Notes from my (ridiculous)quest for my "ultimate" carry gun.

General Firearms Handguns - Semi Auto
1

Well guys,

I decided a while back to put together a carry gun that married all the characteristics I desired in a carry gun. Given my indosyncratic desires it wasn’t as easy these days as it would have been in the past. But I am 50 now so I just do whatever I want so here’s what I wanted…

  1. .45 ACP or 10mm. I know, I know. OK boomer, etc. I have been pilloried here but I still believe that there is a benefit to 230 grain .45 caliber projectiles over 124/147 grain 9mm projectiles. Yes I understand the FBI now says different. Just my opinion and the arguments otherwise are not persuasive to me. I feel the same way about 10mm but I don’t like the selection of 10mm guns.

  2. DA/SA. I love DA/SA. I love the safety of the first DA shot. My main concern is bump in the night handling of the gun, but I also like the added margin of error during draws.

  3. Bomb-proof reliability.I am talking about boring, Toyota reliability here. I am a huge 1911 fan and have always owed one (I currently own a CQB), but they are not boring in the reliability department.

The above three are all tied and were deal-breakers. And realistically, I have dozens of pistols so there really isn’t any reason for me to deviate from the plan.

  1. Concealable. Now, I am old enough to have concealed full size 1911s, SIG 220s, G17s, Beretta 92s, etc. So I am pretty flexible, and I carry a J-frame in my pocket unless I am in the shower or in bed, so I don’t need a micro pistol. I was thinking compact carry guns like G19s, Not Shield/Kahr/Hellcat stuff.

  2. Accurate. Duh

Anyway, so I picked up a HK45C. I have owned them in the past, and have always had perfect reliability with all types of ammo so I knew it covered 1 and 3. I considered LEM but I really wanted the DA for a little extra security so I picked up one of the ArmsUnlimited B&T imports from Germany. This was stupid. I should have just picked up one of the very reasonably priced American Hk45cs that litter the gunshops around here. But at first I was beguiled by the extended barrel and the fact that they were German guns. That was dumb.

Well, out of the box I swapped in some HDs. These are my favorite sights so that was a no brainer. I picked up a black point IWB but quickly discovered I didn’t like the extended barrel sticking into me while I drove around so I picked up a std length barrel. I also swapped out the extended base plates for flat base plates for $7 each. I don’t need the extensions and it does trim the gun up a bit.

GOOD STUFF…

Base Gun. Great idea

HDs Good IDEA

Flat Base plates. Good for me (I wear medium to large gloves depending on the brand, so your milage may vary).

Standard Barrel Good Idea (I guess I have an extended barrel for shooting with my tirant.

Then I got stupid…

First, I picked the slim slide levers. I did this 1. To improve concealablity. That is silly, and truly guilding the Lilly stuff. I guess if it was an LEM it might offer something but if you are keeping the regular lever it is basically pointless. But 2. I prefer low profile slide levers to minimize accidental slide lock when shooting on the move, shooting behind barriers and other non-standard shooting positions. Skip this

Greyguns short reset kit. I guess I got spoiled shooting my LTT Beretta 92s, but the HK trigger is pretty heavy, especially in DA. It’s totally manageable, but I was spoiled. Well you can’t really get a match hammer spring and I didn’t want to bubba up my gun, so I just left the factory spring in place. The Grey guns short reset kit adds a barely perceptible change in trigger play and reset. The drop safety spring supposedly helps but it is also subtle. I just compared it with my buddies bog standard HK45c and you really can’t tell if you swap the gun from hand to hand without paying attention. Skip this change. I may even reverse it.

Take it or leave it.

  1. I swapped from V1 to decocker only. I prefer this. I am trying to remove any possible failure point from the gun and missing the safety can be one. So I swapped in the proper detent plate. I like this but you might not.

  2. Bobbed hammer. I like this. It actually improved my carry comfort and I am not a thumb-cocking type of guy. It is fairly involved process to swap for a novice but I am pretty comfortable inside the plastic HKs.

Anyway, I have about 770 rounds through the gun and I am carrying it. I have a very comfortable holster I picked up off eBay, a used black point. I am running it with 230 Grain HST and I keep it beside the bed with a 10 round mag and swap in the 8 rounders at night. The HDs, thankfully, were perfectly regulated for the drive the dot style of aiming I prefer. It’s a very comfortable gun to carry and a comforting gun to carry. The gun is as accurate as my CQB, so there is no practical way for me to expect anything better. And the gun can be shot fast. It would be a lie to say I can shoot it as fast as my LTT or even my Glocks, but it’s damn close (I am taking about splits, there is not real difference on draw from concealments and barely anything on Devil drills, etc.

What would I change? Honestly, I wish I could replicate my LTT Beretta trigger but since that is my favorite trigger ever I understand how it falls short. Other than that, the gun is perfect and is exactly what I was looking for.

](https://flic.kr/p/2oNU8bh)IMG_6543 by stoiclawyer, on Flickr[/IMG]

2

That looks like an old Comp-Tac holster. Are they still making those?

3

I understand the quest for the “ultimate” carry gun.

For me due to 45acp failing me, I will never own or carry a 45 acp again. Side note I do have a Glock 30 that has been turned into a .460 Rowland/

So with the advent of Leighi Defense the caliber was 9mm or 357sig. I settled on building both since I had a Glock 34 and 35 slide. So I went with a 6 inch KKM 357sig barrel. If I were to do it again I would use a 35 length barrel and a Glock 22 slide. The extended part of the barrel is for getting mag na ported, it really tamed the 357 sig.

