There seems to be a misconception that one must specifically have a high capacity, optically sighted, generally full sized duty pistol to be considered fully capable.
That is missing the point.
It is more about figuring out the balance point for you personally and what fits. What YOU perform very well with, and at what point in terms of pistol size and capacity do things start to degrade.
Hand size and body type are factors, as is familiarity with the various handguns. I know one person who has some issues with his hands that simply does much better shooting DA revolvers than he ever will with any type of auto, so a 4" K Frame .357 Mag is a very good choice for him. Plus he has been shooting DA revolvers for more than 50 years, so he operates them at a level of unconscious competence.
Today I am wearing a 9mm Glock 34, with iron sights. No red dot. Plus a spare mag. I have zero issue with switching between an RDO equipped gun and irons, as I have shot enough of both it does not seem to matter.
So with 17+1 in the gun and a 24 rd spare, all carried comfortably in an IWB rig that works for any standard frame Glock 9mm/40, I feel fairly comfortable with my ability to perform under pressure with what I have on hand. Oh, and my "Giant" Mouse-Lite pocket knife for such chores as opening boxes.
