Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Handguns How large a handgun do you actually carry frequently

I’m new to CC and a minimalist by nature; I don’t wear jewelry or even a watch anymore. I hate have stuff hang off me. I rarely even keep my wallet in my pocket and my edc knife is a tiny SOG twitch 1. Typically, I am a t-shirt and jeans/shorts guy.

I got a S&W Shield for carry, and while a nice gun, I just hate carrying it on me and have tried a couple different carry methods. I got my wife a S&W 642 for her CC and am thinking about picking another up for myself to actually carry and then keep a full size CZ 75 in vehicle. I really don’t want a mouse gun and can’t be the only one who wants to carry yet hates it at the same time do to comfort or inconvenience.

So what is your threshold for a weapon for actual daily carry?

The biggest for me is a Glock 19 and I rarely carry it. The one I carry the most is my LC9s Pro. It is very comfortable with it's tapered slide, smallish grip and rolled edges I clip in the waistband of my pants with a Techna-clip and literally forget it's there. I carry a Sig P938 some too but it's not as comfortable as the the Ruger. The LC9s is a well thought out pistol.

Depends on where I'm going to be 'that day'.

Here to town and back - usually a P-380. Twenty-thirty miles west it's usually a 9mm; either my P-9 or a Ruger SR9C compact.. Another 10-15 miles west of that and it's usually one of the Kimber 45s....with extra magazines..

If a Shield is too much for you, I don't know what a 642 will offer

I carry a full size M&P everywhere I go.

Commander size 1911, G-19, Beretta 92 Compact..........not a lot of difference, size wise.

A good holster & a decent belt is a must.

MM

LWT Commander 45 ACP EDC. Less frequently SS 1911 GM 9x23.

Good holsters and belts make a difference even with shorts and t-shirts.

Glock 19 on pavement, Glock 30SF off pavement. In those rare instances when I absolutely have to go minimalist, I carry a Glock 43 in a front pocket.

Govt. 1911 .45.

When I need to hide it, I do.

1911

I carry two.

A mouse gun, and something bigger.

You may think you're a minimalist; but you may be one event away from changing either your opinion or your respiratory status.

My EDC is a Glock 32, and when I need to carry something smaller/discrete I carry a Glock 43 in my front pocket with a DeSantis Nemesis holster.

Sig P245.
I've tried full size 1911, and Beretta 92FS, and both are a bit much.
Summer carry is likely to be a 38 snubbie.

If I'm going into a bigger town I'll carry my SD9VE which is identical in size to a Glock 19. Otherwise for EDC it's a XDS with 6 round mag. I carry a spare mag or two in either case.

Daily either a Glock 32 or a Lightweight 1911 Commander 98 % of the time. Smallest gun I'll carry as my primary CCW is my Springfield XDS in .45 acp.

Back when I first started, back in the early 1980s, I most often carried pocket guns. As IWB holsters got better, I gradually transitioned in the 1990s to full sized sidearms, only occasionally going for compact compromise guns like J-Frames, Detective Specials, and the like. In the last few years, it's been only service sized. The one I'm currently settled on is the Glock Model 17, which has been my daily carry since last August. For a few years before that, it was a 3" K-Frame S&W.

I switched to the 17 mainly due to a growing awareness of the potential for the need for more capacity than a wheel gun provides.

There's just no comparison in shootability between a full sized service gun and a compact or pocket sized weapon. Like night and day, and since (with the right holster and belt) they can be carried and concealed just about as well, I can't find too many reasons (in most cases) for carrying anything smaller.

Like many others it depends on what I'm wearing and where I'm going. Also I like to switch off on what I carry just because I can.

Most of the time I carry the bigger ones IWB because they conceal better. A 1911 is the biggest. I like my Springfield XDS because it's thin and medium size but still a .45acp. A S&W 2.5" .357 OWB or IWB. An LCR .38 and a Colt .380 pockerlite carry nicely in a front pocket. I've also got a 9mm Doubletap for times when two shots are better than none.

Glock 17, for 20 years now.

Carried my SIG 220 and S&W 1911 for awhile. Have also carried a S&W 686 (2.5" bbl) and a Ruger LCR and a CA Bulldog.

Since I 'discovered' Glocks it's been nothing but the 19 or 30S depending on what I feel like (they're nearly identical in size and weight).

Might pick me up a 26 this year for S&G...

A good hybrid holster or AIWB makes carrying them a breeze and like the OP I'm usually in shorts and a tshirt all summer.

Glock 30 daily

Full size Glock, either 31 or 22.

Sig P226, and P220.

Kahr cw9 is about as minimalist as I go

Off pavement it's a Blackhawk in 41 mag or G21