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Need a new Carry Gun...

eclark53520

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SO...

Concealed Carry passed, much to the dismay of rapists, muggers, robbers, and liberals all over the state.

To celebrate i'm going to buy a new carry weapon. Help me choose.

Going to absolutely be a Glock...However, which caliber and which size?

9mm? Compact(19) or Sub Compact(26)?

.40S&W? Compact(23) or Sub Compact(27)?

.45ACP? Compact(30) or Sub Compact(36)?

More capacity with the 9mm weapons, but less power. More power with the 45 caliber weapons, but less capacity...40 is somewhere in the middle...however, i don't have any other weapons in 40sw right now so that will be an entirely new caliber for me to stock. Also, the 9mm weapons are slightly smaller, very slightly so they may be easier to conceal than the 45 caliber weapons...although that's somewhat debatable and the difference is very small.

What do you guys think? I'll take suggestions of other weapons platforms, but since all my other handguns are glock, i'm comfortable shooting them and with how they work so i'm pretty stuck on Glock as a carry weapon.
 

Clugnut

Gimme some roombas!
Aug 13, 2006
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If you have smaller hands, the 26 is just magic. I think its one of the best small hi cap 9mm out there. That said, I do not own one. I carried an XD9 subcom for a while, but that was replaced. I just do not see a need to carry 12-15 rounds with me for SD. I know there are situations, but really, am I taking on the Taliban?

My current carry gun is a Kahr CW-9. Single stack, 7 + 1. Very light and slim.

Caliber choice is up to you. I like punching big holes too, but on the small Glock platform, I doubt I could control more than 9mm very well. But I'm sure that is all training, practice, and technique. My only real advice is light and slim, and the 26 is about it in Glock.
 

Eracer

No more triple bogies!!
Oct 31, 2005
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I would look at the G38 (compact .45 GAP) I know it's another cartridge, but it's a fine cartridge, offering .45 ACP power in a compact design. Personally, I carry a Kahr PM45 (slim, 24 oz. stoked with 5+1 .45 ACP) and there is no Glock that can be pocket carried the way the Kahr can. But if you are comfortable with IWB or OWB carry, then the G38 is a fine choice, holding 8+1 rounds of big bore goodness.

If Kahr comes out with a .45 GAP pistol (which is what the PM45 should have been from the start) I will give serious thought to trading mine in - along with my G21SF.

ETA - congrats on Wisconsin's leap of rationality. Glad you guys decided to join the rest of us who understand that there are bad people in the world from whom the police can't always protect us.
 
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eclark53520

eclark53520

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I would look at the G38 (compact .45 GAP) I know it's another cartridge, but it's a fine cartridge, offering .45 ACP power in a compact design. Personally, I carry a Kahr PM45 (slim, 24 oz. stoked with 5+1 .45 ACP) and there is no Glock that can be pocket carried the way the Kahr can. But if you are comfortable with IWB or OWB carry, then the G38 is a fine choice, holding 8+1 rounds of big bore goodness.

If Kahr comes out with a .45 GAP pistol (which is what the PM45 should have been from the start) I will give serious thought to trading mine in - along with my G21SF.

ETA - congrats on Wisconsin's leap of rationality. Glad you guys decided to join the rest of us who understand that there are bad people in the world from whom the police can't always protect us.

I just can't bring myself to do the GAP thing. I love the capabilities, but the ammo is very scarce around here, not to mention more expensive. I currently know of 2 places within an hour that carry it and even then sometimes it's not on the shelf where the tag is. Now, if GAP got to the standing that 45ACP has, with lots of major manufacturers producing pistols in that caliber causing ammo to be readily available I might have to give it more thought. I just don't see that happening anytime soon.

My EDC routine probably wouldn't allow pocket carry anyway. I tend to lose things when I change up my EDC pocket routine.
 
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eclark53520

eclark53520

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If you have smaller hands, the 26 is just magic. I think its one of the best small hi cap 9mm out there. That said, I do not own one. I carried an XD9 subcom for a while, but that was replaced. I just do not see a need to carry 12-15 rounds with me for SD. I know there are situations, but really, am I taking on the Taliban?

My current carry gun is a Kahr CW-9. Single stack, 7 + 1. Very light and slim.

Caliber choice is up to you. I like punching big holes too, but on the small Glock platform, I doubt I could control more than 9mm very well. But I'm sure that is all training, practice, and technique. My only real advice is light and slim, and the 26 is about it in Glock.

The 26 is high on my list...however, I still have that big bore mentality. 45 just does it for me. That said, 45 is pretty thick.

I have shot the 26 and the 27 before. That 27 is not something you want to go to the range and shoot 500 rounds out of that's for sure. I've shot the 22 also, which is obviously much easier to handle...which is why I'm really liking the idea of the 23. Full grip, thin for the 40cal, and has good power without being thick enough to shoot the 45.
 

MCDavis

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Ok, gun novice question:

eclark says he wants a Glock, and then says 2 of his choices are .40S&W and .45ACP.

S&W means Smith & Wesson to me, what does it mean here? Also, I thought there was a brand of gun with the initials ACP at one point, or am I wrong on that one?
 
