You’ve decided to carry a weapon to defend yourself and your family, and we applaud you for that! But that’s just the first step in the process of carrying a concealed firearm for the long haul. One of the most important things is that you need to know which firearm is going to be the best for you. There isn’t just one gun that is the answer for everyone.
You need to do some research and follow a process. Our process is outlined below. Though we have made it as comprehensive as possible, there are little steps here or there that could be added to make the process best for you. But this guide will get where you want to go.
So what are the 8 steps that must be followed when choosing a concealed carry gun?
- Research gets you 80% of the way there
- Reliability is king
- Concealability is key
- Powerful enough is essential
- Enough rounds is queen
- Make sure it’s easy to shoot
- Try before you buy
- Comfortable enough to actually carry
- Decide and buy!
- Train and gain
By following this process you will be able to pick out the gun that is right for you, and not the gun that your brother in law told you is the only acceptable choice. It’s a process that anyone can go through and come out on the other end with very different conclusions and very different guns. But all will be top notch weapons. Let’s take a look at step one, which is all about research.
We have spent thousands of hours testing guns and gear of all different types. For those of you that are here looking for recommendations on specific concealed carry guns, check out our recommendations page here. It’s well worth taking a look at it! For those of you looking to support us, follow our affiliate links if/when you decide to buy.
1) Research gets you 80% of the way there
The very first step when choosing a concealed carry gun is to do some research. If you were to go out and just buy the first gun you come across, you might quickly find that it just doesn’t work for you—or that it doesn’t work as a concealed carry gun at all. Doing just a bit of research can not only save you money, it can help you zone in on what you might like—which will give your search purpose.
There are a few forms of research you can do that can be very helpful and informative. They are YouTube and google search, gun shops and trusted friends. Though there are a lot of exceptions to these; let’s look at them below.
YouTube and Google Search
There is an abundant supply of reviews and opinions of guns online. YouTube is the richest source of content to consume, and the most helpful as well. There are so many reviewers that shoot various guns extensively and give their opinions on how they performed. In these reviews, they usually compare each gun to other guns within the same category for reference. So, when reviewing concealed carry guns, they usually pull out two or three and discuss how they are the same and how they are different.
The other form of preliminary research you can do to get an idea of what gun would be best for you, is to just google it. This is obvious to most of us, but it gets you started on the process. By googling something like “best concealed carry guns” or “most popular concealed carry guns of all time”, you will get a list of guns that you can then take to YouTube to see reviews on. The guns on these lists are included because they are the guns that most people choose as their concealed carry guns. So they would be the best place to start looking. You may ultimately choose a gun not included on any of these lists, and that’s okay.
While not all of the reviews are worth listening to, we do recommend getting on and doing research. It is the fastest way to learn everything you can about the many different options out there. It’ll also give you the chance to weed out the one that you are obviously not going to choose. Some just won’t feel right and, therefore, shouldn’t be chosen.
As a reference a few gun reviewers on YouTube to start out with are
- Mrgunsngear
- Hickok45
- Parker Fawbush
- Honest outlaw
- Sootch00
- And so many more!
There are literally dozens of videos, and hundreds or articles, on basically every concealed carry gun on the market. A simple YouTube search for “best concealed carry guns” will get you started. We have also listed some of the most popular guns later in this post.
Gun shops
Consulting gun shops can be a great idea and it can also be a bad idea. Some gun shops will push you toward more expensive guns that wouldn’t be best for you. Others have an elitist opinion, that only a specific manufacturer or caliber is worthy of using for concealed carry. Many shops, on the other hand, have great workers that will ask helpful questions and try to help you find the best gun for you.
In many cases going in and talking to gun shop workers can be extremely helpful in the research process. Many will take the time to explain the different types and functions of guns. As they ask questions, they can pull out different models and sizes until you feel comfortable with a few. They can be one of the best resources for learning because they have exposure to more guns than most people—and they literally talk about guns all day, everyday.
TIP: Good guns shops will allow you to pull the guns out of the displays and actually pull the triggers. This is huge in getting comfortable and familiar with the guns you are looking at.
