Help with CCW .40

[Rickum5]

Looking for some help. I am looking to get a CCW in .40. I have been looking at the M&P Shield, M&P 40c, Springfield XD Mod2. Not looking to spend an arm and a leg. I carry a S&W 642 5 shot now but want something with some better stopping power. Any insight would be greatly appreciated.

 

[NotTwoShure]

Slickguns, Cheaper than Dirt Sportsmans's guide all have good deals, I like the Glock 22 - Gen 4. Had the 92FS and 8050

 

[Guardsix]

Checkout a rRuger SR40c. Might be a nice carry.


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[XD40scinNC]

I carry an XD40 sub-compact as one of the guns in my carry rotation. It is also my favorite range gun.

 

[JSTEINER93]

I carry an XD40 sub-compact as one of the guns in my carry rotation. It is also my favorite range gun.

+1

I like the XD40 sub-compact as well. I suppose that the 'mod 2' would work as well since (i believe) the changes are cosmetic only - the ballistics should be the same.

 

[tcecil88]

Of the ones you mentioned, you just need to find a range and try them out. Most places here in the Cincinnati area rent all of the ones you mentioned. I carry either Glock 23 or Glock 27 everyday. They carry great and will stand up to most anything.

 

[bofh]

Glock 23 or Glock 27! However, I highly recommend Glock 19 or 26 in 9mm. Whatever you end up with, make sure you train and practice with it. Going from a revolver to a semi-auto changes things up.

 

[BigSlick]

Another vote for the Glock 27 or 23. Used to carry the 27 but change to the 23. Only slightly larger than the 27 with more rounds.

 

[bernardbarker]

The Kahr P40 is light and easily concealable. With an extended mag and one in the chamber it can hold 8 rounds.
Link Removed

 

[Rickum5]

I do love the Glock 23 also. I do have a Glock 23 now and love it. I also have a SIG P226 9mm that I love to shoot but would not carry due to the size. I am also thinking about trading the SIG in for a Glock 19. I bought the SIG 1989 and I've put maybe 250-300 rounds max through it and it looks brand new so I may do that too.

 

[Wild Dog]

On the rare occasions I'm not sporting my twin widowmakers, and longarm, for the world to see and decide to CCW I have a nice Sig Sauer P239 .40. It'll cost a bit more than $500 but I feel the extra heft of the weapon absorbs the snappy recoil of a .40 round much better than a Glock 23 or 27.

With that said, make sure you always practice at the range with either head or groin shots. With the proliferation of kevlar clad thugs, shooters, and mercs willing to rob, rape, and kill Joe and Jane Sixpack, you can't afford to go for a center mass shot. The lives of every single human being standing around you depend on it.

 

[Firefighterchen]

I haven't read anything about kevlar clad thugs...terrible advice ^^

Sent from my D6616 using USA Carry mobile app

 

[Happypuppy]

I carry a shield 40. The sights are good and I can get a full grip on the larger mag. It's a trade off. The G27 can carry more rounds but is its Heavier and has plastic sights.

 

[mojoman]

Have you look at the Sig P320C .40, I was at the GS last week and they had some for sale but I was looking at getting the .45 P302C.

 

[Blueshell]

Looking for some help. I am looking to get a CCW in .40. I have been looking at the M&P Shield, M&P 40c, Springfield XD Mod2. Not looking to spend an arm and a leg. I carry a S&W 642 5 shot now but want something with some better stopping power. Any insight would be greatly appreciated.

The best advice I can offer is to disregard the notion of "stopping power". There really is no such thing, like "assault weapon". What matters is shot placement, not bullet caliber or terminal ballistics (self defense shootings happen well before terminal ballistics come into play anyway).

It sounds to me like you're looking for a gun with a touch more teddy-bear-security feeling, that a bigger caliber will make the bad man go away. Now don't get me wrong, so long as you're responsible with your gun I say go ahead and get all the security-blanket comfort you want, I certainly do with magazine capacity. Let's just be careful we don't start believing things like caliber actually make a difference. Unless we're comparing extremes like a .22LR with a 44Mag, all self-defense calibers are practically the same even-though they're not technically identical. The difference between your current 38cal and a 40cal is practically non existent. In fact you'll likely notice a difference in your maintenance bill before you notice a difference in performance.

