Those of you suggestion the XMacro Tacops, is it really that much easier to carry than a 19? They look similar on paper.
To the OP. I’ve bought and sold more guns than I can remember. I wouldn’t personally sale anything. I get being a minimalist but it’s better to hang on to what you have add something else. If you find something that works for you, after you’ve put a lot of time and training into it, then, maybe you can sale off the extra stuff.
As far as picking something new, I would focus on the minimum capability you want for the type of shooting you will do and work from there. I’m a little taller than you and about the same weight. I’ve carried and competed with 1911s, Glock 34s, Sig 226s, and full size Berretas. I’ve also carried and competed with a Glock 48. I’ve even shot a couple of steel challenge matches with a 48. Competing with what you carry is a great way to build confidence and competence with your gear.
“If you know the way broadly you will see it in everything." - Miyamoto Musashi
If I personally had to have a do-it-all 9mm, it would boil down between a plastic or metal option.
Plastic: Beretta PX4 compact with an OEM Cougar D spring.
Metal: Some flavor of Beretta 92 with the lanyard loop hammer spring plug, blacked out rear sight, and feed it with standard capacity magazines.
Alternate reality where I had to pick a GLOCK: Third generation 26 with either Hackathorn or painted Defoor sights, flush 10-round magazines, G19 mags for reloads, and call it good.
For me, AIWB, skinny guy, the thickness of a pistol is far more important for concealment and comfort that grip length. The eighth inch or whatever difference between a full size and a slimline makes a huge difference both AIWB and Demonstrated concepts style deep carry.
I don’t want this to be true, as I really like the bigger pistols and had carried a G19 for the last year. But I’ve finally moved to deep carry with an Enigma with a 43X. I can’t do this with a thicker pistol without looking ridiculous.
I can conceal a G34 AIWB just fine in a tee shirt standing perfectly still with no wind, but as soon as I’m moving or in the wind, any full width double stack starts to print a lot, whether it’s a 34 or a 19.
I have the 43X for tee shirt carry now and have been carrying the 34 in flannels when weather permits.
I'm a minimalist myself to a degree. I've come to the conclusion that pistols aren't like your normal consumable like a laptop or dishwasher. Nobodies putting restrictions on those but in some states more restrictions on firearms come every year. I suppose it depends on where you live but blue states continue to follow one another into draconian gun legislation. Having seen that I'm hesitant to sell a pistol, although I have more than a few. I've settled on one carry and have two which are identical. Those are the ones that routinely go to the range. At this point if someone I knew needed a pistol I might sell or give one away, but I'm not advertising. Things just keep going downhill where I live and at some point it will be impossible to buy a pistol without a license to own one along with the cost of training and cert.
If things go south and you can't legally buy a pistol from a dealer without the process described above, then there isn't a lot of hope for most people to legally access a pistol if there isn't an opportunity to do it legally.
If I were starting over I would take a serious look at the Beretta PX-4 compact series. Lots to like about those. That would be the only one that would interest me.
Last edited by Borderland; 04-15-2024 at 12:15 PM.
In the P-F basket of deplorables.