So here's my dilemma. I live in Illinois. I'm not sure how this whole concealed carry law is going to end up and with all this talk about possibly banning anything handguns that hold more than 10 in a magazine I'm debating because I've never had the right to. I was looking into the Springfield XD(m) 40. It's this too large/bulky of a gun to conceal? Should I go with a subcompact? Either way, I don't want to miss out on my chance to buy one of these guns like AR.
(I've shot with both 9mm and 40 springfield pistols and I just love the feel so I'm pretty set with the brand.)
Hi Neighbor!
I'm currently a resident of NW Indiana, but I grew up in Chicago, IL...
As for your issue, I'm still fairly new to Concealed Carry myself. I tried CC about 14 years ago with a service revolver. It was a fairly bulky carry due to its size and I got out of the habit about 7-10 years ago and sold it.
Now I'm getting back into it and am carrying a
Link Removed. Personally I don't think it's an Ultra Compact, as in Sub-Compact type guns, but it is a Compact. It looks to be about the same size as the
Link Removed. I believe this is so because I've had a dickens of a time finding a decent holster for it since I can't find anyone that lists it accept Fobus. But I went down to the Local
Big R and tried Blackhawk Holsters until I found a
Link Removed that seemed to fit my weapon. It was listed as being for the Springfield XD and XD Compact. I had to soak the leather and let it fit to my handgun in order to get a smooth draw, but it leads me to believe that the two guns are essentially the same size. This is a OWB Carry, but depending on how the Illinois Court Ruling turns out may work for you too.
Given the similarity in size, I think you'll find the XD Compact or even Sub-Compact to be decent for you. I wouldn't go with the full size myself, but I've seen lots of people mentioning full size weapons for their CC, so it might work for you. Like the others have said, in the end, it'll be what works for you.
As for the worry about magazine size, it wouldn't hurt for you to follow the 10 + 1 rule as I'm sure that Illinois being the **BLEEP** that they are about guns will want to tighten up on their restrictions for carry. I also don't expect them to willingly pass the law and try to appeal the courts decision.