"RogerN" wrote in message
m...

Any favorites for a concealed carry pistol? A former gun dealer at work
recommended getting an inexpensive gun because he said if you have to draw
on someone, it is likely that the police will confiscate your weapon. He
thought the Ruger 380 Auto would be good.

RogerN

That is a good gun. Small. Concealable. Not a lot of stopping power, tho.
There are different schools of thought on this. My last class was taught by
Bill Irwin, Las Vegas Metro Officer. He drilled us that you want to be
beaten to the edge of consciousness before you draw and fire, because if you
don't, you will lose all you own in court costs and lawyers.

I carry a Keltec 3AT, a .380, and also have a S&W 2 1/8" barrel .357 5 shot
that I like because it hides well in its Safariland paddle holster on the
back of my skinny hip. Anything else on me looks like I'm shoplifting a
loaf of bread. And he drilled on us that if your gun is SEEN, and someone
calls it in, and the police respond, you will be given ONE letter of
reprimand, and the second time it happens, it's goodbye permit, so pick
something that's CONCEALABLE.

I'm not a fan of carrying what I would field carry if I were in a firefight
situation, mostly because of concealability. I have rethought my strategies
and scenarios, and now I would retreat, retreat, retreat. If cornered, I
would let them get in a couple of evidentiary licks. If struck, I'd just
start shooting, and even my little .380 popgun will poke enough holes to
break off the attack, or damage the bad guy. Especially if he was close
enough to be hitting me.

And, he said, as another poster did here, to stand in front of your mirror,
and with your prayers, and your "Yes, dear", and "I love you" practices, to
say why you shot ...... "I shot to end the attack. I shot to end the
attack. I shot to end the attack." Say it until it will roll off your
lips, because that's what the LEO will be writing down.

Yes, I would like a smallish .45 carry pistol, but now I have to go for
carpal tunnel syndrome surgery, and I can't even get a pill bottle open. My
..357 would probably launch back in my face if I fired it now.

What YOU should carry is up to you, your attitude, your body configuration,
the amount of clothes you wear in your location, and several other things.
And for me, one of the major ones is how the gun fits my hand, tho the
Keltec is horrible fitting in my hand. But I can put it in just about any
pocket, and no one knows I have a gun. Fergeddabout the Uncle Mike's inside
the belt holster, it falls out. Might have to put some Velcro on it. Have
dropped it in public more than once.

My scenario calls for me to be in close, not to take any shot more than 7
feet. I have years of Greco-Roman wrestling experience, and if I can get in
close and tie you up, I'll best you, or at least put some powder burns in
there with the bullet holes. You can't miss with contact wounds.

MHO, YMMV, and all that.

Steve