Lots of catching up from my last post, all good stuff.
Over the years, I've tried a number of "small" guns for easier CC with summer clothing, including a J-frame and a Colt Mustang .380 (which IMO was really a POS). Neither of those were satisfactory for me as I was unable to shoot either even remotely as well as a larger handgun.
My first Glock was a 23. Call me a girly, but for some reason the .40 didn't seem to recoil any less than a .45 and I still did not feel I shot it well enough.
The 23 went in favor of a 17C, which has been the sweet spot for me. I even ran it through a PPC course and though points were dropped vs. my S&W Model 14 shooting wadcutters, I was pleasantly surprised at how well I was able to do with it at the longer 25 and 50 yard distances (with
Heinie SlantPro sights) using 124 grain FMJ ammo. When shooting IDPA I have a non-ported barrel to keep it game legal.
Because I have small hands, the Walther Police Pistol Slim fits my girly mitts very well. What has amazed me about it is how well I can shoot it and based on all the reading I have done, I am far from alone in that assessment. The PPS is the first easy-to-CC handgun that I have owned that I can shoot well, giving up little-to-nothing to the G17
in the critical 3 to 5 yard range of the typical self defense encounter. I also believe that from a retention standpoint, the PPS has a very considerable edge.
In a typical up-close-and-over-fast self defense scenario, I do not feel disadvantaged in any way with the PPS. But if it was a more prolonged situation beyond the typical 3 to 5 yard SD engagement, I know the G17 would gain me some major advantage over the PPS. Thus back to my original question but with a bit of rephrasing: do you carry an easy-to-conceal handgun that you feel 100% confident with to defend yourself, but also have a larger/more capable/higher capacity handgun that is also set up for CC for when you can effectively conceal it, OR do you strictly carry one handgun regardless of the season or any other (real or perceived) circumstances?
Thanks again to all for your continued indulgence.