Gun input

I'm in the market for a sub-compact gun. So far I'm liking the m&p shield 9mm, but will do a check with other manufacters so far luger, kaHr, barreta, kel-tec,
Sig & walther. Any other I should try. I'm used to 25 & 380. I will shot them all to get s filled of them & get the one I like. Any suggestings will be apresiated

I have a sub-compact Springfield XD (.40, 3" barrel). It's very concealable even with an OWB holster. However, the .40 makes it a bit snappy, with 180 grain. I'd look at 9mm version.

The trigger's much more operator friendly than a Glock IMHO. I paid $550 for it, and that was about 3 years ago. The XD lineup has some excellent guns, they are pushing Glock and Glock is pushing back. End result: consumers win!

Another XD owner here ( times two). I have around 6k thru mine with two ftf, both caused by reloads.

The shield is worth consideration, im looking at getting one as well.

Kahr can have quality issues (my mk9 elite went back twice and still wasnt right), but a coworker has the mk40 with zero issues.

Keltec seems fine, if you are good with a horrible trigger and sub par fit and finish. They seem to go bang when needed.

Definitely spend some range time at a rental place or friends who have the guns you are interested in. it will pay dividends.

Yes! Another Gun Thread!

Lots of opinions here, so get to a good range and try them. Auto mandatory? If not I'd highly recommend a revolver for carry. Taurus CIA 650 Hammerless .357 with a 2" barrel. Can handle +P ammo all day or carry light with .38 spl. Most people just run to the autos without trying the wheel guns. Do yourself a huge favor and give it a shot.

If there's a better SHTF carry gun out there I don't know about it. It's double action only so no worry about safeties, chambering rounds, etc. Point and shoot. Plus the trigger pull is hefty which means it won't go off unless you intend it to.

I have glocks, berettas, etc and always defer to this guy for carry in the hood.

YAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE gun threads. I can't stopped jumping up and down and clapping my hands.

Sub compact is by far the hardest niche to purchase for. There is a lot of debate over caliber, grip, size, external safety vs DAO etc... Like FBD said semi auto or wheel gun?
I recommend deciding on a caliber first because that will narrow the search field. I am a big fan of the 9mm in a sub caliber because I like it better than the .25 or .380. You need to find what fits well and shoots comfortably. I really like the grip, feel, shot of my Ruger LC9, but hate the extra heavy double action only trigger. The Kel-tec is a piece of shit in my hands and hurts to shoot even though they are almost clones of eachother. I dislike the feel of the Kahr so it comes down to ergonomics for me with a sub compact. They are all going to have 2 to 2 3/4" barrells with a short sight radius so accuracy is usualy only good at 10 meters or less. I have heard great things of the new M&P shield, will probably get one, but haven't shot it myself yet.

Give us what you are looking for to narrow the search pattern down a little bit.

Semi-auto vs revolver
9mm vs .380 vs .25 vs .22lr

Another benefit of the wheel guns is that since the grip doesn't need to accommodate a magazine, it feels like you're grabbing your own handprint. Uber comfortable.

I'd recommend staying away from the ultralights/Ti frames at all costs. They all jump too much and feel like an M-80 going off in your hand. The last thing you need is to be afraid to squeeze the trigger and flinch.

+1 for checking out the XD. I have an XD40 and love it. If the 9mm sub feels anything close to the 4inch XD40, you'll be happy.

Got me an 4" XD .45 as my carry weapon. Me rikey! Just feels right in my hands.

Wait for the new Sig P938.

Clickity clack

You gangsters and your 1911's...

In my day...

Sub compact? Whats that? Just buy a magnum 460... it will end any dispute, and likely obliterate any aggressor.. Trust me on this one... I have nothing better to do than buy big fucking guns...

