Conceivability vs. round count

[unknown]

Hello,

After two days of carrying my XD9 4.5, I found out (like many said) it is an uncomfortable weapon to carry and hard to conceal.

I went into Gander looking for a holster to alleviate the issue, but I ended up looking at compact guns. Two of them to be exact. 1. The XD9 3.8 Compact, and 2. The Walther PPS 9. When I handled the Walther, it felt amazing in my hand until I realized that is a 7+1 shot count. The XD has a 13+1 shot capability, but it is harder to conceal. I think is worth mentioning that I am also not planing on carrying a second mag.

In your opinion, what do you favor, conceivability or round count?

Thank you for your thoughts.

[Countryfried Frank]

IMHO, single stack and carry a spare mag. The spare mag isn't just for capacity. It is also to repair ammo and magazine related failures quickly. YMMV, IANAL and I've only been shooting firearms for 20 years.

[White Horseradish]

Carrying a double-stack pistol with two spare mags?

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[plblark]

I go for conceal ability on a day to day basis. Note the controls ( mag release ) on the Walther.

[45Badger]

So, I clicked round count, but really needed to click both. My choice was between the best gun ever designed with a huge frame and limited round count and a smaller POPS (third "P" is plastic ) with higher mag capacity. For the obtuse who read this, that mean I went from a 1911 with 7 or 8 rounds of JMB approved 230 whoop-a$$ to a Glock 26 or 19 with 10 or 15 rounds of 9mm squeakers.

Single stack .380s are not worth the survey

[TTS]

If I am honest, the only "comfortable" gun I have carried is a KelTec P3AT... The issue of concealability (if that is a word) is usually a function of grip length not slide length. The grip is what prints.

The XD 4.5 as I recall has the same length grip as a standard XD. You could look at the compact XD and see if that conceals more easily?

Like others have said, I would look at a single stack with a short grip and carry a spare mag.

[Erik_Pakieser]

Any gun is better than no gun at all. Carry what you are comfortable with, and be aware of its limitations. Don't rationalize your choice; recognize what you can and can't do and commit to it.

[jshuberg]

If you train to the point where your bullets go where you want them to under stress, then round count becomes less of a factor. That said, you should always carry at least one spare mag. It doesn't matter how many rounds your mag holds if the follower binds or spring fails. Murphy's law and all.

[yuppiejr]

I realize modern semi-autos are supposedly the cat's butt of reliability, however I still prefer the conceal ability, stopping power and mechanical simplicity of a compact .357 magnum. It's the platform I'm comfortable with and happens to be highly concealable but light in the round count department. I figure the muzzle blast and fireball with the 158 grain Remington HP's out of a snub barrel is so impressive it will likely start the bad guy on fire anyway so a second shot is not necessary.

[smurfman]

I carry a Service size XD-40 and don't find it difficult to conceal or uncomfortable to carry. I use one of Side Guard Holster's IWB holsters which is the best I have found for me. Couple that with a good stiff leather belt which distributes the weight across my whole waist and I forget the gun is even there. I think most think the size of the gun as being most important, in reality it is what the gun is carried with. A good belt and holster carrying the Ruger Super Redhawk is not an onerous experience.

I can't really choose between these two options, neither are as important to me as being able to handle the gun well. A small gun is harder for me to shoot well and it is even harder if I have a finger hanging off the end. The added rounds of a larger gun is not all that important either as I feel the better handling characteristics of the larger gun will help make up for the lesser number of rounds. After all, it is the first rounds which are the most important ones.

[sgruenhagen44]

I realize modern semi-autos are supposedly the cat's butt of reliability, however I still prefer the conceal ability, stopping power and mechanical simplicity of a compact .357 magnum. It's the platform I'm comfortable with and happens to be highly concealable but light in the round count department. I figure the muzzle blast and fireball with the 158 grain Remington HP's out of a snub barrel is so impressive it will likely start the bad guy on fire anyway so a second shot is not necessary.

Agreed. I sold my LC9 cuz it had a manual safety. I just bought a SRH alaskan more for novelty than anything else. I plan on picking up an sp101 soon. I won't be sacrificing anything really. Even my sr9c was at times too bulky. I figure an sp101 with a speed reloader is about just as effective as an LC9 or CW45 or something of that nature. I guess in my mind, if I get in a fire fight past 10 yards and use more than 20 rounds of ammo it was most likely partially my fault for getting into that situation in the first place. Another advantage of the revolvers is ya can shoot em under clothing, ya might not get a follow up shot with some of those little autos.

[Seismic Sam]

Conceivability? Spell check on Aisle 2, please. And why do you have to choose, if you have the proper holster and attitude, as you can walk past people with a DE50 in a shoulder holster and they simply won't see it if you're comfortable carrying it.

[AFTERMATH]

Carry a double-stack 1911 style for a few years and you won't notice the full sized polymer .45 on your hip... I don't care too much if others notice though...

[Paul]

90% of the time I carry a Glock 17... The other 10% I carry a Glock 26... 100% of the time I carry at least one extra full size magazine. My vote is for capacity... Or to expand on that, carry what you feel is the best handgun for your needs and make it work.

[solidgun]

There are people who believe that the assailant ready to attack them will be standing with a stick several yards away standing still while you have your firearm pulled out aimed and ready to fire under a perfect condition...... 2 shots to the body and 1 shot to the chest......

Then there are people who train for various conditions, environments and multiple assailants while protecting themselves, family members, etc. We train to provide cover fire while escorting people to safety, consider keeping multiple assailants at bay while protecting, account for internal chemicals to empty a magazine under panic, consider losing magazines while scrambling for cover, having spare magazines for trained family members sharing the same firearms platform, etc. We take training seriously and the responsibility of carrying a firearm gravely and ready and willing to utilize our tools when called for with the right mindset because we are prepared.

It all depends on who you are and what you are ready and willing to do. It isn't comfortable carrying a full size firearm and spare magazines and to conceal it. But having the right tools on me can mean the right preparation for many of unexpected life's challenges.