Israeli draw is one option.

Eh, dis Hawaii. No need gun, jus go up n up lidat.

Whatever happened to dat up n up guy anyway?

Israeli draw - good point for striker fired pistols

In America, most don’t recommend condition 3 because it is a manipulation that could be messed up…or you are unable to do it/don’t have time to rack the slide.

Idk.  I think a lot of things come down to common sense and situational awareness.  For many  situations, they can just be avoided.  And if they can’t be avoided and you think 0.5 second or a fumbled manipulation could make the difference in your safety, than condition 1 is something to consider.

Carrying a da/sa pistol with no safety is almost like   condition 1……and can thumb the hammer when drawing/holstering. 

My friend has his ccw and likely carries his Glock in condition 1….but he trains a lot compared to me.  He shoots at least 2x a month and is an RSO/instructor for HRA and LIFE…he helps teach the pistol class and the ccw class.  For someone that trains a lot, condition 1 is ok. 

Idk about condition 1 striker pistols for people that don’t train much

(I don’t think my friend ccw’s much.  I think it’s only for like an LA riot type of situation when things have actually hit the fan.  I think he just carries pepper spray)

I might start to carry pepper spray when I begin to hear about people in PC getting robbed at Longs, Walmart and grocery stores. 

I’ll get a ccw eventually but only use it if a hurricane hits Oahu. 


Cause it is gonna be fun times if we get a solid hurricane hit.  Look at Maui.  They had several near misses with other fires….and the government and Heco still didn’t prepare.

If a bunch of trees and poles are blocking the roads, I hope the City has enough sense to stage their equipment and logistics so they have easy  access to the freeway.  And life is gonna suck for a while if you still have a home and live in an area with fallen utility poles and trees.  Hope you have a chain saw to create access….or a lifted truck to go over poles/big branches…or a motorcycle to squeeze thru gaps.  And a generator.  I don’t think Heco is going to stock a whole a lot of replacement poles in their financial situation.

And if the harbors and cranes get damaged like west side of the big island…..but worser…

Several mentioned a P365. Too small for me although Im sure its very light and comfortable. I prefer something in the subcompact range. A little larger but still concealable for me. Some in that category would be the HK VP9 SK, CZ P10S , Canik TP9 Elite SC. Many mentioned a glock 19 which is a tad too big for me to carry. The three I mentioned have basically the same length barrel as the sig P365 but a little longer grip.  Also a little wider so it makes it easier for me to shoot.

In the end, I would suggest picking something that is the largest you can carry while still concealing well and comfortably.

Note: of the three I mentioned the first one is the most expensive, but also very high-quality, the second and third one are more affordable options. The Canik you can get for a very good deal and it has a great trigger thats better than many more expensive guns.

Israeli draw - good point for striker fired pistols

In America, most don’t recommend condition 3 because it is a manipulation that could be messed up…or you are unable to do it/don’t have time to rack the slide.

Idk.  I think a lot of things come down to common sense and situational awareness.  For many  situations, they can just be avoided.  And if they can’t be avoided and you think 0.5 second or a fumbled manipulation could make the difference in your safety, than condition 1 is something to consider.

Carrying a da/sa pistol with no safety is almost like   condition 1……and can thumb the hammer when drawing/holstering. 

My friend has his ccw and likely carries his Glock in condition 1….but he trains a lot compared to me.  He shoots at least 2x a month and is an RSO/instructor for HRA and LIFE…he helps teach the pistol class and the ccw class.  For someone that trains a lot, condition 1 is ok. 

Idk about condition 1 striker pistols for people that don’t train much

(I don’t think my friend ccw’s much.  I think it’s only for like an LA riot type of situation when things have actually hit the fan.  I think he just carries pepper spray)

I might start to carry pepper spray when I begin to hear about people in PC getting robbed at Longs, Walmart and grocery stores. 

I’ll get a ccw eventually but only use it if a hurricane hits Oahu. 


Cause it is gonna be fun times if we get a solid hurricane hit.  Look at Maui.  They had several near misses with other fires….and the government and Heco still didn’t prepare.

If a bunch of trees and poles are blocking the roads, I hope the City has enough sense to stage their equipment and logistics so they have easy  access to the freeway.  And life is gonna suck for a while if you still have a home and live in an area with fallen utility poles and trees.  Hope you have a chain saw to create access….or a lifted truck to go over poles/big branches…or a motorcycle to squeeze thru gaps.  And a generator.  I don’t think Heco is going to stock a whole a lot of replacement poles in their financial situation.

And if the harbors and cranes get damaged like west side of the big island…..but worser…

There's a Youtube channel Active Self Protection (John Correira). He analyzes thousands of CCTV self defense situations with guns.  Many who had to rack their slide, if not all, lost their life or were shot due to not being able to rack the slide.  Various reasons, panic, adrenalin, blood on hands (poor grip), etc...I would consider what he has to offer valuable info as he has lots of XP.

I used to not trust my condition 1 handgun when I first got it. So slowly, I began leaving a round in teh chamber when at home and the gun never went off. This is how I slowly built trust in my equipment. To each their own,but I would suggest condition 1.

Not a fan of DA/SA either as it's more parts that can fail. SA is the newer tech and the way to go. Unless you wanna flex and CCW a Stacatto C2 or something with a RMR on it.

Israeli draw - good point for striker fired pistols

In America, most don’t recommend condition 3 because it is a manipulation that could be messed up…or you are unable to do it/don’t have time to rack the slide.

Idk.  I think a lot of things come down to common sense and situational awareness.  For many  situations, they can just be avoided.  And if they can’t be avoided and you think 0.5 second or a fumbled manipulation could make the difference in your safety, than condition 1 is something to consider.

