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Best Sub $400 Carry Pistol. Your Opinion?


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I just gave my Dad my Glock 30. It's a great gun that did all I wanted, but on my short body it was a little harder to conceal. I found an almost new Kel Tec P11 for $250. Heard all kinds of crap, but after talking to 3 guys that have multiple KT's and shoot the heck out of them, thought I'd see for myself. Glad I did. It's got a little more recoil because of the extreme light weight, but VERY easy to conceal, has 10 rounds and if I take my time, shoot 3" at 25 yards. It has digested every type of ammo I've thrown at it without a jam. If I'm not carrying my RIA Tactical, the P11 is just the trick. You can also use S&W 59 magazines which it was designed to do. Here's another goody for most shooters. Go to Youtube and find great takedown videos that show how really owner friendly they are since you can change out any part in under 5 or 10 minutes. OR you can spend more and get used Glock compacts for around $400 from CDNN or other vendors. Then go to a Glock GSSF match and their Match Armorer will do a full takedown and inspection as part of the the pre-match safety check. hope this helps...

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Any small Glock over the guns you listed. Glock 19 for holster/truck console for me. For a true pocket pistol probably an LCP. Those things are tiny.

Sorry I didn't clarify, but if I were to open carry I would just carry one of my Kimber Pros. I'm looking for a concealable pistol. One that I can tuck IWB and carry on my business around my property without drawing too much attention to myself.

Also, where in the world can you get a Glock 26 for $400?

I bought a like new Glock 26 from an individual in Atlanta for $400 recently. I have seen clean used Glocks 19s and M&P 9Cs for $400 also from individuals. I see new Kahr 9s regularly for $349. The Shields are hard to find in stock - I got a Shield for $419 plus tax.

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  • 4 weeks later...

I've got 1000 rounds through my Taurus 709 slim with zero failures. Had a PF9 that had FTF, FTE problems from day one. When the firing pin fell out that gun went back to Keltec for warranty then sold. The Taurus, with Pierce finger extensions shoots as accurate as my Sig at 15 yards. I've considered making a change to the Shield, or the Beretta Nano, or the LC9 (my buddies already shit the bed), and I just can't justify trading out an accurate and reliable pistol for something "new". For me, with the right loads, I'd rather have 100% reliability and certain death to the bad guy.

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I have a Kahr CM9 that has been perfectly reliable and would highly recommend. I think I paid $425. I have a Don Hume inside the waistband holster for it and a Ritchie Leather pocket holster.

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I've got 1000 rounds through my Taurus 709 slim with zero failures. Had a PF9 that had FTF, FTE problems from day one. When the firing pin fell out that gun went back to Keltec for warranty then sold. The Taurus, with Pierce finger extensions shoots as accurate as my Sig at 15 yards. I've considered making a change to the Shield, or the Beretta Nano, or the LC9 (my buddies already shit the bed), and I just can't justify trading out an accurate and reliable pistol for something "new". For me, with the right loads, I'd rather have 100% reliability and certain death to the bad guy.

Glad you got a good one, I finally had to complain to the BBB to get a resolution to 709.

OP-I'd look for a used kahr cm,cw- don't go higher then 9mm, glock 26,27, ruger lcr or lcp.

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I haven't heard anyone mention the Taurus Millennium, but I had one in 9mm which was a great shooter. I know Taurus QC is outsourced to the customer (I'm one for two sending guns back with defects), but the Millennium I bought used for $350 worked flawlessly; pretty tight groups too for what it is.

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Just a note: A very good friend of mine is an ER doctor in a "high crime area", he tells me that a high percentage of guys that get hit with 9mm or less walk out after treatment. Guys that get hit with .40's often spend the night at the hospital. Guys that get hit with .45's tend to suffer much worse injuries and the percentage of survivors is much much lower. :surprise:

Read what you want from that when it comes to a carry gun :devil:

Keep in mind that the intent is to stop the bad guy from doing what it is he is doing, Not always necessary to lay them out cold. Causing pain is the deterring factor. Carrying a 45 can get heavy.

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Just a note: A very good friend of mine is an ER doctor in a "high crime area", he tells me that a high percentage of guys that get hit with 9mm or less walk out after treatment. Guys that get hit with .40's often spend the night at the hospital. Guys that get hit with .45's tend to suffer much worse injuries and the percentage of survivors is much much lower. :surprise:

Read what you want from that when it comes to a carry gun :devil:

Keep in mind that the intent is to stop the bad guy from doing what it is he is doing, Not always necessary to lay them out cold. Causing pain is the deterring factor. Carrying a 45 can get heavy.

Something that needs to be figured in here also is this. How many of those were JHP and how many were FMJ/ball "target" ammo?

As to the original question, carry what is comfortable to you that you can shoot accurately under stress. With the size of my hands my P3AT has a grip ext on it and I shoot it one handed. My XD service .40 is just right in size and is reliable as heck. That being said, my next carry will either be a SC M&P, SC XD, or an M&P shield as I can fit two hands on them and not worry about scorching or blowing off the tip of my support hand thumb. :)

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classic_jon

I guess we just have different ideas

I don't mind the weight :)

For me it is not so much the weight as the size with the clothes I normally wear to work etc.

With my normal "weekend clothes" the XD service is not an issue, with slacks etc, the pocket sized ones are much easier to deal with. :-D

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A used G17 will come in under budget, but won't carry in a pocket. With a good holster it is no problem though. Personally I find the smaller Glocks in .40 hard to control, but the 19 and 26 are fairly easy to shoot well. The 17 just does everything a little better if you are going to wear a good belt and holster. I have a 17 with good night sights, a dot connector, and factory mags and I have only had 1 malfunction out of thousands of rounds (including home cast reloads) from inserting a 17 round magazine loaded with 18 (wasn't counting, and too much pressure on bottom of slide). Its a police trade in manufactured in 1996.

My buddy has an M&P9c that is a nice size and easy to shoot but the striker just broke so it is going back to S&W. The recommendation for a S&W 642 is a good one if you want something you can pocket carry.

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Sorry, but as much as I love autoloaders for this game for SD/CCW I will pick a 442 or Ruger SLR.

1. Stupid proof.

2. If your round doesn't go off you just pull the trigger again. No tap rack bang.

3. No slide to be pushed out of battery if the discussion is up close and personal.

Personally I carry a 442 with appropriate +P rounds. Yeah, it doesn't have the wow factor of the new miniautos, only has five rounds, and I would be happier with a bit more powerful cartridge but I consider 1, 2, and 3 above as more important.

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Sorry, but as much as I love autoloaders for this game for SD/CCW I will pick a 442 or Ruger SLR.

1. Stupid proof.

2. If your round doesn't go off you just pull the trigger again. No tap rack bang.

3. No slide to be pushed out of battery if the discussion is up close and personal.

Personally I carry a 442 with appropriate +P rounds. Yeah, it doesn't have the wow factor of the new miniautos, only has five rounds, and I would be happier with a bit more powerful cartridge but I consider 1, 2, and 3 above as more important.

I agree. And since I've carried a concealed handgun for 35 years and never needed it, I'm not going to go crazy on a carry gun again.

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