A smaller gun for carry

[border.bandito]

One question not yet addressed: If I decide to go with Glock again, is it better to have the littler, more-concealable G42 in .380, or should I wait to see if Glock releases the single stack 9 this year? I only worry that the new 9 will still be large and not much better for concealment than my G26.

without starting a whole caliber war, i personally think 9mm is already a borderline calliber for self defense...so me personally, i wouldnt use .380 for a carry calliber.

[TMcGuff]

My wife had the same problem, She now has the g19 in her car and a g42 on her or in a purse.

[KahrGuy9]

My opinion is the largest frame gun in a caliber that you can manage, whether it's a 9mm, 40S&W, .45acp or 10mm. The smaller the gun, the more difficult it is to grip and manage recoil. In other words it would be much easy to make the shot with a G17, for example, than a SeeCamp .32acp. And because it is for CCW, it could be the one shot of your lifetime. You can never have too many rounds or too much power. I also think you can CCW a G20 or full size 1911 with the right wardrobe.

[kaligaran]

I prefer single stack pistols for CCW. Just works better with my clothing preferences (jeans and somewhat fitting shirts).
I also prefer 9mm or larger and striker fired pisols.

Currently I have a Taurus pt709 slim. While I love this little gun and would recommend it, next carry pistol I buy won't have a manual safety. Since I don't carry with the safety engaged (personal preference), I'd rather not have a safety at all.

Good luck in your search!

[Glock Girl in CA]

Ok, don't laugh, but...

http://www.sigsauer.com/CatalogProductDetails/p238-rainbow.aspx

[kaligaran]

Ok, don't laugh, but...
http://www.sigsauer.com/CatalogProdu...8-rainbow.aspx

The only downside to a gun like this for CCW is that you have two different trigger pulls, one when the hammer is down (decocked) and one when the hammer is cocked as in during follow up shots.

For a CCW/self-defense weapon, I personally want a consistent trigger pull every time.

Just something to consider.

[YZINGERR]

My vote is for an LCP. .380 and 9mm are the same caliber for the most part, .380 being lighter and lower powered.
The lcp is cheap, reliable, and thin

[code_blue]

You're a lefty, but you shoot Glocks and have learned to use them despite being a lefty.

I'm going to recommend a Kahr. Striker fire, DAO, similar shape and design to a Glock and single stack 9mm.

CW9 would be your G19 single stack and CM9 would be your G26 single stack equivalents. The PM9 (upgraded CM9) series has the "Black Rose" edition if you want something a bit more flashy. Those are the polymer framed versions and you can step it up to the K or MK lines if you want the metal frames.

Price point between $350-$500 on the used market depending on which model you want.

GL

http://www.kahr.com/Pistols/Pistols.asp

EDIT: I'm going to flat out recommend the CW9. It's cheap, reliable, and fits your needs. I've owned one and it was great and the only reason that I gave it up was because I'm a DA/SA Sig Sauer kind of guy. CGN has plenty of used ones for around $400. If you get one with Sub 300 rounds, then I'd advise that you properly follow Kahr break in procedures then go from there.

You can order night sights on your own and add 8 round mags as backup. It holds 7 standard.

http://www.kahr.com/Pistols/Kahr-CW9.asp

[jdben92883]

G42 is a great gun. .380 Buffalo Bore ammo gets very close to 9mm ballistics. It's better than .38 special, so the G42 trumps 5-shot j-frames. I don't believe that the upcoming single stack 9mm is going to be built on the G42 frame, so it's likely going to be bigger.

[BonnieB]

I usually shoot .40 caliber Glocks, but I have a 1984 Colt Mustang Mark IV Plus 2, in .380. I find it very comfortable and deadly accurate. And as we've said many times, it doesn't matter what the caliber is, if you don't actually have the dang gun with you. And shot placement is more important than bullet weight. If you can't hit the BG, a .45 won't help you.

There's a good thread here in the Women's Forum on the relative merits of caliber and here's a link.

http://www.calguns.net/calgunforum/showthread.php?t=918103

The "bigger is better" crowd will certainly disagree, but of course, we women all know that the size of the tool doesn't matter, it's all about how well you use it....

[Glock Girl in CA]

Well, I went to the LGS today. My poor little boys had to really exercise patience and restraint as I forbid them from moving from their chairs and touching a single thing for the entire time we were there - about an hour. Not to worry, I rewarded them for their excellent behavior later.

Anyway, I can't help myself. I just love the looks of that little Sig P238 in Rainbow. Turns out the safety is ambidextrous, but not the mag release. I can almost live with that, I think. I've never seen such a pretty gun. All my fingers fit on the grip, but they don't on the P938. Odd, but the same thing happened with the Glocks - my finger hangs off the end of my G26, but all fingers fit on the G42.

I am still researching. I have zero, zip, nada experience with safeties and hammers on pistols. I've been spoiled by point and shoot and I'm afraid to enter new territory. So, more reading is in order. The dealer is on the hunt for my gun and will call me when he finds one. I asked about the process for gun-buying in NV and he says I'll walk out the door with whatever pistol I choose Wow.

[code_blue]

Behold, the Sig P239 Rainbow:




Same size as a G19, but single stack 8 rounds of 9mm and you can extend the baseplate for +1. Issue for you is, Sigs were designed for right handed shooters only and it is all metal so would be heavier.

[crosseyedshooter]

If you're considering .380, then maybe try the G42 to see if you like how it shoots. It makes sense to me to have defensive handguns that share the same manual of arms, same mag release, trigger, sight picture, etc.

[Glock Girl in CA]

Behold, the Sig P239 Rainbow:




Same size as a G19, but single stack 8 rounds of 9mm and you can extend the baseplate for +1. Issue for you is, Sigs were designed for right handed shooters only and it is all metal so would be heavier.

Swoon. Drool. It's the most lovely gun ever! You lucky dog!

[apk]

+1 for checking out the Kahr lineup. Theyre thin, light and concealable. I first expected recoil to be snappy but I was surprised at how controllable it was(cw9).