Concealed Carry Corner: My Personal Top 5 Summer Carry Guns
Welcome back to another edition of Concealed Carry Corner. Last week, we discussed practicing and becoming comfortable with shooting with your offhand. It can be a tricky skill to develop over time but if you missed that article, be sure to click the link here to check it out. This week, I wanted to take a look at some of my favorite summer carry guns and give a quick run down on why I carry each of them in specific situations. Many people are looking for just one small summer carry gun so it’s not bad to look at each option for its strengths. Let’s take a closer look at my personal top 5 summer carry guns.
Concealed Carry Corner @ TFB:
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Glock 48
One of my personal favorites when it comes to a summer carry pistol has to be my Glock 48. With a Shield Arms magazine, this pistol can have a capacity of 15+1 in a handgun that’s much thinner than a Glock 19. With the G48 being a longer version of the Glock 43, the longer sight radius means it’s more accurate and easier to shoot.
The slightly larger size also allows the pistol to be a little more comfortable when carried in an inside-the-waistband holster. This is because the longer slide allows for more contact with the leg giving you more stability and also allowing you to have more movement without the gun wanting to move around on the belt because it has a third point of contact. Changing out the standard 10-round magazine for the Shield Arms magazine allows for an extra 5 rounds making it 15+1. Combine this extra capacity with an MOS cut for an RMRcc and you have something very easy to shoot in a small package. Out of all the guns on this list, you will find me carrying my Glock 48 roughly 85% of the time with Federal HST 124+P rounds.
SIG P365 and P365 XL
What can I say about the SIG line of P365s that you guys don’t know about yet? The insane amount of modularity, customization, and just choice people have to make their P365 truly unique. I carry both the standard P365 and XL variant depending on the situation. If I wear a lightweight shirt and a pair of shorts, I will typically go for the slightly smaller P365 just because the original 10+1 round configuration is one of the easiest guns to conceal without worrying about printing of any kind. It may not be the highest capacity but the small size can really make it easy to carry in a small holster inside your waistband.
If I want to wear jeans out but still want to wear a tighter-fitting shirt, the XL is a great option because it offers a 12+1 capacity while still being an easy handgun to conceal without much effort. The beauty of the P365 line of pistols is the interchangeability of parts. Having the ability to put an XL slide on a standard frame not only allows you to have a longer sight radius but also allows you to not have the extra bulk of a longer frame. If you really wanted to, you could pack a spare 15-round magazine that allows extra capacity in the same package.
Glock 43
One of the earliest models that came out when it comes to summer carry guns. When the Glock 43 first came out it was by far the most popular carry model for a number of years. The single-stack pistol doesn’t have a massive capacity but it’s certainly enough to use for personal protection. One of the best guns on this list for pocket carry would be the Glock 43 with a flush-fit magazine. Pocket carrying can be one of the easiest ways to carry a handgun in the hot summer months. The general drawbacks of pocket carry though can be the fact you usually have to deal with size restrictions to fit the gun inside the pocket. A Glock 43 is a fantastic option if you want to keep things simple with a stress-free carry.
Kahr PM9
One of the first carry guns I ever had was my trusty Kahr Arms PM9. I carried my PM9 for roughly 8 years before getting my Glock 43 and progressing from there. The PM9 is incredibly lightweight and is a great option for anyone who wants to be armed but doesn’t want to be inconvenienced by changing the way they dress. I threw a Crimson Trace laser on my PM9 years ago and carried it inside a cloth pocket holster. It was a super simple way of carrying a handgun but the PM9 isn’t perfect. The biggest drawback to the PM9 is the heavy double action only trigger that comes standard on it. Having a rough double action like that can be a rather tricky aspect to train with but given enough practice can make a double action trigger doable.
Smith & Wesson Airweight
What kind of list would this be without a revolver. My airweight doesn’t get carried a ton but it certainly has its place in a carry rotation. One of the best and worst parts of carrying a snub nose revolver is being able to just throw the revolver in a pocket or waistband. The heavy double action trigger has to be pulled purposefully to go off so it makes the Airweight a safe option to carry. The other side of that coin is the fact that having a heavy double action like that can make shooting the Airweights rather difficult even with practice. Although it may not be the most modern choice for a summer carry pistol, it certainly has a place in a summer carry rotation. ‘
Overall Thoughts
There are certainly more options when it comes to summer carry handguns. I may not have talked about your favorite carry gun and if I happened to miss it, be sure to let me know what you enjoy carrying down in the comments below. If you happen to have a question about carry guns or firearms in general, feel free to shoot me a message on Instagram @fridgeoperator. Stay safe out there and we will see you next week for another edition of Concealed Carry Corner.