Choosing the right firearm for concealed carry can be a challenge. You must weigh many factors and personal preferences before selecting the best choice for you. Here are some things to consider when making this personal choice.
1. Reliability – Smaller, semi-automatic, pistols for concealed-carry sometimes have problems feeding rounds into the firing chamber reliability. When you read reviews online, look for issues with jamming or for tips on how to stop a specific pistol from jamming. When you are in a life and death situation, you don’t want to bet your life on a “jam-o-matic.” This is why most experienced shooters avoid extremely cheap pistols.
2. Stopping Power – Most shooting experts advise shooters to shoot at least a .38 caliber or 9mm round for self defense. Smaller calibers like the .22, .25, and .32 are not considered powerful enough to immediately stop a determined adrenalized attacker from harming you. Even though so called “mouse guns” can be considered cute by many, there are plenty of equally small .380 and 9mm semi-automatic pistols.
3. Concealability – If you live in a hot climate, you may wear shirts and Tee Shirts for many months of the year. This may compromise your ability to conceal a full-sized pistol. While a revolver is more reliable than a semiautomatic pistol, the cylinder and butt of the revolver make it a little more difficult to conceal. When considering a snub nosed revolver, you may want to consider if you want a smooth double-action only hammerless model or one with a traditional hammer that can be fired single-action or double-action. You’ll want to select something that won’t be obvious under your clothing.
4. Ergonomics – You need to hold your potential concealed carry handgun and you need to see if the controls (magazine release, safety, sights, and trigger work for you. Some concealed carry handguns only have room for two fingers on the grip. Your pinky will not have a place to rest. Supposedly, this does not effect the controllability and accuracy of your pistol. You also have to consider how safeties, magazine releases, laser sights, and regular iron sights on the pistol work for you. In a real encounter, you’ll need to deploy your handgun and shoot within seconds. You’ll also want to consider if the controls and sights of the pistol are smooth enough to pull out of a concealed holster without snagging on clothing.
5. Accuracy – In a world full of lawyers and in a world where you may only be able to get off a shot or two, you’ll need to be able to hit your target. Most pocket pistols should be able to hit a human silhuoette at 21 feet or less. But, if reviews say that a firearm is hitting many inches or even feet away from the point of aim, you should find something a little more accurate. You should also consider the heaviness of the trigger pull. Light triggers are more accurate, but may be accidentally discharged more easily when you are stressed.
There are many quality concealable firearms from companies like Charter Arms, Ruger, Kahr, Smith & Wesson, Springfield Armory, and Beretta. Take your time, do a lot of reading, take a shooting course, learn the concealed carry laws in your state, make sure you get a quality holster once you’ve made your purpose, and try some of your potential choices at a range that offers gun rental before you make your final decision.
Additional articles by this contributor:
Non-Lethal Weapons for Self-Defense
Seven Reasons Why You Shouldn’t Have A Gun
Choosing a Handgun for Home Defense
