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dyl · September 14, 2012, 04:37 PM

If you want you can break it down this way: what modes of carry am I comfortable with? Certain guns lend themselves to that.

The most convenient mode for me is pocket carry. Whether it's dress pants, jeans, shorts, I can always find a suitable garment to pocket carry year round.
What kinds of guns are easier to pocket carry? - light sub-compact guns like a snub nose J-frame or Ruger LCR, Ruger LCP, a Keltec PF9 and P3AT ("three eighty") or Kahr PM9, If you wear cargo pants a lot you could potentially "pocket carry" the next size gun:

The compact size category: S&W M&P9c, M&P40c, M&P Shield (newer than M&P9c), Ruger SR9c, Glock 26 + 27, Sig 290, Beretta Nano (new so I haven't shot it before). In my mind these are suitable for comfortable Inside The Waistband carry. They're a little large for normal pocket carry to me but their advantage is a grip that's closer to full size for better control.

Smaller guns will be harder to shoot well at the range (short sight radius) and therefore less "fun" if you're looking for pretty groups, and some designs are hard to shoot well because a long or hard trigger pull. Knowing that I still chose to carry a j-frame like the S&W 642 or 442 for my pocket carry because the simple reliability. And the j-frames still have a lot of potential to be shot accurately (search youtube for Hickock45's video on snub nose shooting to 80 yards).

What i did was start with the smaller gun I could have on me in most circumstances (where legal). Then I looked into a slightly larger gun that I could carry IWB (inside waist band) when conditions like weather/clothing allowed. There are some times that even when heavier clothing allows I don't feel like having to concern myself about my shirt / sweater riding up and exposing my firearm. Don't underestimate convenience.

Some people draw the line at .380 as minimal caliber, some at 9mm. No one can tell you what you should trust your life to. I do have a friend that was comfortable carrying a .22 as well as a 9mm.

I have tried 40 caliber and that is currently one of my carry guns. Retrospectively I can say that it is more difficult to control a 40 cal in a small gun than shooting 9mm out of it would be. Will it make a difference on a day that I am put to the test? Only God knows. Maybe I'll be happy I chose 40 cal.

Final things to consider: manual safeties, a given company's customer service department, and consider just going to store / gun show and handling as many as you can.

September 14, 2012, 04:37 PM	#5
dyl Senior Member Join Date: October 31, 2009 Location: Ohio Posts: 1,310	If you want you can break it down this way: what modes of carry am I comfortable with? Certain guns lend themselves to that. The most convenient mode for me is pocket carry. Whether it's dress pants, jeans, shorts, I can always find a suitable garment to pocket carry year round. What kinds of guns are easier to pocket carry? - light sub-compact guns like a snub nose J-frame or Ruger LCR, Ruger LCP, a Keltec PF9 and P3AT ("three eighty") or Kahr PM9, If you wear cargo pants a lot you could potentially "pocket carry" the next size gun: The compact size category: S&W M&P9c, M&P40c, M&P Shield (newer than M&P9c), Ruger SR9c, Glock 26 + 27, Sig 290, Beretta Nano (new so I haven't shot it before). In my mind these are suitable for comfortable Inside The Waistband carry. They're a little large for normal pocket carry to me but their advantage is a grip that's closer to full size for better control. Smaller guns will be harder to shoot well at the range (short sight radius) and therefore less "fun" if you're looking for pretty groups, and some designs are hard to shoot well because a long or hard trigger pull. Knowing that I still chose to carry a j-frame like the S&W 642 or 442 for my pocket carry because the simple reliability. And the j-frames still have a lot of potential to be shot accurately (search youtube for Hickock45's video on snub nose shooting to 80 yards). What i did was start with the smaller gun I could have on me in most circumstances (where legal). Then I looked into a slightly larger gun that I could carry IWB (inside waist band) when conditions like weather/clothing allowed. There are some times that even when heavier clothing allows I don't feel like having to concern myself about my shirt / sweater riding up and exposing my firearm. Don't underestimate convenience. Some people draw the line at .380 as minimal caliber, some at 9mm. No one can tell you what you should trust your life to. I do have a friend that was comfortable carrying a .22 as well as a 9mm. I have tried 40 caliber and that is currently one of my carry guns. Retrospectively I can say that it is more difficult to control a 40 cal in a small gun than shooting 9mm out of it would be. Will it make a difference on a day that I am put to the test? Only God knows. Maybe I'll be happy I chose 40 cal. Final things to consider: manual safeties, a given company's customer service department, and consider just going to store / gun show and handling as many as you can.