My First Carry Gun

[bocag18]

Hello everyone, I recently turned 21 and will soon be getting my permit to carry. So here's a few questions I have. What gun would be good for a new carrier? Any specific caliber I should go for or stay away from? I'm looking for a slim shooter preferably without too hard of recoil. The .380 S&W Bodyguard has been suggested to me by the Gander Mt. and Scheels people but I'd like some pointers from people who aren't trying to sell me something.

[Evad]

What do you have now? What have you shot? How much have you shot? Recoil is different for everyone. I don't mind my LCP. Some hate them. My suggestion is to try a few options, either rent at the range or borrow from someone. You mention you are a new carrier, are you a new shooter?

[Thunder71]

Up to you really... what's good for one isn't necessarily good for another.

Would be best if you could find a place (like Bills) and rent some. Try different calibers and firearms... it gets expensive, but if you don't have friends with a good variety there's really no other way to say what works for you.

Common choices:
Springfield XDS (9 or 45)
Smith & Wesson M&P Shield (9 or 40)
Glock 19 or 26 (9mm) or their other caliber brothers, I'm not a Glock guy so I don't know what those are
1911 (Insert brand/dollar value of choice here)

[bocag18]

What do you have now? What have you shot? How much have you shot? Recoil is different for everyone. I don't mind my LCP. Some hate them. My suggestion is to try a few options, either rent at the range or borrow from someone. You mention you are a new carrier, are you a new shooter?

I'm not a new shooter, done quite a bit of shooting with my dad over the years and a bit of hunting too. I've shot most of the "common" pistol rounds; .22lr, .357, 9mm, .45acp, .44mag ect.
Don't know if it helps but my favorite gun is my CZ 52 (for now ha ha) which shoots 7.62x25.

[splithand]

Welcome to the club. You are on the right track. Do your homework and remember a "carry gun" must be 100% reliable, one you can shoot quickly and accurately at 7 yards under all conditions. It should be comfortable to carry and conceal, as much a function of holster and belt as the gun itself. Order of arms should be simple and instinctive. The initial cost of the gun is just a start plan on shooting and practicing frequently, take into consideration ammunition cost and availability. My personal choices are:
Kahr K 40 elite
S&W J frame in 38 special
Ruger SP 101 in 327
Best of luck
Splithand

[Evad]

What do you have now? What have you shot? How much have you shot? Recoil is different for everyone. I don't mind my LCP. Some hate them. My suggestion is to try a few options, either rent at the range or borrow from someone. You mention you are a new carrier, are you a new shooter?

I'm not a new shooter, done quite a bit of shooting with my dad over the years and a bit of hunting too. I've shot most of the "common" pistol rounds; .22lr, .357, 9mm, .45acp, .44mag ect.
Don't know if it helps but my favorite gun is my CZ 52 (for now ha ha) which shoots 7.62x25.

Reasonable enough As I mentioned, I have an LCP. Mouse guns have one huge benefit, they are really easy to carry. I also have a Glock 19 that is reasonably easy to carry in a hybrid holster. The Glock is a much more enjoyable shooter of course.

[bocag18]

Reasonable enough As I mentioned, I have an LCP. Mouse guns have one huge benefit, they are really easy to carry. I also have a Glock 19 that is reasonably easy to carry in a hybrid holster. The Glock is a much more enjoyable shooter of course.

Right now I think ease of carry is one of my biggest priority. I have access to enough guns for when I go out shooting for fun, this would be mainly for self-defense and some target practice on the side.

[Doc Harvey]

My current carry guns:

Glock 19
Glock 22
Sig 226 (9mm...when I'm not overly concerned about how "concealed' it appears)

Carry guns I'd like to have:
XDm 3.8
Sig 2022
CZ P-07

Not a huge fan of the micro-compact guns, but that's only due to personal preference and the fact that I have larger hands.

[grimbeaver]

I carry a XDS 9mm and it is the only thing I have ever carried. It took a little getting used to. The best advice I can give is plan on getting a good belt. Though difficult to find I would probably look at a Glock 42 if you wanted something lighter before looking at mouse guns like the LCP and Bodyguard. I have not shot one, but holding one it felt so much better then the LCP. Also the trigger on the LCP was just too long for me, had my doubts I would be able to keep it on target through the pull.

