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Thursday, January 29, 2015

Advice for Concealed Carry in magazine restricted States


Hello Fernando
My county in California is starting to issue concealed carry permits. However, magazines with more than 10 rounds are illegal. What concealed carry handgun would you recommend with that restriction in mind?
Regards
Cody
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Hello Cody,
First of all, congratulations on the good news. Whenever you can legally do so, you should get your concealed carry permit and carry a firearm. It´s important to get proper training before doing so, but you should exercise your right to be armed and capable of defending yourself and your loved ones whenever possible.
Regarding your question, 10 rounds isnt that bad. It would be better to have full magazine capacity, but with 10 rounds you can still do plenty, especially given that you can carry other spare magazines.
My advice will depend on your situation and how many guns you plan on owning. If you’re getting your first gun, make that a 9mm Glock pistol, either Glock 17 or Glock 19, with Glock 19 usually being favored for concealed carry as they are a bit more compact. I wouldn’t go for anything smaller than that myself, given that you start to compromise on grip and sight radius, which in most people that I know of will negatively affect their shooting. There’s nothing wrong with 9mm and loaded with premium brand ammo such as Gold Dot it should perform well enough. 9mm is also cheap enough so that you can afford to take enough training classes so as to be proficient with your weapon.

If you’re planning on getting a second handgun, maybe then I’d go for something a big more powerful, such as a Glock 31 or 32 in 357SIG. With a Glock 32 you have the exact same exterior dimensions as a Glock 19, but shooting a more powerful round. Is the stopping power worth it? Depends, for some people it isnt, for others its worth just so as shoot something with a slightly greater chance of incapacitation. Some people will go for even bigger or more powerful rounds such as 45ACP or 10mm, in an attempt to compensate for the reduced capacity. I think this isnt always a good idea if shooting a bigger or more powerful round means you’ll be less accurate, or even more relevant, lose accurate follow up shot speed.
So, Glock 9mm for your first gun, Glock 357SIG if you want something that shoots ammo a bit more expensive but that also has a more power.
FerFAL
Fernando “FerFAL” Aguirre is the author of “The Modern Survival Manual: Surviving the Economic Collapse” and “Bugging Out and Relocating: When Staying is not an Option”.

3 comments:

hsu said...

Just a few quick notes.

Gen4 Glocks are not legal for purchase in California. Only Gen1-3 Glocks are legal for purchase.

Next, I would suggest sticking with a single caliber, and get two guns from the same manufacturer in two different sizes, like a Glock 19 and a Glock 26. Carry the G19 when you can, the smaller G26 when you need more concealment. And because both are made by Glock, both in 9mm, most parts are interchangeable.

Anonymous said...

As much as like the .357 sig, I swapped out my Glock 32 for a Ruger LC9s. 357 sig has become so expensive and hard to find, while 9mm and 9mm +P is relatively cheap and available in a variety of types and quantities. Less expensive ammo means more training, which is a fair trade for the .357. (Plus the LC9s is smaller, lighter and thus more practical to carry, especially in the summer.)

Anonymous said...

I think glocks are a great first gun. My first pistol was a glock 19. I like it alot, but I find I am more accurate with my colt .45 caliber pistol. I think the heavier weight of the colt provides more control than the light weight of the glock. YMMV.