My Background
One of my fundamental beliefs is, “Stay Strapped Or Get Clapped,” or, stay armed unless there’s absolutely no way to get away with it. Obstacles that can prevent it include metal detectors and extreme risks from Stop & Frisk policies. I have taken this belief as far as to carry at work despite the risk of immediate termination.
I’ve tried to live by this fundamental belief since I first got my concealed carry permit almost a decade ago.
Before diving in I want to note that I’m not a trainer or an expert in tactics. I’m merely a person who wants to remain armed for my own protection at all times. This abridged guide culminates years of mistakes and research into an easy to digest guide for picking your first defensive pistol. Through trial and error I’ve been able to carry concealed successfully in extremely non-permissive environments. To name a few:
- CZ P-07 AIWB at an Amazon Warehouse
- Glock 45 AIWB at a retail job
- CZ SP-01 Tactical (AIWB/Backpack) Several of Chicago’s famous museums.
- Glock 19 AIWB regularly around Illinois when I have to visit that hellhole.
Firearm Selection
For many, their first concealed carry handgun is also their first firearm. Taking this into account, several factors need to be considered when determining what and what not to recommend as a first time carry gun. The following criteria are what I considered when determining the handguns to recommend:
- Reliability & Safety
- Speed To Proficiency
- Holster Support
- Ease of Maintenance
- Magazine Availability
- Parts Availability
- Aftermarket Support
- Company Reputation
Reliability & Safety are combined as they’re both equally important. If a firearm is safe to carry, but it isn’t reliable, there’s no point in carrying it. Similarly, if a firearm is reliable, but not safe to carry, there’s no point in carrying it.
Speed to Proficiency is the amount of time it takes to learn the controls of the firearm, how to effectively reload the firearm, and how fast they can engage a target after drawing.
Holster Support comes in third. If you can’t find a quality holster for the firearm, then you won’t be able to safely carry, or reliably draw the firearm.
Bonus Tip: This completely removes VersaCarry’s softshell leather holsters as an option. Do. Not. Buy. Them.
Ease of Maintenance: Should something break on your firearm, it should be easily fixable without parts needing to be fitted to your exact gun. If parts need to be fitted by an expert you’ll go without until they finish repairing your gun.
Additionally, firearms need to be cleaned & inspected. Ease of field stripping will also be considered, but not weighed as heavily.
Magazine Availability: Magazines are consumable items, you will need to replace them at some point. You’ll also want to have some set aside specifically for training purposes.
Parts Availability: If you can’t easily find parts online for a firearm such as extractors, ejectors, firing pins, strikers, etc. it’s a poor choice for a first concealed carry handgun. If a part breaks there’s no telling how long (if ever) you’ll be able to find a replacement part.
Aftermarket Support: The aftermarket can make-up for a lack of factory magazines and parts. The more aftermarket support a platform has, the better the platform usually is as there’s very high demand for parts.
Important Note: Research the company producing the parts or magazines before purchasing for serious use.
Company Reputation: Company reputation is important. If they’re known for using their customers as beta testers, or are consistently having issues, I’m intentionally going to steer you away from them.
Ergonomics aren’t mentioned because the only factor that matters if whether or not you can reach and pull the trigger with your index finger. If you can’t, don’t get the gun.
“But it doesn’t feel good in my hand!”
And new shoes feel tight until you’ve broken them in. 🤷♂️
Based on the above criteria alone, the following brands and handguns are removed entirely from consideration:
- Beretta
- Bersa
- Charter Arms
- Heckler & Koch
- SIG Sauer
- Springfield Armory
- Taurus
- CZ-USA’s Hammer Fired Guns
- Revolvers
- 1911s
While I’m a gigantic fan of some of the brands above, they don’t fit the bare minimum requirements based on the criteria above.
Caliber Selection
“… there is no appreciable difference in the effectiveness of the 9mm and .45ACP cartridges.” –
Vincent Di Maio, Forensic Pathologist & Expert On Gunshot Wounds
When it comes to caliber selection a lot of information is being considered. The foundation of that information is the FBI’s Minimum Standards in order for a caliber/bullet to be approved for duty. I take that foundation and study the data and information produced by Lucky Gunner, TNOutDoors9, and ShootTheBull410. Beyond the terminal ballistics, I’m also taking into consideration magazine capacity, recoil, and ammunition availability/cost.
