 
ETA: Those who can't master the DA/SA trigger transition do not shoot much.

Another excellent point - DA/SA transitions. I was trained as a revolver shooter and think nothing of this transition (PDs back in my day only issued revolvers). A new shooter will need to spend some time practicing DA and SA to get the hang of it so it becomes instinctive. Dry firing can help a lot, but Jose is right - there is no substitute for range time.
 
I was trained as a revolver shooter and think nothing of this
Same here.

I have never been a policeman, but revolvers were all I shot for the first three years of my serious handgunning. I am actually more accurate with a S&W K frame than I am with any semi auto pistol I have ever used.
 
Same here.

I have never been a policeman, but revolvers were all I shot for the first three years of my serious handgunning. I am actually more accurate with a S&W K frame than I am with any semi auto pistol I have ever used.

This is true for me as well! I have a D64 and a Model 66. Sniping at clays or shotgun hulls at 50 yds. is not a problem for me and the K frame. My first issue revolver was a Model 10, followed a year later with a Model 15. Establishing good DA fundamentals with a revolver only helps one's overall shooting prowess. Yeah, I'm smilling....and that doesn't happen too often.

<=== I really do look like that....
 
like some other people here ill suggest the S&W pd. i had a glock 23 and like you i couldnt shoot it accurately enough to please me. i picked up a used pd with crimson laser grips and two mags for $750 at four seasons. so used 1911's are in your price range. i doubt you'll have any trouble concealing it considering im only 5'7 and about 155. conceals very well with my crossbreed
 
Another excellent point - DA/SA transitions. I was trained as a revolver shooter and think nothing of this transition (PDs back in my day only issued revolvers). A new shooter will need to spend some time practicing DA and SA to get the hang of it so it becomes instinctive. Dry firing can help a lot, but Jose is right - there is no substitute for range time.

Jon at GOAL actually had a method that helped me quite a bit. You randomly load the magazine with snap caps and live rounds. Then when you are firing, if you do something wrong, you will see it clearly on the dry fire.
 
Thank you all very much for your guidance thus far. More and more, I think I'm leaning towards a compact 1911. My range buddy does carry his G23 VERY unobtrusively and he's a bit skinnier than I am, so I'm not ruling out a double-stack ... which brings the .40 options back into the mix. BAH!

Of course, the worst part of this is that I don't yet have my FID/LTC so after all of these discussions and research, I want to run out and get one but I can't!! [sad]

Again, thanks for all of the input and please keep it coming!!
 
Well, I should have warned y'all about me ... when I'm making an important decision, I do a TON of research, change up what I think I want a hundred times, but once I make a decision, I rarely regret it. Except my first marriage. Bad call there. Anyway, I hit MRA yesterday with a couple of friends. I realized that, as this is my first gun, I'm probably going to want to put a ton of rounds downrange to really get a feel for it. While at MRA, I put a few magazines through my friend's M&P9c and didn't mind it at all. So now I've swung the other way, and am considering small 9mm's instead of the 40's and 45's I was considering a week ago. So my new research has brought me to a few different options. I liked the M&P9c, and am probably not familiar enough with different trigger types to notice if the M&P9c's trigger is as bad as everyone says it is. I started looking at the older S&W 9mm pistols (908, 3913, 6906, etc.) and really like the look of them. The Walther P99c and PPS are both now on my radar, as are the H&K USPc, Sig P239 and Kahr PM9. I'm thinking that the Para Carry 9 might fit my earlier desire for a 1911 and my current desire for a 9mm, though they're expensive and I've heard mixed reviews on Para's QA. The S&W 3913, however, I've heard hardly anything but rave reviews on, and it looks like it might have similar characteristics (i.e. grip angle) to the 1911 class, but at half the price of the Para. Yes, my brain is an insanity-inducing (just ask my CURRENT wife), indecisive place. Help me, share your $0.02!
 
In the realm of this DA/SA concealment pistols, you cannot go with the S&W 3913, S&W 908, or the SIG P225.
 
In the realm of this DA/SA concealment pistols, you cannot go with the S&W 3913, S&W 908, or the SIG P225.

Did you mean I absolutely should not purchase the 3913, 908 or 225? Or did you mean to say I cannot go WRONG with any of those?
 
Well, I should have warned y'all about me ... when I'm making an important decision, I do a TON of research, change up what I think I want a hundred times, but once I make a decision, I rarely regret it. Except my first marriage. Bad call there. Anyway, I hit MRA yesterday with a couple of friends. I realized that, as this is my first gun, I'm probably going to want to put a ton of rounds downrange to really get a feel for it. While at MRA, I put a few magazines through my friend's M&P9c and didn't mind it at all. So now I've swung the other way, and am considering small 9mm's instead of the 40's and 45's I was considering a week ago. So my new research has brought me to a few different options. I liked the M&P9c, and am probably not familiar enough with different trigger types to notice if the M&P9c's trigger is as bad as everyone says it is. I started looking at the older S&W 9mm pistols (908, 3913, 6906, etc.) and really like the look of them. The Walther P99c and PPS are both now on my radar, as are the H&K USPc, Sig P239 and Kahr PM9. I'm thinking that the Para Carry 9 might fit my earlier desire for a 1911 and my current desire for a 9mm, though they're expensive and I've heard mixed reviews on Para's QA. The S&W 3913, however, I've heard hardly anything but rave reviews on, and it looks like it might have similar characteristics (i.e. grip angle) to the 1911 class, but at half the price of the Para. Yes, my brain is an insanity-inducing (just ask my CURRENT wife), indecisive place. Help me, share your $0.02!

