"Best Carry Gun"

[Amishman44]

Thoughts on the Mossberg Mc2c? I saw one used (never fired) at the local shop for $399. I was super tempted to grab it for fun. I figured the wife would see me sneak it in… walked away.

I bought a Mossberg MC2C and had it for a while...it shot great!
Ended up selling it and sticking with the Glock.

 

[42253]

The best gun to carry is one that shoots.

 

[Ashton1911]

I bought a Mossberg MC2C and had it for a while...it shot great!
Ended up selling it and sticking with the Glock.

I have a MC2C as my EDC for now. Slim, light, and a decent shooter. I prefer my caniks trigger, but they have the same capacity. I understand the glock, but the value proposition isn't there for me. MC2C has a glock style trigger, and it works, but if I am spending 500+ I would rather the gun has a better trigger.

 

[HEADKNOCKER]

It a SIG Sauer kind of day
Enjoy Your Sunday INGO
P320-X-Carry & P365XL

I drank the Kool-Aid
Bittersweet kind of like Grape & Lime

 

[ditcherman]

It a SIG Sauer kind of day
Enjoy Your Sunday INGO
P320-X-Carry & P365XL
View attachment 216361
I drank the Kool-Aid
Bittersweet kind of like Grape & Lime

Nah, you didn’t drink the kool aid, you drank the truth serum.
Every day is a Sig day.
Of course, I suppose this kind of talk belongs over in the Sig-ness thread.

 

[HEADKNOCKER]

I am a glutton for punishment being old & retired + can't make up my mind
My main carry guns are Glock 43X, M&P Shield 2.0, Springfield Hellcat OSP & SIG P365XL
I have several other bigger double stacks Glock 19X, SIG P320X, S&W SD9
I also carry a Hk P2000sk 40 + Ruger SP101 2 1/4" 357 & a Taurus 85CH 38spl
Also have around a M&P Shield 380EZ
Have a nine-room house not counting the two baths & have a handgun or rifle in every room somewhere

Need to keep a Glock in a zip-lock bag under the vanities in the rest rooms, that will give me a reason to buy the G42 & G43

When I go to the gun stores, they all interest me but it isn't very often anything comes home with me

The SIG P365XL & Springfield Hellcat were the latest to tickle my fancy

I have compromised & sold my three 1911 Colts, my two Hk USP Compacts, SIG P220ST, P225, P228, P229 & P239SAS, Hk USP45Tactical & USPc357 + Beretta92FS + three Ruger MKIIs & 10/22 & four SP101s + Five S&W J Frames 940/642/442/342Ti & 942

Now days these polymer framed striker fired gun are #1 for carry for a good reason = size & weight + reliable
Carry Every Day & When In Doubt Carry Two or Three...

 

[STEEL CORE]

There is a G-42 for sale in the classifieds for your bathroom HEADKNOCKER.

 

[COOPADUP]

Thinking about getting another P365 only this one will have a manual safety. So P365MS.
Sportsman Outdoors has a tac pac special going on. 3x12 round mags, some kind of kydex holster (questionable), plus free shipping.
549.00 +tax.
Pretty sweet deal plus a rebate for a another 12 round and 20 rounds of Sig JHP.

 

[DadSmith]

The best carry gun is a gun that is reliable and one that you shoot best with.

 

[chadm]

In attempts to be a modern day Dirty Harry, I suggest EDC with the SW 500 magnum! 750 grain or 450 grain. It’s all good. There is some “mild” recoil that should be expected.

 

[doddg]

I am a glutton for punishment being old & retired + can't make up my mind
My main carry guns are Glock 43X, M&P Shield 2.0, Springfield Hellcat OSP & SIG P365XL
I have several other bigger double stacks Glock 19X, SIG P320X, S&W SD9
I also carry a Hk P2000sk 40 + Ruger SP101 2 1/4" 357 & a Taurus 85CH 38spl
Also have around a M&P Shield 380EZ
Have a nine-room house not counting the two baths & have a handgun or rifle in every room somewhere

Need to keep a Glock in a zip-lock bag under the vanities in the rest rooms, that will give me a reason to buy the G42 & G43

When I go to the gun stores, they all interest me but it isn't very often anything comes home with me

The SIG P365XL & Springfield Hellcat were the latest to tickle my fancy

I have compromised & sold my three 1911 Colts, my two Hk USP Compacts, SIG P220ST, P225, P228, P229 & P239SAS, Hk USP45Tactical & USPc357 + Beretta92FS + three Ruger MKIIs & 10/22 & four SP101s + Five S&W J Frames 940/642/442/342Ti & 942

Now days these polymer framed striker fired gun are #1 for carry for a good reason = size & weight + reliable View attachment 216444 View attachment 216445 View attachment 216446
Carry Every Day & When In Doubt Carry Two or Three...