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eclark53520

eclark53520

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Ok, gun novice question:

eclark says he wants a Glock, and then says 2 of his choices are .40S&W and .45ACP.

S&W means Smith & Wesson to me, what does it mean here? Also, I thought there was a brand of gun with the initials ACP at one point, or am I wrong on that one?

This confuses a lot of people.

Glock is the manufacturer of the weapon. They make several models in different calibers.

When a manufacturer designs a new cartridge, they usually place their name on it. Which is why you hear things such as a Remington 700 rifle chambered in 300 Winchester or a Glock chambered in .40S&W. Winchester created the round, but when the round became very popular, Remington started producing weapons in that caliber. Another good example is the 45 GAP round. GAP = Glock Auto Pistol, but anyone chamber their weapon in that caliber.

EDIT: ACP means Automatic Colt Pistol, which is what the original Colt 1911 was designed to shoot.
 

Clugnut

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Aug 13, 2006
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Yea! Eraser carries a Kahr too! Good to see you Joe, hope things are well. I didn't know GAP stood for Glock auto pistol. You learn something new every day. I never would have gotten my Kahr, but I traded about $175 worth of used AR15 parts for it, so I thought why not. Turns out I love the little guy. Half the weight of my XD, with a more controlled muzzle flip. Who would have guessed?

Glock's are fantastic, but for everyday carry its too heavy for me. And if I were to carry one, it would be a 19 over a 26. I never had much problem conceling the barrel portion, its always the grip that gets you, and I'm chunky enough that it doesn't matter too much. So, I say get the 22. Best of all worlds if you are going to carry a double stack anyways. Do they make a sub compact in .357 sig? That round intrigues me.
 
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eclark53520

eclark53520

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Glock's are fantastic, but for everyday carry its too heavy for me. And if I were to carry one, it would be a 19 over a 26. I never had much problem conceling the barrel portion, its always the grip that gets you, and I'm chunky enough that it doesn't matter too much. So, I say get the 22. Best of all worlds if you are going to carry a double stack anyways. Do they make a sub compact in .357 sig? That round intrigues me.

Yeah, the barrel is the easy part to conceal, it's always the grip that gets tough.(assuming IWB)


Right now i'm leaning towards a Glock 30 still. Which will allow me to utilize all the Glock 21 mags I already own, as well as keep me caliber concise. I have a real love for the .45acp...

If the 30 turns out to be a bit bulky for jeans/tshirt carry, i might look into something like a Kahr, or maybe something lighter like a Glock 19. Although i'll have to check specs, i wonder how much lighter the 19 is vs the 30...OFF TO GLOCK!
 
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eclark53520

eclark53520

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Results:

G19 is 3.8oz lighter than a G30(this is fully loaded weight) 29.99oz VS 33.86oz

G30 is shorter, and only marginally wider(.09") so barely a tenth of an inch...hardly worth dropping to 9mm for...IMO
 

Clugnut

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Good lord that is heavy! You will need to invest in a comfortable holster. I hear crossbreed's are nice. If what you have is .45, I would not switch either. I love caliber redundancy.
 

warbirdlover

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I think this would get the point accross....
ChromeDesertEagle2.jpg
 

twogreen

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Aug 7, 2006
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A couple of years ago, I fell in love with the G36. It fit my hand like a glove, was small and flat enough to easily conceal; and used my favorite handgun ammo (.45ACP). Unfortunately, I didn't buy it; because there was an epic thread complete with You Tube videos floating around the Internet about a guy who was having numerous malfunctions with his G36. Anyway, to cut to the chase, I bought a G32 in .357 SIG instead of the G36. The G32 has been "okay" as a carry weapon; but, in all honesty, I just haven't been able to feel as though I made the right decision.

The choice of a handgun is a very personal decision. There is a wealth of information to be gleaned from the Internet and other sources; but ultimately, your final decision should be made based on your own priorities. I wish I had bought the G36.
 

Eracer

No more triple bogies!!
Oct 31, 2005
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This confuses a lot of people.

Glock is the manufacturer of the weapon. They make several models in different calibers.

When a manufacturer designs a new cartridge, they usually place their name on it. Which is why you hear things such as a Remington 700 rifle chambered in 300 Winchester or a Glock chambered in .40S&W. Winchester created the round, but when the round became very popular, Remington started producing weapons in that caliber. Another good example is the 45 GAP round. GAP = Glock Auto Pistol, but anyone chamber their weapon in that caliber.

EDIT: ACP means Automatic Colt Pistol, which is what the original Colt 1911 was designed to shoot.

Couldn't have explained it better myself.
 
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eclark53520

eclark53520

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Good lord that is heavy! You will need to invest in a comfortable holster. I hear crossbreed's are nice. If what you have is .45, I would not switch either. I love caliber redundancy.

A good gun belt helps a ton too. With a good stiff gun belt you can spread the load out over your entire waist and not just in one spot.

I found a guy building IWB hybrid leather/kydex holsters on GlockTalk. From the many reviews on them(all positive), not only are they comfortable, they are about half the price of name brand holsters of the same type. He also has a 'two week guarantee' where you can wear his holster for two full weeks, and if you don't like it, you get a full refund. I think i'll give him a try.
 

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