Welcome back to another edition of Concealed Carry Corner. Last week, we talked about how to travel with your carry guns and best practices when it comes to preparing to travel. If you happened to miss that article, be sure to click the link here to check it out. This week, I want to look at some of the best ways to choose the perfect carry gun. There are countless options on the market and trying to figure out what the perfect option is can be really tricky. There are certainly a few options that can make a huge difference in overall comfort and confidence when it comes to carrying a concealed handgun. Let's take a closer look at how to choose the perfect carry gun.
Size Is Everything
One of the biggest mistakes I see both new carriers and even experienced guys make is choosing the wrong size for their carry gun. Having a large handgun as an everyday concealed carry option offers a lot of benefits. The biggest disadvantage is the fact that larger handguns cause fatigue and hot spots on your waistline from the extra weight and bulk. The other trap I often see that not many people talk about is the issue of guys with larger hands choosing too small of a handgun for their body and hand size. Often, people choose the smallest option because it's usually the lightest to carry.
While smaller framed handguns are easier to conceal and carry for a long period of time, they can be difficult to shoot accurately and sometimes can be too small for some body types. When talking about sizes, we have to talk about the three points of contact that allow carry guns to sit comfortably on your body without shifting or weighing down your waistline. There's certainly a Goldilocks area where a handgun is long enough to have three points of contact which has a contact spot on the slide portion, the main clip that goes on your belt and the claw attachment that are offered on some holsters. When you have all three points of contact, it allows the handgun to be secure without concern of shifting or becoming dislodged from your waistline. Having a gun too small doesn't allow the three points of contact, which eventually leads to your firearm shifting. Smaller-framed individuals can get away with something like a Glock 43X, where larger framed people will be better off with a Glock 48 or 19 to ensure the three points of contact.
Consider Gun Placement
I’ve seen it a number of times in the past: someone has the perfect sized handgun for them but they choose to carry their gun in the wrong spot which makes them uncomfortable ultimately leading to them eventually leaving the gun at home because it's too much of a pain to carry. One of the best sayings for this situation is having the right tool for the right job. If you're driving the majority of the day, some decide to carry on their ankle in an effort to keep their handgun as concealed as possible. Others decide to carry in a shoulder holster because they saw their favorite undercover cop on TV carrying, but depending on the weather, it can be a big mistake for comfortably carrying all day. While a shoulder holster can be a fantastic option for long road trips or sitting down for a long period of time, it's problematic for carrying in hot months because you need such a large cover garment, whether that's a loose-fitting button-up shirt or lightweight jacket. Shoulder holsters require a good deal of preplanning to make work.
That much preplanning and work can cause burnout real fast, which again makes people leave their gun at home, defeating the entire purpose. Ankle holsters are another interesting one because most people want a low-profile carry option while being armed in some way still. The big issue I have with ankle carry is that the handgun will typically be the smallest option on the market because of size constraints with ankle holsters, but the distance you have to travel to draw is also an issue in most cases. The vast majority of people don't train as much as they should, which ultimately leads to people taking significantly longer to draw from ankle holsters than it should be if they trained. Carrying on the waistline, whether that's inside or outside the waistband, is usually the best bet because there's less travel distance while offering a good baseline of concealment.
Nothing Should Be Forced
One of the biggest issues with carrying all day every day is when people force themselves to carry either a handgun that's way too big, which fatigues them quickly, or too small to the point where they can't accurately shoot it under stress. There's a happy medium that people will oftentimes find just by checking out a few different models at a local gun shop to see what fits their hand properly while still remaining concealed. Personally, I love my Glock 48 and that's become my go-to handgun when carrying concealed. The ability to have something that will properly conceal based on your body type while fitting your hand does take a little testing at a gun shop, but it's not a long journey by any means. In most cases, you will find a good fit for you within a half hour of trying different guns.
Overall Thoughts
Choosing the perfect carry gun certainly takes time and usually doesn't happen overnight. The typical route is going with too large a handgun and then sizing down to something that's capable but also something you can manage every single day. Placement also plays a big role when it comes to long-term success because various carry positions are naturally more difficult than others, so it's best to start on your waistline to avoid making life tougher for yourself. If you're unhappy with your current setup, I always encourage people to head to their local shop and see the options they have. There are a plethora of options available on the market and it's worth checking out the new options.
Let me know what your perfect-sized handgun is in the comments below. If you have questions about carrying concealed or firearms in general, feel free to shoot me a message on Instagram @fridgeoperator. Stay safe out there and we will see you next week for another edition of Concealed Carry Corner.
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