Carrying a da/sa pistol with no safety is almost like   condition 1……and can thumb the hammer when drawing/holstering. 

My friend has his ccw and likely carries his Glock in condition 1….but he trains a lot compared to me.  He shoots at least 2x a month and is an RSO/instructor for HRA and LIFE…he helps teach the pistol class and the ccw class.  For someone that trains a lot, condition 1 is ok. 

Idk about condition 1 striker pistols for people that don’t train much

(I don’t think my friend ccw’s much.  I think it’s only for like an LA riot type of situation when things have actually hit the fan.  I think he just carries pepper spray)

I might start to carry pepper spray when I begin to hear about people in PC getting robbed at Longs, Walmart and grocery stores. 

I’ll get a ccw eventually but only use it if a hurricane hits Oahu. 


Cause it is gonna be fun times if we get a solid hurricane hit.  Look at Maui.  They had several near misses with other fires….and the government and Heco still didn’t prepare.

If a bunch of trees and poles are blocking the roads, I hope the City has enough sense to stage their equipment and logistics so they have easy  access to the freeway.  And life is gonna suck for a while if you still have a home and live in an area with fallen utility poles and trees.  Hope you have a chain saw to create access….or a lifted truck to go over poles/big branches…or a motorcycle to squeeze thru gaps.  And a generator.  I don’t think Heco is going to stock a whole a lot of replacement poles in their financial situation.

And if the harbors and cranes get damaged like west side of the big island…..but worser…

I also carry OC on me and a folding knife. OC is for when some force is needed for self defense (not deadly). And the knife is to cut things. Like seat belt, string, open paint can, etc...

The Pearl Harbor helicopter crash years ago, 3 guys were going down to help cut the child stuck in there under water. Between the 3 of them, they were sharing 1 knife. They were unsuccessful. I wonder what would have happened if there were 2 or 3 knives available.

All great suggestions. But whatever you decide to carry, train. And remember the first rule of CCW…don’t openly converse that you’re carrying in public!

A little off topic, but I thought another benefit to getting a HICCW license was not having to wait two (2) weeks to get your PTA. But I recently found out (2 weeks ago) HPD decided to change that.

How and when did this happen???

Glock 48

Great points by everyone here.  I’ve carried a Glock 19, P320 and CZ-P01 (compact sizes) along with a Shield and P365X.

I’ve found that I had printed a bit with the compacts and they would get uncomfortable carrying appendix while sitting.  This was prior to getting my CCW here, but I was up on the mainland every so often and would carry there.  I’m sure that given more time, I could have figured out better positions to get it to sit more comfortably.

I wanted to get a subcompact with a manual safety as my youngest was still in the phase of crawling all over my lap and playing with me.  I found the P365X to be just big enough to fit my hand while being very compact and comfortable.  I also like the modularity and choices for future changes.  Picked one up and never looked back. 

Just wanted to add. If you ever use your CCW. Good luck getting it back if you ever have to use it even if it's justified. Lol

I'd go cheapest yet most reliable. Biggest yet still concealable as others have mentioned to your body style after you've decided appendix or 3/4 o'clock draw. Or fanny pack/ cross body draw.

P365X with Wilson combat grip module, and holosun eps carry dot.  10+1, lightweight, very easy to carry and shoot accurately.

P365X with Wilson combat grip module, and holosun eps carry dot.  10+1, lightweight, very easy to carry and shoot accurately.

My exact setup 

too dank?

Newbie who just got his permit and getting into the world of guns. Looking for good CCW / first handgun. (Ultimate goal is to use this firearm as my CCW). Would like to stay in the range of $500-$700 range.

 What do you guys use and how do you like it? Any suggestions? What caliber is good to use? (Google search says .380 is a popular choice, but my peers say 9mm 🤷🏾‍♂️)

Thanks in advance!

....
1-Pick a small 9mm and practice a lot with it.
2- practice a lot with it
3- practice even more with it.
Funny, but not really joking.

....
1-Pick a small 9mm and practice a lot with it.
2- practice a lot with it
3- practice even more with it.
Funny, but not really joking.

Training, then practice.  Need to practice the right way.

On a side note. A pocket .380 can be as snappy as a 9, and MORE difficult to hit accurately, in my experience. 

On a side note. A pocket .380 can be as snappy as a 9, and MORE difficult to hit accurately, in my experience.

With the 9mm subcompact options available now, i'd have to fall in love with a specific .380 auto to decide on that as my primary carry weapon.

Realistically, a 9mm, .380 auto and .38 Special are nearly the same projectile size.  9mm = .354". 

Number of rounds carried is a factor -- aka "firepower".  My G42 .380 held 6 rds.  My G26 9mm holds 10rds standard.

There are some specs that outweigh caliber alone IMO when deciding on a carry firearm. 

YMMV.

9mm is a bit cheaper over 380 and you wouldnt have to stock another caliber ammo.  Going to small a pistol can be detrimental to accuracy if getting the smallest pistol possible isn't necessary.

Shooting micro pistols do take more work, practice, training, whatever to shoot well.  There are more and more classes being offered specifically for micro pistols, as well as pistol matches specifically for those.  I've shot my 48 a few times in local matches and there are a handful that shoot 43x/48 and Sig micro pistols regularly  While I do like the compact and lighter 43x setup, I shoot my 17 much better.  I can conceal the 17 well (or well enough) that I carry that more often than not. 

micronesian...

Shooting micro pistols do take more work, practice, training, whatever to shoot well.  There are more and more classed being offered specifically for micro pistols, as well as pistol matches specifically for those.  I've shot my 48 a few times in local matches and there are a handful that shoot 43x/48 and Sig micro pistols regularly  While I do like the compact and lighter 43x setup, I shoot my 17 much better.  I can conceal the 17 well (or well enough) that I carry that more often than not.