Does my unicorn carry gun exist?

[Ops]

70 Torino GT decades ago

Than you should know current 9mm is better than 40 SW

 

[oli700]

Than you should know current 9mm is better than 40 SW

"better" is a hard sell . I get where you are going but the Short and Weak reaps the same projectile tech as the 9.......now capacity, commonality , firearm selections, recoil management, practice cost .....yep,I'm with you .

 

[titsonritz]

Or for the secret squirrel/Jason Bourne technique, using a piece of rubber hose wedged behind the hammer and the chamber empty!

Would that be condition 4 1/2 or 5?

 

[User 1234]

Condition 9 3/4

 

[Defense Minister]

I think you already have what you want in the M&P40c, you just need to get the model with the manual safety and replace the trigger with a better aftermarket one which will likely take care of both the trigger and accuracy issues.

Done!

 

[Core]

So, my unicorn carry gun will have the following traits:

- .40 S&W
- At least 10rds of capacity.
- Manual safety
- Great trigger
- Extremely reliable.
- 25oz or less in weight.
- Capable of 2" or better at 25yds
- Under 7" overall length and 4.5" or less overall height.

I've searched and haven't found such a unicorn[/SIZE]

Springfield EMP Lightweight 4" Champion Model - 3x 9 rd mags 37oz Another suggestion would be a Colt Lightweight Commander "smithed" to 40SW. The aluminum frame is really nice, my friend has a 1953 in 45 Auto: I did a bunch of work for him on it and it's a great carry gun. Fusion might make something similar or EGW. Good luck! Unicorns are always pricey: but worth it!

 

[wolf4wd]

Posted this on another gun forum as well. Figured it couldn't hurt to post it here as well...

Currently have three pistols I use for CCW in either IWB or OWB holsters. All have their strengths and weaknesses. Looking for a unicorn CCW pistol.

Current pistols along with their pros and cons:

Springfield Armory XDS 40

View attachment 567153

Pros:
- Very compact; my usual go to pistol in a Remora holster.
- .40 S&W is my favorite round
- Extremely accurate. Will do 1.75" groups at 25yds over and over with cheap ammo.
- Very reliable; never had a single issue.

Cons:
- Capacity. Only 6 rounds. I want more.
- No safety. I want one. Used to not care, but now I feel better with one.
- Trigger is heavy, but does have a clean break.

S&W M&P40c

View attachment 567154

Pros:
- Capacity. 10 rounds is my new minimum amount.
- .40 S&W
- Perfect size; Rides well IWB and is controllable under rapid fire.
- Decent trigger, but not great
- Reasonably accurate.
- Reliable

Cons:
- No safety
- Accuracy is finicky; occasionally meets my 2" at 25yd standard, but not consistently.
- Trigger is just so-so.
- Ergonomics not as good as my Glock.

Glock G19 Gen 5 MOS

View attachment 567155

Pros:
- Capacity! 15 rounds is awesome.
- Accurate
- Reliable
- Trigger is the best Glock trigger I've had.
- Wide variety of holsters and accessories available.

Cons:
- No safety.
- 9mm. I like the cost and shoot-ability of the 9mm, but I like bigger bullets and the .40 S&W.
- A little on the big side. Shrink it a half inch in length and height and it would be perfect, like the M&P40c.

So, my unicorn carry gun will have the following traits:

- .40 S&W
- At least 10rds of capacity.
- Manual safety
- Great trigger
- Extremely reliable.
- 25oz or less in weight.
- Capable of 2" or better at 25yds
- Under 7" overall length and 4.5" or less overall height.

I've searched and haven't found such a unicorn

 

[wolf4wd]

I am no expert, so take this for what it is; simply my 2 cents. Also, I am not the "spot on" shooter that you are, but I do carry and I am on my 4th handgun in that process. But, I am happy where I am today.

I started with a Ruger LCS 9mm, it just seemed too small. Then I went to a full size Ruger 9E. It was heavier, I liked that, it performed well, and had a 17 round mag capacity - but it was harder to conceal. So, I changed to a S&W M&P 9mm Shield. Nice gun, I liked it and I shot well. But, I ended up carrying two extra mags. Then I heard about the M2.0 version of the shield and others. I recently upgraded to a S&W M&P M2.0 9mm Compact. Not significantly larger than my shield, but comes with 15 round mags and will take full size 17 round mags. I got a better trigger pull and I absolutely shoot this handgun the best; good enough that I am going to stay with this.

I struggled with the 9mm vs .40S&W vs .45ACP. But I did a lot of reading about "gel" testing and determined, by my standards, that the Federal HST 124 Grain in regular or +p 9mm met my needs; expansion, penetration, etc were not only consistent and positive, but also presented a favorable comparison to those of a .40S&W.

I carry OWB all of the time, and have managed to adjust my "fashion" to suit this. Cost is a major factor for me, so the 9mm again rose to the top.

But, as you already know - if you shoot a particular handgun well; regardless of size, or caliber, that would be the one I would lean towards. In your case, you could add a trigger mod OR trade up to the M2.0 version of the S&W M&P .40; it might resolve your issues. Again, just my 2 cents; and lets hope to hell that Kate Brown doesn't get her way; otherwise all of this will mean nothing!

Good luck in your choice.

 

[Dan Adams]

I agree with most of the points about the Springfield XDs in .45. It's slim, easy to conceal and accurate. My problem with it is that, after shooting 50 rounds or so, I get a little blood blister on the inner side of the second thumb knuckle from the upper rear square nub on the grip. So if I am to get any decent practice time, I have to wear gloves. I'm currently looking hard at the new Sig Sauer P320 X-Carry. I tried a P320C; it was the first gun I've ever shot the first time and tore a ragged hole in the bullseye with the first magazine. I was going to buy the P320 and change the trigger for the X trigger, since I like straight triggers and it costs only $49. The X-Carry looks like it should meet all my criteria, and going to 9mm means more ammo in my carry rig.

