yet another beat up topic...

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kellel

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hey eveyonr, i know this topic is beat to death, but i need to be steered in the corect direction. I almost have my LTC A, am ghoing to schedule a utah ccw permit class so i can carry in most places since i travel a lot and need to pick a firearms, i was leaning toward an M & P by smith and wesson or a glock but im not too verse in these things did some searching on the boards but still foggy. any suggestions are welcome. also whats a good caliber
 
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Options vary from pocket 32's to full size 1911's. You don't say where you are from, if you are in MA the options are reduced or more difficult to find.

You need to get more experience with various options. revolver or pistol and what caliber you are comfortable with carrying/shooting. There are also multiple ways to CCW: pocket carry, IWB, OWB, ankle holster.

All these will reduce the possibilities.

I recommend going to a range that rents handguns and try out as many as you can affort. (revolver, sub-compact, compact and full size pistols) Alternately make friends on this forum with shooters that probably own most of what you want to shoot - they are usually more than willing to educate.

You definitely want to shoot before you buy. Depending on your shooting experience, and it doesn't sound like alot, the first choice you will need to make is a revolver or pistol. Once that is decided, find a handgun that fits your hand and you shoot comfortably. Most of the most popular are available in multiple calibers. I recommend a caliber that you can find ammunition for and can affort to shoot often. 9mm and 38 spl are probably the least expensive of the popular rounds (9mm, 38spl, 40SW, 45 ACP, 357mag).

All that being said: I would start by looking at J frame revolvers by S&W (or similar sized guns by Ruger etc), Glocks (eg 27), Khar 9mm or 40s, S&W M&P's or Springfield XDm's
 
Allow me to be kind and respectful. There is a lot to consider, but here are a couple of things to think about.

Many people like 9mm and .40 cal. a 9mm is usually easier to control and cheaper to practice with. a 40 caliber is more powerful. The ammunition you buy can make a 9mm very effective. A semi-automatic will allow you to keep 10 or more rounds loaded in a magazine plus one in the chamber. It's easy to carry a couple extra loaded magazines on your belt, giving lots of rounds to keep with you. Revolvers are usually limited to 5 or 6 rounds of .38 or .357 magnum, the usual defensive ammunition. Carrying speed loaders for extra rounds is a bit bulky and limited. Some people like revolvers because of their simplicity and believe they are less prone to malfunctions.

Whatever you choose, make sure it fits your hand and that your trigger finger can reach the trigger without rubbing alongside the frame or requiring that your hand be contorted around the grip. The controls such as the mag drop, slide release, safety, should be easy to manipulate...preferably with one hand. Some guns have adjustable inserts to adjust the size of your backstrap - where you grip the gun..

The longer the sight radius (the distance from the rear to front sights), generally the easier the firearm will be to aim.

If you get a semi-auto, you need to decide between a single, consistent trigger pull or a double action and single action trigger pull.

A small compact firearm is more concealable than a larger firearm, but once drawn from the holster, the larger firearm will offer you more shooting benefits.

Make sure the gun is easy to field strip and clean, and get a model that is easy and quick to repair if necessary.

You need to find a good store and prepare yourself with lots of questions and ask to see a lot of guns. Glock and Smith and Wesson are fine brands, as is Walther and Sig Sauer.
I'm sure people here can suggest other brands you can look at.

Good luck.
 
There's an excellent book by David Kenik called "Armed Response" that goes into this very topic (and others) in detail. Slim book, very easy read, but jam-packed with useful information. The long and short of it is, "it depends". Find some friends who have the guns you're considering and go to a range where you can shoot both. Or go to Manchester Firing Line and rent 'em for a couple hours. Pick the gun that YOU can shoot most accurately in the biggest caliber you can handle. If you can shoot accurately (and there's a great drill in the book that you can do in 10 minutes at a range that will give you a good gauge of what 'accurate' means from a CCW perspective) with a .22 but a 9mm is too much for you, then by all means carry the .22. However, if you're nailing the bullseye at 50 ft with a .45 all day long, it's probably best for you to carry the .45.
 
Massachusetts, as we know, is a backwards place when it comes to firearms. You'll have difficulty obtaining such items as Glocks. Since you're new to this stuff, find some training. There are shooting schools out there, and when combined with some online research, books, DVDs, and whatnot you get a lot out of them.

With that being said, you can go through all the weekend warrior tactical training and buy all the cool gear you want, but make absolutely sure you understand the laws anywhere you go. For example, stuff like high-capacity magazines, carrying on school property, safe storage, "direct control", etc. Making a fine choice and buying the handgun you've always wanted is great, but you're going to get jammed up if you haven't educated yourself on when and where you can carry.

As far as caliber and size are concerned, I'm a fullsize 9mm kind of guy. But it's a personal choice that usually takes some time and a good amount of money to make.
 
I am from Massachusetts, and sorry for the punctuation in the opening thread. It was posted via my smartphone. I have shot various firearms that friends owned, from a model 17 Glock to a Smith and Wesson M&P 40. I did decent in accuracy even with the larger caliber, probably due to the fact i grew up around firearms, which i did forget to mention in the first post. I will have to look into getting that book from kenik and doing some reading, since i need to be sure what i get cause some of those pistols are not cheap, and I am limited since I live in Mass.
 
Shoot as many different pistols as you can get access to; either by renting or borrowing. Find one that feels comfortable to you; both to carry and shoot.
 
Scrivener said:
Shoot as many different pistols as you can get access to; either by renting or borrowing. Find one that feels comfortable to you; both to carry and shoot.
Click to expand...

This is the best advice in this thread, and really the only good answer to the "What Should I Carry?" question.
 
I dont know if anyone in Mass does but I am not too far from Manchester firing line, so i can go there.
 
fencer said:
American Firearms School in N.Attleboro rents all kinds of guns. They offer Glocks and Sigs for rent in multiple models/calibers, as well as revolvers up to 44 magnum. You can also rent AR - 15, AK-47 and 12ga shotguns. They also have one of the nicest indoor ranges in the area.

http://www.americanfirearmsschool.com/Pricing.html
Click to expand...

Owch....that is pricey to be a member
 
Yes, Membership is pricey, and so is their non member lane rental at $20 per pop. But the facility is beautiful and a great place to take first time shooters. The $40 learn to shoot package is a great way to introduce new shooters to the sport and how my 18 year old daughter learned to shoot.

As the name suggests, they offer some great courses for all levels of shooters, and the range is used quite a bit by LE. They offer simulators and classroom instruction with qualified instructors. The majority of the staff are very competent and the facilities manager is an awesome guy with a great deal of knowledge

It's great to go there in the warmer months if you can go mid-week. The place is a lot busier in cold months because a lot of folks flock there.
 

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