I carry a G26, great gun. The only problem with buying anything now is getting ammo. The stores in my area are sold out of every caliber. And pistols they are hard to find also.
Many folks carry their snubbies in a jacket pocket instead of a holster. I Have Fired a 637 S&W thru a jacket pocket 5 times with out a malfunction. Tried it with a S&W 469 and got the slide hung up in jacket material after the first shot. Don't have to practice fast draw to get good at maybe protecting yourself in a bad situation.
Own Glock 23 & 43, Ruger Security 9, Springfield Hellcat & Sig P229 in the price range you mentioned. I shoot best with the Ruger, then the 23 (have both 9mm & .40 barrels for it) and worst is the Sig. As Tuleman aptly stated, the one for you is the one that feels right for you. Some ranges have try guns that you can shoot and find out which works best in live fire situations.
I have read so many other shooting forum comments of P365 accuracy; I've shot 3 different P365 models @ paper & Steel Plates. I had a *** moment even running different ammo giving all I had and still not impressed. If others here who love the P 365 able to group their pistols then they got a good one. If I had owned one of the P 365 I had shot would have boxed it up and sent back to SIG. Another SIG moment; we shoot a lot Action Pistol (Steel Plates); a fellow shooter bought a SIG 320, this guy a heck of a shooter with handguns, he shoots low 3's & 4's on the timer but not with the SIG 320. he struggles to make this gun work, too many misses and its not him, the 320 doesn't group, it patterns ...................... For grins and giggles, look @ You Tube reviews for the new SIG M-18, several presenters shock how poorly it shot and tried to make excuses but damage already done.
Carrying any pistol or revolver without a holster that completely covers the trigger guard is a disaster waiting to happen. With the quality of holsters available at great prices now days, there's really no reason to carry that way. I don't care if it's got a 24 pound trigger or a 2 pound trigger.
OP, for your $500 budget, you have a lot of decent options. First off, you need to decide how often you'll be conceal carrying, what environments you'll be carrying in, and how your daily clothing requirements fit into that. For me personally, with my body type, and daily workwear requirements, I can't hide a double stack unless I add an extra garment, which isn't an option for me in certain situations. Therefore, I settled on carrying a Glock 43 with a +1 extension and a spare mag with a +2 extension. Now that the Shield Arms 15 round magazines are becoming reliable, I'll likely pick up a Glock 48 and give that gun a shot. Still a "single stack" framesize, but with capacity similar to a G19, M&P, etc. If you're looking for a gun to pull double duty - HD and carry, then look at standard compact double stacks. Glock 19, M&P C 2.0, Sig P320, CZ P10C, FN 509c, HK VP9 c, etc. in that $500 range, you might not find one brand new for that price, but there's always a ton of nice used options available. Going with a C version of a double stack gun gives you the ability for magazine compatability with the full size counterpart, the ability to select from a larger variety of weapon lights vs single stacks, and not to mention aftermarket support from holster and parts manufacturers. Then it all comes down to fit, feel, and perceived accuracy, and we can't make those decisions for you.
Why would you want a pistol that shoots tight groups? I’d rather put 5 holes in some POS instead of 5 shots in one hole
I've shot pretty much every gun you listed and own a couple of them. If you ask me, if you're going to conceal it, just get a Glock 43 with TTI +2 extensions on some mags and +1 on others. They make a +3 but I don't have any. You'll have 8 rounds with the +2. I'll take the narrower gun than full size mags any day of the week.
You’ve pretty much nailed all the thoughts that been bouncing around my head. This is a double duty gun, and I’ve been looking at regular compacts. My dad carries the M&P C 2.0 and I have various other friends and family members that carry the Springfield XDs , Glock 19, Sig P320 compact, and similar sized guns pretty much year round. They all like the fact that they don’t have to compromise much on size or capacity. But they all also have smaller subcompact single stacks that they can carry if they’re really worried about printing and live in semi-rural Missouri where most people don’t care if you’re carrying anyway. I don’t have those luxuries. But at the same time, I won’t be carrying all that much until I graduate. Going to an urban, liberal college isn’t exactly the most conducive time to regularly carry a firearm. So it’ll mostly be a nightstand gun. But I’m also in New Orleans most of the year and then Missouri from May-August, so I’m usually in nothing heavier than a t-shirt and rarely in something more than a sweatshirt when I would carry. That’s why I’m seriously thinking about the P365 and the Hellcat. They’re both subcompact, single stack size, but offer the option to run 12+ rounds and still be easily concealable. If I don’t like either of those when I go shooting today, then I think I’ll go with a regular subcompact single stack and just keep an extended mag in when it’s pulling HD duty or I’m able to wear heavier clothes.
I'm with you on the 320, I haven't been a big fan of it. I do like the 226, 229. They are pretty seen heavy tho. I guess I got a good 365, I don't have any problems shooting it 25 and in. Like I said, I have been surprised how well it shoots.