Ok back in my youth I shoot 22 & 25's 380 & a 32 revolver. I will hit my targets which was steet lights in the streets of. Killadelphia. Some guys will get in shotouts shot a holeclip & miss. They all used 9's. So I never bother from 380 or 32 higher up calipers. No 25 for me that thing jamed up a lot.
I like the way the 380 shot, but that was in the early 90's, thing should be diffrent now.

Just want something to shoot @ in the range, I think I don't have the heart to shoot someone. Even back then I will run when there was shot outs.
I want to hit targets 10, 20 to 25 yards away & hit the target, I know with the higher cal 40 or 45 will be harder to do. So something like the Acr not that much kick.

My bro in law has a sig the one with a anchor onit will shot it Friday. Oh forgot price range 400 to 500 max.

kimber makes nice affordable 1911's which are just as accurate for me as any small caliber.

DealingTheDeathCard wrote:

kimber makes nice affordable 1911's which are just as accurate for me as any small caliber.

I'd stay away from the subcompacts unless you really vet their recoil springs and slides. Rob Pincus of the Outdoor Channel's "Best Defense" and instructor at Combat Focus Shooting did an interesting video on the subject. I think he goes overboard with his dislike of all 1911s, however.



I carry my GI-sized Ruger sr1911 "5 barrel concealed all the time, with an IWB crossbreed supertuck. People can't believe I do, but it's quite comfortable. I've never had a failure to feed or eject with it, and the slim design helps concealability. I wear it even with shorts. The key is the superior design of the holster and a sturdy leather gunbelt.

fucilli_jerry wrote:

I carry my GI-sized Ruger sr1911 "5 barrel concealed all the time, with an IWB crossbreed supertuck. People can't believe I do, but it's quite comfortable. I've never had a failure to feed or eject with it, and the slim design helps concealability. I wear it even with shorts. The key is the superior design of the holster and a sturdy leather gunbelt.

This ^^^^^^. Crossbreed supertuck is the way to go. With the appropriate belt, you too can pack a 25oz handcannon comfortably.

If it's just for the range and not going to be carried, you might as well go for a full sized gun. 9mm will be the cheapest to shoot. Something like a Glock 17.

I have a g17 and it is a real range rat...eats cheap ammo too, which not all autos like. Only problem was a bad clip spring after about 1500 rounds, but clips are super cheap. And cleaning couldn't be easier. It's the AK47 of handguns...ugly but effective.

If I was not going to carry, I would not get a sub for range shooting. 9mm will save you a lot in ammo, and is an effective round for self defense. Ask Osama Bin Laden. It's all about shot placement anyway. For carry I believe the less complicated a weapon is, the better chance it will have to perform the way it was intended. Quite frankly, 1911's have too much shit going on with all the safeties and hammer to worry about in a grab and shoot scenario for me. If you're trained law enforcement and have tons of trigger time, then it's not a factor.

9mm full frame guns won't feel much different than a 380 in a subcompact. 45s and even 40s have a bit more input to the shooter and the ammo is a lot more.

If there is a home defense need, go with a Mossberg 500 or Remington 870 pump. Check out the other threads in the gun section for some good points on why.

If you don't think you could squeeze off at a human target, there are many effective non-lethal concealable deterrents. Ranging from tazers (if you want to keep your distance), sprays, to stun guns and telescoping batons. Mrs. FBD carries a million volt flashlight/stun gun on her evening jogs. You don't want to be on the receiving end of that.

FBD wrote:

If you don't think you could squeeze off at a human target, there are many effective non-lethal concealable deterrents. Ranging from tazers (if you want to keep your distance), sprays, to stun guns and telescoping batons. Mrs. FBD carries a million volt flashlight/stun gun on her evening jogs. You don't want to be on the receiving end of that.

Mrs. FBD carries the million volt flashlight and Mr. FBD carries the tactical fleshlight.

Fuck N8...I guess I can't tell you anything in private...

LOL FleshLight FTW!

Winicott1001 wrote:

LOL FleshLight FTW!

