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JavaScript seems to be disabled in your browser. For the best experience on our site, be sure to turn on Javascript in your browser. What's the safest handgun for concealed carry? Generally, it's whatever you can carry safely, responsibly and effectively.
A gun carried safely is safe. That sounds a little ambiguous, doesn't it? Well, it is, because ultimately you're either safe with a gun or you're not. If you're going to own and carry, it is absolutely and completely upon you to know and demonstrate command of the basic tenets of gun safety. Remember, you carry a gun in case you need to use it to put a stop to a threat.
You don't carry a gun to be a threat to yourself and others. The gun and its safety features We're going to go over some basics of safe handling and carrying of firearms, and how that relates to handgun design. We'll also discuss a few solid candidates for the "safest" possible carry gun.
The relative safety or unsafety of a gun, whether for concealed carry or otherwise, has nothing to do with the gun and everything to do with the person carrying it. A modern commuter car has disc brakes, an anti-lock system, independent suspension, power steering and traction control. That's a lot of safeguards for safe operation of a vehicle.
Older cars Does this mean that a C1 'Vette is a death trap? If you drive unsafely, it's a lot more dangerous. However, if you don't drive like an idiot, you're perfectly safe.
It's the same with guns. Safety is relative; if you carry safely, and handle and operate a gun safely, bad things tend not to happen. In fact, let's talk about classic examples of mismanaged firearms and why - just like with car crashes - it's almost entirely down to user error.
Almost all accidental or negligent discharges some say they're the same thing, but let's not get bogged down in semantics take several forms, in that almost the same thing occurs. For instance, a person is handling a loaded gun and it goes off. Alternatively, a person is reaching into a bag or backpack for a loaded gun A person is taking their modern striker-fired pistol down for cleaning and it goes off. The same is true for most car crashes.
The most common error drivers make is driving too fast for conditions, which is why excessive speed kills almost as many people per year in traffic accidents as drunk driving does.
Don't believe it? Just like with gun designs, it isn't cars that get people killed except for very rare circumstances. It's usually the driver. For instance, first-generation Porsche Turbo sports cars were often called "widow makers.
What few people realized at the time was that the first-gen Turbo had only one turbocharger. The turbo spools until the proper pressure is reached and then delivers more air to the engine, drastically boosting RPM and engine output and typically when you aren't paying attention. Now, that's no big deal to a racing driver; single turbo systems aren't mysterious to them and they know how to manage it. Some stupid yuppie who bought a Turbo because it was expensive?
The cars got a bad reputation because people who didn't know how to drive them got themselves in trouble due to ignorance and stupidity. Similarly, some guns get a bad rap because of irresponsible use by the people who buy them. In the case of modern polymer-frame striker-fired guns, what happens is the trigger is pulled unintentionally or carelessly by the user, the trigger is pulled by something else due to negligence on the part of the user, or the user didn't check the chamber.
If you don't touch the trigger until you mean to shoot, and safely holster ANY pistol and carry it accordingly, these things don't and can't happen. There are some dangers due to older designs, such as single-action revolvers which lack a transfer bar So really, it comes down to the safety of the user, not the gun. However, since we're on the topic, is there a "safest" gun in terms of mechanical safeguards that would potentially qualify as the "safest" handgun to concealed carry? This is going to make some people mad, but and Beretta 92 pistols or derivatives come pretty darn close.
When we're talking about the mechanical, on-paper relative safety of a gun, what one is looking for is the greatest number of positive safety features meaning things you have to deliberately do to make the gun fire between the gun at rest and the trigger being pulled and a cartridge discharged.
The thumb safety is engaged, the grip safety is not depressed, and the firing pin block is What that means is that not only does one safety feature have to be deactivated, three of them do. In other words, the trigger of a pistol cannot be pulled unless the person carrying it darn well meant to. Sorry polymer fanbois; John Moses Browning wins again.
The gun has to be grasped, the safety disengaged and the trigger pulled. Compared to other guns as designs, that's as good as it gets. A firing pin block keeps the firing pin blocked until the trigger is pulled, and the user can opt to carry with the safety off and the pistol decocked, or decocked and safety on. With the safety on, the trigger is deactivated.
