Handgun recommendations for possible concealed carry?

I think a good place for you to start would be to go to your local gunshop to handle as many handguns as you can until you find the one(s) that fit you the best. Even better is a gunshop with an indoor range that rents guns. This way you try before you buy. A good place to start in my humble opinion would be the S&W Shield 9mm. I own one, it is flawless. Plus P rated and very comfortable and accurate.

The most important thing is what fits best in your hand and what you shoot best AND what s easy to carry. For me that s a Ruger LC9s. Go to a range and try some out. Too often people worry excessively about caliber. The reality is that you need something that you can shoot and carry comfortably. Caliber is very much a secondary consideration. If the only gun that s comfortable is a pocket 22 LR... then carry it.

Not too long ago the FBI studied a guy that was killed by police during a horrific shoot out. The guy was hit 17 YES SEVENTEEN times with both .223 and .40 cal over the course of 3.5 minutes. They studied bullet penetration, expansion, etc. BUT there are a couple important lessons to learn: 1) Humans are big animals that are not easily killed. 2) Shot placement is far more important than how effective a bullet is. 3) Be prepared to shoot and run to safety because they guy you just shot will most likely still be in pretty good shape REGARDLESS of the handgun you have for self defense. 4) Most of the Internet Operator Warriors are living in a fantasy land.

I ll include a link to a video about the incident below.

Now with all that said, the gun isn t nearly as important as a holster that will encourage you to always carry your gun. I ve tried all kinds of holsters and I can tell you with certainty that the absolute best holster in terms of comfort is the Urban Carry holster (link below). It beats the Super Tuk, Galco, Remora, etc. etc. etc. Hands down the best. HOWEVER, it s not as easy to get to your gun as an outside the waist carry. So you have to decide for yourself the best carry method for you. Honestly with one of those holsters and a small 380 ACP I doubt you d even know that you were carrying.

EDIT - Oh yeah... Taurus. No. Let's put it in perspective. You're probably in the $220-$300 range for the Taurus. A Ruger LC9 is less than $100 more. McDonald's pays $10 an hour where I live. Work a couple four hour shifts at McDonald's and get yourself the Ruger. That or cancel cable for a month. Or maybe don't buy Starbucks coffee. You get the idea. A gun isn't a place to go cheap. It's a defensive item and you want the best option there is available.

Wow, you included all the information that does not matter a one hill of beans.

First off - Do you have a concealed carry permit? Or are you forced to open carry. Does you job allow you to carry a firearm while on duty?

Second - what line of work are you in? It's very easy for an IT guy to keep a Ruger LCP under wraps than some guy splicing fiber optic cable where it's sticking out with the butt crack

Taurus. If you are in the military - or in a job that DEMANDSA you carry a firearm - you demand Colt and Beretta quality. If this is not you - Taurus will do fine once broken in. However, if you intend to make this Taurus your new toy and spend long afternoons at the range......... you will want the Colt or Beretta. Because most of us you are not required to carry a guy - we come home and it slides off the belt and into the holster. Next work day it slides right back on. Last thing you need/want is clearing a gun in your home every day damn or taking a dirty gun to work by accident.

Next - keeping your pistol in a tool pouch, tool case etc - is stupid. You don't have control over it. It gets lost/stolen u gonna be flipping burgers a long, long, time.

When you start to figure out this important stuff - then come on back and ask, ok?

It will depend on your comfortability carrying a a firearm. I recommend a sub-compact double stack if you can comfortably carry it, if not then a single stack will carry easier. I would not recommend a revolver or a small 380 unless that's all you can get away with carrying. As far as 380/9mm/40/45 I would go with a 9mm its going to be low recoil, larger capacity, and low cost ammo to practice with. When you look at the statistics of defense shootings you see that REGARDLESS of caliber 4-5 shots are fired to neutralize the threat so you want ad many rounds as you can get and you want the ability to accurately put those rounds on target quickly. I personally carry a Sig p320 (subcompact 9mm) and with a good holster (one you cannot buy at Walmart or ***** sporting goods) it disappears on my body. But when the situation dictates that I just cannot carry a double stack and I need something slimmer I have a S&W m&p shield which is a very nice firearm for the money. Say no to Taurus!

I can tell you what I tend to carry the most is my M&P Bodyguard 380 and NAA Pug 22 magnum. I dont leave my house expecting a gunfight, and I truly believe that a. 380 hp is good enough for daily carry. Most of the time I dont even feel under gunned with the 22 mag. Both guns are small and light and fit perfectly in my pocket, no matter what Im wearing. I own glocks in .45 and 9mm, s&w 38 airweight, ruger .357 and Springfield 1911. But I carry the little 380 because its comfortable and very concealable. Anyone who thinks 380 is not powerful enough does not realize the advancements in modern ammo makes this round extremely capable for basic self defense. But I do still keep my glock 26 in the truck.😉

CTM has the right idea. I've handled plenty of handguns and own a few. Personally I've always liked the feel of springfield xd/xdm's and have owned a few. The problem for me is I shoot glocks a hell of a lot better. Go to a shop that has range rentals. Handle as many as you can and rent as many as you can. It'll seem like you are maybe spending to much money on just renting but it sure beats owning a firearm you don't like.

Glock 27 and hollow point ammo. Glock 27 is smaller than regular glocks. Research it on YouTube. And 40. Caliber packs more punch then a 9mil round. It's the most common law enforcement secondary carry. Along with its bigger brother the glock 23 also 40. Cal. And the ammo is cheap. But it depends on what fits you best. I have a LCP pro 9 and its small and not bulky but shooting it sucks, the recoil almost hurts. My wife told me to trade it in for a glock. Glocks have far less recoil.

I owned a Taurus 9mm MOD PT92, and carried it as a duty weapon for a couple years. I never had a bit of trouble with mine and fired hundreds rounds through it. On the other hand my brother bought the same pistol when I did and he did have jambing problems with his. That fact of his gun having problems made me switch my carry firearm. So, best I can say about a Taurus is it might be a crap shoot.

I went to a H&K USP .45 for a carry weapon. It was, still is an excellent choice. There are many choices available. It is really something you should go to a gun range that rents and just see what you like and are comfortable with.

Mindset, skill set, gear set.

the service pistol and it's use have evolved and improved since the 1920's (High Power and the Beretta lineage starts way back there)

Smith and Wesson M&P, Glock and those xD pistols are the modern standard. Several other pistols are close seconds...and if you have a need for smaller guns several versions will work

Get some training... fighting with a pistol is not simply shooting one.

I haven't carried many guns, But of all the ones I have it would be the Springfield xd9 subcompact, it conceals very well and is also reliable, and dead accurate, not to mention that it looks pretty bad ***, but that is my preference, my friend Carries a glock 40, it all depends on what you like best