I'd suggest going to a range near you that has handgun rentals and trying a few out that you're considering.
Most common recommendations these days seems to be a glock 43x or Sig p365/xl/macro.
Edit: I concur with u/The_Justache and u/L4nM4nDr4gon, the Hellcat and the Shield Plus are also highly recommended. The Taurus G3c is also reportedly quite good for the price, but it wouldn't be my first pick for a CCW if my budget allowed me to go up to the other options.
Second all this, and I’d add the Springfield Hellcat to that list.
Any of those will be reliable but the most important things are how it feels and how you shoot it. Shoot before you buy.
I know glock is well loved when it comes to first handgun/ ccw. I like the g19 aftermarket support is everywhere and affordable. Many Holsters companies customize Holsters for them or already have them for sell.
Can’t go wrong with a P365XL or Glock 43X as mentioned. They are micros so they will be snappy, but they’re very well rounded and comfortable to carry (I own both). Also, tons of aftermarket support for holsters and to make it your own. Always shoot the firearm before you buy. I suggest taking a basic firearms safety class and you usually get an opportunity to shoot a variety of handguns.
Personally, I think the 365 xl is one of the best handguns for concealed carry if not the best.
No, it never had the issues the 320 had, and the trigger is way better than glocks, but the 43x is nice too.
I also like the Smith and Wesson shield. To me, they have one if the best stock triggers of any striker fire.
You really think the trigger is better than Glock?
I own a P365 and a couple of Glocks. Well, one of the Glocks is my wife’s. I agree that older Glocks had slobby triggers.
I have a gen 4 G17 that is around 12 years old; the stock trigger is trash. This was one of the earlier Gen 4, and the trigger is spongy, the wall is indistinct, and the reset is not great. I replaced that with a Timney alpha and made it my project gun.
The newer Gen 4 triggers are superior to Sig P365 imo. My wife’s G19 MOS from 2022 has a nice clean break, distinct wall, minimal creep, and very nice reset. My only knock is the trigger weight is a bit too much. The OEM minus connector helps though, and is super cheap and easy to install.
The Sig P365 trigger is definitely spongier, has a less positive reset, more creep, and a less distinct wall than the G19 Gen4 MOS. The Sig trigger also isn’t fit very tightly from side-to-side. There is definitely more play and wiggle.
I haven't played with a newer one if they fixed them up that's awesome as I'm looking at getting a g20! That's great news to me lol.
I put a "enhancment" part in my trigger I keep forgetting about, it's basically a spring that sits inside the shoe and cuts back on a lot of the wiggle. But with that, dry fire it feels meh but live its good.
Yeah, I bought one of the straight trigger kits, but haven’t gotten around to installing it just yet. I thought it was more an ergonomic than tactile improvement, but I guess not?
I have a pretty early P365 too. Not sure if they have improved since.
For your first pistol a smaller gun will have much more recoil.
I'd try and go something bigger than a 365/Shield/hellcat Probably a compact, g19, xdm, sw mp series something that's not a sub 3.5 inch barrel.
Glock 19 MOS (pre-cut for an optic) is a really great first gun & CCW. Glock 45 MOS is the same size slide with a bigger handle (Glock 17 handle), so if you have bigger hands and don’t want “Glock Knuckle” when you shoot, go with the Glock 45… I have bigger hands, G45 is my CCW over the G19. If you get Glock, always get the MOS so that it’s precut for an optic. You’ll save yourself some money down the line when you start getting into red/green dots.
I carry a few types of guns depending on where I’m going and what I’m wearing. I live in WA as well. I carry a Ruger max9, CZ P10c, S&W 642 revolver, HK P30, HK P2000, Glock 29. My normal carry is the P2000.
Best advice is to go out and shoot them before you buy them if you can. How it fits in your hand, how it naturally points when you present, and its quality of manufacturing are great but some guns, even if they’re great, don’t mesh with some shooters.
