All posts tagged CCW guns

Another Wilson Combat vs Chip McCormick debate

We have to be honest when customers call us  up and ask us a question about a product.  Many times we hear the question “which is better” and the truth of the matter is this is usually somewhat of a trap for us because as soon as we make a claim about something being better than something else, the customer will hold us accountable if we were wrong or if they disagree.  Not like it’s a big problem but if you call us up and ask us what shirt size or vest size, we’ll defer the question and tell you you’ll have to measure yourself.   When it comes to gun accessories, so much of that needs to be fitted to a persons body and much of it is cosmetic or preference.

The 1911 is still probable the in the Top 5 for gun accessories, gun holsters and gun magazine sales.  There are many out there that want us to tell them if their 1911 will run better with Chip McCormick magazines or with Wilson Combat or some other gun magazine.   The truth of the matter is the 1911 sold these days is not the 1911 sold 15yrs ago and there are so  many difference that its something  you’ll have to figure out on your own.   One thing we will tell you is the Chip McCormick magazines are price almost $8-$10 less than the Wilson Combat Magazines which might be a good thing for someone that wants to great magazine for less money.

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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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10rd magazines for 1911s?

This is something I’ve only delved into once and it wasn’t a great experience.   Back in the early 1990’s we had all of that assault weapons ban BS and and aftermarket gun magazines were everywhere.   Some of us that owned certain firearms ended up with unreliable firearms that should have been durable.   $90 Glock magazines were not uncommon and $14.99 for a jamming Mini 14 30rd magazine from USA magazines, which I believe is been long out of existence.   Many people fell back on revolvers and there was a big upsurge back into the 1911 because it was one of those guns that was originally designed for fewer than 10rds which was what the Assault Weapons Ban limited you to.

So some of us messed around with aftermarket 10rd magazines and all of the ones I tried failed pretty quick.   We tried to make the 1911 into it’s highest capacity that we legally could, but the balance pretty much got messed up.   Gun magazines, even a few rounds bigger than standard capacity can make the gun imbalanced or make it harder holster.   There are a lot of reasons to use 10rd magazines like Wilson Combat magazines or Chip McCormick which have a good reputation in competition shooting, but they will protrude considerable.   This may cause snagging on shirts ect if you are considering using one for CCW.   If you’ve ever practiced with you’re gun, which you should have, firing 8rds and reloading is probable a better CCW than thinking a 10rd magazine is going to give you more protection.

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