Quote:
Originally Posted by stephen426
I had typed out a long reply and the login timed out. Ugh.
As some have mentioned, some churches are fairly large so I would say go with a compact gun or full size of you can conceal it. The longer sight radius will allow for better precision and is more controllable. Size should not be a concern as long as the gun is fully concealed.
You did not mention what the typical “dress code” is for the church. If you wear a suit, you can hide just about anything. There is a holster called Urban Carry that sits inside of your pants. They claim that you can carry a full-sized gun and access it very quickly. With loo3ser fitting dark colored pants, you could easily conceal a larger weapon.
I would go with 9mm as it is more controllable and has greater mag capacity. You should obviously go with good quality hollow point ammo to reduce over penetration and “stop the threat more effectively”.
I would consider a light/laser combo or a laser at a minimum. While some people feel they are overrated, I feel they may be beneficial for longer range shots or visual confirmation of where you are aiming, while keeping your eyes on the threat.
As for your choice of weapon, there are multiple guns that fit the bill. For me, I would choose one that I can shoot well and still carry fairly comfortably. So let’s list all the guns that meet your criteria:
Beretta PX4 Storm Compact
CZ P07
Heckler & Koch P30
Heckler & Koch USP Compact
Springfield Armory XD-E
Smith & Wesson M&P 9 M2.0
All of these have manual safeties. If that is negotiable, you can add the Glock 19 and Walter PPQ. |
I agree with the caliber recommendation, the list of guns here, and the fact that a suit jacket or blazer is very forgiving for concealed carry. Any combination there can work beautifully with a nice leather IWB holster.
I don't agree with the light and laser recommendation. I understand the arguments in favor of these things but for real-life civilian defensive encounters both seem a little iffy. It's extra stuff and extra complication. In my experience, lasers do have value as a training tool. As far as lights, I believe in carrying an EDC flashlight. It's very useful for a very wide variety of things. Having a light married to your gun means carrying a second light and pointing your gun wherever you shine it.
As far as the Urban Carry goes, don't bother. I looked into one of these and it was a hard pass. Coincidentally, this guy came to the same conclusions I did. If you aren't familiar,
Active Self Protection is an excellent YouTube channel that looks at real-life defensive encounters caught on video. It's a valuable resource for anyone interested in these sorts of topics. This is the secondary discussion channel for the trainer and commentator on
Active Self Protection.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BUvpH1u3c-0