When it comes to carrying guns, everybody has an opinion, a preference, and a good reason for it. However, best is to see all the options first, to maybe also test a little, and then to decide. Even after the decision is made, you should keep an open mind as sometimes new information come along that might change your mind, or there might be new developments that completely change the picture.
Before we come to the list of the guns that should be at least considered as a carry gun, there is one point to be made. As there are also revolvers on this list, you might want to know why such an old school gun might still be a viable choice. The reason for it is simple. The biggest advantage of the semiautomatic is the capacity, but most often, you do not need that many rounds. However, what you always need is a reliable gun that is so simple to use that you cannot do anything wrong even under the stress of a self-defense encounter.
The revolver perfectly fits this bill. Nothing is simpler than pointing and shooting exactly what the revolver is made for. And with less moving parts, there is just less to go wrong. So, when push comes to shove, you can be sure that you can use it, and that it dos go boom when you pull that trigger, and if not, just pull the trigger again. For a semi automatic, if it does not shoot when pulling the trigger, it is racking the slide first before you can do anything else which goes against your instinct to pull the trigger just one more time.
When it comes to the question of capacity itself, you might also not want to forget that many revolver cartridges are way more powerful than what a semiautomatic has to offer. At the same time, they are still very controllable even with the stronger round. That means that you potentially need fewer hits on target to do the job. With that being said, let’s turn our attention to the guns itself, and do not worry, there are autoloaders on this list as well.
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10. Ruger LCR
The Ruger LCR is the carry revolver for the masses. It is small, light, very affordable, and packs quite a punch. You can get it for a variety of calibers. The most common one is .38 Special +P which is quite good, but not good enough for many shooters. If you want more, you can have it in .357 Magnum. However, with these, you get only 5 rounds in the cylinder. Go for the .327 Federal Magnum, and you get 6 rounds with enough punch that it makes a 9 mm pale in comparison.
This revolver is very popular, and you can get it in different variants. It usually comes without an external hammer, but as the LCRx, you can also get it with one. It comes with a short or a 3-inch barrel. In the end, it just depends on the level of power, size, and weight that you want.
9. S&W J-Frame
There is a saying that goes like this: Guys talk about 1911s while they shoot Glocks and carry a J-Frame. The 1911s are powerful pistols with a good reputation. Glocks are just the wonder 9s with a high capacity, but the J-Frame brings the .357 Magnum along. This cartridge was once considered so strong that only the insane would opt to shoot it. In fact, when measured in energy foot pounds, it can easily double what your 9 mm brings to the table.
Sure, in a small revolver with its short barrel, even the .357 Magnum gives up some performance but it is still far upwards of what a 9 mm can ever hope to achieve. So, if you want, follow the herd and jump on the 9 mm train. If you are serious about taking down an attacker with one shot in more than 90% of the cases, the .357 Magnum is your way to go. Add to this the simple handling of the gun so that you cannot forget for example to disengage the safety in the heat of the battle, and you have a keeper.
Being so small, it is also easy to conceal and can be carried in a pocket holster. If it has to be it can even be fired from the pocket. Sure, you might not have 15 rounds in the magazine and a reload with another 15 rounds, but when do you realistically think do you have to stop 10-30 attackers?
8. North American Arms .22LR Mini Revolver
On the other end of the spectrum is the small is not enough brigade. Here, the gun must be so small that smaller is impossible. For them, the NAA revolver is the perfect answer. It is so small that it easily fits in every pocket, and it weighs only 4.5 ounces. For this, you get 5 rounds of .22 LR with a low performance out of a short barrel. However, as a last-ditch defense, it is better than nothing.
7. Glock 23
If you look for a small autoloader that gets you a better performance than 9 mm can, the Glock 23 is your way to go. While it is not as popular as the Glock 19 in 9 mm, it still has its fans as it comes chambered for .40 S&W. This might not be a powerhouse like a .357 Magnum, but is a level better than the standard 9 mm. You get a capacity of 14 rounds in a gun that is light and small enough to be carried every day the whole day.
6. Ruger SR1911 Commander
The 1911 design from legendary John Browning is by now more than 110 years old, and still one of the most popular pistols out there. This alone says a lot about it. It is reliable enough, easy enough to shoot, easy to control, and just a beauty. There are many who prefer this over the plastic guns, and Ruger has aimed at that segment of the market with the SR1911 Commander. Chambered in the good old .45 ACP, it is all what American autoloaders are about. In the Commander size, it is just right to carry, and its weight soaks up the recoil force of the .45 ACP quite well.
5. Ruger LCP II
The Ruger LCP II is one of the stars when it comes to very small guns chambered in .380 ACP. The fame started with the LCP and the LCP II improved on everything where the LCP was lacking. This gun is just tiny and thereby super easy to conceal. It is also very lightweight helped by the few rounds of a light cartridge. It is inexpensive, ad when you carry it, you can almost forget that it is there. While the .380 ACP is not necessarily known for a stellar performance, that is the compromise you have to accept when you go that small, and it does the job well enough when called upon.
4. Glock 43
Size does matter, and in the area of handguns for carry, there are 2 sizes to be considered. There is the gun where smaller is better, and the caliber where bigger is better. However, a bigger caliber necessitates a bigger gun, so somewhere, there must be the one spot, where the smaller pistol meets the best caliber.
Now, while you might want to argue if 9 mm is the best caliber, it clearly beats .380 ACP, and if you do not want to get bigger with your guns, you have to accept limits on the cartridge. So, accepting the size of the 9 mm for the caliber, it is time to bring up the Glock 43 for the size of the pistol shooting it.
Here, you get a round for grown ups in a gun that is small enough to be easily concealed and shot acceptably accurate. As a true Glock, it is so reliable that it borders being boring, while at the same time it is so simple to use that the absence of controls make it almost ugly. However, for a boring ugly little gun, it shoots well, is easy to conceal and shoot, and will do the job whenever you have to rely on it. The only downside you have to accept is the capacity which is just 6+1, but you might use extended magazine for the reload getting you some more.
3. Charter Arms Bulldog
The Charter Arms Bulldog is the revolver you use when you want to go for something small as the gun but bigger than the old .38 Special for the cartridge, and this time bigger actually refers to the size of the projectile, not its performance measured in foot pounds. It comes chambered in .44 Special which is in itself weaker than .357 Magnum but comes with a bullet that is bigger in its diameter. Also, the revolver itself is a little bit bigger, but there is the rule that bigger bullets make bigger holes for more effect. So, who believes in that, and does not want to go the .44 Magnum route, here is your choice of a snubby.
2. S&W Model 629
If you do look for something that can even dwarf a .357 Magnum, not only in size but also in its level of power, the Model 629 might be exactly what you are looking for. It shoots .44 Magnum with all the punch it delivers on the target, and all the pain it causes in your wrist. This might be a number to much for many shooters, but there are always those who can and want to take this punishment in return for being able to dish it out really hard.
1. S&W M&P Shield
The M&P Shield from S&W single handedly created a new class of handguns. It is the bridge for the gap between the micro compact and the sub-compact pistols. It can be summarized like this: lightweight, small, and easy to carry. With all this, it is also almost as easy to shoot as for example a full size pistol.
You can also get it in cartridges that do some damage, not only 9 mm, but also .40 S&W or even .45 ACP. That gives you a lot of choices.
There you have it guys, some of the best of the best you can get when it comes to carry guns. If you think we forgot one here, let us know in the comments, and if you carry one of our picks, tell us in the comments how it works out for you.
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