KMayUSA6060 wrote:Hey y'all!
I took my CCW class on Saturday (January 16, 2016). My girlfriend and I each passed the tests with flying colors (only 100%'s in the class; not trying to boast, just the nerd in me being proud of that).
From one nerd to another, congrats!
I am looking for my first handgun, but I am a smaller guy. 5'8" 130 lbs soaking wet. I had my eye on a Smith & Wesson SD9VE. I like larger guns for their accuracy and how they fit my hand. I also had it on layaway for $259.99. I guess I feel more confident with larger handguns, but I can't conceal them well at all.
Concealment has a lot to do with the unique factors of your cover clothing as well as the subjective matter of what you feel is sufficient concealment. The right support gear - holster, belt, etc. - however, will make concealment of virtually *any* gun that much easier no matter what clothes you wear or how you regard concealment. As
LegoGlock and others here have very wisely suggested, you'll want to budget this into your spendings. Since you're trying to watch the bottom line, this is just all that much more important.
In all honesty, I would budget in at least $75 for this, if not $100. I'm a geardo, and I won't lie and say that I don't do fancy gear, but I really am convinced that cost is but a sideshow, and that you truly can get excellent quality wares for very reasonable prices. But even so, there's still going to be a minimum dollar amount involved. There are excellent belts that can be had for around $30 or so. Add in about as much for a holster, plus shipping or tax for both, and you're at $75.
Look at Chris Costa. He's not a big guy, either, and at a class a few summers ago, he T&E'ed what I am pretty sure was the Armordillo X-FER: shoving a full-size handgun with a Surefire X300 directly down the front of his pants which, under a light shirt, simply disappeared even on his small frame.
In terms of the gun, don't worry about "accuracy." I've seen good shooters nail, consistently and repeatedly, "FBI-Q" sized steel at 100 yards with nothing more than a sub-Compact Glock 26, shooting just your average range-fodder., with a stock trigger. Drive single-hole groups at closer distances? Again, same.
That larger pistol will feel like it's easier to shoot for many reasons. Its physical mass will help dampen recoil. It'll typically "fill" your hands better - even for physically smaller shooters, unless their hand size is truly *very* small, typically, the ability to "get a hold of the gun" will help with subjective comfort. Typically, larger pistols have "better" - more visible - sights, which can also make the novice shooter immediately feel more confident.
A smaller pistol will take more time to master - so it's almost always better to start newer shooters with a full-sized gun - but in terms of objective, quantifiable, practical performance, as long as the shooter does his or her part, a smaller pistol will be just as "accurate/precise" as a larger one. Don't let that physical size become a mental block for you.
Despite the best gear, it's still quite possible that due to the way your wardrobe interacts with your body or with your perceived comfort or concealment needs (both, again, are subjective) will demand that you carry a smaller gun instead of a larger one. Don't let that get you down - just practice more, you'll be just fine.
KMayUSA6060 wrote:I've shot quite a few guns recently, but nothing I've found that's concealable AND comfortable.
Gear will have a lot to do with the comfort part of the equation. Unfortunately, as comfort is by-definition subjective ("What's your Sleep Number?"
), this is something that you'll just have to work out, for yourself. Many of us here as well as on other gun-Forums are continually seeking a better setup.
Question - you've shot a bunch of different guns, but did you do it with an experienced shooter or instructor at your side? Why do I ask? because I wonder if you're actually as comfortable/uncomfortable with any particular gun as you could/should be, or if perhaps some of the problems that you may be seeing - whatever they are - could potentially be due to technique or to something that may be easily correctable. For example, you wrote previously:
KMayUSA6060 wrote:
I should say here before everyone else suggests the Shield that it just doesn't fit my hand right. Something about the grip is awkward, and I always want to angle the gun to the left or right to comfortably grip it. Maybe too long for my hand? Who knows.
I'm all for newer shooters taking the time to do their homework and shoot as many pistols as possible. As a matter of fact, I commend you for doing so! But one really has to be careful to run it out properly, and if you don't have the knowledge base to really know what you're doing wrong, well...that's a bit of a problem......
KMayUSA6060 wrote:
...I also talked to a customer (I work at a place that sells guns; while I am the golf person, I help in hunting more often than not) yesterday who has the SCCY. He said he always pulls his shots because of the awkward trigger pull.
^ Ah, but that should actually read: "because the trigger pull is awkward for him, and he hasn't dedicated himself to practicing enough with it so that he overcomes HIS deficits as a shooer."
I'm not so great with my little Kahr PM9 or my S&W M&P 340. But it's not the gun's fault that I can't master their triggers, because I've seen what guys who really put the time into getting to know these weapons can do.
Get my drift?
I really like it that you're picky, and that you're trying to do as much leg-work as possible in finding that just-right gun for you.
I don't think that your budget makes it impossible, but I do think that it does make it harder.
I'm assuming that you're renting guns at a range and trying them out? Or are you borrowing from friends/family? If it's the former, that's a drain on the wallet, too - and instead of continuing to do so, I would like to suggest that you look for a local novice/beginner level class where the instructor/school brings forward a large selection of quality pistols to allow their students to shoot and gain experience from, all under their watchful eye, so that the student can make a well-informed choice.
This is going to hurt your wallet up-front, as classes of this type usually cost around $100 or so, but I really think that it should be considered an investment.