Capacity: If you don’t live in a restricted state, you should maximize your size:capacity ratio as much as possible while maintaining or surpassing testing standards.
Recoil: Recoil is how much force is generated rearward as the firearm shoots. This affects control of the firearm as well as time between follow-up shots.
Ammunition Availability/Cost: You need to shoot as much as often to practice your fundamentals and take classes when you can. If the ammunition isn’t available, you can’t shoot. If the cost per round is too high, it becomes cost prohibitive to train.
Considering all of that information you’re left with two calibers.
The Ideal Choice
9mm is going to be the top choice. It outranks other duty calibers in terms of capacity, recoil, availability, and cost. It meets, or surpasses other duty calibers in overall effectiveness.
When looking for defensive ammunition, the top performing commonly found loads are:
124gr Federal HST
124gr Federal HST +P
124gr Speer GoldDot
124gr Speer GoldDot +P
147gr Federal HST
147gr Federal HST +P
147gr Speer GoldDot
147gr Speer GoldDot +P
The Secondary Choice
If you’re recoil sensitive and have difficulties with 9mm, or you literally cannot carry a firearm sized for 9mm, there’s an alternative, albeit, less effective choice. That caliber is .380ACP.
Firearm size being equal, .380ACP is going to have less recoil than 9mm.
A lot of the smallest guns on the market are also chambered in .380ACP.
With .380ACP there’s no “top performer” ammunition wise. Penetration is key for handgun calibers to be effective. The commonly available .380ACP hollow points fail to consistently meet the FBI’s penetration requirements on bare gelatin.
If you have to carry a .380ACP handgun, use high quality FMJ rounds such as Sellier & Bellot or Federal.
The Common Question
There’s a question that gets asked by a lot of first time concealed carriers:
“Why do I need a duty rated caliber? I’m not law enforcement.”
The first answer is a question, why wouldn’t want the most effective tool for a job?
The second answer is: Law enforcement responds to your calls. They respond to help you in a dangerous situation. You can face the same threats that they do; that’s why you call them. The only difference is, is that civilians are expected to flee, law enforcement is expected to actively engage.
If the threat you face is the same threat that law enforcement is going to face, wouldn’t you want duty rated ammunition?
Your Choices, Mr. Anderson
When taking into consideration the requirements, along with the calibers to pick from, you’re left primarily with two brands to pick from.
Choice 1
The world’s most tested family of firearms at this point also has the most holster support, magazines are plentiful & cheap, and you won’t have any issues finding spares parts for them.
That family of firearms is Glock. There are more 3rd party tests of Glock than any other firearm in the world at this point that prove it’s reliability and durability.
“They don’t fit my hand!”
1. You’re new to handguns and you really don’t know that.
I know because that was me. Now, I carry and enjoy shooting Glocks.
2. You probably said the shoes you’re wearing were too tight at one point.
Glock’s 9mm models offer the most aftermarket, holster, and part support out of any pistol on the market. More importantly, nearly everyone in the United States is within close distance to a Glock armorer should they need assistance changing out worn parts.
The best part about Glock is, you can learn how to maintain it purely from YouTube videos as it’s still the simplest handgun design to date.
Top Model Choices: Glock 19, Glock 48, Glock 43
Check out this 18 year / 250,000 round torture test of a Glock 17 manufactured in 1988.
Most Common Complaint
“I don’t want to pull the trigger to disassemble the gun.”
If you’re at the point of not consistently clearing a firearm as soon as your pick it up, you should not be carrying a firearm yet. There is nothing inherently dangerous about pulling the trigger to disassemble a firearm; if there was you wouldn’t be told to dry fire as much as possible.
Clear your firearms consistently and there’s not going to be an issue.
Choice 2
The second choice was so close to Glock in design that the company had to pay Glock for each model sold at one point. That choice is the Smith & Wesson M&P family.
