I’d Like A Medium Please

Dave’s S&W K-Frame 13 3" .357 Mag with round butt. Dave bought it as a blue-worn
police trade-in and sent it to Robar for polishing and NP3+ finish. Grips by Kim Ahrend.
Dave still wants to remove the hammer spur.

Selecting a firearm for everyday carry can be bewildering. Firearm manufacturers have responded to increased carry interest with an amazing array of designs in various sizes. Do try as many samples as possible before purchasing.

Anyone who carries a handgun for personal defense has to find a delicate balance of concealability, shootability, power, recoil, magazine capacity and practical accuracy. We can get so caught up in all these factors we sometimes forget why we carry in the first place — to stop an unprovoked attack. We need a firearm with enough power to stop the attacker and one we can shoot well enough to place shots accurately.

For the 1911 fan looking for a concealed-carry handgun the Springfield EMP 9mm
hits the sweet spot. It’s compact, relatively light, accurate, reliable, packs 9+1 and
with the mag extension allows a full grip.

Mousegun Tempations

Many new to concealed carry tend to obsess with concealability. We think everyone is watching us. We worry the gun will print through the covering garment or become exposed in some other way.

There’s nothing wrong with being careful as long as we don’t develop habits of constantly adjusting clothes, fidgeting, or patting the gun to ensure it’s still there. Those are giveaways in the unlikely event someone really is watching you. The reality is most people are barely aware you’re alive, even on the rare occasions they stop staring at their phones.

Obsessiveness with concealment is one reason so many feel they need small guns like tiny .25 ACP semi-autos. Tiny pistols are both shy on power and very difficult to shoot well, even for seasoned handgunners. For the novice, they are about the worst possible choice.

Another factor in small-gun appeal is an attitude I’ve noticed in novice gun owners, to consider the handgun as some sort of magic talisman, like a St. Christopher’s medal or a lucky rabbit’s foot. There seems to be a belief just having a gun, any gun, is enough to ward off danger.

In fairness, there is an element of truth to such belief. No one wants to get shot. Most people have enough sense to realize being shot, even with a .25 ACP is still a serious thing. Statistically, simply displaying a firearm is often enough to cause an assailant to either surrender or flee. Just don’t count on this.

Dave’s most-carried handgun, either as a backup or on its own: S&W Centennial
Airweight 442 with satin nickel finish and Eagle Secret Service grips ... ... carried
in a front pants pocket in a Mitch Rosen Pocket Softie holster.

Is Bigger Better?

The late Jeff Cooper had utter disdain for .25 ACP pistols. I recall he once wrote he would rather be armed with a stick or wine bottle than a .25. Remember though, Cooper was a big, and in his prime, very powerful man, well able to defend himself with bare hands if necessary. He may not have fully appreciated the needs of a 5′ 2″ woman or a 70-year-old pensioner. Not to mention it’s awkward to carry a wine bottle around.

I’ve probably erred on the side of too small a gun myself. I’ve always liked S&W J-Frames and Colt D-Frames. When I was a kid, it was routine for plainclothes police officers to carry such revolvers. Back then they were considered adequately armed. A satin-nickel S&W 442 .38 Spl. Airweight is a personal favorite, pocket carried in a Mitch Rosen Pocket Softie holster.

Times change, people change, circumstances change. For at least 40 years a 1911-style pistol in .45 ACP has been the handgun I trust the most and shoot best, like my current favorite Nighthawk Falcon Commander. As the years creep up both recoil and gun weight become factors. And the world just doesn’t seem as safe a place as it did even 20 years ago. Back then a lone mugger was about my only concern, and I felt well protected with my J-Frame with one reload.

These days multiple assailant incidents are more common. A compact 9mm semi-auto (24–30 oz.) seems for my needs an ideal balance of size, weight, power, magazine capacity and shootability. A pistol like this also provides me a full three–finger grip. As a 1911 fan I like the Springfield Armory EMP but there are many other fine choices. Oh, and that little Airweight is still in the pants pocket!

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