It sounds like 9mm would be the best caliber for you then. Personally I can't stand the 9mm but I can see why it is so popular. I would just caution against over penetration with the 9mm which is common. A hollow point will help to expend most, if not all of a 9mm's kinetic energy into a target instead of passing through and hitting someone or something unintentionally.

I hope my previous post wasn't insulting, I just feel that some people are a little too casual with firearms and don't really consider the consequences of concealed carry. Personally, anyone that carries a weapon is a threat to me, law enforcement included, so I tend to take the matter very seriously. That and being shot at makes you realize how much it sucks to be at the wrong end of the barrel

Not sure if you purchased a ccw gun yet, but check out a glock 27 .40 s&w. I have one for ccw and I love it... reliable, lots of available accessories/parts, and ammo is readily available at the local walmart.

no i didnt take it insulting at all, i understand the concerns. i have just had too many instances where i have been in a bad neighborhood, and would have really liked to have protection. for instance, there is one doctors office i work at and when i leave it is usually starting to get dark and i am one of the last to leave. and when i do leave, there is always a group of "thugs" hanging out in the parking lot. and they start saying things in spanish in a demanding, threatening tone, walking towards me (and i have seen them with weapons). i have managed to make it to the 4runner, get in and lock the doors and start to drive off before they can get close enough. but i dont want to take the chance that if they do, i have no defense against 6 people. i hate living where i do, and cant wait to move. now i dont want to ever use my firearm as a weapon, i dont want to ever shoot anyone. but if it is my life or theirs...


as for the glock 27, i did check it out, but it didnt fit my hand very well. also kinda small for my liking.

i went again today to a local gun store on my way home and held the glock 19, and i really like it. i also talked to a few employees about things mentioned on this forum. they understood it, but by talking to me they could tell it wasnt a game, or something just to be cool. that i knew what i was getting into, and could handle it. now they may just be talking to up a sale, but i think they meant it. im not the usual 21 year old.

i went to med school when i was 17 (and paid for it myself), have worked my ARSE off for everything i own. purchased my own 4runner. (still making 400/m payments) and have alot of respect for myself. i dont "party" or live the college life. i feel i am more mature and responsible than most 21 year olds that people encounter. could be why all my friends are 4-10 years older than me.

btw i dont have a big head, just trying to make some reassurance to those that think i am one of those party animals that just want a gun for the hell of it.

wooo that was a long one.

i think it depends on the person. i would say most 21 y/o yes. but not all. i have been around guns all my life. i did consider getting one when i was 21 im 29 now. but i had no need for one when i was 21. and the world we lived in 8 years ago is a lot different than the world we live in today. if i was 21 in the world we live in right now i would get one in a heart beat. but to say that no 21 y/o should not have a concealed carry permit is a little out there. now if they have never shot a gun or not been around them or little experience thats different.

I agree that age has nothing to do with intellegence or decision making. I can think of a few 50 year olds that shouldn't have a CCW and some 21 year olds that are definitely mature enough to handle the responsibility.

Obviously things are different in different towns across the country, but what has changed so much in 8 years around you toyotaoutlaw? We didn't have ipods and smart phones back then, but besides that I don't feel any different leaving my house now than I did in 2003.

In fact, I live about a half an hour from San Bernardino, CA. and when I was growing up it was the #1 murder capitol (per capita) of the entire United States for a few years. But in the last 15 years or so, crime in general is down and the murder rate is no where near where it used to be.

If your town has taken that big of a turn in 8 years that you didn't need to carry a gun and now you do, maybe carrying a gun isn't the answer.. it might just be time to move!

well im glad your crime rate is going down thats good. i live in a small town near portland oregon. crime rate here in town is not so bad. i dont carry all the time. only when i pick up my daughter from her house.and if we go to the beach or something else thats not around my town. you never know when something could happen. mainly its there to protect my daughter if needed. witch i hope i will never ever have to use it. i will always walk away from something bad but what if you cant??? portlands crime rate has gotten so bad in the last few years its unreal. i seen two houses with bullet holes in it right across the street from a middle school. gang shooting are happening more and more. i try to stay out of portland because i am not a city boy. (not saying thats a bad thing just not for me) im not saying portland is bad its just gotten worse just in the last three years. i even stopped watching the news because there is always some random shooting going on or someone getting stabbed there is never anything good on the news.

i know its not justification to be packing heat.(is what i call it) but im gonna be prepared just in case. and thats not for my sake its for my daughter's and thats it. like i said i dont carry all the time only around 20 percent of my time i do. there is no need to for it in a lot of places. just when im out of town.

hopefully this answers your question.

If recoil is your biggest concern when carrying a weapon and already making the decision you are ready to kill someone then you need to rethink why you want to carry a weapon. I can see recoil as an issue if you are shooting and putting allot of bullets down range fatigue can be an issue. When I used to target shoot I used a very tricked out 1911A1. When the recoil got to me I switched to a .22 Victor High Standard to help me tighten my shoot group again. But that is target shooting. In defense your biggest concern is Identifying your Target and evaluating the threat. You may only get one shoot, God forbid you ever have to use the weapon, you need to make it count. In defense if you are shooting anything more than 10 feet or so away, you could end up charged with murder. This will depend on many things. At 10 feet you just need to hit center mast, "shoot groups" aren't an issue, you just need to be on target.

Recoil happens after you shoot, what happens right before you shoot should be your concern. Getting your weapon out of the holster and on target is a bigger issue. I would think the type of holster would be as important as the weapon. How you carry and how easy it is to get your weapon on target are also a bigger issue then the actual weapon you choose. Civilians just can't go around with a loaded gun in hand at the ready.

I used to live in San B. Moved out in 86 to go to college, that area does suck. I have never gone back. My entire family moved. We lived in the Del Rosa Area which had been a nice area.

If I lived there I would want to carry. But I moved instead.

i know what you mean, but i am not going to purchase two guns, one for carry, and one for range. down the road i am sure i will. but right now i want something for both.

Spend some time with the 45, you will learn to control it. My 45 is my favorite gun to shoot.

You are 21 and already talking about guns and having fun shooting them. You will end up buying more than one anyway.

Wow...how did you do that?

He never said he was a student, maybe he just there for lunch or something? Or maybe he is like Duggie Houser (sp?).

haha yeah i just hung out there on the weekends.

That makes more sense. Getting into Med school at 17 would be a pretty impressive feat. That means you would have started you undergrad degree at about 14 years old.

And out of high school at the age of 10!!

Still, i am confused by his statement:
Was this a joke i missed? Trevloc, what did you really mean? Or were you just blowing smoke to make you look good?? (And at 21, you should be in residency now after med school.)