Welcome back to another edition of Concealed Carry Corner. Last week, we looked at the various cost levels of carry guns. If you happened to miss that article, be sure to click the link here to check it out. This week, I wanted to talk about a similar topic that a commenter brought up to me last week. Determining the overall size of your carry gun can be a major factor in how comfortable you are carrying throughout the day. Finding that sweet spot where you have a firearm big enough for your hand yet be able to conceal it easily is the place everyone wants to eventually find to carry comfortably. Let’s take a closer look at my interpretation of a carry gun size guide.

Concealed Carry Corner @ TFB:

• Concealed Carry Corner: Levels Of Carry Guns
• Concealed Carry Corner: Self-Taught vs Professional Training
• Concealed Carry Corner: Risks of Carrying and Drinking
• Concealed Carry Corner: Top 3 Carrying Stereotypes in 2023

Micro Sized Handguns

Micro-sized handguns were all the rage about a decade ago when everyone wanted the smallest possible gun to easily carry. Even today, these incredibly compact handguns have a cult following who swear by them. Tiny guns like the Ruger LCP and Kel Tec P-3AT guns are great if you want to throw something in your pocket to run up to the grocery store but still want to be armed. They certainly have a place in the market but they aren’t perfect by any means.

Although the size of these guns is their real advantage, they can be incredibly difficult to fire accurately when under stress. The amount of recoil can be surprising to some. With little weight in such a small package, these micro-sized guns do have a distinctive snap to them that may take some getting used to at the range. Now, before some of you shy away, the recoil is not unmanageable but it’s certainly something to keep in mind when looking at these really small guns.

Single/Double Stack Sub Compact

One step up from the micro-sized handguns are the single and double-stack sub-compact handguns. These guns have been evolving over the last 20 years as the market has pushed for more options in the smaller-sized pistol space. We started out with Glock 26s, Kahr Arms PM9s, and slightly after the Smith & Wesson Shield. Once Glock dropped their 43, there was a really strong lineup of single-stack concealed carry pistols.

Things changed in 2018 with the release of the SIG P365, and a couple years later with the Springfield Hellcat. Glock also came out with the 43X as well as the Glock 48 to offer more capacity. These guns are fantastic for summer carry where you’ll just have a t-shirt or loose-fit button-up over your gun. Their overall size makes them easy to conceal and not feel bulky when you have a concealed firearm on your body for 8-12 hours. Depending on the model of handgun you go with, you can still be fighting the snappiness of recoil impulse that happens with various small handguns. Anything from Glock, SIG, or Springfield is often times very easy to control. The vast majority of people who carry a concealed firearm will carry either this category or our next category.

Mid Sized Handguns

Out of all the categories, mid-sized handguns are the ones that would fit into the “do all” category of handguns. Guns like the Glock 19, SIG P320, and HK VP9 are compact enough to carry all year round if you absolutely had to but are large enough to use as a range or duty gun. Guns like the Glock 19 will be fairly easy to conceal using the flush-fit 15-round magazine but can accept the larger Glock 17 magazines or even the 33-round magazines. This allows you to carry the larger 17-round magazines as a spare magazine without having to worry about the fitment.

It’s fairly easy to carry a mid-sized handgun every day with a solid holster and good belt. They are all mostly polymer-framed handguns, so the belt weight is certainly manageable. Depending on your holster and carry location, you may need more than just a simple t-shirt as a cover garment but again, that’s up to not only your body type but also where you carry on your body. If someone said I had to do everything with a mid-sized handgun for the rest of my life, it really wouldn’t upset me. They are absolutely capable of everything a full-size gun can do while offering a smaller footprint when you’re carrying it on a daily basis.

Duty Guns

Your duty or full-size handgun will be possible to carry concealed but it’s not as easy as the other options listed above. Duty guns are typically fairly large to help with overall balance which makes them incredibly easy to shoot under stress. This extra weight and mass make recoil mitigation way easier than smaller guns but the tradeoff is it’s tougher to comfortably conceal on your body on a daily basis.

If you live in the northern part of the country where temperatures fall and the snow starts to accumulate then it’s really easy to carry a full-size gun. Having a heavy jacket as a cover garment will allow you to comfortably carry a much larger gun. Simply using an outside-the-waistband holster and sturdy belt will allow you to comfortably carry a full-size metal framed carry gun without issue. Everyone thinks it’s nearly impossible to carry a full-size gun but with the right gear and understanding, it’s fairly easy to comfortably carry a duty-size handgun.

Overall Thoughts

There are countless options and variations when it comes to carrying a concealed firearm. If you’re new to carrying and you aren’t sure where to start, it’s never a bad idea to hit a local range and rent a few guns to see what feels best in your hand and what you can shoot better than others. Even going to the gun store and feeling out a few options will give you a decent amount of insight to make an educated choice on what firearm you could comfortably carry and shoot.

What size firearm do you typically carry throughout the year? Do you carry the same gun every day or do you change out firearms depending on the season? Let me know your preferences 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.

TFB’s Concealed Carry Corner is brought to you by GLOCK