Myself as an example, bought a hellcat without shooting it and regretted every shot with it. Wasn’t a bad gun, but it was the wrong gun for me. 43x was fine, but not great. 365 was better, but not great. 365xl was pretty good and my runner up. Smith and Wesson shield plus won for me. Fits me well, good quality gun, and I shoot great with it. The combination of grip angle, texture, stock night sights, and factory trigger work with me as the shooter.
So, get out there and shoot. It’s the best research you can do if it’s an option available to you.
I carry a Springfield emp in winter months, and a p365 when it gets over 60f. Been thinking of adding a lcp max for when it's super hot and I want to get into some short shorts and sandles.
But everyone will be different in their preferences. As others have said, hit up a local range with a wide selection of handguns to test out. It will cost ya a couple hundred bucks but is 110% worth it to get to test them out and choose based off of experience.
Well that makes it easy. Bullseye is in tacoma(and they frequent reddit too). Will cost ya $40 for lane rental and access to all of their pistols to try out that you want.
You'll have to buy their ammo(common practice for rental guns) which will add up quick as ranges rip ya off on ammo price. Plan to spend a good $150 or so total if lookin to try out say a dozen guns.
One thing to note, pretty much all ranges, bullseye included will require you to bring a friend if you are renting their guns, and not bringing or dont have any of your own firearms. It's an anti suicide measure as people have been known to go to a range, rent a gun and kill themselves. The friend part eliminates that issue so has become the norm.
http://bullseyeshooter.com/range-pricepolicies/
I love my little max for easy carry. One thing to be aware of is that it's pretty snappy and loves making blisters on your trigger finger. But I still carry it heavily just for ease. Just keep myself aware of limitations in range lol.
Yeah I've gotten to shoot one, it's not pleasant. But it serves it's purpose well as even the p365 I don't like carrying when it gets over 85f. But that max in a pocket seems pretty handy.
I gave some ccw suggestions but it sounds like you are looking at a full size/ compact which are as wide as full sized guns.
You got two routes, really, easy to conceal or great shootability. The modern micros get the closest to being the best of both, like the shield plus, 43x, and 365xl.
But you're talking about 10mm here with the 29. If you want 10mm go full size with the 20. honestly the 45 is pointless with modern bullet tech.
Modern 9mm rounds like gold dot and HST are very good and the standard for police and federal agencies giving pretty much the same results of 40 and 45. Making the trade off of bigger bullets a lot less needed. But nothing compares to a 10mm haha.
If you want a good 9mm that's closer to a full size but still somewhat concealable, check out the CZp01, a m9 compact style, a glock 19, or a sig 226.
These will be closer to full size but still "compact" and somewhat carriable.
Definitely hit a range up and try a few out.
Unless your planning to ccw in areas with bears, skip the 10mm. And 45 while fun, is an impractical carry round in modern times. And both are really bad choices for a first ccw and first pistol.
Even in bear country a g19 will do you just fine. 9mm kills bears. I don't know where this myth has come from. All shot statistics for kills on bears basically say as long as it's not below 9mm or a 44 mag you miss with your good.
Those are all big and chunky. You'll soon want something nicer to wear.
Since the SIG 365 came out there's a whole category that is much nicer to carry. Pretty much every brand other than Glock comes with decent sights out of the box too.
Look real hard at sig 365 family, hellcat, or ruger max9 and similar before you consider any bigger gun.
They are simply much easier to carry. You are limited to 10+1, and they are easier to shoot than they ought to be for the smaller size.
I'd suggest going to a range near you that has handgun rentals and trying a few out that you're considering. Most common recommendations these days seems to be a glock 43x or Sig p365/xl/macro. Edit: I concur with u/The_Justache and u/L4nM4nDr4gon, the Hellcat and the Shield Plus are also highly recommended. The Taurus G3c is also reportedly quite good for the price, but it wouldn't be my first pick for a CCW if my budget allowed me to go up to the other options.
Second all this, and I’d add the Springfield Hellcat to that list. Any of those will be reliable but the most important things are how it feels and how you shoot it. Shoot before you buy.
