Welcome back to another edition of Concealed Carry Corner. Last week, we talked about carrying in your vehicle as well as ways to safely store your firearms in a vehicle. If you happened to miss that article, be sure to click the link here.. This week, with the weather becoming warmer in the northern states, I wanted to take a look at some of the firearms I really enjoy carrying during the summer months. Some people who live in areas with seasonal weather like to carry various firearms depending on the year. The summer months are a fine balance of size and capacity. Let’s take a look at my top 5 summer carry guns.

Concealed Carry Corner @ TFB:

• Concealed Carry Corner: Excelling At Dry Firing
• Concealed Carry Corner: Getting Cover Garments Down
• Concealed Carry Corner: Normal Problems For Carrying Concealed

Glock 48/43X

One of my personal favorites currently is my Glock 48 equipped with a Shield Arms 15-round magazine. These new versions of carry guns from Glock are about half the width of the beloved Glock 19. Between the Glock 43X and the 48, I personally like the 48 just a bit more due to its longer barrel which is more comfortable for the third point of contact on my body. Having a longer grip on the 43X with a short barrel may be more comfortable for some, but I prefer the longer barrel with a better sight radius. The length of the Glock 48 is almost the same as a Glock 19 and with the same 15-round capacity, you have a very similar handgun to the 19 with less weight.

This makes the Glock 48 easy to carry with just a pair of shorts and a light shirt as a cover garment. The grip texture is grippy enough to get good traction on the gun to grab under stress but doesn’t irritate or rub your skin. Other options I’ve carried can start to wear down my side from the aggressive texture rubbing on my skin but the Gen5 versions of Glocks don’t have that problem. In terms of grip size versus capacity, the Glock 48 really has become my favorite small handgun to carry during the summer months but it certainly isn’t the only gun I carry when the weather gets hot outside.

SIG Sauer P365 XL/Macro

The SIG P365 XL is one of the best all-around carry guns out there. The grip is slightly smaller than the Glock 48 but the round count drops down to 12+1 instead of the standard 15 rounds with a Glock 48 using the Shield Arms magazine. This slightly smaller grip allows people to conceal it effortlessly and the P365 line of pistols can be swapped out with the larger Macro grip module or smaller P365 10-round grip module as well making it incredibly modular.

Out of all the models, my personal favorite is carrying the XL grip module with the 12-round flush fitting magazine with the Macro 17-round magazine as a spare magazine. This combination of magazines with the smaller frame allows you to have an impressive amount of firepower without having the bulk of a full-size firearm that holds 17-20 rounds in its standard magazine. My Spectre Comp with an internal slide-mounted compensator does a great job reducing recoil with self-defense ammunition which is another plus to shooting this smaller gun accurately and having more confidence when I walk out the door with it on my hip.

Dan Wesson DWX Compact

The wild card on this list has to be the DWX Compact from Dan Wesson but its overall size, profile and capacity really have made it one of my favorites for nice events. When it comes to a metal-framed handgun as a summer gun, the DWX Compact has a really nice balance of weight especially loaded but is lighter than its competitors like the CZ Shadow 2 Compact. Again having a lightweight easy-to-carry handgun with 15 rounds in its magazine really is a great balance of weight versus firepower.

It’s not a handgun I would carry daily since it is slightly heavier than other options I’ve talked about above, but for a fancy event that you may want to carry for a special occasion this DWX Compact is a fantastic choice. Small things like the rounded edges and slightly contoured frame make it easier to conceal under a dress shirt or even a regular shirt. The DWX Compact may not be the perfect carry gun for every day but it’s certainly one of my personal favorites for special occasions.

Glock 19

Personally, I feel like it wouldn’t be a complete list without the Glock 19 on it at some point. This midsize pistol may not be as small as the newer models but it’s still one of the all-time great pistols for carrying concealed. Before the smaller and higher capacity carry pistols like the SIG P365 and Glock 43X hit the market, the Glock 19 was and still is one of the most popular pistols in America, with a large aftermarket support letting you customize every aspect of your carry gun. The big draw to the Glock 19 is the overall size and weight balance that allows people to comfortably carry while having a full grip on the handgun when they draw from the holster.

This is really the best of both worlds and when combined with the known reliability of this system, the Glock 19 starts to make sense as a good carry pistol. There was certainly a time when my 19 was my favorite carry gun, but as technology improves and the gun industry advances, better options that have less mass but the same capacity have come out.  Regardless of newer options though, there’s certainly a spot in the market for people who have experience with previous generations of Glock 19 and want to upgrade to the newest version because that’s what they know and have become comfortable with. Having the addition of an MOS cut and contouring, Glock has tried to make the 19 as modular and easy to use as possible. It may be an older option, but it still is a solid choice for a summertime carry gun.

Smith & Wesson Airweight

The final choice that I will typically carry in certain situations is the trusty Smith & Wesson Airweight or J Frames. These options are really old school but are still an incredibly reliable choice when it comes to a concealable carry gun. Whether it is tucked in a small IWB holster or even as a backup gun, the Airweight series is a super lightweight option for small pocket revolvers that can sometimes get a bad reputation for being inaccurate.

One of the biggest concepts to keep in mind with small pocket revolvers like this is the fact they were designed for extremely close engagements, typically 5 yards and closer. Most of these options have rough sights milled into the receiver for a reference point but most do not come with proper sights. As a close-range defensive tool, the small carry revolver is a great option for summer carry even with its limitations. Although these revolvers may not be my first choice to carry, they certainly are a good option for summer carry and a great addition to the list.

Overall Thoughts

This is by no means a comprehensive list of all the carry-guns people should be looking at when they are trying to decide what to carry. These are some of my favorites and a quick run down as to why I like carrying them. What are some of your favorite carry guns? Do you guys switch up between guns often or are you more the type to carry something consistently all year round? Let me know in the comments below. If you happen to have questions about carry guns 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