Like many firearms enthusiasts, I like smaller guns.
Why?
It’s simple, really. Smaller is easier to conceal so that you (hopefully) always have the surprise factor if, God forbid, you have to draw your weapon. And with advances in technology giving smaller pistols higher capacities, there’s a lot to love about small pistols for everyday carry.
But, to be fair, there are reasons why you may not want to carry a smaller pistol for your everyday carry, and we’re not just talking about preference.
Fortunately, Carter with Patriot Training Center goes over things to consider when it comes to deciding what size pistol to carry everyday. You can see his video below.
Now, Carter made a number of excellent points in the video (in under five minutes for those of you who are time conscious and in a hurry).
One of the biggest factors for him is purchase on the pistol. Now, if you’re new to firearms, purchase can, of course, mean to buy a firearm. That’s not what we’re talking about, though.
What we’re talking about in this case is the definition of purchase, according to Merriam-Webster, which means “an advantage (such as a firm hold or position) used in applying one’s power.” We’re talking about the amount of grip that you can get on your firearm so that you can control your shots for the best accuracy.
The amount of purchase that you can get on your pistol is a huge deal. And smaller guns have less surface area to be able to get purchase on. So, having a larger pistol can be easier to control simply because you can get a better grip on it with both hands.
Then there is the recoil issue. Smaller guns tend to be snappier when compared to larger pistols using the same caliber of ammunition. It’s simple physics, really, The bigger the gun, the more mass that it tends to have. And that means it moves less when the energy of recoil tries to move it.
So, larger pistols tend to have less felt recoil.
Now, is this to say that everyone should get larger pistols or that smaller pistols are a bad idea for daily carry and self protection? No, not at all.
What Carter is saying, and I agree with him, is that you need to make an informed decision as to what pistol that you choose to carry because there are pros and cons to every size and every pistol model.
And whatever you choose, you need to train with it to proficiency and to maintain proficiency.
🎯 No matter what gun or gear you use, it won’t matter if you don’t have solid fundamentals. 🎯 The best way to get and retain those skills is with dryfire. That’s why we have a FREE 30 day dryfire program that only takes 10-minutes per day here for you: http://freedryfire.com/YT
