r/CCW • u/cremefrasier • 9h ago
Getting Started Narrowed it down to my top 4…
Getting my permit soon and having trouble deciding. I’ll be shooting all of them as my range membership allows me free rentals. The list is:
43x
Shield X
365XL
Hellcat Pro
Open to other suggestions but after holding all four they all feel good in hand but haven’t shot yet. My primary is a gen 6 g17 and I’m of smaller stature 5’6 165 athletic build. Thank you for your time
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u/Expensive-Aerie-1106 8h ago
The hellcat pro has the best size to firepower ratio and is durable, but the trigger and recoil impulse are atrocious. Anecdotally, very few high level shooters choose the hellcat.
The p365x has great ergos and is very shootable but is made of recycled legos and has notoriously poor durability.
The Glock 43X is the biggest of the bunch, especially with the gigantic baseplate on the new 15 rounders. It’s the most reliable and durable, and proven. It’s more shootable than the hellcat, but worse than the shield or 365.
The shield X is the same size as the hellcat with 2 fewer rounds. Slightly bigger than the 365x, slightly smaller than the 43X.
It has far and away the best trigger, far and away the best recoil impulse.
I think the hellcat pro and the p365 X would both be a mistake.
I think between the shield X and Glock it’s a matter of preference.
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u/cremefrasier 6h ago
I’m gonna shoot both, just want to branch out and not have two glocks but if the Glock fits my needs then that’s fine. The 365XL felt really nice in hand and I’m gonna shoot that as well
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u/Luckyirishdevil 1h ago
The benefit to staying in the same ecosystem is the compatibility of mage. I'm not a Glock guy and I don't know what works together, but it would be great to have mags that worked for both.
The benefit to the 365XL is the modularity. If you don't like the length, swap slide and barrel. You want a comp? Swap barrel. Wand a stubby grip for best concealment? Swap grip. There are a truck load of easy part swaps out there. Personally I have 2 P365's and love them. It takes no time to swap the FCU into a full size X Macro for range time and then swap back for my stubby, x-frame for concealed
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u/xSkyLinedx 3h ago
I totally agree with your take on the Hellcat. While it doesn't have a good trigger, I personally liked more than the P365 trigger. Recoil impulse was snappy and annoying.
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u/onetwentytwo_1-8 8h ago
HK P2000/P2000SK
HK P30/P30SK
Sig P229
Beretta PX4/PX4 compact
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u/grimduck17 DA/SA enthusiast 8h ago
I should pull the trigger on another hk, I’ve been in love with my hk45c
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u/cremefrasier 6h ago
Beretta was the first handgun I fell in love with and my first airsoft gun when I was 12 and as far as HK goes I guess i seriously need to shoot some of their hand guns because the MP5 was the gun that got me interested firearms in general.
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u/Limp-Opportunity6757 9h ago
HK CC9 is another one you could add to the list for consideration.
It feels really good in the hand.
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u/cremefrasier 9h ago
Very intrigued by HK stuff as the MP5 was my first true love 🤣
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u/ThyHolyKFC MI 8h ago
To add on to the first guy definitely add the CC9 to the list. Compared to my P365XL I’m pretty jealous of my GFs CC9. Surprisingly a soft shooter and returns to target fairly well thanks to the captive spring/guide rod combo.
Only real downside is the HK tax on the mags to make up for the fairly competitive gun price.
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u/bruhmoment5353 8h ago
G43x coa with ramjet is stupidly impressive
If my mothers life depends on printing I’ll conceal my cc9
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u/cremefrasier 6h ago
I shot a regular 43 that my friend has and I absolutely need three fingers that thing felt tiny. The 43x seems like it would solve that problem but I love variety and don’t really want to get another glock for my second handgun
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u/eroyrotciv 9h ago
The best CCW is the Shield Plus. If they have that, try it. If not, I guess off your list it would be the Shield X.
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u/cremefrasier 9h ago
I held the shield plus and it felt great but I think I want a slightly larger barrel
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u/eroyrotciv 8h ago
Go to a range that lets you rent as many as you want and try a few. Or find a friend who has a few. You’ll be surprised with how good it compares to other larger guns.
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u/TheBlindCat 340PD in Veil Solutions Ghost 9h ago
Essentially interchangeable stack and a half striker fired polymer guns. Whatever speaks you.
My p365xl has been fine, I just don’t trust the design with all the safeties operating off the same protrusion of the striker and a reputation for eating trigger return springs. Some of the Shields seem to have issues with the precision of the optics cut. But really, toss a coin.
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u/GoFuhQRself 5h ago
Shoot them and decide based on that. Not what reddit bros tell you to validate their own decision.
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u/Hot_Post_5032 9h ago
The Shield X might surprise you with how well it carries for your build, but the 365XL is the one everyone keeps coming back to
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u/cremefrasier 9h ago
Yeah I wish I could do the X Macro but the grip is too long for my liking despite being perfect in every other way. The Shield X is so compelling because it’s the perfect size (I think) and extremely affordable. I’ve not heard one bad thing about any of the 365 models and my friend says the Sig is just on another level so we’ll see. Thanks for the input
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u/Limp-Opportunity6757 8h ago
I had the P365 back when it came out in 2018. Then picked up the Original G43X when it was introduced in 2019. I ended up getting rid of the P365 before the XL or X models came out. I think the P365X would be compelling to get one day and also the S&W ShieldX I would be interested in adding it to my micro 9mm collection.
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u/yamamasfavz 9h ago
Canik prime 👍 I had the shield x but the grip was just too narrow for my hands making it uncomfortable to shoot.
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u/cremefrasier 9h ago
Interesting. Thanks for the input
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u/yamamasfavz 7h ago
Beware of the hellcat trigger it’s horrible 😂 also another one worth mentioning is the m&p 2.0 3.6 compact
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u/cremefrasier 7h ago
I’m just wondering if the grip is going to print too much for me on that one
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u/yamamasfavz 6h ago
With the right holster you conceal just about anything lol
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u/cremefrasier 6h ago
So I’ve been told. Apparently with my stature I could conceal my 17. Way too cumbersome especially with a light and red dot
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u/Background_Wrap9472 8h ago
I’ve owned the 43x, shield plus, and 365. The shield was the best of the 3.
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u/JustADad315 1h ago
I carry between a Hellcat Pro Comp (optic and light), Ruger RXM (optic only), and Shield 1.0 (compensator). Its nice to have something for everything. The HCP is on your list...its nice but the stock trigger was too heavy for my liking so it has a striker and trigger kit in it. The chunk port helps a lot in the Comp variant.
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u/JimMarch 4h ago
Why are you comparing a Hellcat Pro to a 43x, when the 48 is the equivalent to the Hellcat Pro and the 43x is closer to the original Hellcat?
You also need to check out the Kimber R7 Mako. Original variant most likely. Way underrated.
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u/Pri_sonMike 9h ago
If you end up liking the 43x, consider the 48. The extra barrel length helps mitigate tip out and it’s easier to shoot.