4

If you don’t mind me asking, how did .45acp fail you?

5

But, but- whatta bout “they all fall to HardBall!” Yoni?? : )

6

Hilarious. I read all of your criteria and immediately thought of recommending the HK45C.

7

I have reported on the incident a few times. I was jumped by a terrorist that wanted to plane a hatchet in my head. I couldn’t bring my rifle up, so I pulled my 1911 which had a 8 round mag and 1 in the chamber. I put all the rounds into his heart and he kept fighting. It took the guy behind me shooting him in the head with his rifle to save my life .

8

The truth is shootings are individual events. Every person that has served in a war zone has seen the full range of reactions of humans being shot. 1 shot stop with 9mm ball, yes I have seen it a bunch of times, 1 shot stop with 5.56 yes also seen a bunch. But I have also seen people soak up bullets like a fat chick soaks up potato chips while watching day time TV hour after hour.

I am willing to bet that people survived the USA nuking of 2 cities, while the people around them were fried to a crisp.

Death has a randomness, that we will never be able to understand, for we are not G-D.

Here is what I believe velocity increases the chance of doing more damage, which is why I am a fan boy of Leighi Defense 357sig at 2200fps. But the truth is I will not act any different in a gun fight than if I was using a 9mm with ball. Accurate shots repeated until they are down and out of the fight. The only rule I have is I will never carry a low capacity gun again.

9

I like your choice of .357 Sig round, I carry the same. A G31 loaded with these are a formidable self-defense combination to carry on the hip

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

10

Y’all take this sub caliber blasphemy to another thread! Enjoy your bud light!

11

I started at the top of the post and got about a third of the way down and guessed HK P30.

I was close :smiley:

You should try the LEM trigger. It’s basically a pre-cocked DA with a short wall at the end of the trigger stroke. I find it way easier to shoot than DA.

12

I’ve definitely tried the LEM. It’s cool but I prefer da/sa

13

I had a LEM on a USP I got. I hated it so badly I converted it back to V1.

14

HK45C is not ridiculous at all, in fact it’s a great choice as a carry pistol!
I live in a 10 round state and have one that I converted to “light” LEM and carry AIWB and feel well armed indeed. The .45 may be silly for some but it has a certain je ne sais quoi of carry comfort for the emotions that defy logic.

The HK45C is the pistol I first tried for appendix carry. At first it was very uncomfortable but I forced myself to keep carrying it. After about a week I even forgot I had an HK strapped to my gut.

Edit to add: The LEM definitely sucks but it grows on you like AIWB if you keep shooting it. Its a trigger too clever not to love.

15

Yea I’ve done the same.

Your choice was good. My problems with HK after my P30sk experience:

  • LEM isn’t great. Long pull, long reset. DA / SA version worse because that DA is terrible.

  • Paddle mags. I release the mag while shooting a few times. Gun had to go.

  • Only way to mount an optic is with a rear sight plate.

As for .45, I tried a “safer” striker gun in the Springfield Compact. It’s been okay but now my concern is it won’t fire when I want it to. This is due to other people’s experiences, not mine.

Beretta PX4 .45. The grip interferes with me shooting it well. And it’s difficult to rack once hands get sweaty. I mean very difficult.

I don’t care for the trigger feel or its longish reset.

It also hates my LFP reloads that my other .45’s like fine.

I’ve gone through several .45’s now. I’ve decided to pick up .40 again. More gun options.

My latest tryout is a Beretta 96A1. I like it alot so far. I’m going to try Trijicons RDS rear sight mount. If that doesn’t work out but I still want the optic on it I’ll send it to LTT. They do the 96A1 now.

16

With full respect to your extensive experiences shooting bad guys, of which I have none.

But I’ve seen white tail deer shot in the heart run 100 yards before dropping. With 130-165gr expanding bullets in 308, 708, and 270/280. Turn the entire area to mush.

Not stagger, but leap and run.

I wonder if yours was one of those cases where with lack of a CNS disruption his body was fighting on even though he would have died in a few seconds.

I know you needed him dead right then! :slight_smile:

17

I think your assessment is correct. He was just like a deer shot and was dead but didn’t know it yet.

My problem is the lack of capacity in a 1911 and I don’t think caliber really counts that much in handguns to a certain point.

9mm allowed more rounds in the mag, which allowed transition to a head shot.

18

I prefer capacity as well for a CCW…Glock 19 or Sig 365x or XL…124 grain HST or Gold Dots…

19

Yeah, that is one of the reasons I went from .45ACP 1911s to .40, and eventually 9mm, Glocks years ago.

Being able to have up to 21 rounds in the gun if I wish, concealed even, is very…comforting. Even the usual 15 is almost double what my Wilson 47Ds could hold back in the day…

There was a Brit instructor (ex SBS guy I think) down in TX at one point that proposed this line of thing: it’s not about the ME of the specific caliber/load in your gun, but rather the total ME of all the individual rounds in the gun, that matters most.

By that math, it’s 9mm, .40, or .357Auto all the way. And the speed/shootability (as well as slight capacity) edge of 9mm makes it the right choice, for me at least.

20

I think at some point a little more capability in each round may matter more.

21 rds 5.7
18 rds 9x19
13 rds .40
9 rds .45
7 rds .357 mag.

It’s still a balance.