I may be the exception to the rule but I prefer a full size gun to a compact model for concealed carry use.


I do not like the small guns like the Kel-Tec or LCP .380's at all. They just feel too awkward to me and are much harder for me to shoot well with.

I shoot better and guns like a 1911, HP, Glock, or Springfield XD.

I have also never had any problems concealing the larger guns but that may be largely due to physical size/frame.

Anybody else the same way or am I just "special" ( watch the wise ass stuff please. I am very sensitive )?

I think you explain the important criteria right. I had a friend who carired a PPK for years whose hand was so large he could not effectively use it. But he was affected by James Bond.

So the ability to use it would trump it being a fashion accessory (which more carry for this reason than you think). If it doesn't drag your pants down or get in the way of getting it out, what is the difference?

Now for an ankle gun, I would say no.

The Micro 380's such as the Kel-Tec and LCP make great #2 or #3 guns.

If your frame and mode of dress will allow you to conceal a bigger gun, and you shoot that gun better, then by all means, carry the bigger gun.

I've never met anyone who made it through a gun scrape that in hindsight wished they had been carrying a smaller gun.

There are a lot of guns in between a 5" steel 1911 and micro 380. Quite a few combine good amount of capacity and shoot-ability with something that's pretty easy to conceal and won't wear a hole in your hip.

Peoples habits and their dress vary considerably. What a person wears Oct through march is lot different than what they want to wear in July. Nothing wrong with having 2 ( or more) guns in your CCW battery and adjusting accordingly.

Fat people have a lot more options than skinny people when it comes to concealing a pistol, especially in the warmer months. My Kahr is much easier to conceal on my body than my full size Glocks, 1911 and M&P are. Lately I have been carrying my Springfield XD 9 MM Compact.

I carry a S&W 1911 ES, that's the scandium frame model with a commander slide and an officers frame. I also can't shoot the mini-guns well enough to be confident. But I'm 6'1" and 220, so I can get away with carrying it. For summer shorts/t-shirt carry, it's a bit much, so I carry a Kahr CW9 in a Crossbreed. that conceals very well and the frame is large enough for me to control. I tried an LC9 for a bit, but it felt toylike. I generally try to carry the biggest gun I can comfortably carry, with a good chance at concealing it well.

I don't shoot either size well so I have more options than most.

In Florida, it's sometimes difficult to conceal a full sized weapon. Shorts and a tee shirt don't leave many places to hide a 1911.
Much of the time, I go with a pocket sized pistol, like a J Frame Smith, or a smaller semi auto, such as my XDS .45 auto.
Nice days like today, with some wind and cooler temps, yeah, I'll take something bigger. Today it will be a Glock 19.

HBB, you have hands the size of a decent ham; the micros aren't going to fit. As far as concealment, you ain't exactly "small framed" and (no offense) you ain't exactly "trim", either. If I have no problem carrying or concealing a FS 1911 or BHP, you sure as Hell shouldn't either.

I am smaller than I used to be. I am now down to a svelte 245 lbs naked and 252 lbs fully clothed.

I look almost skinny

Just got a Glock 19. It seems to be a pretty good compromise for CCW. I don't shoot it as good as a full size 1911 or other FS handguns for rapid fire follow up shots and probably never will but good enough. I do a lot better with it than the 380 LCP or other sub compacts. At 21 oz unloaded it's not heavy and not that hard to conceal.

Thick is harder to hide than a bit of length. I carry a 1911 Commander length and no one has noticed yet.

hb, that's awesome, buddy! I remember when you told me you were going to start trying to lose some weight. Congratulations! Look forward to looking you up next time I'm up.

Be great to see you too.

I have a harder time with some small semi autos. I've been taking a young friend out shooting with me for a little over a year. He got his paperwork back for his CWP, but they're now making you come into an office to finalize here in FL, rather than through the mail.

Anyways, I went with him to pick up his first gun yesterday, a S&W M&P 40c .40 cal subcompact. It's a single stack 7 or 8 rd mag. Found the groove with it after a mag or 2. But, with my big paws, I don't shoot it anywhere near as well as my Kahrs. That S&W feels pretty tiny in my hands. Liking my new G19 a lot better.

No right or wrong answer, IMO. Just make sure you're carrying a gun of some sort. I have a few that I rotate between depending on my mood, weather, clothes, etc. Kel-Tec P3aT, G42, G26, Sig P239, Ruger LCR.

I carry the G42 the most because it fits my hand great, has been 100% reliable, and simply disappears. No matter what I'm carrying, I always carry at least one spare mag and/or a speed strip or two too.

If you need that gun, odds are you will need it very badly. No toy guns for me. Learned that lession many years ago.
One needs to ask what he would give him confidence in a serious fight. E

If I have my preferred choice in a fight it will be belt fed with lots of ammo.

The Glock I really like and is fun to shoot is the G34 and I would like to lay hand on the G40 and G41 just to see how they feel.

If I've got a gun in my hand - I like to feel like I've got a gun in my hand.

If it's too small for my hand - it's too small to carry.

As I got older my hands started to get arthritic, now days nothing smaller than a J frame .32 H&R mag or my Cole Government .380. Much prefer the Commander as it is .45 and all steel, eases the recoil a BUNCH.

Hillybear

I understand your thoughts on CC shooters.

I'm 6'5" and 250lbs and I went on a quest for a cute little mouse gun that I could hit stuff with. I went through a bunch of those little bitty shooters and didn't have any luck with accuracy with any of them.

I did get a S&W 60-7 that I had the hammer bobed and the sweetest trigger job imaginable done on it and surprisingly I could hit stuff with it!!!! After carrying it for a while in a bad commercial area where I had a client one day I noticed that the cylinder only had 5 holes in it ???? Now I could hit stuff with it but sometimes the bad boys come in fours and fives in this neighborhood.

As time went by it seemed that the Gun makers started to address the market for shooters that were small AND accurate. Next stop for me was a Glock 26 and all was good and still is good along with a Glock 27. Some trigger work by me has helped in the "hitting stuff" department.

I did happen to walk by the gun counter in the local GS and noticed a Ruger LC9S Pro being fondeled by a bunch of lads. I held it and tested the trigger and bought it on the spot. Super light, think and a fabulous trigger that helps to hit stuff. I carry it in a OWB DeSantis holster and have been very happy with that change.

See if it works for you.

Yep, got rid of my pocket mouse guns, just could not shoot em anymore.

I have handled the LC 9 and its not too bad. The S&W Shield feels good in my hand too.

If you are looking at the LC9 make sure you handle the LC9s or the LC9s Pro. Those two models are striker fired and have a much better trigger pull than the LC9 which is a hammer fired with the long long trigger pull as you probably already know.

I am pretty sure the one I looked at was the LC9 Pro. The trigger wasn't too bad at all.

I wont go any smaller than a compact 9mm. I ran a shield for a while but just never warmed up for it, even then it was a second gun. I go with a full size M&P and just dress around it.

I do well enough with a Sig P938 that it has become well worn in a IWB holster. IT's easy to hide even in shorts and a T. I'm only 6' and 195lbs though. I am too thin to hide a full size except in the winter. What I'm considering is a vertical shoulder rig.

Whatever you carry you'd be a fool not to practice with it.

I'm with you. I've regularly carried full sized, all steel, 1911s, S&W K-Frames, and currently a Glock 17. My ability to shoot it well takes priority. First I find a handgun I shoot well (which is usually a full sized one), and then I seek ways of carrying it concealed, not the other way around.