TexasCHLforum.com

SpikeTX:

Welcome aboard sir. You have asked the kind of wide-ranging questions that
brings the dogs running to comment upon!

You mentioned in a reply above that your Texas home is in Richmond. If you go
to the UCP (User Control Panel) of this board, please plug that in to the "Location"
field, and that way your new hometown will appear on each of your posts. This helps
other nearby forum members recognize you as their neighbor.

The above comments have all been right on the money.
Let me say that the longer you carry any gun, the smaller it becomes. Trust me here.
The rest of the world is oblivious to your gun. They are in their own little world of problems
and don't realize that they are supposed to be finding your properly concealed shootin' iron.

Some people are drawn to smaller guns since they are more "concealable", but a larger gun
is more comfortable to shoot in any caliber than its smaller-framed siblings, and a larger gun
will have a higher round capacity.

9MM's may be the smallest of the "Big 3" self defense calibers (9MM, .40, .45) but you will
have more rounds than the same model in one of the other 2 calibers.

Regarding Glocks - they are tough, tough, tough, and reliable. But if you are looking for a
pleasing look to your piece, they may not fit the bill. They are bad in black. By the way, the
reason that most folks don't take a hankerin' to a Glock is that the grip angle is much more severe
than other guns.

When I have fired Glocks, I felt like I was shooting downhill, while holding a piece of scrap 2 x 4
from a construction site. That was my experience. YMMV (Your Mileage May Vary).

Try a Ruger LC9, SR9, or SR9C (Compact). They have glass-filled grips and point well.
Try Springfield Armory XD (Extreme Duty) or XDM's (the most recent XD variants). They feel good too.
Try Smith and Wesson M & P's (Military and Police). Don't buy a S & W Sigma (hard trigger).

When considering your carrying options, a longer barrelled gun may not represent as much of a problem
as the grip length of your gun. It's the grip/butt end of the gun which may tend to cause printing, not
the barrel end.

The answer to proper concealment: good holster, proper gun belt if you buy a heavy gun, and shirts with
long enough tails and some volume to them.

Finding one's gun/ammo is the easiest part of becoming a CHL. Finding the right carry method is where
the rubber meets the road.

Happy Trails.

SIA