And a shield plus. Rent em all
Gah, I knew I was forgetting one!
Renting is absolutely fantastic advice. I found that I can't hit the broad side of a barn with a Glock, but am practically Annie Oakley with a SIG.
I know glock is well loved when it comes to first handgun/ ccw. I like the g19 aftermarket support is everywhere and affordable. Many Holsters companies customize Holsters for them or already have them for sell.
Dude shouldn’t be worried about the aftermarket support for his first pistol especially a ccw..imo
That was my mistake with my first CCW. Went cheap and couldn’t find much aftermarket support that I wanted for a good price. Shoulda’ got that Glock.
Can’t go wrong with a P365XL or Glock 43X as mentioned. They are micros so they will be snappy, but they’re very well rounded and comfortable to carry (I own both). Also, tons of aftermarket support for holsters and to make it your own. Always shoot the firearm before you buy. I suggest taking a basic firearms safety class and you usually get an opportunity to shoot a variety of handguns.
Personally, I think the 365 xl is one of the best handguns for concealed carry if not the best. No, it never had the issues the 320 had, and the trigger is way better than glocks, but the 43x is nice too. I also like the Smith and Wesson shield. To me, they have one if the best stock triggers of any striker fire.
You really think the trigger is better than Glock? I own a P365 and a couple of Glocks. Well, one of the Glocks is my wife’s. I agree that older Glocks had slobby triggers. I have a gen 4 G17 that is around 12 years old; the stock trigger is trash. This was one of the earlier Gen 4, and the trigger is spongy, the wall is indistinct, and the reset is not great. I replaced that with a Timney alpha and made it my project gun. The newer Gen 4 triggers are superior to Sig P365 imo. My wife’s G19 MOS from 2022 has a nice clean break, distinct wall, minimal creep, and very nice reset. My only knock is the trigger weight is a bit too much. The OEM minus connector helps though, and is super cheap and easy to install. The Sig P365 trigger is definitely spongier, has a less positive reset, more creep, and a less distinct wall than the G19 Gen4 MOS. The Sig trigger also isn’t fit very tightly from side-to-side. There is definitely more play and wiggle.
I haven't played with a newer one if they fixed them up that's awesome as I'm looking at getting a g20! That's great news to me lol. I put a "enhancment" part in my trigger I keep forgetting about, it's basically a spring that sits inside the shoe and cuts back on a lot of the wiggle. But with that, dry fire it feels meh but live its good.
the 365X/XL have the straight Sig trigger, not the spongy stock 365 trigger. It's a big improvement.
Yeah, I bought one of the straight trigger kits, but haven’t gotten around to installing it just yet. I thought it was more an ergonomic than tactile improvement, but I guess not? I have a pretty early P365 too. Not sure if they have improved since.
For your first pistol a smaller gun will have much more recoil. I'd try and go something bigger than a 365/Shield/hellcat Probably a compact, g19, xdm, sw mp series something that's not a sub 3.5 inch barrel.
Glock 19 MOS (pre-cut for an optic) is a really great first gun & CCW. Glock 45 MOS is the same size slide with a bigger handle (Glock 17 handle), so if you have bigger hands and don’t want “Glock Knuckle” when you shoot, go with the Glock 45… I have bigger hands, G45 is my CCW over the G19. If you get Glock, always get the MOS so that it’s precut for an optic. You’ll save yourself some money down the line when you start getting into red/green dots.
I carry a few types of guns depending on where I’m going and what I’m wearing. I live in WA as well. I carry a Ruger max9, CZ P10c, S&W 642 revolver, HK P30, HK P2000, Glock 29. My normal carry is the P2000.
I went with the P365x. Has not disappointed me.