Bills has a list on their website of what is available to try at each location, I need to make it over there myself one of these days:
https://www.billsgs.com/range/rentals

[aht_six]

If I were to have only one all occasion CC firearm, it would be a S&W 638. Completely reliable, very concealable, and with +p loads, much better terminal performance than a .380.

[mc762x54R]

My current carry guns:

Glock 19
Glock 22
Sig 226 (9mm...when I'm not overly concerned about how "concealed' it appears)

Carry guns I'd like to have:
XDm 3.8
Sig 2022
CZ P-07

Not a huge fan of the micro-compact guns, but that's only due to personal preference and the fact that I have larger hands.

I have a Sig 2022, it was my 1st carry gun, 100% reliable, not tiny though.
I also have a Sig P232 in 380, its much smaller, but not micro-gun small, also 100% reliable

[Currahee]

Depending on what I am wearing (business or casual - how easy to conceal) this is what I use... take it for what it is worth:

Dan Wesson 1911 CCO .45 - For casual


Sig Sauer P238 HD .380 - When I have to wear a tie

[ZardozCZ]

Kahr CM9 is pretty good for carry. +P 9mm, slim single stack, long smooth trigger pull, thin, short, light, accurate and extremely reliable on anything I've shot through it. Pocketable (sorta) IWB OWB is all good. But I can't stand smaller with my hand size, so this is as small as I'll go. G27, SP101, CZ P-06, are alternates. YMMV

[tman]

Largest caliber in the smallest size you can comfortably carry. Or not.

I carry a Glock 19. I'll be transitioning soon back to a steel framed 1911 for an every day year round carry gun in the next few weeks.

A person can comfortably and successfully carry just about anything.

[UnaStamus]

Go with a 9mm as your first carry gun. 9mm ammo is plentiful and easy to obtain for minimum of cost under normal circumstances (non-gun panic times). There are numerous defense/carry options for the 9mm that perform phenomenally. The 9mm is still small enough to accommodate smaller frame pistols like the Kahr CM9/PM9, Ruger LC9 etc. 9mm compact/carry pistols tend to be consistently reliable as well. In terms of being shot from a sub-compact/micro-compact platform, the 9mm is ballistically the minimum caliber that can still perform sufficiently to meet terminal performance standards. .380 and smaller pistols, and .38spl loads from a snub-nose revolver do not generate sufficient velocity to perform to ideal minimum standards. They can still be effective if used correctly, but the overall effectiveness is heavily retarded by decreased velocity.

In terms of a .380ACP, it's been my observation that guns that are that small tend to be very finicky and often are not predictably reliable across the board. Case in point- the Ruger LCP. I know 3 fellow cops using LCPs as back-up guns. 2/3 have had significant problems with their pistols. I know guys with Kel-tecs that have also had the issues.
With relation to ballistic performance, the .380 ammunition is not what it appears to be. Most .380 loads are advertised with velocities and energies that were measured using barrels much longer than would be used by the typical user. Hornady for example advertises 1000fps/200ft-lbs from both the 90gr Critical Defense FTX and 90gr XTP. The "small print" is that the load was tested out of a 4" barrel, and the average .380 carry pistol uses a 2.5"-2.75" barrel. That much barrel length drastically affects the performance. Federal and Speer both test their .380s using 3.75" barrels. In contrast, CorBon tests using a 2.5" barrel, so their figures for their 80gr DPX and 90gr JHP are very accurate. Such is why CorBon is the best non-FMJ .380 ammo for carry, should you decide to actually carry .380ACP.

When you use the "micro-compact" type loads like .380ACP, .32ACP, etc, these details are not minutiae. They're critical. With larger/more powerful calibers like 9mm, .357mag, .40, .45, etc, they're far less critical for most applications.
Food for thought is all. I'd still rather carry a .380 than carry nothing at all, but I'd rather carry a 9mm over a .380ACP.

And FWIW, be careful about the advice you take from gun counters. I regularly scout out gun counters for new guns and ammo deals, just like everyone else here. When I hear gun counter guys talking about ammunition performance, 9 times out of 10 they have no clue what they're talking about with relation to terminal performance. The same guys that are telling guys to get .45 pistols are the same ones telling women to buy .32ACP Beretta Tomcats. They're the same ones who tell you that the .410 Taurus Judge is great for personal defense, but that you don't want to use anything less than a 12ga shotgun to protect your house. It's not everyone, but a lot fall into this category. The rest are just people who use meaningless terms like "knockdown power" and "stopping power".
Point being, do your own research before you commit to anything.