All posts tagged concealed carry guns

And the most popular concealed carry firearm

According to all of our holster requests are hands down Kahr firearms.  I don’t have a ton of experience with these firearms, but I will say that they are the smallest 9mm handgun that I would ever consider carrying.  I find them to be a little too harsh to shoot for that size, but depending on the on the circumstances I would not feel under gunned with one of these.   I actually first found out about the Kahr firearms from a retired Law Enforcement Official that work in the NYPD for 3 years.   He was the first person I ever met that actually carried two firearms, and  one was a Kahr PM9.

The .380 is a buzz, but every time I look at the ballistics of the firearm, I just cringe.   If I’m going to carry a gun, the 38 Special is the smallest caliber I will carry, but the Kahr PM9 and some spare Kahr Magazines fill my pockets.   I have several friends that pocket carry these firearms and 6 or 7 rounds of 9mm and a spare magazine is not minimal.  Maintenance on the firearms is not different than any other,  it is always wise to keep up with your recoil spring replacement and magazine rotation.

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Regardless of all of those .380 pistols out there

And I’m sure many of you own the Ruger LCP and LCR guns by now, but the Kahr .380 pistols are still in the top 3 as far as parts, magazines and holsters for .380 firearms.   I  own a few Walther PPK handguns but mostly for the nostalgia.   I personally think there are a lot of firearms that people own just because they like them and not because they are all that great of a gun.   There are many firearms in that CCW market that are almost like sports cars, they sit in peoples driveways or garages and get worked on, but they never go out on the street and on occasion, get taken to the race track.

Everyone and their dog is making a .380 pistol now, but the ballistics have not really changed that much and from my real world experience, I won’t carry anything smaller than a 38 Special.   Kahr firearms and Kahr magazines are still the number one selling CCW gun and magazines we see moving.  Their 9mm are very reliable and the prices are pretty good considering what you get from them.   There are a few older models that you might want to avoid, but the stuff they have out now very good for the price.

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The .380 may be lighter and easy to carry but

Don’t forget that the .380 ballistics are something to be aware of if you are protecting your life.    There has been plenty of documented shootings by police and the military involving 9mm stopping power and the statistics are not very good, as a matter of fact, handguns are not very effective when it comes to stopping people in their tracks.  There are varying degrees of this, but the .380 guns that are ever so popular these days need to be looked at more than once.   Sure a gun is better than no gun in a hostile situation, but many firearms especially 9mm guns are smaller, lighter and more reliable than ever.

The Ruger LCP is hands down the most popular and sought after gun for our white collar CCW holders.  Kahr guns are still going strong though because once you actually take those calibers to the range, there is a drastic difference in penetration.   Kahr firearms are really tough and probable the #2 most popular CCW makers as of now, Kahr magazines aren’t too bad in pricing either.  The Kahr PM45 is an excellent CCW 45acp for anyone that wants something smaller than a Sig 220, XD 45 or 1911 firearm.   You do have to pay attention to your round counts with these firearms and replace your recoil springs when recommended.

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Kahr firearms and .380 pistols

I remember the first time I ever shot a .380 pistol and it was an NAA Guardian gun.   They seemed so small that my initial impression was it was just a step up from a fly swatter.   I’ve done some not so scientific ballistics tests on metal fence posts and saw the penetration differences between a .38 Special and a 9mm, and there is a substantial difference between those calibers and penetration.  The .380 is practically a 38 Special short and people need to be realistic when they want to consider what a firearm engagement will be with a pocket pistol such as this.   Worrying about accuracy ans sights on this gun IMHO is pointless because this is the type of firearm that will only stop a threat if it’s put into the main reactor of the Death Star or  you unload the whole  thing and hope the bad guy isn’t wearing body armor.

I have shot a lot of Kahr firearms and I think the 9mm pistols are very well made and I see no reason to change the caliber to a smaller one when the 9mm already fit in your pocket.   Kahr magazines are what you want to use in the gun and I would not compromise on this issue with a concealed carry firearm.  There is  nothing wrong with having range magazines so you don’t wear out your primaries, but it’s mostly only with 1911 firearms would I stray from factory magazines.   If you have a semi-auto that holds 5-7rds and can carry a backup magazine,  and you’ve done some training, you should be good to go.

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Those little .380s

The .380 has now become one of the most popular CCW calibers.   I guess so many people are now being awakened to gun rights that gun manufacturers are catering to their desires for smaller concealeable weapons.   I’ve seen what the .380 caliber can do and in all honesty, the caliber is really a minimal caliber and you better do some real good thinking on how to effectively engage a target when you are carrying such a weapon.   It still amazes me that to this day, 90% of the people I know that carry a firearm have had ZERO formal training.   I would say that considering the fact that people are bigger today than they were 100yrs ago and that crack cocaine, PCP and other street drugs can make people bolder and stronger than ever, you better know that firing on a target until it’s down is something you better know about and not expect a one shot stop.   I’m sure I may be pissing off a few “experts” in CCW, but if I am going to carry such a weapon, I’ll have the gun unloaded on target A and expect to be moving and reloading for the expected follow up shots.

There was a shooting in the Phildelphia area in the last decade where a female police officer was killed by a bg with a .380, but it was a point blank direct hit to the head.  I hate to be so graphic, but that’s about what you’re going to have to expect this caliber to do.   I have heard of bullets not penetrating the cranium and a full magazine of .380 holding 6-7rds should be expect to be used on a target.   I’m starting to see some laser companies putting lasers on these small gun which IMHO may be a good idea to help in low light shooting.  Crimson trace laser grips makes them for Walther PPK pistols which are one of my favorite .380 guns.  I realize that many who carry a CCW may not consider themselves at high risk, but for anyone  in a high threat or high risk job, should seriously consider a larger caliber.    Depending on  your body size, Kahr and Kel-Tec make some nice pocket 9mm that are closer to what I would consider to be minimal calibers for defensive use.

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