got my plastic today!...now what to carry?...

[CheckonChico]

Got my plastic in the mail today its xmas all over again! Well now I'm in search of what to carry. I own a 9mm taurus that my dad gave to me years ago as a gift and I keep it at home or in the truck. But now its time to look for a CCW. A LEO friend of mine convinced me to go with glock, he carries a g19 off duty and says he loves it. I'm indecisive on the g19 or the g26. Has anyone carried these two and what are your thoughts? I'm afraid the g26 may be too small for my grip but am also afraid the g19 might be too hard to conceal and be comfortable.

[RPBrown]

Congrats on your plastic.

I hope that is doesnt sound as if I am bashing you but more letting other newbes know: You should have already had your carry weapon picked out, bought, method of carry chosen and bought and been carrying around the house for practice and learning what works and what doesnt.

(I need to breath here)

Now, you cant go wrong with a Glock. But I suggest that you go to a range that rents guns and try out several. Get what feels best to you and what you can shoot the best. Then after you get the gun, go to the range and put at least 100 rounds through it (if not more) as well as put at least a magizine of your carry ammo through it to make sure all works as it is supposed to. After all, you want the gun to go bang when you need it and it has to be 100% reliable before your life depends on it.

Again, congrats on the plastic and stay safe

[silverbear]

I've carried both, the 26 first then the 19. Can't go wrong with either but I would try the 19 first. Not any harder to conceal than the 26.

[Dragonfighter]

Split the difference, I carry a G23 which is smaller than the 22 but bigger than the 27. I am rather portly and carry both IWB (shirt tucked) and OWB with no printing and wear it virtually everywhere. I am sure several others will weigh in with their preferences and carry methods but I think we all agree that a good belt is paramount.

[CheckonChico]

Congrats on your plastic.

I hope that is doesnt sound as if I am bashing you but more letting other newbes know: You should have already had your carry weapon picked out, bought, method of carry chosen and bought and been carrying around the house for practice and learning what works and what doesnt.

(I need to breath here)

lol! I know that probably would of been good but I wanted to get the "whole" experience and purchase with my chl and not having to wait. So in the meantime I've just been reading the forums and researching on what I might enjoy most. I'm not new to to handguns but I am to compacts.

[CheckonChico]

I've carried both, the 26 first then the 19. Can't go wrong with either but I would try the 19 first. Not any harder to conceal than the 26.

Great advice, Thanks!

[CheckonChico]

Oh, and thank you all for the congrats

[CheckonChico]

Split the difference, I carry a G23 which is smaller than the 22 but bigger than the 27. I am rather portly and carry both IWB (shirt tucked) and OWB with no printing and wear it virtually everywhere. I am sure several others will weigh in with their preferences and carry methods but I think we all agree that a good belt is paramount.

Reason I'm thinking of sticking with the 9mm instead if a higher caliber is because I don't wanna compromise accuracy for the caliber. I've heard/read since the gun is smaller its harder to be as accurate as you climb up in caliber. What's your opinion? I'm sure practice would help though

I will look into the belt, thanks!

[C-dub]

Congratulations Chico.

I'm actually shocked that you didn't already have your carry piece and holster and had been wearing it around the house since taking the course just waiting for the plastic to arrive. It's no big deal and you won't be penalized, but I'm still shocked.

If you spend a little time on the forum or ask any of your friends that carry what their opinion is of the average person's powers of observation you will find that if you want to carry a full size gun it won't be that difficult to conceal. I first carried a G22 until I got a G27 and carried that for about 9 years. This past September my wife got me a G21SF and I started carrying it and nobody screamed "Gun!" nor did the police come and arrest me for failure to conceal.

Get a decent belt and holster for whatever you choose to carry. This will increase your comfort while carrying.