Trusted friends
Again, another hit or miss option for doing gun research. A trusted friend can do an excellent job explaining guns and make recommendations for what might be the best for you. They can easily guide you through the process and save you a lot of time that would be otherwise wasted in the first steps of learning guns; instead you can spend the bulk of your time researching specific guns and testing them out.
Be careful, though, not everyone is a great resource for guns. Like some gun shop salespeople, friends aren’t always immune to elitist opinions. Some people are just dead set on big bore calibers like .45 ACP. And everyone, no matter who they are, must either carry a gun in .45 or not carry at all. Others just can’t get over certain manufacturers, and anyone who buys from a manufacturer different from them is a fool.
If you have a friend that doesn’t act like this, you should definitely consult him or her.
2) Reliability is king
When choosing any firearm—but most importantly a concealed carry firearm—the most important thing to know is that it is reliable. It needs to go bang when you want it to go bang. Period. If it doesn’t, then what’s the point in carrying a gun at all? What good does it actually do you? Not much, in my opinion. So in your search, look only for guns that are reliable.
The problem is that “reliability” is relative. There is no objective line where a gun goes from being reliable to unreliable. Every manufacturer has its own standard and every person has his or her own standard. So how do we determine what reliability means?
No malfunctions
The first thing to think about when evaluating reliability is how many total malfunctions the gun is having. Again, there is no threshold that makes a gun unreliable, but it shouldn’t have too many total malfunctions—no matter who is shooting the gun. Most handguns are good enough that they shouldn’t have any at all. The problem is that a lot of factors affect how many malfunctions a gun has.
A good way to look at it is that your gun shouldn’t have more than one or two malfunctions every 1,000+ rounds. That’s too many malfunctions for some people and too strict of a standard for others. But it’s a good general rule I use for my guns. Obviously, the ideal situation would be to have 0 malfunctions—and that is easily attainable! But a malfunction every thousand rounds isn’t terrible.
So you have to find a gun that isn’t experiencing too many malfunctions. In order to do that, you’re going to have to take a little action. You’re going to have to do some research as well as test out some guns at the range. We’ll talk about testing shooting guns in step 6. For now, let’s talk about research.
The number of malfunctions that are “acceptable” should be with all types of ammo. If a gun is finicky with different types of ammo, you may want to avoid it. Most guns are able to eat up all kinds of ammo, both hollow points and jacketed ammo.
3) Concealability is key
Oh wow! Another completely subjective term. Stay tuned, basically every single point on this list is somewhat subjective. What you’re looking for here is a gun that can be concealed fairly easily. What that means for most people is a small handgun. Guns that aren’t good for concealed carry are obviously rifles and shotguns. Almost equally as bad are large handguns. Large handguns consist of full-size handguns, which we’ve written an awesome article on what those are here; and compact handguns, with the article we wrote on them here. Some people carry compact handguns as their concealed carry guns, but they are too large for most people.
Your concealed carry gun is either going to have fit underneath your clothing or in some bag—and at very least in a case near you. Ideally, it should be carried on your body. Anywhere you go, it goes. And the chances of it getting separated from you are very small; however you will have to make your own choice on where it will be.
Regardless of where you choose to carry your gun, it will have to fit somewhere. For those that are going to carry their guns on their bodies, they have to be able to hide it without being detected in all weather conditions. Which doesn’t just include when you have a winter coat over you. It also means carrying when you only have a light shirt to cover your weapon. So the size of the weapon is going to hugely impact how hard or easy it is to conceal.
Large full-size and compact handguns would be almost impossible for most people to conceal. That’s why most people look to small, micro-carry guns for the answer.
Common concealed carry sizes
Small sub-compact (aka micro-carry) guns are the most popular choices for concealed carriers because these guns are so small. Generally speaking, these guns have barrels that are somewhere between 3 and 4 inches, less than 1 inch wide and carry between 6 and 11 rounds (highly dependent on caliber). They are just the right size to be able to carry them on the body with relative ease. For a full understanding of what sub-compact guns are, read our awesome article here.
For those that are carrying off body, this isn’t as much of a problem. Obviously, the gun needs to fit in whatever bag you are carrying, but it is much less strict on size. There is usually more space to place a gun, and it conceals easily. These guns could easily be full-size or compact handguns.
