Ccw Handguns

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.

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.

Kahr. The ingenious design of Justin Moon, the Kahr series pistols are flat, point very well-- thanks to a grip angle reminiscent of a Browning Hi-Power-- and seem to be extremely reliable with all kinds of factory ammo. They are distinguished by a light, butter-smooth double-action-only trigger stroke. Their all-steel construction makes them seem heavy for their size, but this, plus a double recoil spring, very effectively tames recoil. (A lightweight polymer-frame version has been announced at this writing, but I've not yet tested it and therefore can't speak knowledgeably of its performance.)

Original-size Kahrs carry sevenplus-one rounds of 9mm (K9) or sixplus-one of .40 (K40). The Micro Kahr series takes one round each away from that capacity to form the MK9 and MK40. These are true ".380 size" guns. With hot 9mm and .40 loads, recoil can be a little snappy, but they're no problem for experienced handgunners.

People with limited upper body strength sometimes have problems working the Kahr's slide, but with the right techniques, it's not that difficult. These are excellent little pistols and unusually accurate for their size. A six-shot .40 with hot loads that is smaller than most .380 autos, the Kahr MK40 should make anyone's list of top-10 concealed-carry pistols.

Colt Defender/CCO. Among the few remaining Colt handguns still offered to the public are the high-end .45 autos, including two of the best Colts ever made. These are the compact Defender and the CCO. The latter, whose label stands for "Concealed Carry Officers," comprises the accurate, well-balanced Commander 4 1/4" barrel and slide atop the short Defender frame.

These guns are utterly reliable even with wide-mouth hollowpoints. They both group around 2" to 2.5" with the ammo they like best at 25 yards. Their flat, 1911 styling makes them comfortable to carry, especially inside the waistband. SIG and S&W both make fine compact double action .45s-- the P245 and Model 457 respectively-- but neither is as thin as the Colt. Many shooters also like the Colt's consistent, easy trigger pull for every shot, and the cocked-and-locked design that always keeps a safety catch engaged. The latter is helpful if an adversary momentarily gains control of your pistol, usually slowing him down enough to give you a "survival window" of lag time.

Some shootout survivors, military combat vets and highly-trained shooters don't trust anything less than a .45. The Defender is the best small, flat concealment package for the round. It also comprises the Colt-patent firing-pin lock that prevents accidental discharges if the pistol is dropped or struck.

Ruger SP-101. Ruger was the first company to dare to produce a .357 Magnum in a small-frame .38 revolver package. With a five-shot cylinder and a choice of 2 1/4" or 3" barrels, it is easy to conceal. "Live-feel" rubber grips make it surprisingly easy to control, though the .357 Magnum recoil still isn't what you'd call fun. Users quickly learn that Mag-na-porting or similar modifications can tame the recoil still more.

S&W, Colt, Taurus and Rossi followed with their own takes on the "snub nose .38 in .357 Magnum" concept, but none have held up better in constant heavy training fire than the rugged little Ruger SP-101. The SP-101 still leads the pack in the "baby Magnum" genre.

Medium Power CCW

Smith & Wesson Centennial. The snub-nose .38 Special revolver is still among the most popular concealed-carry choices. Most are five-shot guns on .32-size frames. More professionals seem to choose the S&W Centennial series than any other .38 snub. Descendants of the "New Departure Safety Hammerless" top-break of the last century, these guns are distinguished by their streamlined "internal hammer" design.

This not only allows snag-free draw from pockets, belly bands, and other close to the body deep-concealment locations, but alters the shape of the rear of the frame in a positive way. The backstrap is higher, allowing a higher grasp that, in turn, lowers the bore axis and gives the shooter more leverage to prevent muzzle jump. The result is distinctly improved control of accurate, rapid fire with powerful ammo--most professionals favor the snappy-kicking +P .38 Special.

The all-stainless .38 Special is the Model 640, weighing some 21 ozs. Lighter still, at about 14 1/2 ozs., is the aluminum-framed Model 442, known as the Airweight. The most extreme weight saving is found in the Model 342 AirLite Ti, which thanks to a mix of aluminum and titanium construction, weighs a mere 11 ozs. or so.

Recoil increases as weight decreases. The AirLite has such a violent kick that lead bullet +P rounds in the chambers pull loose from the recoil of the first shots fired. S&W recommends only jacketed +P rounds in these guns for just that reason, since the jacketed or semi-jacketed bullets are more tightly crimped into the case mouths by the ammunition industry.

Such guns once came with thin "splinter grips" which would shift in most people's hands upon recoil. S&W wisely chose some years ago to fit these guns at the factory with Uncle Mike's Santoprene grips in a design by Craig Spegel. This has improved control tremendously. (Craig Spegel has made custom grips for the Centennial that go all the way up the backstrap. It would be great if Uncle Mike's could make their Santoprene style this way; it would cushion recoil even better.)

The Centennial has been produced in calibers 9mm, .357 Magnum and .32 Magnum, but is overwhelmingly chosen in the .38 Special chambering. It remains a modern classic and a highly efficient small revolver for self defense.

