Recommendations for a carry gun and holster

[Guest LetZrock]

For CC I like my Kahr CW9 with a CTAC IWB holster. I wear shorts and a tee shirt all day and no one knows im even carrying a gun. I have about 750 rounds through it with no malfunctions of any kind.

[MikePapa1]

It would be hard to go wrong with any 226. I carry mine in a Cross Breed Super Tuck and love it.

[gregintenn]

Don't discount a revolver.

[Warbird]

Well, the price limit isn't just arbitrary. I just spent about 2k on my broken arm and lost 500 bucks worth of stuff from the car break in. 500 is really about the limit right now, especially when you add in the cost of the HCP. All that being said if I got a great deal on something I may go over a little bit, it just can't go too much higher.

It is a great gun, but I'm really not a big fan of shooting it. I mostly keep it around because it is a cool old gun. Also, finding a good holster for it would be at least sort of difficult. I looked into it, and everything I read were people saying get a "insert different gun here" holster, it's pretty close. That's not really something I'm interested in.

So far during my searches and through fondling at guns shows, the following are probably the guns I'm most interested in atm. Taking into account the suggestions so far as well:

S&W M&P

Beretta PX4 Storm

Beretta 92

Sig P229 - this is probably too expensive, but if I find a good deal on a used one I might go a little higher on it.

as for the holster, i hear a good gun belt is very important. Any suggestions? Also, looking around the MTAC looks really nice to me. I think I'd like it. Anybody have one and care to share an opinion?

The old Sig 226 is as good as the 229 and can be found for less money. The factory refurbed guns are great and have the warranty from Sig. In fact some would say the old German 226 is better than what Sig is putting out right now. I carried a Sig 228 for many years, probably longer than any other gun. They are great shooters as long as you train yourself on the DA/SA config. Personally I found that I had to train harder on that platform to truly be proficient. I also heavily prefer a low bore axis gun. I went from the 228 to the HK P7M8 and eventually to the Glocks. For me the Glocks are more manageable and easier to become proficient than than they seemed holding one. Just because a gun is just super comfortable in the hand in the gun shop doesn't mean it is the easiest to control on the firing line. It honestly took me a while to acclimate to them, but now I shoot them as well as anything else I own. Again they are not the greatest thing in the world to hold, but their low bore axis fits well with their grip angle and I can get a very high hold on the gun.

The Beretta 92 is a great gun, I have an Italian made 92. However, it is not at all easy to conceal IMO. S&W M&P is a very good gun and appears to be on the rise in the marketplace and making inroads into Glock's long held hold on the LEA market. Time will tell if they truly hold up as well as the Glock, but indications thus far seem to indicate they will. PX4Storm would likely be a better choice for carry than the 92.

You might also consider in your decision other sizes with the same platform as the ones you are leaning toward. With the Glocks a 19 is a compact, the 26 a subcompact and the 17 a full size. With the purchase of any one of them you could eventually purchase another size and still be in the same platform. I am a systems shooter, it is important to me. I carry different sizes of the same platform for different purposes and don't have to change my mind set depending on the day and what I am carrying. Same can be said of the XD, M&P and several other choices. Just something to think about.

That said the Sigs, Glocks, etc are never a do it all for everyone everyone (as an example the Sig and Glock grips are too big for me in their standard 45 models). I always recommend shooting if at all possible, not just holding, any gun make before committing to buy. Also make sure you have a really good handle on thee type of grip you are comfortable using, one that is correct, and make sure that gun will work for your style. For instance I had an HK45C. Fantastic piece of equipment. Very rugged and very accurate. However for my grip the slide release would constantly interfere with my high, thumbs forward grip and I would keep the slide lock from holding the slide back on the last round. Now I looked for a couple of ways around it, but most people said just change my grip. BAH! I am not changing my grip from normal to use with one gun. You will always revert under pressure to what you do most. So the gun is no longer in my stable.

[clarky07]

Well, I decided on the sig 226. Haven't had a chance to get it out to the range to test it yet, but I don't foresee any problems. Got the gun, case, and 7 mags for $450. I'm pretty happy with it.

[adam42]

I have a Beretta PX4 that I got from Bud's in Lexington, it is a great gun at a very good price for what you get, about $470 delivered. Great shooting, good size, 17 round mag. Very pleased with the pistol.

[Guest Packaged Chaos]

S&W M&P9 or 9c, I chose the G19(and love it) instead but the Smith would have been my first choice if it had been around longer and had the reputation for reliability

[A.J. Holst]

Congrats on the Sig!

My buddy has been a Sig man for years, swears by them.

Good shooting and he has had flawless reliability with his

[clarky07]

Congrats on the Sig!

My buddy has been a Sig man for years, swears by them.

Good shooting and he has had flawless reliability with his

Thanks, so far i really like it. Took it to the range at lunch today and fired 50 flawless rounds. Everything worked as expected from a sig.

Now for a holster. Any suggestions? I've been looking at the supertuck and MTAC. I suspect I'd be happy with either. Are there any others I should keep an eye out for and has anybody tried both that can give a recommendation?

[Warbird]

I have both and like both very much. I really can't say one is better than the other. They each have a couple of features the other doesn't and it seems to all balance out. I would say if you get the Crossbreed get the combat cut. Some people like the Kholster. I have one and it is OK, but really I don't care for it nearly as much as the other two.

There are literally dozens and dozens of good holster choices. I like the two mentioned above and have been a Milt Sparks fan for years, but they are expensive and the wait time is loooooong. TT Gunleather, DM Bullard, lots of great holsters.

[Guest Underground]

I don't like Glocks, but only for the ergonomics. I like shooting 1911's but not the reliability. I've had Sigs and others, but I have to say the S&W M&P has been a great pistol so far, quickly became a favorite.

Check out the Occidental Leather holsters. I like it a lot better than the Crossbreed, but it's pricier too.

[luvmyberetta]

Try different pistols and see what you like. There are a lot of ranges that will rent a gun cheap for practice and you may just stumble on your favorite pistol. I can't tell you what the best choice will be for you, but my personal favorite in a 9mm is my Ruger SR9. It is only slightly over 1" wide, holds 17+1, has an adjustable grip, and is dead on accurate and reliable. They usually sell for around $450-$500 depending on the model & where you buy. It may be a good one for you to consider when shopping around.

Edited October 8, 2010 by luvmyberetta
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[Guest HvyMtl]

He has the gun fellows.

Now he is looking for a good holster for a Sig 226

[Guest spoolie]

Sig 220 or 1911 with a super tuck deluxe from crossbread holsters.