recommend an inexpensive Con-Carry handgun

[danlnc]

I have come across HiPoint and Taurus and Keltec. Any and all suggestions would be appreciated. Or any experience with the ones mentioned. probably a 380 but I am up for suggestions. my wife will be the primary one to carry it.

After much investigation the short list is. S&W SD9 ,Kahr CW9 , Ruger LC9 , Berrsa Thunder Pro 9mm. I think My wife is leaning toward the S&W as that is what we use on the job.

Well My wife picked the Kel Tec 380. I choose the Ruger LC9.

[acinpcola]

I have a taurus Judge what are you looking at. I normally will carry either my 10mm glock sf or my 380. The 380 fits in the front jean pocket.

Whatever you decide to carry make sure you are comfortable with it and remember, once you pull it to protect yourself or family & friends you have to be committed to that reason. Pulling the piece to attempt to scare the attacker can get you dead.

AC

[MMMII]

In my opinion it comes down to two primary things:

- what is she comfortable using
- how will it be carried

[Bob Denman]

I've had good luck with Taurus; but I'd suggest a Seecamp in .32 acp...

[Wiredux]

Agree with all of the above.

[SllimG]

There are a lot of great CC weapons out there. Most ranges will let you rent firearms and it might be worthwhile to shoot a few different models and see what "fits" you the best. I'd stay away from the cheap ones. Invest in something that is reliable and feels good to you when you shoot it. If you ever need it, it will be the best money you ever spent.

If "inexpensive" is definitely part of your criteria, go with the keltec 380. It is reliable and fits nicely in your front pants pocket. I've had mine for years, put thousands of round through it, and never had a failure.

My favorites for concealed carry are the Sig P238 and P938. Excellent weapons but they do not fall into the "inexpensive" category.

Whatever you get, practice, practice, and practice some more.

[Pennyrick]

I have come across HiPoint and Taurus and Keltec. Any and all suggestions would be appreciated.
Or any experience with the ones mentioned.

probably a 380 but I am up for suggestions. my wife will be the primary.

The S & W Bodyguard 380 is very lightweight, has laser sights, 6 round magazine and measures 5"x 4". Cost is right around $400 but I paid $379 for mine.

[Pennyrick]

Whatever you get, practice, practice, and practice some more.

Good advice.

Here is a clip from our local newspaper last week....

WALTON COUNTY, Ga. -

A Loganville mother shot an alleged home intruder several times on Friday.

According to Walton County Chief Deputy Keith Brooks, the woman was working upstairs when she spotted a man outside the window of her home on Henderson Ridge Lane. The woman, who was home with her 9-year-old twins, heard the man knock at the door. She called her husband at work, who said that he wasn't expecting anyone at the house.

The woman said that the man went to his vehicle and returned with a crowbar. The man then forced his way inside and rummaged through the home.

While her husband called 911, the woman grabbed a revolver fled into a crawlspace with her children.

When the man opened the crawlspace door, she fired six shots with her .38 revolver, hitting the man several times.

"She comes out of the crawlspace and she's standing over the perpetrator, who she says is crying, telling her to stop shooting," said Walton County Sheriff Joe Chapman.

The alleged would-be burglar -- now wounded -- fled the house, jumped into his vehicle and attempted to drive away, according to Brooks. He lost control of the vehicle and crashed. Deputies arrived on scene and took him into custody.

The man, identified by authorities as 32-year-old Paul Slater of Loganville, was taken to Gwinnett Medical Center. He is listed in critical condition.

Chapman said it appeared to be a justified shooting of a woman defending her home and children.

The guy survived even though she got him center mass four times and one in the head. This with a .38. Pretty good shooting from her knees in a crawlspace but it turns out she spends a lot of time on the range. It does no good to have one and not know how to use it. Practice is very important, as is knowing when to use it (or not).

[retread]

Ruger LC series, 380, 9mm. That said, I carry a Springfield XD 40 subcompact, the 15 round magazine gives me a full 4 finger grip, and it hits a lot harder than a 380. Then there's my Taurus PT-22, 8 rounds, 2.25 inch barrel, fits in my pocket.

john

[Bob Denman]

One good thing about the Keltec; it fires from a locked breech...

[Spyder Cat]

I'm certainly not an expert, but I will say I LOVE my Glock, but it's not easily concealable for me.
So, at the recommendation of my firearms instructor, I bought a Taurus .380
It is very concealable . . . but I don't like it. I've had a number of misfires with it
(and yes, I know it's probably because I don't have a firm enough grip, or whatever,
but my Glock has NEVER misfired.)
So, I'm looking at a Ruger LCR22 (8 shot).
ALL the guys at the gun shop have the Ruger .380 and love it,
but I'm considering the 22 because it's a lot cheaper to shoot.
Haven't made a final decision yet, but from what I'm hearing,
there's gonna be a 3 to 6 month wait regardless what I order.

Anyway, do some checking before you buy a Taurus
Some people swear by them. Others, not so much.

Good luck! And whatever you do get, wear it in health!

[PrairieSpyder]

I have a Ruger LCP .380 with Crimson Trace. It's a great carry weapon.

[Wiredux]

I normally carry a Ruger LC9 but I just picked up a Beretta Nano 9mm.

[bruiser]

I carry the Taurus PT 22. Have put a lot of rounds through it. As long as you keep it clean it works great. Fits well in the front or rear pocket. Most times an encounter is going to be up close and personal so the .22 works good. I also carry a .40 Bersa Thunder Ultra compact in a shoulder harness when I'm in really bad territory. Those are my choices. Do what others have said and try several for feel and control. And make sure when you pull it you better need it. There's no do overs once the trigger is pulled. I do have a question. what do you mean when you say the wife will be primary?