Smith & Wesson Model 3913. This flat, compact 9mm was an instant hit when introduced in 1988. In the mid-1990s, a group of top instructors and writers in the officer survival field took an informal survey of the guns they were carrying. The S&W 3913 was overwhelmingly the gun most in evidence. It is also disproportionally represented among female firearms instructors.

Utterly reliable and surprisingly accurate, the 3913's design comprises the double-action first shot that many police departments favor for liability reasons. It is the only gun in its class that has the following features:

It's equipped with a manual safety that, at the owner's discretion, can be locked on to help thwart disarming attempts, though it is not required to make the gun drop-safe. There is also a magazine disconnector safety which allows the user to deactivate the gun, including its ability to fire the chambered round, simply by pressing the magazine release button-- another strategic advantage should a struggle for the gun take place.

Those who prefer double action only pistols can get the same gun in this format as the Model 3953. The 3953 still has the magazine disconnector safety but lacks the manual safety lever, yet has the same flat profile as the original model. Indeed, some would describe its profile as flatter since it is a "slickslide" that has no levers mounted on its slide. Capacity is eight-plus-one.

SIG P-239. Developed expressly for the concealed-carry market, the P-239 was SIGArms' answer to S&W's hugely popular Model 3913. Dimensions are approximately the same, as is cartridge capacity in caliber 9mm Parabellum. The P-239 is just as reliable as its S&W counterpart and perhaps even more accurate, and does not have the manual safety or magazine disconnector feature. Some prefer their carry guns this way. It can also be had in a double action only format as the P-239DAO.

In 9mm, the light P-239 shares the same mild recoil as the S&W 3913. However, the P-239 is also available chambered for the .40 S&W and .357 SIG rounds. In those calibers, it becomes a full-power sidearm. Recoil is snappier, but manageable.

Low Power Guns

Seecamp .32. Often copied but never exceeded, the Seecamp was a hugely back-ordered "cult gun" with good reason. It was the first .32 Auto as small as the average .25 pistol. Literally vest-pocket size, this pistol uses magazines no larger than a MiniBic cigarette lighter. It should be used only with Winchester Silvertip hollowpoints or MagSafe ammunition, according to its manufacturer.

The gun is double action only and has no sights; it is strictly for very close-range use. An industry rumor has it that Seecamp will soon introduce a .380 Auto virtually the same size as its tiny .32. If this comes to pass, it will be a leap forward in "vest-pocket pistol" technology.

Kel-Tec P-32. Weighing an incredible 6.6 ozs. thanks to its polymer frame, this tiny gun wins the hearts of all pistol packers who handle it-- assuming they can live with its feeble .32 ACP power level. The double action only trigger stroke isn't bad. The vestigial sights are all but useless, though still more than you get on a Seecamp.

This is another "vest-pocket" gun, and still more reassuring to carry than any .25 auto for self defense. For those who need a very tiny gun or no gun at all, the very affordable Kel Tec P-32 begins to make sense.

Beretta 21. With a double-action trigger stroke, the Beretta Model 21 is safer to carry in a trouser or jacket pocket than many other small-caliber "pocket pistols." It is one of the few very small pistols chambered for the .22 Long Rifle cartridge that functions. Making a small autoloader feed a long cartridge with a large rim has historically been an engineering nightmare.

The advantage of the .22 Long Rifle lies not in the old fable that it's much more powerful than the .25 ACP. That myth came about from comparing .22 LR velocities from long barrels to .25 velocities from short ones. When both guns have the same stubby barrels, the .25 has a little more punch than the .22, if "punch" is a word that can be used for rounds this low in power.

The advantage of the .22 rimfire chambering is the low price of the ammunition. You can buy 200 rounds or more of .22 LR for the price of 50 rounds of ACP. To stop a lethally violent aggressor with a low-power gunshot takes surgical bullet placement. That kind of shot placement under stress requires intensive and continuous practice. The afford-ability of .22 Long Rifle ammo encourages that practice.

"The kind of people who carry tiny guns tend to be the kind of people who spend the least time in training," notes firearms instructor Dennis Luosey. He's generally correct, and a small gun that encourages practice and training with affordable ammunition becomes all the more important.

Power And Control

The conventional rule still holds. Carry the largest gun you can conceal and the most powerful you cart control. But it is the individual who has to decide which guns meet these requirements.

Most people are better off carrying a compact, full-power gun. That includes 9mm models if loaded with the most powerful available ammunition.

The medium-power guns are an acceptable minimum baseline as primary handguns. A firearm like a 2" barrel .38 Special five shot may be at its best as a backup gun for the serious professional.

The low-power handguns fill two niches. For the person whose dress code gives limited concealment space, the little .22 to .32 caliber pistols might make a backup gun possible where there isn't room for a second gun of .38 Special size. There are also a number of people who, for whatever reason, will carry a very small gun or no gun at all.

The conventional wisdom holds true: something is better than nothing.

COPYRIGHT 2000 Publishers' Development Corporation
COPYRIGHT 2001 Gale Group