You are definitely a person I could learn from!
Reading of your variety, I did have a question.
Since you have enjoyed many of the same guns I've had, how did the Hellcat compare?
Never tried the Hellcat yet.
I came close to it recently when one was available in the Classifieds for a tempting price.
In reading about them, I didn't see any advantage over what I have had or have now:
- 2 revolvers (Ruger LCR .38 & Taurus 856 & had virtually all the snubbies in the past)
- Shield Plus PC (never met a Shield I didn't like)
- CZ Rami (had nearly all their models)
- Kahr (had a dozen of them)
- GX4 (prejudiced against Taurus semis, but friend told me I had to try it out, haha!)

 

[Sphinx313]

Have owned/carried in order: G17 (my first pistol. Why did I think I could carry a 17? Jury is still out.), G23, RI1911, G19-3, G19-4, SIG P320, M&P 2.0, Beretta 92X, and HK VP9 is my current pistol. I like the VP9 more than any other gun I have owned but I must admit: I got that 1911 after shooting a friend's Kimber and fell in love. I felt like I was cheating shooting that thing. The Rock Island was NOT the same experience to say the least, but I tried.

At the end of it all the best carry gun is the one you will actually carry which is probably sentiment that's already been shared, but it's true. I hated carrying the G17. Hated carrying the SIG. I'd carry any of the rest of 'em, though, and that's what matters.

 

[Ed steinberry]

I was watching a YouTube video about the journey of a guy who had carried multiple pistols over the years as "something better" came along.
Sound like anyone you know, haha!
Titled: "I Haven't Carried Another Gun Since I Got This One!"
Hegshot87 on May 27, 2022
He said, "The one gun that has turned his rotation into a monopoly, 95% of the time.
(Spoiler: SW Shield Plus)

He started out stating the Glock 26 was an amazing game-changer at the time (2000-2008).
Then the original SW Shield & variations, PPS & variations & XDS & variations came along.

Then came the Sig P365, another game-changer, with its size/capacity.
The 7 & 8 rds CC, all changed to 10 to 13 rounds, thanks to the 365.

He acknowledges that the Taurus GX4 is a fine budget-minded gun & the Sig Hellcat Pro 15 round & Shield 2.0 are great.
He mentions that his Sig 365 Spectre Comp has the potential to replace the Shield Plus, but not today.

The one that he doesn't see being replaced b/c so special: SW Shield Plus.

I thought this was intriguing b/c it reflected my own journey of having tried everything mentioned & more.
But, no Taurus semi-auto b/c of bad experience with a Taurus 709 Slim & customer service 4-5 years ago.
Plus, I'm a big fan of SW, with CZ, Sig, Ruger & "lesser" brands that I've had good experience with.

I also ended up with the SW Shield Plus PC & is in safe now.
The next day after buying a Shield Plus, I had a chance to buy a Shield plus Performance Center & did so, enamored by getting a SW PC for $50 more, as luck would have it.
They both shot the same with my amateur old eyes & hands, so I didn't care which one I kept, although having a "PC" made me feel better about my thrifty/cheap self.
I let a friend choose which one he wanted & of course he choose the less expensive one, haha!

I have not been temped to look for another semi-auto since the Shield Plus PC.
I've always loved anything Shield & had a few along the journey.
I sold an original Shield years ago & jumped on the Sig 365 bandwagon after shooting a friend's when it came out.
So impressed, I ran, not walked to Rural King an hour away, buying one of the few new guns in my life b/c they weren't stocked nearby after getting a heads up from a member here who know I was hot for one.
Thanks again INGO!!!

I eventually came back to a Shield 2.0, but was thrilled when I tried the Shield Plus in my hands.
I instantly knew it was a "Keeper."
I have a small Kahr when I need a pocket carry & I still love my revolvers (Ruger LCR, SW 642 & Taurus 856).

View attachment 211581

Shield Plus lower left, Kahr CM9 lower left, CZ Rami mid right.
View attachment 211590

Shield Plus on top of a Ruger Max9.
View attachment 211595
View attachment 211587 View attachment 211588

So it’s kind of frustrating that you have to buy mags from shield arms to get the 15 round capacity instead of Glock just changing their ways. But I care a 43x mos with a few shield mags and it has been the best carry gun I have ever owned. It’ll be a long time before the technology can make me want to upgrade this im guessing.

 

[flightsimmer]

I have and have had a wide variety of handguns. No, not all of the brands and models because a lot of them never passed the feel and test results at the gunshop. I used to work in a couple of gunshops and could play with them and try them out all day.

Many will shake their head and disagree with my choices but that's okay, I will take no offense because of it.
Over the years I have always come back to my Kel-Tec PF-9 for deep concealment. I know, I know, I have heard all of the criticism of Kel-Tec but it works for me.
I carry it in a custom made plastic holster that makes it disappear even under a loose T-shirt, even where guns are prohibited. Plus, If I ever have to use it and I servive the police will probably take it for evidence and I will not have lost a very expensive handgun.

