Hey everyone. I am looking at buying a pistol soon and getting my CWP. I am looking at either the Sig P229 or the HK USP compact. I was wondering if anyone had any info, good or bad, on either of these. Or recomendations for other weapons. Thanks for any info y'all have for me.

Depending on what caliber you want and how much you want to spend, look at the Bersa Thunder 380 and the Kahr 9mm too.

HK USP compact. Hands Down !

I had one in a .45 . I regret selling it.


NC1911 !!!

before you buy either one of them, try to shoot them at the range first. lots of gunshops offer rentals.

what works for one person might not work for others. I would never buy a pair of shoes online, why would you buy a gun without trying it first?

either is a quality firearm, though. if price were no object, i would probably go with the HK over the Sig, but dont overlook the CZ 75 compact or the CZ P01 either.

www.czusa.com

The CZ is cheaper by a few hundred bucks and is also quality.


Avoid 9mm kurz, for SD unless you are recoil sensitive. You dont get the combination of adequate penetration AND reliable expansion of the 9mm, 40 S&W or the 45 auto.


I would stay away from the kahr, at least for a couple of years. They may shoot like slicked up Glocks but they still dont have the same reputation for reliability that the Glocks do. Plus they are in the Sig neighborhood as far as price. for the price of a sig, just get a sig.


if you can, try out a sig with the DAK trigger or the HK with the LEM trigger.


if you are on a budget, check out the compact S&W MP9, the Compact Springfield XD or the Glock 19.


The beretta px4 does not seem to be a bad choice either.

Thanks for the replys gentelman. I appreciate it. I am leaning to the HK USP. But I am deffinetly going to go out and shoot a few different pistols first. Thanks again.

Taurus has some nice concealed carry pistols. I've never fired any of the other weapons that have been mentioned though. Just be sure you get something with a lot of knockdown power and go for the hollow points. Also, I've heard that .22s have a knack of getting in and rattling around inside which I'm sure makes up for the small size of the projectile.

Both the Sig and HK are excellent and will do you right, but take advantage of the advice given before and try before you buy. After all you're going to have to carry it around, not someone else, so do what's best for you.

Sig Sauer and HK are my top choice in a pistol. You cant go wrong with either the Sig P229 or the HK USP Compact. I have owned both and sold the Sig . I have small hands and the HK USP Compact just feels better to me. Both are winners but I would go with the HK over the Sig P229.

make sure to get training, too! and QUALITY training @ that!

I've got a Glock 19 for my carry weapon & I love it! My wife loves the Glock 19 enough that I bought her one as well. In the 10,000+ rounds I've run through a combonation of the two 19's, the only malfunctions I've ever had have all been manually initiated (ie: I set up the types 2 & 3 failures.)

get a Glock 19, get some XS Big Dot sights & get some training!

I do love the glocks, but they are sorta large for concealment. Great weapon though, fire through anything.

I have two pistols for concealed carry, A Beretta Tomcat (.32) and a S&W 642 (.38). Here in Florida, where its "shorts weather" most of the year, size is the key for concealment. If you can conceal a .40 or .45 then carry them, but a .38 at close range will do the job (also depends on ammo used). Alot of people don't take into consideration how they will conceal their firearm with what they commonly wear.

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quote:

before you buy either one of them, try to shoot them at the range first. lots of gunshops offer rentals.

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Excellent advice!

devilfrog's wisdom is spot on, too.

Excellent advice!

Don't overlook the snubby as a good concealed carry handgun. You can shoot it through a jacket pocket in a pinch. Try doing that with an autoloader! I tote a S&W 442 and two speed strips of .38 spl wadcutters, usu. in a sturdy PDA pouch. This is a form of non-holstered concealed carry. Just make sure what ever method of concealing the gun you choose allows you to have access to the weapon and keeps the weapon secure! I have a soft holster that allows me to carry the gun in cargo pockets for my shorts, too. Don't skimp on range time. I'm lucky, I live in the woods and can do stuff like shoot lying down with the weak hand (Officer down drill), moving shooting drills & etc. that you can't do on most pistol ranges.

Don't rely on the gun alone for defense. Know some simple hand to hand combat in case you get grabbed and need to break contact & get some distance between you & the attacker. A chemical spray & a metal pen for stabbing can come in handy if torching off a bullet is impractical, ex. there are numerous bystanders in the area. Even if attacked, YOU are LIABLE for where that bullet goes!

