Sidearms & Scatterguns Ergonomics and ccw

[pepper 2111]

I'm looking to get another ccw. Due to my body type and the type of clothes I wear, a slimmer gun is a must. I have a glock 26 and find it to be just a tad too much. I'm looking at the shield which I have had briefly and liked, Taurus pt111 g2 and the xds. All in 9mm. I have two demands, a good trigger and something that fits my giant skinny hands. I have only had my hands on the shield and I love apex triggers and would get the trigger/enhancement set up on it if I get another, however, I need a little more girth in the grip. Does anyone know a good slip on grip that makes the grip fatter? Or should I just go with athletic tape like a ball bat?

Also any reviews on the trigger of the Taurus? Does anyone make a kit similar to apex or can a gunsmith make some simple provements? I like the 12+1 capacity and price.

And thoughts in the xds? Trigger options? I imagine grip can't be altered too much with the grip safety

Thanks for your time.
Ps, feel free to sell me one of these guns at a dirt cheap price

 

[79jeepcj5]

I ccw a shield .40 and love it. I also have fairly large hands and long skinny fingers. I ended up getting what I believe was called a "grip glove" which is essentially a thick bicycle inner tube cut to fit the grip. I also undercut the trigger guard some. It's set up now so I can get most of my pinkie on the grip even when running the smaller 6 round mag.
The only drawback with the grip glove that I've seen is that it can work it's way down the grip over time and interfere with mag changes. Not really something you want to have to deal with while under duress. I've gotten in the habit of checking it when holstering in the morning and so far, no more issues.
Before I got the grip glove I was getting 3"-4" groups (controlled fire offhand) at about 7 yards. Now I can keep it under 2". Shooting critical duty to make sure they fed reliably I put two mags into one ragged hole. I'd say the grip glove helped.

Matt

 

[pepper 2111]

Thanks Matt, I've considered something like that as well. The shield is the front runner because of trigger options but I'm thinking about the pt111 too. I wish the shield had a grip like the m&p pros. It would also be nice of they made side inserts instead of just backstraps

 

[sigfan27]

How do you plan to carry the pistol.

 

[pepper 2111]

Both iwb and owb on my right hip mostly. Perhaps an ankle holster at times or maybe even the under tech shirt

 

[sigfan27]

Do you tend to wear tight shirts?

 

[pepper 2111]

Yeah I typically wear the athletic form fitting shirts or slimmer profile button down type

 

[woojos]

You should experiment with appendix carry. You can hide a lot of gun if you are slim and tall, even with a tight shirt. Any gun, even slim, will print when seated in a tight shirt when on hip.

Also, a lot of the pistol smiths who do grip reductions/stippling, may be willing to experiment with building up the grip. You'd have to call them and ask if they'll take the job.

 

[sigfan27]

Ergonomics and ccw

Yeah I typically wear the athletic form fitting shirts or slimmer profile button down type

Good luck! You can spend another $2k on guns and holsters, or spend $2-300 on clothes that don't show off as much of your physique. Appendix carry will help.

 

[pepper 2111]

Yeah it's defiantly a compromise.

 

[79jeepcj5]

I'm not a fan of anything made by Taurus. A lot of folks like them but I've had friends that have had failures with theirs. I've seen cracked frames, mags that would fall out during firing and personally had a slide fly off one during firing. Those incidents were years ago and I don't remember the models. I believe one was a PT 92 or 99.
IMO for the price the Shield can't be beat.

 

[pepper 2111]

That's the way I'm leaning. It doesn't look like xds has the trigger options and I'm hesitant on Taurus reliability as well. Now I just need to find a grip to make the palm swell bigger

 

[thunderchicken13]

I bought a Hogue slip on grip for my Shield and it was just the ticket. Boil it in water and slip it right on. It doesn't move at all on the gun.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B000H6GZI8/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?qid=1410657832&sr=8-1&pi=SY200_QL40

 

[call_me_ski]

Appendix carry is something that is recommend you try. I am not a big dude 5'10" 175lbs and I was able to conceal a sig p229 back when I had a ccw in ca summer without dressing around the gun. granted most the time a had a relatively loose fitting work polo on.

If the question is defense, taurus need not be discussed. I wouldnt worry about the trigger options for the xds, those that exist are nice, and the stock trigger outclasses the shield by a wide margin imo. But than again a great trigger is not high on my list of priorities for a gun of this type.

Ultimately carrying a gun is a big and important decision. You will have to make certain sacrifices in the process and slightly altering your style of dress might be one of them.

 

[30calDeath]

I carry an XDs at the 330ish position and its comfortable in all situations especially going from standing to sitting in my truck. I can see how appendix carry can be comfortable and easily hidden but to me it is extremely uncomfortable transitioning from standing to sitting as it digs into my stomach.

 

[Ultraman550]

I'm looking to get another ccw. Due to my body type and the type of clothes I wear, a slimmer gun is a must. I have a glock 26 and find it to be just a tad too much. I'm looking at the shield which I have had briefly and liked, Taurus pt111 g2 and the xds. All in 9mm. I have two demands, a good trigger and something that fits my giant skinny hands. I have only had my hands on the shield and I love apex triggers and would get the trigger/enhancement set up on it if I get another, however, I need a little more girth in the grip. Does anyone know a good slip on grip that makes the grip fatter? Or should I just go with athletic tape like a ball bat?

Also any reviews on the trigger of the Taurus? Does anyone make a kit similar to apex or can a gunsmith make some simple provements? I like the 12+1 capacity and price.

And thoughts in the xds? Trigger options? I imagine grip can't be altered too much with the grip safety

Thanks for your time.
Ps, feel free to sell me one of these guns at a dirt cheap price

I have a Shield with these 2 things that have helped a lot.

1. Shield Extended Magazine Plates
2. Sand Paper Pistol Grips - Product Ordering - Grip Enhancements for Smith & Wesson M&P SHIELD 9mm & .40 Caliber

I use the GusGrips MAX-R Rubber and it helps quite a bit. The NDZ performance is amazing though. Better than the Pierce grips in my opinion. If you want I can PM you a picture of my SHIELD.

 

[Metal Gear]

I will never again own a Taurus semi auto handgun... I would not trust my life to one, and I suggest you do the same.

Last year I was torn between the Xds9 and the Shield 9mm. I don't think you could go wrong with either one, but I went with the Xds9 and have not looked back. The xds9 has been 100% reliable for me with now around 900 rounds through it of both fmj target loads and a couple types of self defense hollow points. For its size, it is a very solid shooter. It does come with 2 sizes of back straps, but for my smaller hands I like the small back strap. I liked the trigger better before they messed with it for the recall, but it is still pretty nice. Powder River Precision makes a trigger kit for them that I felt on one and really liked it, so I think I may get one for it but still on the fence. They also make traction grips for them that are kind of like a skateboard tape but look nice and will probably add a tiny bit of gurth.

I carry mine IWB in a kydex holster from PJHolster.com at about the 3:30-4:00 position and it is very comfy for me. Also sometimes carry a spare extended mag on opposite hip with holder from same company.

Just my .02 cents.