[Heartland Patriot]

Because I would be remiss in my duties by not answering this posting, here goes. I carry a Ruger SR-9c. It holds a 10-round double-stack mag, but can accept the full length 17 round mags made for the SR-9 (I carry these mags as spare). It is striker fired and has an "in-trigger" safety, much like the Glock. It ALSO has an ambidextrous slide-lock safety, which makes ME feel more comfortable carrying it. Its 6.5 inches at the longest point, and about 5.5 inches from top of slide to end of mag (with pinky extension installed on the magazine). Its just over an inch thick at the widest point. It fits in holsters made for the Sig P228/229 quite well. I have fed quite a few brands of ammo (Remington UMC, Winchester White Box, Federal Champion, Sellier and Bellot, PMC Bronze, MFS and Wolf steel case) through it and they all ran fine, except a couple of failures to fire with MFS. Its got 3-dot sights and a rail under the barrel for adding a light or laser (though that would probably interfere with IWB carry, which method I use). It also comes with a reversible backstrap. The magazine release is also ambidextrous. The basic online sell price seems to be around $400. My only negative about this pistol is that the slide takes some strength to rack due to the compact barrel/slide requiring a double spring design. Glocks never fit my hand right and didn't "point" well for me. This Ruger does. If you are dead set on a Glock, I understand...they are everywhere and have a great reputation for reliability and quality. But if you are looking for something similar and haven't made your mind up, please give the Ruger SR-9c look at a gun store. Hopefully you will be as impressed as I have been.

[CheckonChico]

Congratulations Chico.

I'm actually shocked that you didn't already have your carry piece and holster and had been wearing it around the house since taking the course just waiting for the plastic to arrive. It's no big deal and you won't be penalized, but I'm still shocked.

If you spend a little time on the forum or ask any of your friends that carry what their opinion is of the average person's powers of observation you will find that if you want to carry a full size gun it won't be that difficult to conceal. I first carried a G22 until I got a G27 and carried that for about 9 years. This past September my wife got me a G21SF and I started carrying it and nobody screamed "Gun!" nor did the police come and arrest me for failure to conceal.

Get a decent belt and holster for whatever you choose to carry. This will increase your comfort while carrying.

LOL! Thanks! You know what I probably would be carrying now with holster and all, around the house if the bank(wife) didn't have alittle say in it. My first newborn arrives in June(with go willing) and I know she wouldn't be too happy on spending on a gun instead of stuff to prepare for the baby. So I gotta take baby steps on my way to being a.glock owner

[CheckonChico]

@heartland patriot

I'm gonna consider it, thanks for your input!

[Dragonfighter]

Split the difference, I carry a G23 which is smaller than the 22 but bigger than the 27. I am rather portly and carry both IWB (shirt tucked) and OWB with no printing and wear it virtually everywhere. I am sure several others will weigh in with their preferences and carry methods but I think we all agree that a good belt is paramount.

Reason I'm thinking of sticking with the 9mm instead if a higher caliber is because I don't wanna compromise accuracy for the caliber. I've heard/read since the gun is smaller its harder to be as accurate as you climb up in caliber. What's your opinion? I'm sure practice would help though

I will look into the belt, thanks!

I went with the .40 S&W because while I was researching we had the first CHL shooting in Texas where a 400# man was dropped with a single shot center mass. The 23 was a perfect mix of size and capacity and I never saw an appreciable difference in accuracy between the 9mm, .40 S&W, .38 +P, .45 ACP...but I was well practiced then.

I can hold about 2 1/2" at 25 yds off hand and can empty all 13 rounds in the chest area of a silhouette at 7 yds in about 3 secs. The fundamentals once learned well will keep you on target rather you are shooting a .22 or a .45 but stopping an aggressor (convincing them to abandon the attack) is more certain the bigger the holes being poked into their bodies.

One last thing, in 25 years of running on leaking people, the ones that were perforated with 9mm I saw back on the street more often than just about anything else.

I would suggest you try out several calibers and actions before you decide which is best. In my case I KNOW that when I pull the trigger on my ugly little Glock, it IS going bang. That was the deciding factor for me.

[JP171]

I agree with the try out several types and calibers, carry what feels good and is reliable, all the opinions are just that, what the poster likes and is comfortable with. young padiwan find your own weapon that is for you no matter what it is, carry it in the manner that you feel most comfortable with

[Ace5299]

Congratulations! I just got my CHL not too long ago. I carry both my g19 and g27 depending what I am wearing or where I am going. I like the g19 a bit better. I just got the g27 so time will tell. Let us know what you end up with.