I bought a Sig P229 .40 a few months ago. I am amazed at how accurate it shoot. I have compared it to my Taurus PT99 9mm, my Browning Hi-Power (my personal carry weapon in SEA), my 1911 (my Dad's from WWII) and a friend's Glock .40. None come close. I have never had the privilege of shooting an HK. I just ordered a Sig P239SAS for carry. You just missed a great military discount for military/veterans/law enforcement direct from Sig but it expires today (12/31/07). They do have a new program for military/vets that gives a $100 rebate on Sig purchases.

Has anyone tried the Springfield DXs?

For home-defense though (especially if you live in close quarters) the glock may be a bit TOO powerful for some. It has been known to explode -- also you don't always want one of your misses going through your wall into your neighbors room...

John
Former USAF
www.realmilitaryflix.com

quote:

Originally posted by lovecheese45:
I do love the glocks, but they are sorta large for concealment. Great weapon though, fire through anything.

quote:

Originally posted by RealMilitaryFlix:
For home-defense though (especially if you live in close quarters) the glock may be a bit TOO powerful for some. It has been known to explode -- also you don't always want one of your misses going through your wall into your neighbors room...

John
Former USAF

There are only two reasons a handgun will 'blow up', both are due to the ammunition, not the firearm. Either handloaded ammunition, or switching between jacketed and lead bullets, or simply lead build-up. As a firearms trainer I have seen five blown out guns, one from excessive lead build up causing a bullet to become stuck in the barrel, blocking the next round and the excessive pressure burst the gun. This is, by the way, less likely in a Glock due to the rifling of the barrel. The other four blown up guns were all due to handloaded ammunition, two of which were Glock's.

The point is, that with basic cleaning and using the ammunition your firearm is designed to use, you will never have to worry about your gun blowing up in your hands.

ACTUALLY, Glock advises DO NOT shoot lead bullets in their pistols.
The type of rifling they use is prone to excessive leading. This can cause a stuck round or excessive pressures and a burst barrel. There are aftermarket barrels available if one wants to shoot lead rounds from a Glock.

quote:

Originally posted by Stormcharger:
There are only two reasons a handgun will 'blow up', both are due to the ammunition, not the firearm. Either handloaded ammunition, or switching between jacketed and lead bullets, or simply lead build-up. As a firearms trainer I have seen five blown out guns, one from excessive lead build up causing a bullet to become stuck in the barrel, blocking the next round and the excessive pressure burst the gun. This is, by the way, less likely in a Glock due to the rifling of the barrel. The other four blown up guns were all due to handloaded ammunition, two of which were Glock's.

The point is, that with basic cleaning and using the ammunition your firearm is designed to use, you will never have to worry about your gun blowing up in your hands.

Those four could certainly have been destroyed by handloaded ammo, but...
To be accurate, the simple fact of handloaded ammunition will not cause a gun or barrel to blow up. It is the "IMPROPERLY" handloaded ammunition, or to be even more exact, usually with an improper "double'charge" of powder, handloaded ammunition that can cause a malfunction, to include bursting a barrel due to the excessive pressures generated.

Dno't forget accidently putting 9mm through a .40....big problem.

quote:

Originally posted by 2506143:

quote:

Originally posted by Stormcharger:
There are only two reasons a handgun will 'blow up', both are due to the ammunition, not the firearm. Either handloaded ammunition, or switching between jacketed and lead bullets, or simply lead build-up. As a firearms trainer I have seen five blown out guns, one from excessive lead build up causing a bullet to become stuck in the barrel, blocking the next round and the excessive pressure burst the gun. This is, by the way, less likely in a Glock due to the rifling of the barrel. The other four blown up guns were all due to handloaded ammunition, two of which were Glock's.

The point is, that with basic cleaning and using the ammunition your firearm is designed to use, you will never have to worry about your gun blowing up in your hands.

Those four could certainly have been destroyed by handloaded ammo, but...
To be accurate, the simple fact of handloaded ammunition will not cause a gun or barrel to blow up. It is the "IMPROPERLY" handloaded ammunition, or to be even more exact, usually with an improper "double'charge" of powder, handloaded ammunition that can cause a malfunction, to include bursting a barrel due to the excessive pressures generated.

quote:

Originally posted by horseatingweeds:
Has anyone tried the Springfield DXs?

Yes. I own 2. A 9mm sub-compact that is 6.29 inches long, and w/ magazine extension, i have 16 rounds. I also own an XD Tactical in .45acp that holds 14 rounds. The Croation Army has made it thier pistol of choice. It comes in a hard case w/ slots for magazines and the pistol. Not real expensive either. Good pistol.