Concealed Carry Pistol on a budget

[jagermeister]

so what's the no thumb safety? Is it like the hammer is down so when I pull the trigger for the first round the hammer gets cocked and the rest of the pull the gun goes off? I shot a pistol that was like this, the first round was crazy deceiving until I realized what was going on.

It's a single-action striker fire pistol, so when you rack the slide and return it to battery, the striker is cocked... pull the trigger and it goes bang. A double action like you're referring to cocks the hammer or striker during the first part of the trigger pull then releases it to fire at the back part. That's in simplest terms of course... I'm no gun expert that's for sure. A Shield with no safety is ready to rock when you chamber a round. So as Joe likes to say, you gotta keep your booger hook off the bang switch until you mean business.

 

[Huckleberry Finn]

so what's the no thumb safety? Is it like the hammer is down so when I pull the trigger for the first round the hammer gets cocked and the rest of the pull the gun goes off? I shot a pistol that was like this, the first round was crazy deceiving until I realized what was going on.

Like I said...a good class will teach you this (NRA pistol basics...buy ya a used copy on amazon) and help you decide what kind you want to purchase.

You're talking about single and double action.

 

[5Cent]

Shield or XDS

 

[angelzd28]

I carry a Colt 1911 Officers model in 45acp. Its a little heavy but the ergonomics and feel you just cant beat, although it is above the 500 price point....... That's my 2 cents, but like others have said, shoot a few and get a good feel for what you like.

 

[bowhunter1023]

I'd recommend the other way around. A lot of ccw classes have different guns you can try and shoot cheaply. The kind of gun to are carrying doesn't matter if you're in a theater where it's not permitted. A good ccw class should introduce you to pistols and safety and then you can make a decision about what gun and what styles of carry fits you the best.

This. I just took my class again and there were AMPLE guns there to try. Ultimately I learned that I don't want to carry my Taurus PT709 daily. After shooting several Glocks and witnessing my wife hang with our instructor while handling a Glock 17, I am going to buy at least one, if not two Glocks in the near future for us to have. Her Lady Smith .38spl will now be relegated to her "car gun" and my Taurus will go in my truck. She can leave the Glock in the house for her home defense and I'll daily carry mine. It was eye opening to do some real training with the gun I thought I wanted to carry versus a gun I'd always shunned at being the "in" thing.

 

[bowhunter1023]

The S&w works like a Glock so there is no hammer. No thumb safety means there is no safety. It works just like a Glock where there is a piece on the trigger that acts as a safety.

As explained to me when I asked this direct question to a certified Glock Armorer this weekend, there are actually 3 safeties involved with a trigger pull on a Glock. Without holding the actual gun, it's hard to replicate his explanation. My wife was leery of it not having a safety, but was relieved to know it wasn't a "hair" trigger by any means and there was a lot going on inside the gun to prevent accidental discharges.