[gnirtsnod]

I have a Ruger LCP .380 with Crimson Trace. It's a great carry weapon.

I have a S&W 38 special, a Glock 9mm, a Springfield Ultra Compact 45, and a Ruger LCP .380. Although I like them all, my usual carry piece is the LCP. Concealable, dependable, eight shots, and when loaded with hydra-shok loads, plenty powerful enough.

The neat thing about the LCP is the double action mechanism in a semi-automatic. A round can always be chambered, yet there is no safety to forget in the heat of battle. The pull is "deep" (trigger travel), but the adrenaline rush would prevent that from being an issue.

HINT: Practice with standard loads and only load it with hydra-shoks for carrying.

[SllimG]

The Ruger 380 and LC9 are copy-cats of the keltec. Both are good weapons, but I will add this. I don't like the safety features of the Ruger, but that is just my preference. I bought a keltec PF-9 and sold it a week later. I could only shoot about 50 rounds and my hands were done. The 9mm on that lighwieght, small frame was just too much to shoot for an extended period. That jackhammer gives you a real workout and my big hands just didn't have enough gun to hold on to. I suspect the LC9 would be about the same. Any weapon I carry gets a lot of range time (two hand standing/kneeling, strong hand standing/kneeling, weak hand standing/kneeling, all at different distances) If I can't fire more than 50 rounds during practice, I am not going to be comfortable using it as a carry weapon. Just my two cents.....

[SllimG]

I have a S&W 38 special, a Glock 9mm, a Springfield Ultra Compact 45, and a Ruger LCP .380. Although I like them all, my usual carry piece is the LCP. Concealable, dependable, eight shots, and when loaded with hydra-shok loads, plenty powerful enough.

The neat thing about the LCP is the double action mechanism in a semi-automatic. A round can always be chambered, yet there is no safety to forget in the heat of battle. The pull is "deep" (trigger travel), but the adrenaline rush would prevent that from being an issue.

HINT: Practice with standard loads and only load it with hydra-shoks for carrying.

I agree, with one small bit of advice.... Fire a few magazines of hydra-shocks through it from time to time. Some weapons do great with practice ammo, but fell to consistently feed hollow points unless the ramp is polished. You won't know until you put some of the ammo you plan to carry through the weapon.

[Dustybell]

My Christmas present from hubby was a cc class. He has a 40 and I love shooting it as it is solid and accurate, but after the 4th shot, by wrist is done. He took me to look at various pistols and to hold them. We have a friend that is a collector and they let me shoot different calibers to see what I could handle. The one that felt the best in my hands was a kahr cw9. It shoots smooth and doesn't hurt my wrist and is accurate. We lucked out and found one that had only one clip shot through it and got it 1/2 price.

My hubby has drilled into my head that if I ever pull a gun on someone, I must be prepared to use it. No if, ands, or buts. Several years ago I was home with the flu. The phone rang and I didn't feel up to answering it. About 30 minutes later there was a guy at the door. (the one who had called) I just ignored it as normally they should have gone away. He went to the side door then to our patio door and cupped his hands over his eyes and looked into the house. By this time I was frantically searching for a pistol. I couldn't find it so I grabbed my ruger 22 rifle. He went back to the front door and I heard "click, click, click" then he stepped into the house. He picked the lock that quick. I had the rifle shouldered and leveled at his head.

Come to find out he had gone to school with my hubby. I told him to leave and he was smart enough to do it. After the cops got him, he confessed that he was robbing people he knew because he reasoned that they wouldn't turn him in. Yeah, right! He is just dang lucky hubby didn't get him before the police did.

But, after he left I was a mess, shakey and couldn't talk to save my life. I sounded like porky pig. It is easy to talk about what to do, but it is scary actually faced with it. The feeling in your gut is just something i just can't describe. Luckly, I didn't have to face other consequences as he left and didn't force my hand. It's sad that you have to protect yourself in your own home.

[AlamoRyder]

I have purchased cheap guns, not so cheap and expensive. You get what you pay for, period. If you want the best conceal gun Sig has a new 9 mil. that is ultra sweet. and highly concealable. Nothing works like a Sig or performs like a Sig. My wife carries a P 238 and she loves it. The greatest selling point for women is the ease of the slide. Nothing else like it. Worth every penny.

[Farmboy]

I have a Ruger LCP .380 with Crimson Trace. It's a great carry weapon.

I carry the same. Great pocket gun. Like my pocket knife, Its always in on me at work, play.

[SPYD1]

I have had two Taurus automatics handguns and will not buy another. They both had workmanship issues that caused complete failure and had been sent back to Taurus several times. I bought a Beretta Tomcat in 32 cal SS for the wife and I have several Rugers and Walthers. My two cents worth...

[Bob Denman]

The Seecamp in .32 are very compact; about the size of a Beretta Minx! Slip them in your pocket and you barely know that they're present....But I still prefer "Old Slabsides" (Colt 1911-A1) in my Galco S.O.B. holster

[bruiser]

When I was stationed in England they gave us .38 revolvers to carry during combat exercises and real world situations. Now when I was in southeast asia pilots were issued that same weapon. However, some carried their own side arms. My side arm of choice was a Colt .44 mag. (I was not a pilot).

[PrairieSpyder]

... The greatest selling point for women is the ease of the slide. Nothing else like it. Worth every penny.

I totally agree. I have had trouble with grip strength, but I can rack the slide on the LCP. I had a beautiful Kimber .45, but had to sell it because I feared I'd never be able to use it effectively. I also have small hands and itwas uncomfortable to fire very much.

At Cabella's a while back I handled a Wilson Combat special edition 9mm made for women. It was really easy to slide. Too bad I couldn't afford the $2500 sale price.

[budro]

kel-tec 380---great weapon-----Budro