Hey /r/CCW! I'm currently working toward carrying a concealed pistol. I have owned an XDM 3.8" 9mm with the full size grip for about four years now but have carried it only a handful of times. It's been a great gun, never had any problems with it and it shoots great. Unfortunately the XDM is simply not realistic for me to conceal as the grip is huge and the gun is very heavy when fully loaded. I'm sure other people may be able to conceal it, but with my body type it's near impossible. Printing is not an option for me due to the environments I'm in on a daily basis.Thus I've begun my search for a smaller, more concealable handgun while at the same time reevaluating my mindset and whether or not carry regularily at all. I've carried a few times with the XDM, but never really got the training I feel is required to be adequately prepared for concealed carry. I can hit paper at 7, 15 and even 25 yards with the XDM but I've never been tested in a stressful situation. So obviously DGU classes are in my near future.I'm writing this up as a multi-part series to document my journey. As I see it, there will be five major milestones or phases on my own personal road to carry. Those are:Decision to carryResearch laws, methods, systems of carryPurchase the gear (gun, belt, holster)Classes and trainingCarryI'm currently finishing up the research phase and am getting ready to purchase my gear. I've got a list of good holsters and belts, but what I'm running into is the decision on a gun.I had originally only been considering single stack 9mms for their comfort and concealability. My plan will be to carry appendix in a minimalist holster - perhaps an Incog Eclipse or Stealthgear AIWB. A holster discussion is probably best suited for a separate thread.As for handguns, my requirements are:9mmSemi-autoStriker firedPolymer frameNo manual safetyAs far as I can see, the "big three" when it comes to single stack 9mm semi-automatic pistols are the Glock 43, the M&P Shield and the Springfield XD-s. Of course there are others, including the the Walter PPS M2, the Kahr PM9 or the Ruger LC9, but the popularity of the Shield, 43 and XD-s seem to stand out among the rest.Initially I had wanted to like the XD-s as I own the XDM and am familiar with the S.A. XD platform. The Shield seems to be hugely popular, a great succes for Smith and Wesson. The Glock 43 has been long anticipated and carries the Glock name which is known for it's reliability.I've researched and shot all 3. Below are my notes on each one in the order that I shot them:Glock 43 - Surprisingly managable recoil. Can't get used to the stock Glock sights, trigger felt good. Disappointed with round count. Felt awkward in my hand. Shot pretty well with it. Ugliest of the 3.M&P Shield - I was the most accurate with this one. It felt great to shoot and despite the idea that I would hate the trigger, it was actually a lot smoother and more crisp than I had anticipated. Sight acquisition was quick - I really like the larger white dots, very easy to pick up. Also the gun seemed to "point" better in my hand. Not bad looking, but would prefer a two-tone option.Glock 26 - Was suggested to me by the range master. Easy to shoot, recoil was less than any of the single stacks I shot and the trigger was just as good (if not better?) than the 43's. However, despite getting a better grip on the the gun while shooting, it felt blocky and even uncomfortable in my hand.Springfield XD-s - Disapointed is probably the best way to describe how I felt about this gun. It was uninspiring. Trigger was good, sights were good, seemed a little snappier than the other two, hurt my hand by the end of it, didn't seem to point as naturally as the M&P. Best looking of the 3 with the "bitone" option. Dislike the grip safety.After the initial range trip I went back home a little dejected. The platform I was familiar with was probably my least favorite of the 4 I shot. I spent some additional time researching the XDs in an effort to justify my emotional tie to the gun. I already knew about the recall prior to the range trip, so I did my best to filter my search to post-recall reviews and testimonials. It seems that even after the recall, the XD-s continues to have reports of issues. One such report is the failure to feed on certain hollow point rounds. Link to video explanation that seems to cover the cause.Now I don't necisarily beleive every report of a failure is indicative of the gun's overall reliability, but doing a google search for "Springfield XD-s failure" gets a lot more hits than "m&p shield failure" or "glock 43 failure". While the XD line has been touted to be just as reliable as Glocks, it seems the XD-s does not share it's dependability with the larger pistols in the XD line. I want a pistol that I trust and will eat pretty much anything I feed it.So with the reports of less than satisfactory reliability, along with the results of my disappointing range trip I have pretty much ruled out the XDs from the short list. Between the other three I shot, there was a clear winner in preference: the M&P Shield.I spent another week or so doing research on the Shield and came across a comparison of the Shield to the M&P9c. I initially wrote the M&P9c off as it was larger than the Shield, until I learned the exact dimensions of the M&P9c as compaired to the Shield. Specs listed below:M&P9cM&P ShieldHeight4.3"4.6"Width1.2".95"Length6.7"6.1"Barrel Length3.5"3.1"Sight Radius:5.7"5.2"Weight:21.7 oz19 ozCapacity12+1 / 17+17+1 / 8+1To my surprise the dimensions of the M&P9c are very similar to the Shield, weighing in at just 3oz over the Shield. It was especially eye opening to see the height of the 9c is shorter than that of the Shield by almost a full third of an inch. The two biggest issues I have with the XDM when it comes to concealment are the height (5.6") and the weight (27.5oz) of the gun. The M&P9c seems to be a drastic reduction in both of those measurements.I'll be heading to the range again to try out the M&P9c, compare it to the Shield and give the Glock 43 and 26 one more shot. I know some will say the 26 is preferable to the M&P9c, but I'm not a huge fan of how Glocks feel in my hand. I seem to shoot them okay, however, and will be giving each 1 more chance at my next range trip.My questions (tl;dr) are:Are the differences between the M&P9c and M&P Shield negligible? How does the M&P9c carry vs the Shield? Is there a noticable difference in comfort, concealment and shootability?Is the difference between the M&P9c a drastic enough change for me to be more comfortable carrying the M&P9c vs the XDM? Or should I go straight to the SS9 category and stick with the Shield?Additional Info:I'm 5'10 and weigh in at about ~265 lbs. Yes I know I'm a fat fuck. I've lost nearly 40 lbs and am still cutting fat (shout out to /r/keto and /r/fitness). A big part of my ability to and comfort while concealing will be continued weight loss. I'm not stopping here, and would like to be under 250 before actually strapping the gun to myself on a daily basis.I sit about 10 hours a day. At a desk in an office environment and while driving. Comfort, concealment and reliability are my primary factors when it comes to deciding on which gun to buy and what works for me.I'll be headed to the range this Thursday after work and will post my results sometime Friday or early next week. via /r/CCW http://ift.tt/24Y41pg
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