Yep another handgun thread. Going to buy a CCW. Need suggestion/pocket carry.

IF you aren't set on pocket carrying yeah your possibilities are pretty endless. The Bersa especially the CC model is awesome. Although some would say if your are going to be OWB or IWB you might as well bump up to a .40 or .45 in a streamlined style. XD compacts are great guns as are some sigs in that style, really IWB/OWB just opened up your options to a very vast array of guns and caliber choices. If .380 doesn't bug ya, and it feels nice (those things are sweet guns for sure IMO) I'd say you couldn't go wrong there...and to top it off they're a very affordable gun.

 

I owned a LCP and the trigger was absolutely terrible... But, remember this is a defense gun and if you were to ever need to unholster your pistol, trigger pull is your last concern. IMO pick what best fits you and your lifestyle (the way you dress etc) as far as size and features.

If you want to shoot pistols for practice and fun I would suggest buying a second pistol for that reason.

 

Absolutely. That's why the trigger pull on the PF9 wasn't, to me, an awful thing considering this isn't a target pistol. I did like the way the Bersa balanced in my hand, though.

 

I too liked the feel, only I held and am Looking at the 45. From what I've seen & heard, 95% of the bad reviews were on the Gen 1 (and some gen 2) versions. The 3rd Generation of the PTs have seemingly adressed the issues most folks had.

I'm looking at the 145BP over the 745BP cause I like the rail and the 10+1 capacity over the 6+1.

 

Now you see why I love my Bersa so much... I would recommend the CC version though that has all the edges rounded off.

There's a time and place for my LCP though... between the two of them, I think they handle 99% of my CC needs.

 

I hope so, I had a pt140 it I couldnt get rid of it fast enough.

 

Matt - at least try to hold a P238 before buying something. JMHO.

 

I also vote for the Bersa Matt from all you've said, here's why:

If you get a Bersa, a .380, for your IWB/OWB carry you can then in the future pick up a pocket carrying .380 (LCP, P3AT, Bodyguard or TCP). That would keep you in one caliber and able to tackle every carrying scenario. Besides a well placed double tap from a .380 beats out a double tapped but missed .45.

 

They are nice...all about price for me, not worth it for me. I'll get a full size .40 or .45 if I'm spending that cash. Used is a whole nother game though and I'd get one for a good price :D

 

That's my biggest deterent, Matt. At $600+ for a pocket sized gun, it's hard to swallow. The shop I went to didn't have any in, and GM only had the Zombie and Rosewood. I wanted to handle it, but the techs were busy with a tough customer, and I was in a little of a hurry. The guy at the smaller shop said he liked the way the P238 held, though. They just don't get many in.

 

Nobody does, they're a pretty demand plenty gun, as any "higher class" brand gun is. Different style than the Bersa altogether but not any better made, if you loved the Bersa's feel and am fine with the .380 (My daily pocket cal) I think you had the gun choose you already.....kinda how we tell people looking for bows, let it pick you by it's feel not by what others say :D

 

Carry something that is easy to conceal and is comfortable. The most important thing about CC is actually carrying your weapon. Get something that will blow a large hole in someone so the fight ends fast. That is the way I think of it. I am not pulling out and pointing my gun unless I mean to use it.

 

So I assume you carry a .44mag or bigger than?

 

Yes....

 

NICE! What's your carry piece and caliber?

Funny story, I hang out at a local gun shop my buddies operate quite a bit and some punk kid tried arguing that his .45 was the biggest and most powerful caliber handgun available. Um....after about a half hour of actually entertaining him my buddy just simply stated if you can find me proof that a .45acp loaded to it's max is bigger and more powerful in anything except diameter I'll give you this gun for free (pointed at I believe a LCP or something)....punks never come back.

 

I carry the p238 when u can't carry a larger gun and I'm in love with it...sometimes ill carry it even if I can carry the glock or sr9c just because I like it that much...never have had a failure of any kind with any ammo....shoots like a dream with very little felt recoil....and the night sights it comes with are awesome...it is pricey but you def get what pay for

Plus...for those that are worried about carrying a 1911 style cocked and locked u can carry without one in the chamber...still have the hammer cocked and with the manual safety on and hammer cocked u can chamber one whenever you feel necessary but still have the manual safety on even after you put one in the pipe

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I727 using Tapatalk 2

 

Thanks, guys. The .380 doesn't get a lot of love on the various shooting forums I've been frequenting, but I still find it hard to place much emphasis on penetration differences when the guns primary use is for close range. Then again, if I plan to get a larger frame gun down the road for my recreational shooting, the price advantage of the 9mm is nice. .380 ammo is significantly more than 9mm here (about $10 per box of 50).

Going to be pulling my hair out on this one, I believe. Any more suggestion, feel free to add them!

 

Mine is the Rosewood edition. Go handle it and then shop for one on gunbroker used if you want to save $$$. I look at it as a lifetime purchase, and the one I carry every day is the one I want to be most comfortable/confident with.

 

I hate the trigger pull on the LCP i just got....but I'm not using this gun at the range. In fact, now that I am comfortable with using it I hope I never have to squeeze the trigger again. I have plenty of pistols that are far more fun to shoot, but too bulky to pack. I wanted something tiny to throw in my back pocket and have with me at all times. I know for a fact if I had to carry on my inner waist band I would carry far less frequently.

And as for the trigger pull, I came to appreciate the nearly impossible trigger since the gun is without a safety. No way that thing has an accidental misfire.

 

Keep in mind the average REAL-WORLD distance a CC user fires his gun at is 7 paces... You don't need exceptionally accurate (although I'll obviously take it and prefer it all things being equal), nor do you need a staged trigger that breaks like glass or any other combination of exotic/exsquisite features and benefits...

What you need is something that you'll actually CARRY -- to Brett's point, and one I've touted many times on here. Like I and others always say -- a .380 on your person beats a .40-anything in the truck ... all day long.