I own the Walther P99c and it is a great little carry gun (IMHO). A very small handle makes for less printing. Make sure you have the extended mag, otherwise it won't feel as comfortable because your pinky will be lost. Now another one I own to consider is the Sig P229R (9mm). Probably my favorite gun to fire at the range. The balancing is very nice, but it is a bit bulkier than the Walther. Just my .02 cents.
 
How is a 1911 difficult to clean?

For carry, I would go with a 3" 1911 or if you can't get one a 4.5 scandium. Easy to shoot, easy to carry


Very good advice here. I would add.

It is not the gun that is comfortable it is the holster and belt. What many consider a good holster and belt, I would not waste my time or money on.

I have been shooting and daily carrying since 1972. Yeah, long time. I have made a lot of mi$takes. I have bought and sold a lot of hand guns and have regretted some sales.

The one gun I keep is a 2.5" S&W 66-2 with an Alessi (RIP LOU I MISS YOU) Holster. I have the same holster for my Sig 226 and I can conceal eather firearm under a tee shirt. Why do I keep the 66? The gun fits me. I can carry it, shoot it, and it is the best (for me) firearm I own. I have a lot of hours into the gun and a lot of options on it but it is what I like and the way I like it.

I am saving now to get back to a 1911. I will order a holster before I get the pistol because it will take longer to get what I want than it will to find a 1911 I am comfortable with.

The short answer to the question from the OP is "You are not allowing enough cash for a proper purchase"....

Firearm=$800
Spare mags=$100
Mag Holder=$75
Belt=$100
Holster=$100 minimum
Ammo for proper break in and practice $200
Carry Ammo=$60
______________________________

$1500 round figures

It is really cheap insurance for you. Don't short change yourself. Start with something you shoot well and can afford. Revolver/semi auto makes no difference at all if you are better off using it as a club.
If you want to try different guns, ask. Lots of real nice people here[wink]
 
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Personally, I don't favor 1911s as carry guns for safety reasons--especially for new gun owners. As John Farnam (a nationally known defensive trainer) says "a single action gun is great for shooting people, but lousy for NOT shooting people."

If anyone would like a copy of my book chapter on trigger systems and why I have come to that conclusion, just send me your email and I would be happy to send it along.
 
Did you mean I absolutely should not purchase the 3913, 908 or 225? Or did you mean to say I cannot go WRONG with any of those?

I believe he meant to say you cannot go wrong. I'm not familiar with the S&Ws but the P225 is a compact, single-stack 9mm; seems like a decent carry piece.
 
Did you mean I absolutely should not purchase the 3913, 908 or 225? Or did you mean to say I cannot go WRONG with any of those?

Sorry, I was typing so fast I left the word "wrong" out of it.

Yes, all those are excellent pistols for concealment. Though once you start concealing and realize that no one can tell, you will start carrying larger guns.

It is easier than most think to completely conceal a full size pistol such as a 1911, SIG 226, or S&W M&P or a full size revolver like a S&W Model 629.
 
Sorry, I was typing so fast I left the word "wrong" out of it.

Yes, all those are excellent pistols for concealment. Though once you start concealing and realize that no one can tell, you will start carrying larger guns.

It is easier than most think to completely conceal a full size pistol such as a 1911, SIG 226, or S&W M&P or a full size revolver like a S&W Model 629.

The highlighted part is so true. My first carry gun was my XD subcompact. I was very self conscious about the grip showing. Now that I have been CCWing for some time now I am much less self conscious about the grip as illustrated by the fact that I now carry a 1911 with a full size grip in a holster meant for my XD. Either nobody notices (cause you can tell if you look) or they are too scared to say anything.
 
Sorry, I was typing so fast I left the word "wrong" out of it.

Yes, all those are excellent pistols for concealment. Though once you start concealing and realize that no one can tell, you will start carrying larger guns.

It is easier than most think to completely conceal a full size pistol such as a 1911, SIG 226, or S&W M&P or a full size revolver like a S&W Model 629.

Aww, man, don't tell me that, Jose ... I've already gone from .40's and .45's to completely discounting both and strongly leaning towards 9mm (a 3rd-gen S&W auto, or maybe a Para Carry 9 or Sig 225). Now you tell me that concealing a full-size shouldn't be a problem? I think I'm going to pretend I didn't read that. :-D Maybe I'll stick that argument in my pocket and use it when my wife asks me why I need more than one gun. :-D

"I just get excitable as to choice." - Jayne Cobb

As for the poster saying I should be planning on $1500 total, thank you for pointing out some things I might not otherwise have included. However, I think my number of $1000 should be manageable as I'm thinking of getting a pistol in the $400-$500 range (used, of course), and the belt/holster combos I've seen have been closer to $100 total than $100 each. Again, great input so far, everyone ... thanks again!
 
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Personally, I don't favor 1911s as carry guns for safety reasons--especially for new gun owners. As John Farnam (a nationally known defensive trainer) says "a single action gun is great for shooting people, but lousy for NOT shooting people."

If anyone would like a copy of my book chapter on trigger systems and why I have come to that conclusion, just send me your email and I would be happy to send it along.

that doesn't makes sense, are you trying to say that the lighter SA trigger makes accidental shootings more likely? Safety comes from proper training and mechanics, not from the trigger system. Odd advise from an instructor
 
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that doesn't makes sense, are you trying to say that the lighter SA trigger makes accidental shootings more likely? Safety comes from proper training and mechanics, not from the trigger system. Odd advise from an instructor

In reading the couple of chapters David was kind enough to send me, there might be something to this. Given the light(er) pull needed in SA, having your finger on the trigger when your body is stressed could lead you to unintentionally fire the weapon. This also applies to trained shooters, who one would expect would be self-aware enough to have better trigger control. I fully understand that statistics can be massaged to prove anyone's point, but David makes what appears to be a pretty reasonable assertion based on certain quoted studies in the chapters I read.
 
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