Still looking for a concealed carry piece that's smaller than the 1911.
Friend of mine has a Browning Hi-Power in 9mm, matte nickel finish, that he's willing to sell me. Don't know the price yet. He says it hasn't been fired in years except for two mags' worth that he shot when he bought it.
He's also got some .38 cal S&W's and Colt Cobras available. Again, don't know the price yet.
Discuss.
I don't see where a High Power is any more concealable than a 1911. They fit the same holsters and the HP has a chunkier grip.
Having never seen one except in pictures, that helps a lot. The chunkier grip comes from the double-stack mag, right?
How small do you want?
What caliber?
I carry a para 3" 1911 and you couldn't tell at the blogmeet, could you???
"The chunkier grip comes from the double-stack mag, right?"
Oui.
Mr. B is telling you things that make the Baby John Moses Browning cry. This is heresy and should be avoided. :D
Srsly, though, how do you intend to tote this heater? Belt holster? IWB? OWB?
Probably belt holster/OWB. Till I lose weight I don't see me carrying IWB.
I kind of coveted Og's holster yesterday.
I second the motion on the Browning. There are plenty of smaller, easier concealed, and more dependable 9's out there. A 9MM or .40 cal from Kahr or Heckler and Koch would be my first choice were money no object- at least for a stock handgun. They are very expensive, but like everything else, you get what you pay for. For the total package of price, safety, dependability, and concealability, you can't go wrong with a Glock. I seem to remember you suggesting that you didn't care for the Glocks. There's a reason that the majority of police departments in the country are carrying them these days.
You're going to have a tough time concealing anything on the outside of your waistband in warm weather. I don't care what anyone says to the contrary. You need a long shirttail and the gun is going to print. Personally, if I decide to start carrying again, which I might soon, I'd probably go for one of the compact .40's with a safari type vest over a short sleeved shirt for warm weather. You can carry the gun in one of the pockets. You can get them with a mesh back and they aren't too unbearably hot. There are a lot of them out there and you can get one for $75.00 or less. I need the extra pockets anyway for my cellphone, cigarettes, and I like to carry a mini flashlight also.
Yeah a long tailed shirt or a vest is going to be de rigueur in the summertime.
Luckily I like aloha shirts, and I like them big and loose. :)
I've thought about IWB in the small of my back, but with the busted rotator cuff, I can't get my right hand back there to pull it. So that's out.
Another reason it's got to be small is so I can carry without the lady wife getting all upset that I'm carrying.
I know, I know. This is my cross to bear.
Don't rule out a revolver either. The .38 S&W 637 Airweight would be a good choice as would a Colt Detective Special. These are not inexpensive though. The S&W has a hidden hammer and can be carried in your pants pocket safely. I wouldn't carry the Colt in a pants pocket. Loaded with +P ammo, the .38 is an effective round. I'd recommend a lot of practice with this gun because the recoil with the hot ammo is substantial, but not to the point that you can't control the gun. These are belly guns for close-up encounters like most private citizens are likely to be involved in. The 637 only holds five rounds, but the odds of being in a situation where you'd need more than that are astronomical. You could also carry a speedloader in your other pocket. It's as fast or faster than swapping out a magazine.