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On the hunt for a new carry auto

AngelKing

AngelKing

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Ive been doing a lot of research. shooting and as a result, more research on full sized CC autos. Im trading/selling my RIA 1911 and have narrowed the field to the following contendors - caliber selection being either .40SW or .45ACP.

In no particular order they are:

SW M&P

Glock 21, 23 (I used to complain about the grip, but the gen 3 seems to fit me well - gen4 is nice but thus far hard to find

Springfield XD

Ruger P345


So any thoughts? Am I nuts? Ive shot all but the Ruger but have decided to go polymer and or 'embrace the dark side.' Basically, I want reliability, unquestioning ability to feed hollow points and a full size frame because I absolutely suck ass when trying to shoot smaller handguns like the PPS -- exception being the warthog, but Im not paying that price.
 
The Glock 23 is a great all-purpose firearm. I carry a Gen3 in the winter months and love it. 13+1 rounds of .40 S&W is great, plus any G22 mag fits it too. I would definitely recommend you buy one, but don't spend crazy money on it. I bought mine for $450 (they gave me $300 for my Gen2 so I only really paid $150). Good luck!
 
I was really close to making a trade with someone for a G23, but he changed his mind at the last minute. since then, I really warmed to that particular weapon. I usually carry a snubnose for the summer and rarely do I carry the 1911 - its a GREAT gun, but as venerable as it is with my Dad and his Marine Corps friends, I have to have soemthing I can carry all the time.

So hence enters the combat tupperware, the plastic guns, the "unimaginative, drab, politically correct" pistols (according to Dad)....but 13 rounds vs 8? lightweight? accurate? as reliable as a fat girl in a bar? yep. Polymer.
 
AngelKing said:
Ive been doing a lot of research. shooting and as a result, more research on full sized CC autos. Im trading/selling my RIA 1911 and have narrowed the field to the following contendors - caliber selection being either .40SW or .45ACP.

In no particular order they are:

SW M&P

Glock 21, 23 (I used to complain about the grip, but the gen 3 seems to fit me well - gen4 is nice but thus far hard to find

Springfield XD

Ruger P345


So any thoughts? Am I nuts? Ive shot all but the Ruger but have decided to go polymer and or 'embrace the dark side.' Basically, I want reliability, unquestioning ability to feed hollow points and a full size frame because I absolutely suck ass when trying to shoot smaller handguns like the PPS -- exception being the warthog, but Im not paying that price.
Click to expand...
I've got a Springfield XD40, and I love it. I've put close to 700-800 rounds through it without a single issue whatsoever. Including a few boxes of HP. The grip fits my hand like a glove, although my fingers may be a little bit too long for it.
If you want to buy one in Mass... Probably not going to happen. Luckily I was able to bring mine from Washington State when I moved here.

I shoot the Glock 21 with good groupings, but even with large hands it can be a bit awkward with that grip. My cousin carries the Glock 21 every single day.
As for the SW M&P, I've only shot that in a 9mm. Felt nice, but the trigger just looked weird to me haha
 
You want thoughts? There'll be no shortage here. Here are mine. I like the .45 and don't like the .40. In full size autos the 1911 is probably the easiest to conceal. The Glock 21 and the full size M&P .45 are easy to shoot but a little bulky to conceal in the summer. You left out the Sig P220 which is a great shooting .45 but again a little bulky. Have you looked at the Kahr P45? I have large hands and can get all my fingers on the grip. I agree that shooting small guns is not as easy as shooting large guns but that's just the way it is.
 
sorry. guns.

Id do the sf, but Im not crazy about the fact that Im gripping it as if Id grip my snubnose.

I am thinking I should add a few sigs into consideration - the P245, the P220 come to mind. Im not as enamored over the P250 just yet.
 
I know it's not in your list, but I just wanted to throw in that I carry the SR9c and I have big hands. I have to use the pinky extension mags but even with them it's a very easily concealable gun.
 
Not sure why you would want to go G23. I carry a G19 (preban) fits very nice for me even with shorts on. In any case Glock is the way to go for carry in my mind. GL
 
2nd SR9c great gun very conceable gun, very accurate. can get use full size mag for extra long grip, very good all around great gun. not to mention on compact has a very nice trigger better than M&P and SIG , I own both Sig p220 , and M&P 45 with apex kit and stock ( un shootable. by SR9c for out of box gun can beat it.,
 
If you are really looking to get away from the 1911, I have the SW M&P in both FS and compact. I love these guns and use the FS for IDPA/USPSA and the compact for EDC.

The M&P is a bulky platform, but a crossbreed supertuck, good belt and they carry very well.