Next, If I open carry, I have come to enjoy my S&W SD9ve, I carry it in a Blackhawk retention holster so that someone cannot just snatch it from me. Now I realize that some perp could get the drop on me if I'm not vigilant but if they do I haven't lost much that I cannot replace. I only paid $205.00 for it.

Now not all of my handguns are inexpensive, not by a longshot. I have some quite expensive ones but they are mostly range or fun guns. I have a fetish for 10mm stainless steel auto's and revolvers as many already know.

Now to the bottom line, "to each his own".
It's a shame that not everyone can spend all day in a well stocked gunshop with a shooting range where they can try out every gun they like but that's life in the big city.
Have a great week everybody.

 

[Route 45]

Second, the P365 was not a game changer.
That was the KelTec P11.

Strong disagree on this. The P365 was absolutely a game changer.
The KelTec P11 is irrelevant. You can't change the game if no one is playing. Every gun manufacturer that sells pistols is not responding to the market demand for micro 9mm pistols because of the KelTec.

Same as when people claim that Glock didn't change the game because the polymer frame HK VP70 already existed. Yeah, no. The HK is irrelevant. Glock is the one who changed the game.

 

[Route 45]

My EDC is a S&W Shield Plus. Or one of two, rather. One with a TLR6 light and night sights, one FDE model with standard sights. Both pocket carried only, 10 round mag or 13 round mag depending on the pocket.

I've owned just about all of the micro 9mm pistols out there. I feel like I'm at the end of the road after a long and expensive (but fun) journey with regards to small, concealable EDC pistols. For pocket carry, anyway. I'm not seeing how anything out there can beat the Shield Plus for me. Carries like a micro pistol, shoots like a much larger pistol. Others are smaller in dimensions with similar capacity, particularly the P365...but the Shield Plus just feels better and shoots so much better for me.

The only small gun that may rival my Shield Plus for EDC is a Springfield Hellcat Pro that I just picked up. Couldn't leave it alone with the price that I found, and the free gear promotion with a range bag and extra mags right now. But this would be an OWB gun for the odd occasion where I belt carry. I've always loved the feel of the XD series, but hate...absolutely HATE grip safeties. So I'm eager to put the Hellcat Pro through its paces. See Gaston, you CAN fit 15 rounds in a slim pistol.

 

[doddg]

My EDC is a S&W Shield Plus. Or one of two, rather. One with a TLR6 light and night sights, one FDE model with standard sights. Both pocket carried only, 10 round mag or 13 round mag depending on the pocket.

I've owned just about all of the micro 9mm pistols out there. I feel like I'm at the end of the road after a long and expensive (but fun) journey with regards to small, concealable EDC pistols. For pocket carry, anyway. I'm not seeing how anything out there can beat the Shield Plus for me. Carries like a micro pistol, shoots like a much larger pistol. Others are smaller in dimensions with similar capacity, particularly the P365...but the Shield Plus just feels better and shoots so much better for me.

The only small gun that may rival my Shield Plus for EDC is a Springfield Hellcat Pro that I just picked up. Couldn't leave it alone with the price that I found, and the free gear promotion with a range bag and extra mags right now. But this would be an OWB gun for the odd occasion where I belt carry. I've always loved the feel of the XD series, but hate...absolutely HATE grip safeties. So I'm eager to put the Hellcat Pro through its paces. See Gaston, you CAN fit 15 rounds in a slim pistol.

Loved reading about your journey.
I have even bought of few of your "rejects" in the past 5 yrs during my own journey.
Interesting that we both ended up singing the praises of the Shield Plus'
I ended up with the Shield Plus Performance Center model I didn't need, but who can walk away from the opportunity when the price was only an additional $50 more than what I'd paid for the Shield Plus just 24 hours earlier?

 

[zachcz]

Got another 365 just to be sure the gx4 was the absolute best polymer carry for me. Was hoping the sig would be better for me. But it just is not. The gx4 looks better, feels better, has better sights(I upgraded), better capacity, and shoots better for me.

I kinda feel this is like the the light bulb moment many of us had in 90s and early 00s thst foreign cars were as good if not better than more expensive “known” brands.

 

[DadSmith]

Got another 365 just to be sure the gx4 was the absolute best polymer carry for me. Was hoping the sig would be better for me. But it just is not. The gx4 looks better, feels better, has better sights(I upgraded), better capacity, and shoots better for me.

I kinda feel this is like the the light bulb moment many of us had in 90s and early 00s thst foreign cars were as good if not better than more expensive “known” brands.

Isn't the GX4 made in Georgia like the TX22?

 

[zachcz]

Isn't the GX4 made in Georgia like the TX22?

Not sure. I’d have to look. Didn’t necessarily mean it had to be foreign. Just what historically has been lesser brand, etc.