So, drop the whole notion of "stopping power". Pay attention to shot placement instead. When looking for your new concealed carry gun, get what you enjoy shooting so that you practice often and can put the shot on target when it counts. As for which specific gun, the only way to figure that out is to go handle all of them and decide for yourself.

My concealed carry is the Sig p320c. Everything is a trade-off, and for me the larger grip, larger magazine and longer barrel is worth the slight printing. I chose 9mm over 40cal for the extra round in the mag and 9mm costs a touch less than 40cal. "Stopping power" had no part to play in my decision and I strongly advise that it have no part to play in yours.

 

[bofh]

I carry a shield 40. The sights are good and I can get a full grip on the larger mag. It's a trade off. The G27 can carry more rounds but is its Heavier and has plastic sights.

I would normally replace the sights on a S&W Shield or Glock with XS Sights anyway. As the OP asked for "not looking to spend an arm and a leg", you are making actually good point. XS Sights would be an additional ~$80 in expenses (from OpticsPlanet). The stock Glock sights are generally considered terrible. The stock Shield sights are OK.

 

[XD40scinNC]

Virtually all calibers found in handguns are not man stoppers, they just don't deliver the necessary energy. It takes the velocity and energy from a rifle or shotgun to immediately render the attacker's body incapable of continuing the attack.

That said, there are many documented successful self-defense shootings with 22lr, 25ACP and other small caliber handguns. Unless they are crazed or completely stoned, the bad guy is not going to evaluate what caliber he has been shot with when deciding to continue or retreat, only that he has been shot at.

It's not the size of the hole, but where you put the hole that really counts.

 

[jehu1290]

I carry a M&P .40 full size and can hide it pretty decently even with lighter clothing on in the summer. I just have to go the extra mile to make sure the shirt is baggy enough. I cannot say it is the best out there, but imho it is one of the best for the 500 dollar price range. My dominant hand was in a fight with a table saw a few years back (the table saw won) and because of the way I have to grip my gun now, this was the one that fit my hands the best. I also sprung for an Apex trigger modification, which helped tremendously; however, that did add more to the cost of the gun.
Try as many as you can and don't settle for anything less than what is right for you. It's your life that may be depending on it.

 

[flyingron]

Having other SIGs (my normal carry gun is a P229 357 sig, but normally I use the 40SW barrel), I decided to get a P250 Subcompact also in 40SW. I use a sneaky pete holster for a couple of reasons (it's screams gun less and it can be used for me on pants that I wear without a belt as it offers no resistance to drawing the gun as opposed to the other traditional holsters which need a belt or you'll just pull the holster off your pants).

With nitesites I was able to find a brand new one for ~$400. Could have knocked $50 or so off that for the standard sights.

 

[SmithKoWitz]

Nothing wrong with a 40 cal, except they're slightly more expensive to fire per round than a 9mm. I like the 40 myself and often carry a Kahr MK40 with the extended mag for additional capacity. Not real fond of the M&P Shield 40, I'd rather carry the M&P 40 Compact; I like it even better than the M&P 9 Compact. Haven't shot a polymer Kahr in any caliber, but if they're like their steel guns K & MK series, they're probably very reliable and accurate; though they are a bit expensive compared to some other guns out there. Another nice 40 though on the expensive side, is the EMP40. Bottom line, try out everything you might be interested in. See how they feel, is the weight an issue, how well do they holster and where will you carry it? I like something I can comfortably carry in multiple methods: wasteband, hip, ankle if need be. Most of the time it's the Kahr MK40, Sig P938 or LCP. I can carry any of these in all 3 methods comfortably all day. The M&P 40 Compact or the M&P Shield 40, only works hip carry or shoulder holster. I don't do shoulder except for during outdoor hiking with a more formidable weapon than those mentioned here. Good luck in your search, may the choice you make, be one you are happy with for many years and safe journeys.