If your carry options permit .......

[P95Carry]

Ok - I know many folks have to work within limitations due to way of life, work etc.

But ..... if you have a good choice of options for concealment, due to lifestyle - is there any reason to go smaller and lighter?

IMO - no there isn't. I am lucky and can go large and heavy and my take on that is capacity, accuracy and controllability - the last two being inter-related.

Comfort I guess could be another factor but for me the size of the SIG 226 ST is ameliorated by the good rig - a K&D Eagle Defender. It holds tight in and is very good at ''absorbing'' the fully loaded SIG.

Does anyone feel that smaller is better, if in fact they can manage larger (platform)?

[DefensiveCarry.com]

[Bud White]

No For me being a large Fellow its just as easy to carry a full size as something smaller

[Cupcake]

Go big or go home. Unless, like you said, for some reason you actually shoot the small one better. I'd pack a bigger one if I thought I could conceal it as well.

[QKShooter]

For me there are times when I sure do go smaller especially when I am staying local.
And yes, I know that violent crime can happen anywhere and at any time but, we have had only 2 murders here in the past 70+ years and both were family related - one a doctors Wife that went "lolly pop factory" and killed her kids and then herself...and one other "basket case kid" that beat his Mother to death because she would not let him walk up the street at 2:00AM to get new batteries for his radio.
I never go smaller than a .380 though.

When I worked in 2 of the worst areas of the city I never went "Gun Lite" and always carried a bigger boomer.

[AKsrule]

I guess this counts as Comfort , but when I'm popping out for 20 minutes
for groceries , it's just easier to slip something in my pocket than to
"Strap Up".

Of course to me "comfort" means a 2" 357mag.

[Gunnutty]

I'd much rather stay with a bigger platform. However as a pastor many times I'm in a suit and my Mustang is all I can manage. I'm not knocking the 380 but it is out of necessity when I carry it. I'll take my 45 anyday.

[fatboy97]

I think you need to find your optimal balance between size and capacity. Accuracy and controllability come with a good gun and practice. I personally like the Glock compact size guns (19, 23).

[artz]

I carry the mustang mostly due to ease of concealment due to my work. On the m/c, I'll have the taurus 85 in a front pocket holster. Its real easy for me to get to. My kahr tp45 weighs very little, and thats the gun I wear at other times.

[freetrapper]

I carry a Glock 26 or a Glock 19. I carry the 26 when I am only wearing a single un tucked shirt (T-Shirt, Botton Up or Polo). With the 19 I like to wear a cover shirt open or a vest. Either way I like them both and shoot very well with both but I feel more comfortable with the full grip and 15 rounds of the 19.

So to sum it up, if you can conceal it comfotably why go smaller?

[aus71383]

I prefer to carry my 1911 at all times, however I do end up with my 442 once in a while. If concealment were not a factor I would carry a shotgun. Or maybe an AR... Bigger is better.

Austin

[mcp1810]

I have been finding myself in that quandry lately. My new holster is for my P228. I used to carry my full sized whenever possible but I am liking this Kramer MSP so much I have gone compact since I got it in the mail. Yeah not counting reloads it means four rounds less than my P226, but it is still five rounds more than my P220. As far as speed and accuracy I find I shoot the P226 best, and the P228 and P220 are about equal. All in all I guess its a fair trade for me, but I still feel wierd not grabbing one of the big ones when I could.

[Echo_Four]

The 226 has been retired from carry duty for the time being. I am carrying a 228. (I have Sig mags for the 226 and Mecgars for the 228 so the capacity is 15+1 in each gun) The reason is simple, I have XS big dots on the 228 and love them. I am trying to decide whether to put them on the 226 or not- it is used in IDPA, and I think I may prefer notch and post sights for the game shooting.

[limatunes]

I had the rare opportunity to carry a .50 AE Desert Eagle for all of about a half hour (hour at most).

The manager of my old gun shop had been given a holster and spare mag pouch for the beast and was taking volunteers to try carrying our Desert Eagle rental.

I thought it would be an interesting experience, and so I volunteered.

I wish I had gotten a picture.

Needless to say I didn't even try to conceal. The muzzle hung down to about mid thigh, the magazine pouch on the other side wasn't any better.

It was heavy but not uncomfortable as the weight was held pretty evenly by my belt. It just made walking pretty awkward.

I couldn't carry it for very long because our customers started looking at me and all of my coworkers who were red-faced and teary-eyed from laughing so much and wondering whether or not it was safe to take our advice on firearms.

We did have two people offer to buy the whole set up that day, however.

So, while bigger is better, there can be a moment when big gets too big.

God help me if I had to run with that thing strapped to my side. One good nudge and I probably would have fallen over and not been able to get back up.

However, there is probably someone out there, somewhere, who could carry that thing and make it look natural, comfortable and completely doable.

We all have our limits of how big we can go without causing more harm than good for ourselves.

With no restrictions on lifestyle I would still go no larger than my Wilson. I think I've found the biggest I can comfortably go with size of handgun and caliber.

Some may find it comfortable to go bigger, and all the power to them. Legalities and all macho chest-pounding aside, I'm not sure why anyone would feel they needed to go that big, but I know I would certainly never do it.

And no, I would never go to a smaller gun when I had the opportunity to carry a larger one. Even if caliber doesn't matter that much compared to shot placement; grip, sight radius, comfort and control do (in my book). I feel much more comfortable with a larger gun than a smaller one. If nothing prohibits me from doing so, Wilson is my choice for the day. I don't think that will change any time soon.

[gimpy]

Up until a couple of months ago when dress code required me to leave my Sig P239 at home, I pocket carried a PPK .32 auto. Now the pocket carry gun is the same caliber as my P239 in the form of a Kahr PM9. So these days when I have to "go smaller", it is just a matter of overall size and weight--not caliber. They both love Speer Gold Dot +P JHP.

[Anubis]

I alternate between the full size G21 .45 and the subcompact G27 .40, and have no decided preference for either one. For minimum concealment garment I use the .40. If I wear a vest or coat, I carry the .45. I shoot both with equal accuracy, and the stopping power of the rounds are alleged to be similar, so I am equally comfortable with either one. Capacity with an extra mag is about the same either way, too: in .45, 1+13+13 and in .40, 1+9+15 (I carry the fullsize G22 mag for a spare).