My considerations for AWIB carry, my body type is tall and slender:
In order of priority,
1) safety, for me this rules out short trigger, zero manual safety SFA's
2) barrel length for comfort down there...
3) slide and overall thickness
4) Butt length
A lightweight commander would fit the bill and maybe someday I'll get one in 9mm/.38 Super. Right now my new to me Beretta 92c works well in all areas except thickness. I use a Wilderness Tactical horizontal mag pouch.
I really like the HK P-series in your role. If you don't want to learn to love LEM, which is understandable, the TDA can be made much better than stock by swapping out a couple springs. I think all are HK OEM, but you may not be able to get a reduced hammer spring OEM. I've had zero issues with the Wolff springs that are one step down from the factory #age .
I have a hard time keeping the Glock slide edge from printing, even with an aggressive foam wedge. If I were to carry them in a real NPE or in tshirts a lot, I'd have to get the slides rounded.
It sounds like you need a gun with a slightly shorter grip (G19 sized or so) and a rounded slide profile.
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Keep in mind that the cost for all the DA/SA parts will add about another $120 to the price of the gun if buying new parts. I recently did this with a new P229R DAK Legacy thinking I was going to come out ahead and really broke even(but I got the short extractor that I wanted!). I like the P224/5/6/8/9 family, so any opinion I give on those will be biased towards my preference. I don't find a P229 harder to carry than a P226, but I find a P226 easier to shoot, so that's what my primary carry is. I also do my own maintenance, which I'm pretty meticulous with, so I'm not concerned about warranty work...assuming the gun doesn't blow up! One obnoxious thing about Sigs is that they haven't kept their sizing consistent throughout the years, so not all holsters may fit properly.Originally Posted by McNamara
With how you describe your body type, I'd look into the standard JM AIWB holster & a foam wedge, then push the holster to ride as high as possible. This will make the full sized pistols' grip tuck into your non-existent gut(yes, you're reading a little jealousy in that) and allow you to bring it more over your center line and not interfere with your existing, installed equipment.
A couple people have mentioned the CZ P-07; I have only been considering brands that I have direct experience with so far, but that doesn't rule out trying something new.
1986, that's pretty close to my priority list for AIWB as well.
The P2000 is on my short list. I've shot the full size USP, the P30, and the VP9, but haven't tried the P2000 yet. Nor can I find any HK with a LEM trigger to rent in the Dallas area. I would not consider buying one just to see if I like it, I'd need to put a few hundred rounds through a rental first to see if it's for me. I agree that I probably need a G19-length grip and a more rounded slide profile.
I just checked at Top Gun and it priced out to $93 for the DAO to TDA parts. Not too bad if the pistol's only $400, which I've seen on GB a few times lately. If I found a DAK in that price range I might keep it as is, unless it turns out I really dislike DAK. As with LEM, I haven't tried it yet. That's another trigger I'll want to try before I buy.
I've nearly decided to go with a P2000 LEM. Nearly. Sig is in second place at the moment. I think I should still shoot one before I buy it, but... does anybody know of a range around Dallas/Fort Worth that has (any) HK pistols with LEM triggers to rent? Every place I've checked out in person or online has DA/SA variants only.
Or how about this: I'll buy ammo and lunch for anyone willing to let me try their LEM pistol.
The two pistols I have AIWB experience with are the P2000 LEM and the Sig SP2022. Both carry extremely well AIWB. The P2000 is a tad smaller in grip and slide length which works better for me. I've discovered that I don't need any of the foam pads or wedges on my AIWB holsters either, just a wing/claw to draw the grip in a little. I find the pads and built in humps on the backside of holster to be uncomfortable.
As far as the LEM goes. One range trip won't really be enough to give it a fair shake. It's not the monster that it's sometimes made out to be, but it is different. Read Dagga Boy's threads on the LEM, there's a lot of good info from him and others that have the LEM figured out. After a few range rentals, you should know if you can work with it or not. If you can't find one to rent or borrow, you may have to buy a used one to try out. Good thing is you won't lose much if any if you decide to off load it. I was able to try a P2000 and a P30 before I bought one, I wasn't able to discern much about the LEM in one brief range trip, but what I learned was I didn't like the grip style on the P30 and shot the P2000 better. I've made LEM my trigger of choice. One P2000 for carry, one for training/dry fire, and a USP 45 LEM for a 45 Super launcher woods pistol. Good luck.
Well, I'll probably do both. Just buy a used P2000 LEM, and also take a class from DB.
I have done quite a lot of reading here and from Todd's blog entries on the LEM trigger. Seems like it often does take over a thousand rounds or so for people to really decide if it is for them or not; with that in mind, I agree a couple of range trips won't be enough to know. I will be on the lookout for a good deal on a V2 over the next few weeks.
First I'll confess and say that currently I'm back to carrying a Glock 19.....BUT, the P2000 LEMs have a lot going for them. I have two, a 9mm and a .40....they've both have the V1 trigger. The 9mm has Dawson fiber optics and the .40 has Ameriglos. In May I took a Tom Givens Combative Pistol course in MS, and shot both guns...mostly the 9. They both performed like champs. I think you'll be happy with the P2000 LEM choice.
Why the G19? I guess I've had a history with them going back into the early '90's....and I couldn't believe how improved the G trigger could be until I bought a Gen5....well, actually I bought two of them
Good luck and let us know how it works out.
Gun Free Zones Aren’t an Inhibition….they’re an Invitation.
I don't have near the experience of any of the fellows here, but I can offer this;
IF you liked your G17, and you shot it well, why not the G17 again, set up SPECIFICALLY how it works for you?
I carried the 17 for close to two years, first in a CCC Shaggy and finally in a ZORN Skinny Rig. The Zorn hid the 17 perfectly.
Perhaps it's not the butt of the 17, but instead, the holster you are using...??? Would a different holster allow you to stay in the 1911?
Admittedly, I left the 17 platform for the special snowflake Walther P99as, which just works better for me. It allows me to have a DA/SA gun, to decock before reholstering, and for me, a better grip angle and contour.
Alas, there are but a few who make holsters for the 99, and I have found that KSG Holsters work well for me and my lifestyle, [non LEO] and hides the 99 which is big as the 17.
I'll echo what others have said, a smaller 1911, commander sized and bob tailed, would work well for you if just for the manual of arms.
Whatever you choose, good luck and Happy New Year.
"... And miles to go before I sleep".
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