I know you mentioned full size and there are a lot of unknowns for the M&P Shield in Ma. But there is a lot of positive opinions on different forums from people who live instates that have access to them, not to forget a great review thread here:

http://www.northeastshooters.com/vbulletin/threads/160018-Article-The-Perfect-Pocket-Pistol-A-look-at-the-Smith-amp-Wesson-M-amp-P-Shield?highlight=M%26amp%3BP+Shield

Just something to consider. Something I will be looking into for EDC.
 
The G21 is a great gun but it's big and thick and doesn't conceal well as others but I can conceal one reasonably well in non-summer attire. If you want to stay in .45 and looking to conceal then a G30 or G30SF is a better option and you can always keep a 13 round G21 mag on your belt for a reload.

Personally for daily carry I prefer the 9mm. I like having the extra rounds instead of bigger bullets so I usually stick with my 9mm G26 for summer and G19 for winter. Sometimes if I feel that's not adequate the G19 gets converted to a G32 for the cold months. And since 9mm ammo is cheap I practice with it all the time and can shoot my G19 better than most of all my pistols.

Also I have no use for the .40 S&W. If you want something better than 9mm that's not a .45 ACP then use .357 SIG.
 
Glock 19 is my EDC no matter the weather or season. I can conceal it just as easily as my G26. Only when I can't carry on the belt do I carry the G26 in a smart carry holster or a Kahr P380 in a pocket holster.

So... among your list... I'd go with the G23. But if you're open to the idea... I'd go with the G19 and the 9mm.
 
My favorite concealed carry semi auto is the 9mm S&W 6906. Small (3.25 in barrel) and relatively light with an alloy frame, this pistol carries quite well. The only draw back is the thick butt that houses the 12 round mag. The 6906 also accepts the 15 round 5906 mags, so you can have 15 rounds on your reload.

Most come with Novak sights and are quite accurate for a short barreled pistol. I actually put two out of three rounds on an IPSC target at 100yds during a match at Bass River several (20) years ago. I know its "only a 9mm" but Corbon sells some pretty hot loads for these 9mms.
 
Yes, you're nuts. Tupperware gun is not the evil gun. What took you so long to realize the wonder of plastic? Turn away the dark side and welcome to the bright side.

Sent from my iPhone 5 using Forum Runner
 
This morning, I had the opportunity to shoot a 19.

Ill be damned if I liked it.

Because the 19 is in 9mm and the 9mm is cheap to shoot a la the .40, Im more likely to practice with it....and while the bullet itself is smaller, the 19 can hold a lot more ammo.

So....dammit, I have another one to consider. As you can see, I take way too much time to research things,

Hanwei said:
Glock 19 is my EDC no matter the weather or season. I can conceal it just as easily as my G26. Only when I can't carry on the belt do I carry the G26 in a smart carry holster or a Kahr P380 in a pocket holster.

So... among your list... I'd go with the G23. But if you're open to the idea... I'd go with the G19 and the 9mm.
Click to expand...
 
You can't go wrong with a G19.

AngelKing said:
This morning, I had the opportunity to shoot a 19.

Ill be damned if I liked it.

Because the 19 is in 9mm and the 9mm is cheap to shoot a la the .40, Im more likely to practice with it....and while the bullet itself is smaller, the 19 can hold a lot more ammo.

So....dammit, I have another one to consider. As you can see, I take way too much time to research things,
Click to expand...
 
AngelKing said:
This morning, I had the opportunity to shoot a 19.

Ill be damned if I liked it.

Because the 19 is in 9mm and the 9mm is cheap to shoot a la the .40, Im more likely to practice with it....and while the bullet itself is smaller, the 19 can hold a lot more ammo.

So....dammit, I have another one to consider. As you can see, I take way too much time to research things,
Click to expand...

The 19 has way better resale value as well (if you decide you don't like it). It also won't beat the s**t out of your hands, either.

The G19 in general is really hard to beat in its size class. There is nothing else on the market that compares.

-Mike
 
[wink]
I have both the S&W M&P .40 full size and a Ruger P345. You give up 2 rounds with the .45 (8 vs 10). I have both because I like both. The P345 is pretty slim and carries neatly on the hip shaded lightly towards the rear in a Don Hume slide. The M&P, when I carry it, fits well in a blackhawk set up as a cross draw, but is a bit lumpy.

Lately, I have been carrying a S&W Bodyguard .380 in either an in the pocket, or IWB I bought on E-bay. I also have a cell phone carrier that has a zippered pouch behind it made for the Bodyguard.

I think, and a lot of people laugh at me about this, I can shoot the P345 a little better than the M&P. I never really feel comfortable with a pistol with no physical safety to disengage. But when I shoot the M&P, it is flawless in it's function. The Bodyguard is what it is. It's a belly gun plain and simple.
 
I have both the G23 and G30 SF. I love them both, and don't hesitate to carry either. Between the two, the G23 is slightly narrower but they both fit IWB very well. In the warmer months I carry either a Ruger LCR or a S&W BG38.

My recommendation? Try them out and get what works for you. Enjoy!
 

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