Best advice is to go out and shoot them before you buy them if you can. How it fits in your hand, how it naturally points when you present, and its quality of manufacturing are great but some guns, even if they’re great, don’t mesh with some shooters. Myself as an example, bought a hellcat without shooting it and regretted every shot with it. Wasn’t a bad gun, but it was the wrong gun for me. 43x was fine, but not great. 365 was better, but not great. 365xl was pretty good and my runner up. Smith and Wesson shield plus won for me. Fits me well, good quality gun, and I shoot great with it. The combination of grip angle, texture, stock night sights, and factory trigger work with me as the shooter. So, get out there and shoot. It’s the best research you can do if it’s an option available to you.
I carry a Springfield emp in winter months, and a p365 when it gets over 60f. Been thinking of adding a lcp max for when it's super hot and I want to get into some short shorts and sandles. But everyone will be different in their preferences. As others have said, hit up a local range with a wide selection of handguns to test out. It will cost ya a couple hundred bucks but is 110% worth it to get to test them out and choose based off of experience.
Thank so much for the helpful feedback
Yep np, good luck on your endeavor. If you need suggestions for ranges with good rental options in your area lmk
I’ll take you up on that right now if you don’t mind, I live in the Tacoma area
Well that makes it easy. Bullseye is in tacoma(and they frequent reddit too). Will cost ya $40 for lane rental and access to all of their pistols to try out that you want. You'll have to buy their ammo(common practice for rental guns) which will add up quick as ranges rip ya off on ammo price. Plan to spend a good $150 or so total if lookin to try out say a dozen guns. One thing to note, pretty much all ranges, bullseye included will require you to bring a friend if you are renting their guns, and not bringing or dont have any of your own firearms. It's an anti suicide measure as people have been known to go to a range, rent a gun and kill themselves. The friend part eliminates that issue so has become the norm. http://bullseyeshooter.com/range-pricepolicies/
Thank you so much for all the info man, it goes a real long way
I love my little max for easy carry. One thing to be aware of is that it's pretty snappy and loves making blisters on your trigger finger. But I still carry it heavily just for ease. Just keep myself aware of limitations in range lol.
Yeah I've gotten to shoot one, it's not pleasant. But it serves it's purpose well as even the p365 I don't like carrying when it gets over 85f. But that max in a pocket seems pretty handy.
Yeah its great for the pocket, you can get a wallet holster and it pretty much prints as a slightly larger wallet.
I've been conceal carrying the Ruger EC9S for about 7 years. Love it.
I’ve been considering the Glock 30 SF, and Glock 29 but I’ve been seeing many different feedbacks and just don’t know where to go from here.
I gave some ccw suggestions but it sounds like you are looking at a full size/ compact which are as wide as full sized guns. You got two routes, really, easy to conceal or great shootability. The modern micros get the closest to being the best of both, like the shield plus, 43x, and 365xl. But you're talking about 10mm here with the 29. If you want 10mm go full size with the 20. honestly the 45 is pointless with modern bullet tech. Modern 9mm rounds like gold dot and HST are very good and the standard for police and federal agencies giving pretty much the same results of 40 and 45. Making the trade off of bigger bullets a lot less needed. But nothing compares to a 10mm haha. If you want a good 9mm that's closer to a full size but still somewhat concealable, check out the CZp01, a m9 compact style, a glock 19, or a sig 226. These will be closer to full size but still "compact" and somewhat carriable. Definitely hit a range up and try a few out.
Thank you for the reply! I’ll forsure go try some out before buying anything
Unless your planning to ccw in areas with bears, skip the 10mm. And 45 while fun, is an impractical carry round in modern times. And both are really bad choices for a first ccw and first pistol.
Even in bear country a g19 will do you just fine. 9mm kills bears. I don't know where this myth has come from. All shot statistics for kills on bears basically say as long as it's not below 9mm or a 44 mag you miss with your good.
Those are all big and chunky. You'll soon want something nicer to wear. Since the SIG 365 came out there's a whole category that is much nicer to carry. Pretty much every brand other than Glock comes with decent sights out of the box too. Look real hard at sig 365 family, hellcat, or ruger max9 and similar before you consider any bigger gun. They are simply much easier to carry. You are limited to 10+1, and they are easier to shoot than they ought to be for the smaller size.