I very much like the P220 in .45, but didn't mention it because for me it's pushing the bounds of concealability.


One issue with short barrels is shorter sight radius and decreased accuracy at long range, but in a CCW pistol this isn't as much of a concern since self-defense encounters typically occur at close range.

The other issue is ballistics. If I were in the market and could easily conceal a 4" 1911, I might not choose a 3". But I would not make a blanket statement that a 3" barrel is too short to be useful. I'm no ballistics expert but will try to partially address this issue. Shorter barrel means the bullet spends less time inside it being accelerated, so velocity decreases. With decreased velocity, the bullet will not penetrate the BG as deeply and in the case of a hollowpoint may result in sub-optimal expansion. But even if it fails to expand, a .45 JHP will make a .45 hole, and is generally heavy enough to penetrate to vital organs. Some people are more picky than others about taking barrel length into account in choosing what ammo to carry. With a 3" barrel, I might not choose to carry 230gr JHP like I would with a 4" or longer barrel, but rather something in 200gr or 185gr. Then there are guys who use 230gr Golden Sabers regardless. Ask in some of the forums mentioned and see what guys like in their short barrel .45s. Practice so you can hit what you aim at, and carry a modern JHP load that functions well in it, and you'll be fine. That particular Kimber would be a great choice.<img src="/forums/images/graemlins/kewl.gif" alt="" />

There again, depending on what you want if for, it is hard to beat the single action trigger of the 1911 variants. Also there are probably more parts and accessories available to customize_accurize(sp?) & personalize 1911s than any other.....

are you <bleep>ING kidding me?

sigh...

i hope the POS was found guilty by a court of law for his crimes???????

can you describe the situation why the shooting occured or are you being silenced by the court case...

He pled guilty and was sentenced to 12 years in prison.

All I can say is he was in someone elses house and the owner called 911.

Good! He is still lucky. Next time its 45 time! <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/zombie.gif" alt="" />

Watch, he'll get parolled in five years. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/evil.gif" alt="" />

This is my current Sig, a KH date code (1997) P225 9mm.


This photo is of my son's HK P7 PSP 9mm on top of my old Sig P239 .40 S&W.


Here we have a Browning HP Mk III .40 S&W, HK P7 PSP 9mm, and Sig P239 .40 S&W.


This photo is of a Tanfoglio Witness 9mm and a Sig P239 .40 S&W. The Tanfoglio is a clone of the CZ 75, and a fine firearm and a good price. Very underated handgun.


The absolute bestest handgun. A Belgian Browning HP 9MM.

somebody help my logic warp around this one. Scott says you use a lighter bullet in a short barrel. With the same powder and charge, you have a fixed burn time. A lighter slug accels faster, so it's in the barrel a shorter time than the big meat (y'all hush that snickering). This means more powder gas gets wasted in muzzle flash and not used on bullet go. The heavy slug stays in the barrel longer due to inertia, allowing burn pressure to go much higher, and is accel'ed more? Huh? Wha'? howcum?

I may be nuts, but I feel that a CCW should be the one that you can point (NOT aim) the most naturally, a.k.a. "shooting from the hip", when you have to whip it out and get one off in a damn big hurry, and be fairly sure that you can hit something 2-3m away. When my father taught me to shoot a pistol, I was taught about 3 methods. First was single hand aimed fire, the classic duelling style. Second was supported aimed fire, a combo of 2hand combat, and object supported gun hand firing. The third was taught with a flashlight stuck in the end of the barrel, rigged to light when the trigger was pulled. No aiming here, just do it like finger pointing. With a little practice, I could put the light in the lethal zone on a mantarget better than 20 out of 20 at 4m in a fast pull scenario, and never lay eyes on the sights. It's sort of like wing shooting, which you do with both eyes open and on the target with only peripheral awareness of the shotgun sight rib.

Now we get down to the nitty. Where do you concealed carry yours? Did you know that EffBeeEye's sometimes sew a big metal washer in the tail of their coat so the coat will swing away right when they reach for their gunhand high belt carry?

Eddy, if I am out wandering the woods I like to carry a handgun in a shoulder holster. With a jacket, it is covered and protected from the weather and still accessible.
Carrying around town I prefer a high ride belt holster (OWB). I have only owned one inside waist band (IWB) type holster that I liked, a Milt Sparks Summer Special. When I owned Walther PP, PPK, & PPK/s handguns I used and felt comfortable with Galco S.O.B.'s (Small of the Back). These holsters worked well for me, and the retention screw system worked great, I never shook it loose.

In cold weather, I will often drop my S&W AirLite .22 revolver into my RH jacket or vest pocket. At 10 ounces, it is hardly noticeable to me. My son has a S&W #2213 .22 auto loader that also does pocket duty.

Here is Chris's S&W #2213.


My S&W AirLite, and a long gone Walther TPH .22 semi auto.

Yeah What everyone elese said.

Go shoot as many guns as you can, and find out which one you like the best. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/kewl.gif" alt="" />