Will be obtaining a CC soon and wanted to ask y'all what your opinions are on an EDC.

Revolver vs auto?

Thank you in advance.

My EDC is a 9mm M&P Shield. Go shoot a bunch at the range and pick the one you are most comfortable with. Definitely magazine fed over revolver though, but If all your comfortable carrying is a revolver that's better than not carrying at all.

The best EDC is the one you'll actually carry. Pick one that fits your style of dress, and one you'll actually practice with.

Fns9c over here. I carry a 5.7 here and there but with how hot the cartridge runs I'm always wary of collateral damage due to pass through

Shield. There are better guns out there, but they tend to be bulkier and heavier which would make less desirable for carrying all the time.

P365 would be my second choice. I don't care for Glocks, but that is entirely subjective, so you could also consider a Glock 43 or 48 too.

average_joker said:

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The best EDC is the one you'll actually carry. Pick one that fits your style of dress, and one you'll actually practice with.

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So that is what my buddy said as well. He likes the ultra light s&w .357 revolver. I have not shot a lot since I moved to TX from NM. Looking to get into it again, just can't drive across the road like I did there I have a couple of Army buddies who prefer the autos. I am looking to grab some user preferences before purchasing. Thank you all for your advice.

Also go to Champion and try before you buy.

Auto. Been carrying a 365 or hellcat lately.

Mine is a ruger LC9 and I hate it. Going to upgrade to a P365 soon.

I usually carry an XDS 45, however, depending on my clothing I will occasionally sub in my 1911 or my P238.

zooguy96 said:

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I'll always choose semi auto.

As far as what type, the usual advice is go handle and shoot one, and find one that's most comfortable for you.

For me, that's a Smith and Wesson M&P Shield or 9C.

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Why auto? Magazine size? Rate of fire? Do you carry hot? What are the advantages of an auto vs a revolver?

Just got a 365. Fantastic gun.

I also carry a M&P Shield most of the time. If I'm in a spot where I want something smaller I carry my wife's G42. That gun really surprised me with how well it shoots for how small it is.

I'm a Springfield guy. How you like the Hellcat?

Semi auto over revolver. Better trigger, better capacity, ease of reloading, easier to clear/correct the (rare) malfunction. Always carry with a round in the chamber. A pistol without a round in the chamber is just a crappy hammer.

I carry either a Steyr M9A1 or a Glock 19 almost every day. I have a Shield for when I want to carry something smaller. Get a good belt designed for carry and a good holster. You will carry more comfortably and conceal better.

average_joker said:

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The best EDC is the one you'll actually carry. Pick one that fits your style of dress, and one you'll actually practice with.

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Good advice.

I carry a Shield 9mm or M&P9 2.0 compact depending on if I want the belly band or OWB holster.

It's pretty good. It's got a little longer trigger pull but the ergonomics and capacity for such a small frame are awesome. Also conceals very well.

maverick2076 said:

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Semi auto over revolver. Better trigger, better capacity, ease of reloading, easier to clear/correct the (rare) malfunction. Always carry with a round in the chamber. A pistol without a round in the chamber is just a crappy hammer.

I carry either a Steyr M9A1 or a Glock 19 almost every day. I have a Shield for when I want to carry something smaller. Get a good belt designed for carry and a good holster. You will carry more comfortably and conceal better.

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Thank you. This is the argument I was looking for. I like the hammer less .357 my buddy carries. It is small and fits in his pocket. The autos have more to bring to table with regards to accuracy and magazine capacity. When I do carry it will be one in the chamber. No point in not having one hot. 15 vs 5, 10 vs 5, that is a question I think about. When a cc individual has to act in their defense or defense of others does the magazine size matter or are you simply humping extra rounds and steel everywhere you go. How many rounds will you need?

Oldman02 said:

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Why auto? Magazine size? Rate of fire? Do you carry hot? What are the advantages of an auto vs a revolver?