Hope he don't get caught cheating on the wife with that thing...that would be a odd moment...

fucilli_jerry wrote:

I have a sub-compact Springfield XD (.40, 3" barrel). It's very concealable even with an OWB holster. However, the .40 makes it a bit snappy, with 180 grain. I'd look at 9mm version.

The trigger's much more operator friendly than a Glock IMHO. I paid $550 for it, and that was about 3 years ago. The XD lineup has some excellent guns, they are pushing Glock and Glock is pushing back. End result: consumers win!

i have the same gun and i love it, i have the .40 though, sold my glock cause i liked the xd that much more, will be gettting another

I was think that last night a full size. With a big clip with the small one you get 7 or 8 bullets thats a lot of time putting in bullets, unless I have some extra mags.

With full size you get 16 or more. I wanted something small for I can hide it home. The wife is giving me crap due to me considering buying a gun, until I can buy a safe box to put it in. But i got a good spot to hide it, not even my girls can't get to it. She don't want to hear it doe.

Ps. After I get it I will need that flash light big daddy lol with some lube.

FBD wrote:

I have a g17 and it is a real range rat...eats cheap ammo too, which not all autos like. Only problem was a bad clip spring after about 1500 rounds, but clips are super cheap. And cleaning couldn't be easier. It's the AK47 of handguns...ugly but effective.

If I was not going to carry, I would not get a sub for range shooting. 9mm will save you a lot in ammo, and is an effective round for self defense. Ask Osama Bin Laden. It's all about shot placement anyway. For carry I believe the less complicated a weapon is, the better chance it will have to perform the way it was intended. Quite frankly, 1911's have too much shit going on with all the safeties and hammer to worry about in a grab and shoot scenario for me. If you're trained law enforcement and have tons of trigger time, then it's not a factor.

9mm full frame guns won't feel much different than a 380 in a subcompact. 45s and even 40s have a bit more input to the shooter and the ammo is a lot more.

If there is a home defense need, go with a Mossberg 500 or Remington 870 pump. Check out the other threads in the gun section for some good points on why.

If you don't think you could squeeze off at a human target, there are many effective non-lethal concealable deterrents. Ranging from tazers (if you want to keep your distance), sprays, to stun guns and telescoping batons. Mrs. FBD carries a million volt flashlight/stun gun on her evening jogs. You don't want to be on the receiving end of that.

That much is true, regarding the 1911. Prior to getting mine, I'd only shot polymer striker-fired guns like my G17 and XD40. It took a lot of practice to get comfortable with the 1911. However, I saved a LOT of money just by dry-firing and drawing down in my basement using my B.O.B. heavy bag as a target. I shot my Glock for the first time in months last week, and I was sweeping my thumb down on the non-existent safety LOL. A couple days later I went back to fire both the Glock and 1911, and kept my targets. I worked on the trigger reset of the Glock and saw improvement, but when I looked at my 1911 target, I put the Glock back in storage. It was no contest. At this point in the debate, it seems there are two groups: one who doesn't want to deal with safeties, and one that doesn't want to deal with double-action trigger pulls or trigger resets.

I like both guns for what they offer. The glock truly is the AK47 of the pistol world. Cheap, reliable, can shoot muzzle-loader clouds of soot and not jam. The 1911 is the M16. Shoots accurate, smooth, and fast simultaneously with good ammo, but needs cleaning and TLC.

ON a side note, i hate TV bullshit regarding both guns. On every show, when someone pulls a glock, it makes the hammer-cocking noise. HELLO! No fucking hammer on this gun. Or they rack the slide. No one carries a fucking glock unchambered, except a retard who thinks he can do the Israeli draw. When someone pulls a 1911, they ALWAYS thumb back the hammer. Unless there's no beavertail at all, thumbing the hammer is fucking clumsy at best. Not to mention stupid, because an uncocked 1911 is slightly more useful than a blade-less knife. Hollywood sucks balls.