When the safety is deactivated, there's a longer, harder trigger pull due to the double-action trigger system. Again, redundancies. Does that mean these are the only safe guns to carry? They're not. Plenty of negligent or accidental discharges have occurred with those guns as well. In truth, how to concealed carry safely with any gun is not complicated. It's just that some people are too lazy to be bothered and those people are the ones that get themselves in trouble.
Start by not excessively handling any loaded gun. If you aren't preparing to shoot, or in the act of unloading it or loading prior to storage, it must be safely stored in either a holster or a safe. The more you touch a loaded gun, the more chances you take. You have to select a concealed carry holster that is made to securely retain the make and model pistol you carry.
It should completely cover the trigger guard, and should be capable of retaining the gun without need of an active retention device. Ensure the holster is free of any obstruction prior to holstering your pistol. Look the gun into the holster. Single-action pistols are meant to be carried with the safety engaged. This includes pistols and micro variants, Browning Hi Power pistols and clones, and if we're being honest, CZ 75 pistols and clones with manual safeties. Your holster should be secured to your person by means of a stout belt or other secure mounting system such as straps.
Never assume the chamber is clear before dry-firing. Verify that it is. This is of crucial importance with striker-fired pistols that must be dry-fired in other words, decocked before take-down. To sum up, the truth is that any gun can be carried safely and plenty of people have and do safely carry, handle and operate any and every make and model of firearm that have been said to be unsafe by the ignorant.
And you can too. All you need to do is know your gun, understand how it works and respect it's potential failure points, and then conduct yourself accordingly. A little bit of brains and some consistency go a very long way.
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Disclosure : Products are selected by our editors. We may earn a commission on purchases from a link. How we select gear. Below is my list of the best concealed carry guns for I list the best choices in terms of value, performance, design, and cost. Click on the name to head to the product page, read reviews and check prices or skip ahead to the list of pistols. Reliable Brands. We concentrated our recommendations on brands with a history of reliable performance.
Overall Length. We excluded full-sized pistols because their longer length requires more effort to conceal. Self-Defense Calibers. Our team has a number of experienced concealed carry cardholders and has been reviewing self-defense and CCW-friendly pistols Of course, the millions of new buyers which have picked up their first pistol since have stress-tested the global supply chain, which has made it more and more challenging to simply hit the LGS and pick up that new pistol.
We have occasionally rented products from local gun ranges or done hands-on assessments in local gun shops, which can mean little to no range time with a product but still provides us with an opportunity to make informed recommendations.
The original Shield changed the concealed carry game — it blended elements of affordability, light weight, and reliability in a package that made it one of if not the most popular concealed carry guns of the last generation. The 2. The 3. Following in the footsteps of the full-sized Shield 2. What else can we say? Chambered in the popular 9mm round and with a capacity of eight rounds, this gun marries ease of use, concealability, and stopping power in a discrete package.
Is the Shield 2. Yes indeed. The Shield 2. One consistent gripe is the numb — or mushy — feel of the trigger due to the pivoting safety, which can be resolved with an aftermarket trigger kit. We also found the three-dot steel sight easy to use and the gun to be accurate and reliable for hundreds of rounds.
The grip is also surprisingly slim, which is great for folks with smaller hands or for those less familair with shooting pistols. The gun has been on the market for years and is still widely popular for daily carry. A little something for everyone. This combination of small size and stainless steel frame offer a stable platform, and the short 3. This is a variation of the three-dot sight where the front sight is colored green and the rear sights lack any color, which creates high-visibility contrast and aids in target acquisition.
The P is reliably accurate at the range, and its ergonomics make it easy to get a high grip on the pistol, lowering the bore axis and reducing the recoil. This is helpful considering the P weighs in at around 18 ounces, and lighter pistols generally translate into more felt recoil for the same cartridge.
The higher purchase available on the P will help mitigate its lighter weight. With the extended magazine and decently-sized palm swell, most shooters will be able to get their entire hand on the grip, enhancing what is an already easy-to-control firearm even more.
I found the trigger offers a clean break with crisp movement and a light trigger pull that softened with use. I recently took the new P XMacro out to the range , which put up an impressive performance with its flat-faced trigger. The only major gripe our testers had was with the magazine release. The magazine also can get caught on your hand when inserting it.
The frame is so small that at times, it can be a little tough to use especially if you have big hands. The P offers a 3. As with a number of Sig Sauer products, the P tends to be more expensive than other handguns on this list, so if price point is a consideration there are probably better options for you. The Security 9 is slightly larger than some of the other options — more of a medium-sized option — but still compact enough to make an effective concealed carry handgun.
