I have never owned a gun, but have shot occasionally here and there on a shooting range. I understand the basics of gun safety and can get around the day-to-day of gun ownership. My wife and I are thinking about doing a full on safety training + CC so that both can use this gun we are purchasing in case anything happens.
I have been eyeing a few guns here and there, but wanted to get your thoughts on what would you recommend in my situation:
- At least 12 bullets per mag as stock mag
- Lowest recoil possible
- Compact enough without it being an issue on accuracy (need something that is big enough to be accurate but small enough that I can CC from time to time, very occasionally)
- Easy enough for my wife to handle. She’s not into guns, but probably something that would throw her off is a lot of recoil
- Comfortable grip
The guns that I have tested up until now:
- Glock 19 Gen 5
- S&W M&P M2.0
Guns I am still considering:
- Sig Sauer P320
- Sig Sauer P365 XL
Any thoughts?
I would advise not getting hung up on mag size.
If there’s something you need to get done in 12 that you can’t get done in 8 or 10, the mag size is not your #1 problem. :)
My daily CCW is the OG Ruger LCP with a laser sight. Extended mag gives me 7+1.
https://ruger.com/products/lcp/models.html
I’ve been eyeing the LCP Max which is 10+1 stock, but when it first came out there were quality control issues, I haven’t heard if they ironed them out yet or not.
https://ruger.com/products/lcpMax/models.html
Extended mag for it brings it to 12+1.
Now I know, I know, “.380? Really?” So hear me out… not all .380 rounds are created equally. There’s this guy on Youtube who ran through a BOATLOAD of different brands running side by side comparisons. Something insane like 20+ videos in the series JUST on .380.
His conclusion here:
https://youtu.be/GNtPHYwcDts
My completely unscientific experience with an LCP MAX is that if it starts out cleaned, it will reliably shoot at least 3 mags. I have never had a failure to feed on the first mag of the day. However, something about it’s action seems super rough on the brass, and brass powder and flakes build up very quickly inside the gun. Because of that, after a number of mags I will begin getting feeding issues. I’ve watched for this pattern and it has consistently happened numerous times for me. I clean it, and more brass than I’ve ever seen on any other pistol comes out.
This is not exactly ideal, but for a CC pistol with only one magazine carried it doesn’t seem to be a practical issue.
Yeah, the primary issue I kept hearing at launch was NIB guns with rust(!) Which is unacceptable especially since the LCP and LCP II were solid.
The LCP did have some teething issues mostly the recall of early models for drop safety issues. That was 2008 when they were first introduced.
Oh that. I have not seen any evidence of that.
Yeah, I forget when the launch was, 1-2 years ago? Something like that. Lots of reports then.
That’s really good advice. The only reason I wanted to go with a little bit increased capacity is cause we are just getting our first gun and wanted something noob proof as in: hope I can hit whatever I need to hit with this many rounds lol.
As a noob, I think the sense of reassurance in having a few extra just in case is why I’m thinking about this.
I think this gun will primarily be collecting dust in a safe right next to my nightstand with very very occasional CC, so not really an EDC material TBH. I was also thinking about just getting a G26 as I’ll have the 9mm caliber I want in a smaller form factor so if and when I decide to carry it, it won’t be uncomfortable.
The G26 isn’t a bad choice, and 9mm was my first gun (Beretta 92fs). I think you’ll surprise yourself once you get in some range time, and you and your wife should get in enough time to where you’re comfortable with your handling and accuracy.