OK.. Looks like you've found your gun.. I'm still gonna chime in..
I started thinking CC about 17 years back.. I shopped on budget and stupidity alone. My requirements at the time were 9mm and as cheap as I could find.. I finally found this cool little gun.. It was a bit smaller in my hand than I cared for and it looked like a POS, but it was new and cheap.. I think I recall giving something like $225 for it.. It was a FEG AP9.. It's a Walther PP knock off so it had the cool 007 vibe going for it. It shot pretty well best I could tell.. At 25 yds I could keep everything in the black at least. I shot it like you would a target gun.. Ran an easy thousand round through it. One day while cleaning I noticed what looks like a small crack forming in the receiver that holds the barrel.. So in the top of the closet it went with a full mag of Federal Hydroshoks. It's there close by in case it's needed, but it's not something I'd want to rely on..
So off to the gun shop I go again looking for something that would be a good CC.. My eyes and budget were a bit larger this time.. I got carried away and ended up buying a Taurus 357 with the idea of CC.. Sucker can drive tacks at 25 yards.. Oh yeah.. It has an 8 inch barrel..
So a friend of mine pops up on another forum a couple of weeks ago selling a Rock Island 1911 Tactical for peanuts.. So I jump on it..
Once again, I start thinking CC.. I quickly realize that while the 1911 is better suited for carry than the Taurus, it's still a bit to large for "0 print CC" which is what I'd need. I do sales and service for a security and access control company. Some areas of town are quite sketchy and I occasionally end up getting called out on serivce calls after hours behind an alarm signal.. Being that I have actually managed to show up on a fire call before the Fire Dept made it on scene, I'm sure it's only a matter of time before I manage to show up well before the police on one, which means there's a dang good chance of running into whatever set the alarm off in the first place..
All that said, I also deal with customers face to face on a daily basis and the sight of a gun tends to make most folks very uneasy. That in mind, I need total concealment..
I've been going over guns like a mad man since I picked up the 1911.. Without a doubt the most suitable gun I have found in the Walther PSS. I've looked at the PKK, due to the fact I really liked the AP9 prior to it's issues, but the rough edges and the hammer on the PPK could easily get hung up under a shirt when drawing much easier than a hammerless gun. I put a PPK and a PPS in my hand today.. The PPK feels a little short on the grip to me and my pinky falls under it. The PPK/S has an extended magazine, but it's just extended enough that I can't decide if my pinky goes on the grip or under..
The PPS however just feels right. Grip is the perfect length and the hand wrap around the grip is right too.. At least for me.. It's a very thin gun at .98 thick, so inside waistband carry with the shirt tucked would give a very good concealment and not a lot of bulk... The downside to the PPS is that it's safety is like a Glock.. There really isn't one. It has that double trigger safety thing.. With my luck I'll prolly blow a hole in my leg while trying to draw from the holster.. This of course would require of not keeping a round in the chamber.
Still thinking the PPS is what I'm looking for right now.. Far cry better for my needs than a .357 with a 8 inch barrel..
Oh yeah.. Another plus is that it comes in a .40. Someone told me the other day on CC.. .380 is a good deterant, 9mm will stop with a well placed shot, .40 is gonna stop with a hit, .45 is going to remove body parts from anything it hits..
I also realized today that for the average CC person, you should really consider laser sights. I still think they are hokey as hell, but the simple fact that in a high pressure situation you don't have time to properly aim through the sites. Much quicker and simpler to hit the switch on put the dot on the target. You put a dot on a target and chances are they are going to realize you don't have to figure out how to aim. That red dot quite simply means "this is where I WILL be shot", not someone is going to shoot in my direction. That alone will be enough to deter many would be issues without a single shot being fired.