 

[revjen45]

Pistol features are like women. Everyone generally agrees on some general attributes and qualities that are desirable, but the more finer details are subject to each own.
50 yrs with wife, 29 with .45 carry companion, 16 with Steyr S9. If it ain't broke don't fix it.

 

[PNWguy]

Than you should know current 9mm is better than 40 SW

LOL...

 

[RVTECH]

First and foremost, "great triggers" don't come from the factory...unless we're talking about a $3000 Wilson or something.

Don't know what you qualify as 'great' but the trigger on the $450 RIA 9mm 1911 I looked at recently was pretty dang GOOD - and this was a dry and dusty off the rack gun.
I suspect a good cleaning and lube would bring it close to 'great'!

 

[ilikegunspdx]

FYI re the HK USP mentioned above, they do offer a law enforcement modification trigger (on all the pistols I think) which is pretty neat. It's like a pre-cocked double action with a short reset.

Also if you get the regular trigger version you can carry it like a 1911 (and 1911 spinoffs such as Sig p938) cocked and locked so that all trigger pulls are single action.

Here is a video on the LEM trigger. Start at 7:14 in to save time of watching the whole thing.

 

[Core]

Than you should know current 9mm is better than 40 SW

All of the conventional pistol calibers in sub magnum still ring true to bigger is better. The 9mm has not been advanced any more than the .40 and vice versa: the same tech is driving the latest cartridges. If you look at national lethality numbers by pistol, you see that the lethality per shot gradually goes up as the pistol projectile increases in it's native diameter across the board on a per shot basis. The .40 is very similar to the .45 Auto in terminal ballistics, but the .45 Auto still manages to win ever so slightly. The same is for .50 AE. The outliers are: the magnum pistol cartridges .357 and .44 Mag almost always result in a one round death when center mass or head-shot. The difference between a .40 and .45 then boils down to kinetic energy and projectile performance. (Penetration depth, expansion, wound cavities etc.).

9mm will never be better than the .40 from a lethal perspective. It may be a better choice overall due to capacity, training, cost, followup times, etc. I carry a 45 Auto and 9mm, they both hold the same amount of cartridges per mag (8). I don't lose sleep over which one will NOT stop someone.. (45 Auto is no guarantee of stopping a threat: it's likely you would need a .50 Magnum to cause enough trauma in the body to stop 99% of threats and there would still be some outliers who would keep fighting) If you really want to chase low recoil and high kinetic energy pistols there are far more superior cartridges to choose from than 9mm. (consider the 5x7 and similar sub pistol cartridges).

So advising someone 9mm is as good as .40, is simply not true. I hate the .40 it sucks IMHO for several reasons, but is still more lethal than 9mm. I can use a cartridge's ballistics and calculate kinetic energy and verify terminal performance: to me this trumps the numbers on the box. The 45 Auto is real hard to beat in the right cartridge: you have to run a 10mm with a lot of energy to beat it. Comparing 9mm to 45 Auto would be an even bigger stretch, despite the bad info out there suggesting they are comparable in their lethality.

Food for thought.

 

[Hayharnel]

If the Anti-Gun crowd had there way, all we would be able to have is Unicorn guns that shoot Skittles. Do it for the children!

 

[ilikegunspdx]

Is there still a baby eagle version of this? Don't know if it's still made or what company it would be now (maybe still IWI?).

I looked at IWI website and don't see baby desert eagle but the Jericho in 40 Cal is still made. I would carry this cocked and locked for all SA trigger pulls ala the 1911.



video of 9mm version

Baby eagle 9mm version video. Hickok says had a hard time shooting it, maybe due to DA/SA? This version has a decocker on slide which sounds like primary issue for Hickok. Jericho is available with safety on frame or decocker on slide.

 

[PNWguy]

The great thing about my new unicorn gun is that if I ever come to my senses and decide to switch to 9mm for carry, I can buy a factory M&P9c barrel from Midway for $80 and a couple of M&P9c magazines and it will run 9mm reliably.

 

[PNWguy]

Took a photo of the three guns I own most often used for CCW to show the sizes. From left to right, the XDS holds 6 rounds of .40 S&W, the M&P40c gen 1 holds 10, and the Glock G19 Gen 5 holds 15 rounds of 9mm.

The M&P40c is just right, IMHO...

 

[PNWguy]

Got in my new X-Grip adapter so I could use the 15-round magazines from my M&P40 fullsize.

Wow! Amazingly awesome grip! Fits me like a glove and is about 1/4" longer than my G19 height wise and 1/2" shorter lengthwise. tried my IWB Don Hume leather hoslter and it concealed nicely. Everything is coming together nicely. Never thought I could carry 15 rounds of .40 S&W so easily...

 

[Core]

I looked at IWI website and don't see baby desert eagle but the Jericho in 40 Cal is still made. I would carry this cocked and locked for all SA trigger pulls ala the 1911.

View attachment 568112

video of 9mm version

Baby eagle 9mm version video. Hickok says had a hard time shooting it, maybe due to DA/SA? This version has a decocker on slide which sounds like primary issue for Hickok. Jericho is available with safety on frame or decocker on slide.

I remember there was an RFI for the IWI Jericho by NSWGxx for the Jericho in .40 I believe. I wonder how it panned out? It's not much to look at but the marketed feature set is pretty impressive.