A single-stack striker-fired pistol that shoots. Springfield took this well-known package, shrunk it down, and made iterative improvements over the first XD-S pistol Mod. The most noticeable change made with the Mod. They also simplified the grip — doing away with the removable back piece and standardizing on a single format. What you get is a sleek-looking, compact pistol that packs a serious punch. You can buy this gun chambered for other rounds, but in.
The frame is a black polymer and the slide is forged steel. Our testers also found that the extended magazine made the pistol much more comfortable when shooting.
The Glock 43 is a small sub-compact carry pistol that is easy to use and carry. The pistol comes with a standard six-round magazine capacity and a Safe Action on other popular Glock pistols like the Glock 19 and Glock Our testers found that this gun has an excellent trigger pull. Accuracy for a small pistol like this is often tough, but the Glock 43 performed admirably in our testing. We cover the G43 in more depth in our hands-on review.
The diminutive Ruger LCP will work both for pocket carry and as a backup for something like ankle carry. Double-action revolvers are another great choice for concealed carry, and it has been that way for over half a century. The weapon type simply works well and is easy to conceal, which is why people like it for self defense. The Ruger LCR is the best snub nose wheel gun for daily carry. Ruger knew what it was doing with this gun. The polymer housing holds all the components internally no external hammer so you get the reliability of a hammer-fired handgun with next-generation concealability.
Our testers found that the Ruger LCR does pack a pretty big kick, but that can be expected with this round when paired with such a small format. The additional weight of the all-steel frame does help with control. They also liked the Hogue Tamer grip, which is easy to hang on to. Our testers found the gun accurate at the range up to about 15 yards, which is plenty for concealed carry.
There are other small revolvers out there, but few that pack such a strong punch and are as lightweight and as concealable as the LCR. Today, they are still a viable carry gun for the right person.
Both pistols have a 3. The frame-mounted safety decocks the pistol, so the gun is in double-action mode for the first shot and single-action mode for every subsequent shot. The double-action trigger pull is usually around 8 lbs, and the single-action trigger is typically 4 to 6 lbs, as it varies from gun to gun.
The steel frame soaks up recoil, making them fairly soft-shooting for a small. They make a good choice of deep concealment or backup gun and have done since television was even invented. That said, they have those limitations to be aware of. It has the touches that modern Walther pistols are known for, including a superb trigger and excellent ergonomics in the segment. Walther makes some of the best factory pistols you can get. It has a crisp, smooth trigger the best, hands down, of the subcompact single-stack guns and a shockingly comfortable grip.
The overall dimensions 6. The latter two magazine sizes include magazine sleeves for better purchase on the grip. The PPS M2 also comes with front cocking serrations, which is rare for the segment. While the PPS has an advertised trigger pull weight of 6.
Take-up is glass smooth and short, the trigger ever-so-briefly stacks and then breaks like a glass rod. The PPS M2 is a very easy gun to live with. If you have larger hands, you can add the extended magazine for more grip purchase, and the trigger guard is just large enough for most people to get on the trigger without difficulty.
It could stand a little more aggressive texturing for traction when shooting. Another potential downside is that the sights are a little on the small side. They are a little snappy, being a small, light gun chambered in 9mm, but — again — that comes with the territory. Overall, the PPS M2 is probably the best in terms of overall quality among the single-stack subcompact striker-fired pistols.
Frankly, it is. The VP9SK has superb attention to little details, with some ingenious features that add up to an excellent gun. The ergonomics are excellent, and the trigger is second to none. Glass smooth pull, a glass-like break, and an excellent reset. The slide has front cocking serrations, and two charging handles at the rear of the slide for easy manipulation. The dust cover has a Picatinny rail for mounting a light or a laser if so desired.
The grip is incredibly comfortable, and the gun has swappable backstraps to dial in the fit. The standard model comes with white dot sights, but you can also find them with night sights and an optics-ready model if so desired. If you demand serious performance from a concealed carry gun, the VP9 has it in spades. If there is one quirk, the gun is made with European-style paddles instead of a magazine release button.
First is that the standard VP9 is a little on the large side. You might be able to find them a little cheaper elsewhere but not by much.
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