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At one point or another I have carried basically every variation of every handgun one could consider for concealed carry from full size all metal semi autos to tiny polymer pocket pistols, and J frame revolvers all the way up to N frames.

You should carry the biggest gun you can comfortably conceal all day.

I drew this for someone a while back:



In general, the bigger and heavier a handgun is, the easier it will be to shoot well and the harder it will be to carry. The smaller and lighter the gun is, the harder it will be go shoot well, but it will be easier to carry.

When you go to the store gun shopping, you're going to pick up a J frame or other pocket carry sized gun. You're going to think "wow, this is super light! I could absolutely carry this no problem". And you're right. But you are going to have a harder time shooting that gun well, because the sight radius is shorter, the sights are usually smaller, the trigger is likely heavier, and the recoil is going to be much worse the lighter the gun is compared to the cartridge it is chambered in. Airweight .357s are not fun guns to shoot. If you don't spend a lot of time shooting handguns (and I assume you don't since you're asking), you're going to be awful at actually hitting anything with a snub nose .357.

The M&P Shield on the chart above is above the average line because it's a very easy gun to shoot well for its small size and low weight. There are other outliers, but that general principle will hold true for most handguns.

Modern quality semi autos are just as reliable as revolvers with higher capacity. Capacity is nice in a carry gun because they're not magical death beams, and sometimes people don't stop doing bad things just because they get shot once, so getting multiple chances to say "stop doing that" at 700 feet per second or more can be helpful.

Regarding "carrying hot": If you are carrying a quality firearm in a quality holster, there are zero safety issues with carrying a handgun with a loaded chamber. On the flip side, the extra time needed to get a round in the chamber if you need to use your gun to protect yourself is not actually written down in the good guy/bad guy encounter rule book, so your bad guy may decide to not be nice and give you the extra time and space required.

Anecdotally, I've also seen a lot more negligence result from empty chamber carry when someone chambered a round and then didn't think they had one chambered. "I thought it was unloaded" is the single worst sentence I can imagine ever having to say. Because I know my gun is loaded, it stays in the holster, or is transferred to a safe when I'm done carrying for the day. I treat it with the respect a loaded gun deserves, because I know it is loaded. Simpler that way.

If you decide a revolver is still the way you want to go, I'd like to recommend the newer S&W 66-8 with the 2.75" barrel. It's a 6 shot K frame in .357. Load it up with .38s and rock on. It'll be a hell of a lot easier to shoot well than a J frame, and will give you an extra round to boot.

But I'm going to join the chorus and recommend a semi auto instead. Revolvers are a world of fun to shoot. Semis are just better for carry/defense (says a guy with a bit of time carrying revolvers).

And I can't believe I forgot this:

Get a good gun belt. Not a dress belt, not a "well this is a stiff belt so it should do".

An actual gun belt. It will make carrying so much easier.

I have a P365 milled for an optic Shield RMSC and it's close to perfect.

P365 with 12 round magazine. Large enough for. Full grip, very close to being accurate as a G19, and conceals a ton better than a Shield. I've carried both and it's almost not worth comparing for me

As many has said, the one you will carry "all the time" is the "best". If that's a small .380 then so be it. A small 6 shot .380 or a 5 round "air weight" .38/.357 in your pocket beats 13-20+ rounds of 9mm-.45 that is sitting at your house that is too big/heavy to carry/conceal every time. Every time! To stress the point again.... every time.

One other thing to consider is how you dress and what will you feel comfortable concealing in.

I've started wearing fishing shorts and a button up short sleeve shirt (untucked), looks pretty nice and nobody can tell I'm packing.

Oldman02 said:

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maverick2076 said:

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Semi auto over revolver. Better trigger, better capacity, ease of reloading, easier to clear/correct the (rare) malfunction. Always carry with a round in the chamber. A pistol without a round in the chamber is just a crappy hammer.