The M&P line is great for individuals that really want to have a manual safety on their first carry gun for an additional layer of mental comfort, or people that absolutely refuse to purchase a Glock.
Just be aware that magazines are usually twice as expensive and the aftermarket support isn’t quite as expansive as it is for Glocks.
Also, when you’re shopping for holsters be cognizant of your handgun’s barrel length. Smith & Wesson offers a lot of M&Ps with the same name, but with different barrel lengths. For example there’s a 3.6″ and 4.0″ M&P Compact 2.0.
Top Model Choices: M&P Compact 2.0, M&P Shield Plus, M&P Shield
Common Complaints
“Magazines are expensive and I can’t find a holster for my specific M&P.”
- Magazines for every firearm that isn’t a 9mm Glock, SIG P226, Beretta 92, or CZ 75 Clone are going to be expensive.
- For M&Ps you really need to figure out which model you want, then find a holster for it before buying.
Honorable Mention
The honorable mention goes out to the CZ P-10c. It’s CZ’s competitor to the Glock 19 and the S&W M&P Compact 2.0. It offers a solid amount of holster support and magazines are usually pretty easy to find but, run the same price as M&P magazines.
The P-10c’s crux is in it’s part support. While there is some, it’s not quite as strong as I’d like to see.
.380ACP Options
The Smith & Wesson Shield EZ .380ACP is perfect for those that have extremely weak hands and are recoil sensitive. Spare parts aren’t abundant, holster support is decent enough, and you can find magazines (most of the time).
The Ruger LCP II and the Glock 42 are two good options for those that are needing something tiny to fit in their pocket. These two are the most popular .380ACP pistols on the market which means magazines are available, parts are available, and holsters are available.
Budget Friendly Options
Just because you’re on a budget doesn’t mean to have to sacrifice quality. So, here’s a small list of firearms that should work with most budget minded buyers.
- .40S&W Glock Law Enforcement Trade-Ins
Functionally these are going to be in extremely good condition. They also fit the same holsters as the 9mm Glock models!
Later down the road, you can also convert it over to 9mm to save on ammunition costs.
If you’re lucky, you may even find 9mm Glock LE trade-ins around the same price point. - Smith & Wesson Shield Plus
The Smith & Wesson Shield Plus is a nice, concealable handgun with a good amount of capacity to boot. Coming in regularly below $400, it’s hard to beat the Shield Plus for concealed carry as it fits all of the above requirements.
Are Striker Fired Guns Safe?
All of the options above except the Shield EZ and LCP II are striker fired handguns. This may make you uncomfortable; many people who are new to firearms don’t think striker fired handguns are safe.
Why?
There isn’t manual safety and there isn’t a hammer; visually they don’t “look” safe.
The truth is striker fired handguns are as safe, or safer than their hammer fired counterparts. This is due to their simplicity. With fewer parts there’s less that can go wrong and more room for robust parts. They also tend to have more internal safeties as well. For instance, most 1911s don’t have a firing pin safety, but Glocks do.
To add on, striker fired handguns are typically so simplistic that you can learn all you need to know beyond cleaning by watching YouTube videos. The simplicity, ease of maintenance, and parts availability are things you’ll appreciate later down the road when your extractor brakes, and you actually find one at your local gun shop.
Conclusion
I got into firearms through handguns and wanting to protect myself. When I first got started I made a lot of mistakes, and one of the biggest was buying a CZ 75B as my first handgun. It had zero holster support and as a beginner of learning the art of concealing a handgun; it was way too big. I didn’t go with an option that had proven itself well for concealed carry. I also didn’t go with a proven option the 2nd, 3rd, or 4th time because I’m stubborn.
If your intention is to carry concealed, don’t buy something larger than a Glock 19, and buy a popular choice that has a ton of aftermarket and holster support. The level of support behind Glocks and M&Ps is unrivaled and it’s key to successfully figuring out how and where you should carry a firearm.
If you have any questions regarding concealed carry, be sure to send them to me on Facebook or Instagram!
