Feedback Poll Revolver or semi auto for conceal carry

[44smit]

So in 2 weeks I have to renew my ccw permit. I currently have all revolvers ( Taurus 605 357 mag, charter arms bulldog 44 special, Naa 22lr)on my permit license. However I am considering switching to semi automatic pistols. The smith and Wesson shield 9mm, H&K p2000 v3 40, and the ria 1911 45acp. My reason is due to the chance of getting into a self defense situation and they’re more than one attacker and not having enough rounds to properly defend myself. Reloading a revolver is much slower than a semiautomatic.I could put the Taurus 605 as one of my firearms but I feel the 1911 will be as sufficient. What do you think?

 

[rjww1945]

The question isn't which platform is better, it's which platform is better for you?

Competency: Which style of handgun can you draw and fire accurate shots within reasonable time limits?

Familiarity: Which style of handgun have you dry fired and live fired the most?

The question of "how much ammo capacity is enough" is a debate probably as old as the 1911.

What is far more important in self defense situations are the following:

-Ideally avoiding risky situations altogether
-Being situationally aware
-De-escalating and escaping wherever possible
-Being familiar and competent enough with your defensive handgun to quickly incapacitate a violent threat to you or your loved ones
-Being trained in traumatic first aid. I highly recommend taking a "stop the bleed" course, they cost nothing and are priceless in knowledge

Here is a more pragmatic suggestion. Try the dot torture test and the 5x5 drill, linked below, with all of your potential CCW handguns. Whichever handgun, revolver or pistol, you can achieve the best score with should probably be your carry gun.

https://targets4free.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/dot-torture-target.pdf

http://loungecdn.luckygunner.com/lounge/media/5x5-drill-1.pdf

 

[Deleted member 6005]

Are you familiar with speed loaders?

 

[44smit]

The question isn't which platform is better, it's which platform is better for you?

Competency: Which style of handgun can you draw and fire accurate shots within reasonable time limits?

Familiarity: Which style of handgun have you dry fired and live fired the most?

The question of "how much ammo capacity is enough" is a debate probably as old as the 1911.

What is far more important in self defense situations are the following:

-Ideally avoiding risky situations altogether
-Being situationally aware
-De-escalating and escaping wherever possible
-Being familiar and competent enough with your defensive handgun to quickly incapacitate a violent threat to you or your loved ones
-Being trained in traumatic first aid. I highly recommend taking a "stop the bleed" course, they cost nothing and are priceless in knowledge

Here is a more pragmatic suggestion. Try the dot torture test and the 5x5 drill, linked below, with all of your potential CCW handguns. Whichever handgun, revolver or pistol, you can achieve the best score with should probably be your carry gun.

https://targets4free.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/dot-torture-target.pdf

http://loungecdn.luckygunner.com/lounge/media/5x5-drill-1.pdf

Thanks for your advice

 

[44smit]

Are you familiar with speed loaders?

Yes but I am also familiar with magazines

 

[kdub1290]

I have two autos and one revolver on my permit. Before I renewed it, I had two revolvers and one auto. I think you’d be well served with an either one or two autos on your permit. Respectfully, anything you listed is better than that NAA.

 

[drinktothat421]

G19 if you can run a compact. Then. P356 shield or hellcat. 5 to 6 shots wheelgun can put you at a disadvantage but they have there place in the ccw world. I carry a j frame sometime. But 99% its a 10+1 semi. And if you have freedom mags even better.

 

[44smit]

G19 if you can run a compact. Then. P356 shield or hellcat. 5 to 6 shots wheelgun can put you at a disadvantage but they have there place in the ccw world. I carry a j frame sometime. But 99% its a 10+1 semi. And if you have freedom mags even better.

Awesome thanks for your advice

 

[44smit]

I have two autos and one revolver on my permit. Before I renewed it, I had two revolvers and one auto. I think you’d be well served with an either one or two autos on your permit. Respectfully, anything you listed is better than that NAA.

Got it

 

[Striker777]

G19 all day long works for me.

 

[DIYPSCM]

I have a Hellcat & Ruger LGR in .327 mag on my permit... 80% of the time the Ruger is with me. It's just easier to carry.

 

[eaglemike]

Shield is great if you want something quite small and fairly light. I find it quite accurate for a small 9mm.
A G19 is a fine pistol if it's not too big for you.
If you don't mind the weight, a 3" 686+ would be a great choice for a revolver. Speedloaders or moon clips are handy, but more difficult to easily carry than a magazine. I've know a few guys that can really shoot a revolver well, and a .357 is definitely plenty powerful. Also .38 special +P+.
No matter which one, practice is a very good thing.

 

[.dC0m]

In my CCW course - almost everyone had semi-autos with the exception of 1 guy. He had some revolvers and his reasoning was it fit his profile (bigger dude) better.

Like others have said, go with whichever you feel the most comfortable with. I have some slimline subcompacts on my permit and I have yet to carry them. 95% of the time, I'm carrying my G19 because I know in a stressful situation, that is the one that I can land my shots with confidence. I wouldn't want to carry my subcompacts and miss the side of the barn, causing a bystander casualty just because adrenaline and stress receptors are going through the roof.

