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Should Your CCW Be Big, Small, or Neither?

Yes, it should be one of those things.

Which one? That depends upon you, carry what you shoot well and are willing to carry. It all depends upon you and what you are comfortable carrying.

I have carried everything from a Ruger Redhawk 44 magnum to a Taurus 380 revolver and many things in between. No, I did not carry the Redhawk often, just for kicks and giggles occasionally. But I did carry a Charter Arms Bulldog and a .45 Commander often enough in years past. These days you will generally find me with a snubnose in the hip pocket. And right now most of my carry options would be considered compact at the very least. In fact I currently have what would be considered a full size handgun and its for handgun hunting. And I have only ever owned one handgun which holds more than 8 rounds.
 
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Over the years I've experimented with lots of carry guns. Full size semi-autos, big bore revolvers all the way down to .25 acps. Yet the two I keep coming back to are my Colt Commander .45acp and my S&W 642. These two can fill about 98% of my needs. Occasionally another gun may be more suitable for the needs at the time. But these two are what I carry most. Both are easy to carry, easy to conceal and I shoot them well. (y)
 
There is a tradeoff between concealability and shootability. When I was a young officer I carried a Model 27 5" on and off duty, because I couldn't afford a second gun at the time. I am 6'5" and could get away with it with loose clothes but was relieved when I could afford a 2.5" model 19. As we moved to semi-autos plainclothes agencies attempted to strike a balance with concealable but accurate. The Commander size pistols, like the Sig P228/M11 became the standard for concealment. Nowadays I carry a Legion P220, because it's a fotty-five and I can shoot it well. All my clothes are baggy.
 
HayesGreener said:
There is a tradeoff between concealability and shootability. When I was a young officer I carried a Model 27 5" on and off duty, because I couldn't afford a second gun at the time. I am 6'5" and could get away with it with loose clothes but was relieved when I could afford a 2.5" model 19. As we moved to semi-autos plainclothes agencies attempted to strike a balance with concealable but accurate. The Commander size pistols, like the Sig P228/M11 became the standard for concealment. Nowadays I carry a Legion P220, because it's a fotty-five and I can shoot it well. All my clothes are baggy.
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At 5’11 I’m not as tall as you however with legs “pant length” at 32 most of my height is in my torso so I find that baggy clothes also do me justice and allow me to conceal carry a larger gun very easily.
Also at 190 pounds I can wear a
large/X-Large I always go for the
2X t-shirt size which gives me greater length of shirt also increasing conceal ability.
 
The XD Mod.2 is still my go-to EDC. I think it sits right in the spot between the micro-compacts (which shoot like holding angry cats) and the larger "compact" frames like Glock 19, etc. With the flush mount, I only have 13+1 Speer Gold Dots (or similar) to utilize, but that's not too shabby.

Confession: my work HR policy is no firearms (although AL law allows you to store it in your vehicle during work hours, if you have a permit). But what they don't know won't hurt them... and might even save their lives some day.
 
I carry all three sizes, depending on the occasion, in .45, .40, or 10mm. My main EDC is my Tisas 1911 .45 cal. My holster is always IWB. I remain proficient with each through weekly practice, shooting 100 rounds each. It takes work and determination to carry responsibility. It is no sport. It is personal defense. Thanks for a common sense article. I see it as a benefit to all, especially the beginner.
 
I'm still a believer that any gun, is better than no gun, but I agree that it should be the largest caliber you can effectively handle and shoot well.
Since the vast majority of DGUs occur at close range, caliber takes a secondary consideration. I spent nearly 30 years as a Paramedic and then a Trauma RN in an ER, and saw a fair share of bullet wounds and fatalities. Pistol wounds of all common calibers as well as shotgun and rifle wounds. During the 80s, 90s and into the 2000s, .22LR accounted for the majority of shootings both accidental and intended. I don't know if that Stat is still true today, but it wouldn't surprise me if it still holds true. Depending on where it hit was the big factor in whether the wound was survivable. Personally, I believe that shot placement is the bigger factor, and I've not seen any real life data to change my mind on that.
I carried a Walther PPK/S in .380 as my CCW for 25 years. It was replaced by a SIG P365 because I couldn't make out the Walther's sights in Low Light Drills (the Hellcat hadn't hit the market yet). Recently, I returned to the PPK because it's a more accurate gun (the pinned barrel keeps a hellofa group at 7 yards, better than the P365vor a friend's Hellcat). Why? It's more comfortable to conceal on my 64 year old Dad Bod. Living where I do in the sticks, I'm rarely out after the sun sets. If I still lived in town and was out and about in Low Light, I'd be carrying the P365.
For Home Defense, my go to is one of my ARs in .300 AAC. 220 gr Monolithic Open Tips at 1500 fps will be Lethal in most of the upper torso. If I could carry it everywhere I would. The ballistics are far superior to a handgun in any caliber.
I practice with my pistols, but given the choice, I'll go for the rifle first.
 
I typically carry a G19 but if I'm wearing something that makes it harder to conceal I'll go with the Hellcat Pro for those occasions. I just shoot the bigger gun better so it's my go to but I can shoot the Hellcat good enough if need be so when I worry about possibly printing it gets put into the rotation.
 
I’ve carried full-size (Gov’t 1911’s, Glock 21/34/17, HK USP’s, S&W 4” K, L, & N) Midsized (Commanders, Glock 36, USP Compact, Wilson X9, 2.5-3” S&W K, L & N) Compact (Colt New Agent, G26, HKP30SK) and subs (J-frame, Sig P238, Colt 1908).

They all work. They all can be comfortable. Just depends on how much work you want to put into it.

Honestly? Now I like an 11oz J-frame in my pocket. It’s there, it works, and it’s going to deal with 99.999+% of any realistic situation I’ll need a firearm in.

You do you…but I’m gonna look seriously askance at anyone who claims you MUST have a mega-capacity blaster in order to survive a defensive encounter, because they obviously haven’t done the math.
 
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HansGruber said:
I’ve carried full-size (Gov’t 1911’s, Glock 21/34/17, HK USP’s, S&W 4” K, L, & N) Midsized (Commanders, Glock 36, USP Compact, Wilson X9, 2.5-3” S&W K, L & N) Compact (Colt New Agent, G26, HKP30SK) and subs (J-frame, Sig P238, Colt 1908).

They all work. They all can be comfortable. Just depends on how much work you want to put into it.

Honestly? Now I like an 11oz J-frame in my pocket. It’s there, it works, and it’s going to deal with 99.999+% of any realistic situation I’ll need a firearm in.

You do you…but I’m gonna look seriously askance at anyone who claims you MUST have a mega-capacity blaster in order to survive a defensive encounter, because they obviously haven’t done the math.
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I wouldn't say must. The rule of 3s is real. I can carry a VP9 and 2 extra mags comfortably enough though.
 
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