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Ccw Handguns

American Handgunner, Annual, 2000 by Massad Ayoob

Are these today's ten best for personal self defense?

For those who legally carry concealed there have never been more good choices of handguns for self defense. It wasn't that long ago that the choices were fairly slim.

Prior to the '90s, most gunowners carried a "snub-nose .38" from Colt or S&W. Gunowners who didn't really expect to need the gun carried a small "pocket auto" in calibers ranging from .25 to .380. The heavy hitters found a way to carry full-size handguns, with the Colt Lightweight Commander being the concealment sidearm of choice. Small .357 Magnums, or larger ones with truly short barrels, had not yet appeared, nor was there a 9mm auto pistol expressly designed for concealment. Powerful cartridges suitable for small pistols, such as the .40 Smith & Wesson and the .357 SIG, were just a dream.

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Today's armed citizen has many more practical compact handguns to choose from, and the ability to carry them concealed is aided by the best concealed-carry holsters and hideout rigs that have ever existed. Yet, for some, more choices make selection more difficult.

What are the "top 10 CCW guns"? It's not likely any two gun owners would agree on the topic.

A definition is in order. Full-size fighting handguns are certainly concealable, especially with today's gunleather. However, we're not talking "concealable," we're talking "concealment." The difference is, the true concealment gun is expressly designed for discreet, comfortable and undetectable all-day carry. Concealment guns are the topic at hand.

We also have to understand that some people want the maximum power they can get in a small package. Some are willing to go to a medium-power handgun in return for compactness. Others need absolute minimum size and are willing to accept a sub-minimum power level to achieve that goal.

Unfortunately, some fine CCW specimens are no longer available. Colt's policy decision in late 1999 deprived us of many useful tools. Their Pony was perhaps the best of the small double action .380s and the single-action PocketLite, the smallest good .380. Gone. Colt's Pocket Nine, the size of a Walther PPK including thickness, but lighter and holding seven 9mm Parabellum rounds, had redefined the pocket-auto market. Gone. Their Detective Special series guns, the .38 DS-II and the .357 Magnum Carry, were the best D-frame revolvers they ever produced. Gone.

Full Power CCW

"CCW" stands for "Carrying a Concealed Weapon." The operative term is "weapon." It's not for sport, but for life-or-death defense. For many serious pistol-packers, the imperative is the most power they can pack into a small package that can still be controlled by a competent and practiced shooter. We have some superb options.

Many consider the 9x19 cartridge to be full power, but most would define it as a medium-power round. Let's go with that definition for now, with .40 S&W, .357 SIG and .45 Auto comprising the full-power cartridge range.

Baby Glocks. These guns are extremely popular among today's professionals-- so popular that dealers can't keep them in stock and are deeply back-ordered. They come in five calibers and two sizes.

The smallest Glock sub-compacts are the true "baby" models, available in 9mm (G26), .40 S&W (G27) and .357 SIG (G33). Whether the Glock 26 is medium power or full power probably depends on the load used. A +P or +P+ 115 gr. in the 1,300 fps velocity range is more powerful than most 110 gr. .357 Magnum rounds and easily qualifies for any commonsense definition of "full power." However, standard pressure 9mm rounds-- particularly the 147 gr. subsonic-- fall into a .38 Special power range that, while meeting minimum standard, can't honestly be said to constitute more than a medium-power level. The G26 holds 10 rounds in the magazine and an 11th in the chamber.

The Glock 27 is designed to handle nine-plus-one rounds of .40 S&W. In its first generation load (180 gr. bullet, 950-990 fps), this round approaches 185 gr. .45 auto ballistics. The 150/155 gr. loads in the 1,200 fps range, as used by the border patrol, are even more potent. Hottest of all is the third-generation round, a full-power 135 gr. bullet in the 1,300 fps range. The latter is ".357 Magnum country." Only by going to the 135 gr./l,000 fps "personal defense load" or the 165 gr. subsonic can you reduce the .40 to a medium-powered round.

The Glock 33 is the same gun in .357 SIG. It's also a 10-shooter. This round spits a 125 gr. bullet at 1,350 fps and is as full power as anyone is likely to carry. Recoil? The 9mm baby Glock with +P+ kicks about the same as a standard-pressure load in the .40 version. The .40, with the hot 135 gr., kicks a little more, about the same as the .357 SIG version.

Slightly larger are the 10mm Auto and .45 Auto "baby Glocks," known as the G29 and G30, respectively. As with the other calibers, double recoil springs help control the recoil and make them remarkably shootable. The .45 version is particularly accurate. Each takes "10-plus-one" rounds. A slimline version of the G30 with single-stack magazine, the Glock 36, holds six-plus-one.

Ccw Handguns

American Handgunner, Annual, 2000 by Massad Ayoob

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