As for round count, I only carry 10 rd mag(s), which isn't much more than most revolvers. If 10 rounds isn't enough for me, I would spend more time at the range...

 

[Hit Factor]

Yes but I am also familiar with magazines

Touché.

J-frame revolvers are great for pocket carry. Shrouded hammer revolvers can even be fired from inside a jacket pocket should the need ever arise. But semiautomatic pistols are better for speed, accuracy, round count, and reloading. Maybe you should go with two concealable semiautomatics and one J-frame revolver just to have all your bases covered depending on the situation.

 

[tomrkba]

So in 2 weeks I have to renew my ccw permit. I currently have all revolvers ( Taurus 605 357 mag, charter arms bulldog 44 special, Naa 22lr)on my permit license. However I am considering switching to semi automatic pistols. The smith and Wesson shield 9mm, H&K p2000 v3 40, and the ria 1911 45acp. My reason is due to the chance of getting into a self defense situation and they’re more than one attacker and not having enough rounds to properly defend myself. Reloading a revolver is much slower than a semiautomatic.I could put the Taurus 605 as one of my firearms but I feel the 1911 will be as sufficient. What do you think?

Current side job is at a local gun store. The economics of guns has been interesting to say the least.

First things first: Do you have two copies of one of these guns? The reason is one is "low mileage" for daily carry (on the permit) and the other is your "high mileage" practice and training gun.

My recommendation is to look at the service weapons on the roster. I went through all pages for 9mm and 45 ACP.

Glock
SIG (P220, P226, P229, various others. NOT P320 and P365)
HK (VP9, USP)
S&W (M&P M2.0, Shields of various flavors)
Beretta 92
Staccato P4 and HD P4
Walther PDP (when it comes in)
Dan Wesson CBOB
Les Baer (1911)
Wilson Combat (1911)
Nighthawk (1911)


I avoid Springfield, though I get it if you buy the Hellcat. Opinions vary. Kimber...yeah...right. Your money, your risk. SIG is on my naughty list and I won't recommend the P365 (durability and QC issues) or the P320 and its drama.

You could try a Girsan MC35 and have it modified by a gunsmith. There are several guys doing that on various gun forums. I saw a thread where one guy's Girsan looks exceptional.

You would do very well with two of the following:

Glock 19 or 23 (or 17 if your hands are large)
Beretta 92
SIG P229
HK VP9, VP9SK or USP (All VP9's are not available right now unless you get lucky)
Staccato P4 or HD P4
S&W M&P M2.0 Compact and FS


Why? The Glocks are going to be your lowest cost option. They're known to run well and are easy to work on. In the Bay, they're $830ish out the door (~21% in taxes, $37.19 DROS, CC fees). You may save $50-75 depending upon the store. Next will be the M&P pistols. They're about $75-100 more. Figure about $975ish out the door. They are great guns and I like mine quite a bit. Berettas and HK's are around $900ish. That gets you to around $1,125ish. The Beretta 92 is iconic, but it's big like a Glock 21. SIG P22x pistols are now in the $1,300+ range, so you're looking at $1,725ish. The SIG P229 is a good one for carry. The Staccato P4 or HD P4 will be around $3,300 after all the taxes.

I am still not sure about Shadow Systems and keep hearing of issues with them. This knocks them out of consideration for serious purposes. If I were to get one, I'd get their competition model for range fun. I would never carry it.

The Walther PDP is still not available. I'm not sure if a Glock 21 sized 9mm pistol is what people want. I hear great things about them.

The Ruger LCP Max is a nice little pocket gun. Probably best if you kept the round count low. But it's not a service sized handgun, so I only included it in the "Small Gun" list below.

Current market consensus is that everyone is buying Hellcats and P365s for concealed carry. They snap up off roster Glock 43, 43X, and 48 pistols. Consumers think they need a tiny, skinny gun in 9mm. Convenience seems to the be prevailing selling point and shooting is somewhere at the bottom of the list. "Let's not think about the gun fight, but look at my nice Anti-Crime Talisman!" I'm sure most will see a few boxes of ammo at the range before going into the holster. They'll never be used in training and probably never manifest the problems SIG has been having due to extremely low round count.

If I were a new owner, and I had to choose between three lower cost 9mm guns, I would choose in this order:

1) Glock 19
2) S&W M&P 9 Compact M2.0
3) Beretta 92

All three have been used by LE across the country and are well known to be reliable. I would put the HK VP9 as option 3, but it's unavailable for the foreseeable future.

If I were going with 1911:

1) Nighthawk Predator II CCC or Predator III (CCO) in 45
2) Wilson Combat CQB (if you want a 5" Government)
3) Dan Wesson CBOB

If I wanted 45 ACP (especially for the 10 round limit):

1) Glock 30 (or even 36 if you can find one)
2) SIG P220
3) Nighthawk Predator III CCO (smaller size) or Predator II CCC (if Commander size is fine)


If I wanted small guns:

1) Glock 26
2) Ruger LCP Max (pocket 380)


Or, you can skip all that and get a few Colt revolvers. Maybe a King Cobra 3", a Python 3", and a Cobra (for pocket carry).