I carry either a Steyr M9A1 or a Glock 19 almost every day. I have a Shield for when I want to carry something smaller. Get a good belt designed for carry and a good holster. You will carry more comfortably and conceal better.

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Thank you. This is the argument I was looking for. I like the hammer less .357 my buddy carries. It is small and fits in his pocket. The autos have more to bring to table with regards to accuracy and magazine capacity. When I do carry it will be one in the chamber. No point in not having one hot. 15 vs 5, 10 vs 5, that is a question I think about. When a cc individual has to act in their defense or defense of others does the magazine size matter or are you simply humping extra rounds and steel everywhere you go. How many rounds will you need?

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As many as you're willing to carry. +1

Ima Glock 17 guy.... and lately Ive been around with 2 xtra mags..... but thats just me!

So I carry a j-frame S&W M&P 340, it is an air weight 357 with a trijicon dot site and I have done some trigger work to it. It is the easiest gun I have to conceal and was the hardest gun I have to become proficient with. Practice with it loaded with 357's was required, and many many bruised hands later and I'm about as proficient with a j-frame as can be. Killed a nutria with it at 25-yards first shot and had multiple witnesses. I have carried multiple sizes and configurations of a CCW. I think there is no one right answer and having multiple CCW options is the best answer. Most everyday I grab the revolver, when I don't I either grab the Glock 19 or my 4" 1911. In the end it's all what about the ability to conceal it and be comfortable, as if your not comfortable your not gunna carry. Oh and be sure to get a high quality belt, it will make a world of a difference when carrying.

OP - one thing that hasn't been touched on is to also carry a spare mag. If you encounter a ftf and need to clear it and there's a problem, a clean mag exchange is always a great solution if your first clear doesn't solve the problem. Also, if you carry it opposite your pistol on a good gun belt it really balances out the Comfort of the carry.

Where are you located? Would be glad to meet up sometime if you're around BCS.

Glock 19 for me

As someone said earlier, it is whichever one you will carry and practice with. I carry a J frame S&W airlight .38 special because I cannot stand carrying any other way other than in my front left pocket. I hate things on my hip, whether its a phone, gun, knife, tool belt, whatever. It drives me nuts. I am pretty good with that .38.

Obviously there are plenty of other pistols that will fit in a pocket, but none of them fit my hand. I find that I am spending more time getting the gun ready to fire than I am actually firing it. Basically, I fumble them. I dont do that with a J frame revolver.

In the extremely rare event that I carry a holstered pistol, I carry a Kahr K40. That thing is an extension of my hand. Absolutely love it. But it doesn't get a lot of use. I think the last time I carried it was during deer season. I never saw the point of carrying a pistol when also carrying a rilfe until a couple of years ago when, out of nowhere, my wife and I had 30 hogs within 10 yards of us in the middle of a pasture. At the time we both had Rem 760s so we were fine(the hogs were not fine). But last year I hunted the same pasture with a Ruger No. 1.

RebelE91 said:

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Mine is a ruger LC9 and I hate it. Going to upgrade to a P365 soon.

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I find my Ruger LC9s Pro to be a great EDC, and its trigger alone puts it ahead of the Shield, any XDs, and (typical) Glock.

But I recently had a chance to try a Sig 365 (edited)....which has me reconsidering my EDC.

GSS said:

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RebelE91 said:

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Mine is a ruger LC9 and I hate it. Going to upgrade to a P365 soon.

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I find my Ruger LC9s Pro to be a great EDC, and its trigger alone puts it ahead of the Shield, any XDs, and (typical) Glock.

But I recently had a chance to try a Sig 965...which has me reconsidering my EDC.

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A long time ago, a former OB member let me try his LC9s. It is the only polymer handgun whose trigger actually surprised me (in a good way). If I didn't already have a few good carry guns, I probably would have purchased one.

I purchased a 365 last Fall, but am just now getting around to proofing it. I think it is going to replace my G26 and Nano.