When choosing your concealed carry gun, make sure that it conceals easily in all seasons. It will likely be a small, subcompact gun in most scenarios, but you need to find the right gun for you. The right recipe is the smallest gun with enough rounds.
4) Powerful enough is essential
The gun you choose needs to shoot a bullet that is powerful enough to take your attacker down. Obviously, the perfect scenario is to never have to shoot a gun at all. But for the scenarios where you need a gun to protect your life (which is the entire reason you’re carrying a gun at all), it needs to stop the aggressor. So what is a powerful enough cartridge? Another hard question to answer.
Some people argue that anything less than a 9mm isn’t enough. Some argue that anything less than a .45 won’t even do the trick. Those people are idiots. You need to find a gun that you will carry. If it’s too big or uncomfortable that you won’t carry it, then what good does that do you? A gun sitting at home when you need it isn’t worth a thing. But if you’ll carry a smaller gun—even though it is a smaller cartridge—that’s better than nothing. So find the right cartridge for you.
Popular caliber sizes
With that said, there are some very popular cartridges that most people can successfully use—and find guns that are small enough and comfortable enough to carry. There are many 9mm handguns that have been released in the last decade that are very small and concealable. More importantly, ones that are quite controllable. If you can’t find one of those you like, there are quite a few .380 guns that are even smaller and more concealable. And because they’re .380, they don’t have as much recoil, but still pack a punch.
The biggest thing to overcome when talking about “power” is how hard it will be for you to shoot. If all calibers had the same recoil, we’d all be carrying around 50 caliber handguns and blowing the heads off our attackers. Since that isn’t the case, we need to think about how much recoil is manageable, while at the same time, still powerful enough to get the job done. Below is a list of some of the most used calibers in concealed carry guns.
Calibers often used for concealed carry
- .380 ACP
- 9mm
- .40 S&W
- .45 ACP
- .38 special
- .357 magnum
There are obviously others, but these are the main ones used by most people. 9mm, .380 and .45 ACP are probably the most common calibers carried in the world.
5) Enough Rounds is queen
Are there ever enough rounds to carry with you? Whether there are or not, there is a limit to how many you can carry with you. The size of gun you carry and the size of the caliber you carry are the two largest factors for how many rounds you will have—at least inside the gun. Since most people will likely carry a sub-compact pistol, the only real variable is caliber.
The smaller the caliber, the more rounds you can carry in a magazine—and therefore in your gun. However, the smaller the caliber, the less theoretical stopping power the gun will have. So you have a choice, but make sure that choice includes having enough rounds in your gun.
Like the other steps in this process, there is no objective number of rounds that determines that you have enough. You may need one round, and you may need 50 in any confrontation. You need to determine how many is enough for you. No one can really tell you how many is enough; however, you can never have too many. But you can have too few.
Estimated number of rounds
Since most concealed carry guns are 9mm and .380 (with obvious exceptions), we can estimate that most concealed carry guns hold 7-15 rounds. That’s still a pretty wide range because that includes compact guns that hold more. If we narrow just a bit more, the average number of rounds a concealed carry gun holds is 7-11, in sub-compact guns (revolvers are usually 5-6).
You will have to determine if you think this is enough rounds to keep you safe. Many people are perfectly fine with 7-11 rounds in their guns. For those that aren’t, there are a few options. The most obvious option is to just carry a larger gun. But since that isn’t ideal for most of us, option 2 is better. Shooters that want a small gun AND more ammo often carry an extra magazine or two with them everywhere they go. That way, they can carry somewhere in the neighborhood of 14-22 rounds, while keeping a low profile. This might be the best option if you’re worried about capacity.
6) Make sure it’s easy to shoot
In this short section we wanted to bring up a point that we debated including within another step, but decided it was important enough to be its own. You want to find a gun that is easy to shoot. No tiny, concealed carry gun is going to be as easy to shoot as a full-size pistol, but not all tiny guns are created equally. When choosing the right gun for you, it is important to remember that you will be shooting this gun in what will probably be the most stressful situation of your life. If you choose a gun that is difficult to shoot well while not stressed, you may really have a tough time shooting it in a life or death situation. Hopefully all you will ever do is shoot this gun at a range, but its whole purpose is to be there in a self-defense situation.
