CCW Bleg
Looking for Advice On a Carry Gun
This Sunday, while the vast majority of my fellow Americans will be preparing to watch the New York Giants get obliterated by the New England Patriots in the Super Bowl (and for the record, I’m pulling for the Giants…sorry Eli, it’s going to be a long day), I’ll be taking the concealed carry class required to obtain my concealed carry permit here in North Carolina.
I carry either a Kel-Tec P3AT or a Glock 30.
February 1st, 2008 at 3:25 pm
I have a carry permit in Tennessee–since 2001. It’s an enumeraetd right to carry for self-defense in the 2nd Amendment and in Article I, Section 26 of the Tennessee Constitution’s Declaration of Rights. Therefore laws requiring permits and payment with intrusive background checks are actually unconstitutional. I sometimes “justify” our state permit law by trying to look at it as the State regulating its “militia” (armed citizenry) as mentioned in the subordinate, explanatory clause of the 2nd Amendment.
But do what you need to do to get and keep guns in your hands. The more guns in the hands of citizens….the better. Guns in our hands are a threat to only criminals and tyrants. I worry much more about the latter with their hired guns!
February 1st, 2008 at 3:48 pm
I just received my TN carry permit in the mail today (2/1/08). I have a 32 cal Walther PPK inside my waist band as I type.
February 1st, 2008 at 3:51 pm
Ron W:
Its an enumeraetd right to carry for self-defense in the 2nd Amendment and in Article I, Section 26 of the Tennessee Constitutions Declaration of Rights. Therefore laws requiring permits and payment with intrusive background checks are actually unconstitutional.
How do you figure? Not the way I read Article I, Section 26:
[Emphasis mine.]
A plain reading of this section states that the RKBA is for the common defense, which is a different thing than personal defense; and in any case, it explicitly grants the legislature the power to regulate the wearing (i.e., carrying) of arms.
I think some of the confusion here comes from the phrase “bear arms,” which in the time such clauses were written didn’t mean “to carry a weapon” but rather “to fight using a weapon.”
Confederate Yankee:
The right carry gun is whichever gun you’re comfortable with. Hook up with a gunnie friend and try out some of theirs, or just go to a range that sells handguns. Any range worth its salt will be more than happy to let you test drive the various models of firearms they have for sale.
If you actually plan on carrying, I’d stick with a more compact model. And I haven’t shot all that much, but I’m rather partial to .40 S&W.
February 1st, 2008 at 3:52 pm
Ron W:
P.S. You’re scaring white people. 🙂
February 1st, 2008 at 4:04 pm
Get a good revolver.
February 1st, 2008 at 4:48 pm
Mine are a Walther PPK in .22LR and a Beretta double-action skinny butt (8-shot magazine) in .380.
February 1st, 2008 at 4:50 pm
P.S. The Walther will feed anything, never jams, and that’s important.
February 1st, 2008 at 5:16 pm
I have, and always recommend, a Taurus 5shot snub nose .357 revolver. Light, reliable, KISS, can pack a hell of a punch loaded with .357 and cheap and easy to target shoot with .38’s. To me it’s everything I want in a carry gun.
February 1st, 2008 at 5:17 pm
I carry two, a subcompact XD-40 in my pocket, and a S&W model 915 in the coat. Never forget that comfort is as important as the firearm you will be carrying when going concealed.
February 1st, 2008 at 5:30 pm
It all depends on where I’m going and what I’m doing.
Winter = 5′ XD45 compact
Summer = G30
Class = S&W j-frame
Family holiday = Kel-tec P3AT
Carry can be pocket, ankle, IWB, compression shirt or SmartCarry. Keep in mind there is a trade off between concealment and access. The better hidden, the slower the access. Honestly, for my body, SmartCarry is a good balance of conceal and access. I only go deeper if I absolutely, positively cannot be made.
When possible I carry one of the .45s and one of the .30 cals as a back up.
90% of the time, it’s either the XD or the G30. if I can ever find a 4″ XD45 compact at a decent price, the G30 may be retired as a carry piece.
Now, if I’m gonna be out on the in-laws farm in after dark… AR15. They gots mountain lions, wild dogs, and meth heads out that way.
Not sure how this helped… What makes a good carry gun is different for everyone. I tend to lean toward Clint Smith’s theories (fanboy alert!) and try to carry the biggest boomstick I can (.45), always have a backup, and dress around the gun. If you aren’t willing to modify your life and closet for carry, you may want to rethink carry.
Lastly… Get a good belt made for CCW. The first time you use one it’s like a light bulb going on.
February 1st, 2008 at 6:56 pm
Any feedback on this model?
http://www.kel-tec-cnc.com/p11.html
February 1st, 2008 at 6:57 pm
Most of the time = Full size 1911 .45
Some of the time = Bersa “Thunder” .380
Used to: Springfield EMP 9mm, sold to pay the bills 🙁
February 1st, 2008 at 6:59 pm
Better question, what about these two?
http://www.lonedarkknight.com/Myguns/XDvsKT.htm
February 1st, 2008 at 10:56 pm
I friend has one of them kel-tecs. Not a big fan. I’m not a gun expert, but I can handle all my handguns, from a .22 to the 500 supremely accurate at 10 feet or more, but I cannot hit anything with that kel-tec. It has a pretty mighty rip because of its size and weight. A good last resort weapon or a very easy to conceal pistol. In expensive also.
That xd 40, though, is really good. Just small enough to fit in my pocket. All kinds of weather, I take that sucker around. With the extended mag., it is easier to gain great accuracy. I completely suggest it, if you can find one.
February 2nd, 2008 at 12:00 am
tgirsh said:
I think some of the confusion here comes from the phrase bear arms, which in the time such clauses were written didnt mean to carry a weapon but rather to fight using a weapon.
Nope. There was a gentleman class which could “bear arms” all the time and a commoner class which could only “take up arms” when ordered to fight by their feudal lord or the King’s Sheriff.
February 2nd, 2008 at 10:27 am
Why would you only have ONE carry gun? You ought to celebrate diversity and have a choice of several! I’ve carried Highpowers, Lugers, Colt Revolvers, Sigs, 1911s, H&K P7M8s, 1903 Colt Pocket models, and my all-time favorite: the Glock 19.
Remember, if you have just ONE gun you are ONE gun away from having NO guns.
February 2nd, 2008 at 11:09 am
Keep things simple friend-o. Though I have owned many pistols over the years the one that ends up in my pocket is an old Smith and Wesson snubnose in .38 Special. My recommendation is a Smith and Wesson 648 for civilian concealed carry.
February 2nd, 2008 at 1:52 pm
Kel tec 380, Glock 27 or 1911.
February 2nd, 2008 at 8:17 pm
Wather PPK, 380.
Thin, light, Corbon ammo, easy to conceal.