The best practice would be to find a gun that you feel comfortable shooting, and that you can get proficient with. That is much easier to do when it’s a fairly easy gun to shoot. You will likely gravitate toward guns you shoot well anyway, but not always. So just keep in mind that the easier it is, the less there is to worry about.
7) Try before you buy
You’ve narrowed your search
One of the most important things to do once you’ve narrowed down your search to just a short list of guns is to go test them out. I have often thought I’d love a gun that I had done a ton of research on, only to find out I didn’t really like it after shooting it. The opposite is true too. Guns I have gone in and tested, thinking they wouldn’t be very good, have turned out to be my favorites. It’s good to get a general idea about how you will like a gun through research; but it’s only through actually experiencing it that you will really know.
Ask friends
Here is another opportunity to consult friends in the concealed carry search process. If you have any friends that really enjoy shooting, they likely own quite a few guns. Even more likely is that a few of those will be concealed carry guns. This is a great chance for you to go shooting and test them out. It will save you money in gun-rental costs, and it’ll be a good time. You can also ask your friend to explain his or her buying process and why that specific gun or guns were chosen. It may help you sort out your thoughts during the process.
Go to the range
As we’ve discussed, one of the most essential steps in the concealed-carry, gun-buying process is actually shooting the guns. One of the best places to do that is at a local range. It’s important to have a general idea of some guns you are thinking about buying, but don’t necessarily limit it to only one or two guns if you have more you think you might like. Most ranges will allow you to “rent a caliber”. Meaning, they will allow you to pay the fees and rent any gun of the same caliber that they have on their range. So, if they have ten 9mm sub-compact carry guns, you can test them all.
One huge benefit to going to the range and “renting a caliber” is not only that you can test as many guns as you want; it’s also the ability to shoot one gun right after the other. It gives you the unique chance of testing guns side by side. That way, you are not just evaluating whether or not you like a gun, but you are evaluating how you like one in relation to another. This may give you important insights you wouldn’t otherwise see and come to very different conclusions than you otherwise would have.
DON’T GET STUCK in analysis paralysis when comparing guns. If you just love a few guns and can’t decide which one you want to buy, just choose one. If you’ve followed the process up to this point, you’ve chosen a great gun. I know, they are all so good, it’s hard to choose. Don’t worry we are here for you. We’ve compiled a list of a few things that might help if you just can’t decide between a few guns on the top of your list. You can use one or more to help you decide. This is assuming that reliability and your ability to shoot them are equal.
- Choose the less-expensive option and buy practice ammo with the difference.
- Choose the lighter gun. Even a few ounces can make a big difference.
- Choose the overall smaller gun. It’ll be easier to conceal.
- Choose the higher capacity gun. You’ll have more ammo when needed.
- Choose the better looking guns…because you deserve to look good.
TIP: Some gun ranges not only allow you to rent all guns in a specific caliber, they also allow you to take more than one out on the range at a time. Check to see if your local gun range will allow you to do this. It will help when comparing guns with one another, literally side by side.
8) Comfortable enough to actually carry
This is a section that has been covered slightly already, but is important enough to cover as its own step in the process.
Comfortable Gun
It is essential to find a gun that is comfortable to carry. This almost goes without saying…almost. You are going to be carrying this gun everywhere you go. Which means if you choose the wrong gun, you may be uncomfortable everywhere you go. Or, more realistically, you just won’t carry it at all. We don’t want that to happen, so we need to get this part right.
A large part of this process has already been covered in other sections. But what hasn’t been covered yet is that some guns are just more uncomfortable to have plastered against your body all day long. Some guns have sharp, pokey edges. Others have incredibly rough, sandpaper grips that might destroy your skin. Still others are just big and heavy and horrible. Make sure you look into this before you buy.
Asking other people that carry these guns already is a great way to learn whether or not that it’s something to worry about. This is one step that will be difficult to truly understand before you buy. So ask everyone and watch videos of people who have actually carried it. It’ll be an awesome reference.
TIP: Don’t get too hung up on this. Sometimes you might think something will cause problems when it really won’t be an issue at all. Plus it’ll be your first conceal carry gun. You’ll have nothing to compare to, you can just get used to it.
Good holster and belt
A few things that will help your gun be more comfortable have nothing to do with the gun at all. Having a good holster can distribute the weight over a larger area across your body, which will make it more comfortable to wear. Other holsters are tiny, and are easier to take on and off if that’s needed. Still other holsters are made from more comfortable materials, more conducive to carrying for long periods of time. So ask around. You will likely end up buying a few and doing your own testing.
Another thing that can make carrying a gun much more comfortable is using a rigid and strong belt. It will help support the weight and keep everything where it needs to be. It can make a much bigger impact on comfort than you think it will.
There are lots of articles online, as well as YouTube videos, that go into great depth on holsters, belts and anything else you would ever want to know about concealed carry—and guns in general. It’ll be almost as important as the gun research itself.
9) Decide and buy
There isn’t much to say in this section other than that you’re ready to choose a gun and buy it! You’ve done your research and you’ve tested it out. Now is time to pull the trigger (pun totally intended!). So as soon as you’re financially able, go out and buy your gun. Then head on to the last step on this list.
10) Train and gain
Congratulations! If you’re to this step you’ve chosen a gun. And I’ll bet it’s a great one! Now is the point where the work begins. The gun is only as good as the shooter. Now you need to start practicing with it. Small, concealed carry guns are much harder to shoot accurately than other types of guns. So getting used to shooting it and familiar with how it works will make all the difference.
Frequency and amount
There are so many opinions on the internet for how you need to train and how often. Some say you should be out there every week to shoot at least 50 rounds. A quick calculation of how expensive that would be makes it not feasible for most people. The gold standard would be to get out this often. But if this isn’t going to happen for you, make sure to get out as often as you possibly can. I would say to at least get out once a year at an absolute bare minimum; twice a year is better and every quarter would be great.
Even if you possess shooting skills that are adequate now, they may not last. Constantly getting out and shooting will keep your skills sharp and ensure you will hit what you’re aiming for if the time comes that you need to defend yourself.
When evaluating how much you should shoot when you go, it highly depends on how often you go. If you are only going once a year, then shooting a few hundred rounds is essential. If you are going once a month, 50-100 rounds should do.
Type of training
Accuracy- Obviously, you want to be able to hit what you’re aiming at. Spending some time really learning to shoot your gun accurately is the first step in training. You are looking for specific groups on paper. If your shots are all over the target, keep working until you can shoot small groups out to at least 10 yards. This will help you zone in on proper grip, sight picture, trigger pull and other essential skills to shooting accurately. There are many good videos on YouTube explaining how to shoot accurately.
Time- Shooting nice small groups on paper is great, but it does you nothing if you can’t shoot quickly. Most self-defense situations happen extremely quickly—where lining up and shooting at a slow and steady pace isn’t an option. So once you’re comfortable with your gun, start working on shooting faster. You will notice that your groups will open up. Remember the fundamentals and keep at it. You’ll soon see your skills increasing.
When shooting fast, pinpoint accuracy isn’t important. What you’re looking for is combat accuracy. You want to be accurate enough that a shot will disable your attacker. If you can keep all your shots within a 5” by 5” square on the target no matter how fast you go, you are doing perfectly. The zone that is lethal on the human body is larger than that. So keeping your groups that small will do the trick.
We have the ultimate resource for what good grouping in handguns is according to the FBI, police departments and competitive shooting associations. Check it out here.
Stress- Another way to test your skills and make sure you can shoot as well as possible is to shoot under stress. Obviously, the only way to feel the real stress is to be in a real scenario. Since that isn’t possible for training, there are several other options. Working from a timer to push your speed is one way, as we’ve already discussed. But that’s not the only way.
A very effective way to do training that will push your skills to the next level is to take a shooting course. There are many courses that cover what seems to be an endless number of topics. Among those are self defense and concealed carry courses. In them you will be pushed out of your comfort zone and learn vital skills that can help you be more effective with your weapon. I highly recommend doing this at least once!
Conclusion
This process will get you as far as you need to get to choose a fantastic concealed carry gun. So go forth and be another watchdog out there. There are dangerous bad guys with guns that can be stopped by good guys and gals with guns.
