Larry J. Nichols
There are several factors regarding an off-duty handgun which a user should consider before making a purchase.
Selecting an everyday carry off-duty handgun can be problematic and expensive for those who are not proficient in the art of handgunning. The first consideration one must make when purchasing a firearm is to know what the primary purpose of the selected handgun is going to be. Most handguns are capable of the self-defense role, as well as hunting, plinking, target shooting, and competition.
However, a self-defense handgun is a very personal object and would not be well matched for any sport shooting role. The potential purchaser must understand what the item in question will be used for; that is, to fight for their life and the lives of their loved ones. There are several issues concerning the fighting handgun which must be considered by the user prior to its acquisition. The first mistake several people make is picking a subcompact, polymer framed pistol chambered in .380 ACP/9mm because they are easy to conceal and easygoing on the body to carry, but that is where the advantage stops. Selecting a handgun for everyday carry because it is small, lightweight and easy to conceal is, in my opinion, faulty logic. I sincerely believe some people carry a handgun as decoration and do not realize they are gambling with their lives and the lives of their loved ones based on their decision.
There are three questions I ask my students (law enforcement officers and legally armed citizens) before we start training and they must be totally candid with their answers. They are:
1. Why do you want to carry a handgun?
2. Are you willing to bet your life and the lives of your loved ones on the handgun you have selected?
3. Are you willing to dress to conceal the handgun?
My answers are:
1. Why do you want to carry a handgun? I carry a concealed handgun to defend myself and my loved ones with deadly force, if necessary, from violent individuals who are attacking myself or my loved one with the intent to inflect great bodily harm or death.
2. Are you willing to bet your life and the lives of your loved ones on the handgun you have selected? Yes, my advanced training in the manipulation and appropriate deployment of a firearm has given me the self-assurance necessary to defend myself and my family throughout a violent confrontation. I have chosen a quality and reliable handgun which has met and/or exceeded the essential requirements I have established for my personal fighting handgun.
3. Are you willing to dress to conceal the handgun? Yes, I have been carrying a concealed handgun for over 50 years and, during that time, I have realized that quality support equipment (holster and belt) properly worn, along with excellent training, are extremely important for quick access, deployment and security of the handgun. The art of concealing a handgun will never be comfortable, so it’s vital to take the time and gain the experience so it will become tolerable. The only comfort I desire is knowing I have the skill, knowledge, equipment, and attitude to justifiably defend my family.
Researching the Everyday Carry Handgun
Weight – The total weight of a fully loaded fighting handgun attached to your body for eight to 12 hours per day will be felt by everyone and must be taken into consideration. Carrying a concealed handgun will never be comfortable. I have been carrying a handgun concealed for the past 50 plus years and I have discovered that a properly designed gun belt and correctly fitted KYDEX® holster worn securely around the waist can become tolerable. I personally prefer KYDEX holsters over leather because they do not stretch or absorb moisture when worn firmly against the body and, for a higher level of security, have an adjustable retention device.
Height – The distance from the bottom of the magazine to the top of the slide will affect the difficulty of concealment. The gripping surface and/or magazine well of any handgun is the problematic part to conceal. The problem of concealing a handgun on your person will depend on the individual’s dimensions and body shape.
Length/Sight Radius – The length of the slide and/or barrel is easy to conceal. The overall length of my daily carry pistol provides a six and one-quarter inch sight radius and conceals effortlessly on my six foot frame, as it would on most adult bodies. Sight radius is the distance from the rear sight to the front sight. The shorter the sight radius the more difficult it is to place accurate hits on target. The slightest error in sight alignment with a short sight radius handgun, in the hands of the general population, will result in missing the intended target. I consider the minimum sight radius for a fighting handgun to be no less than five inches. The longer sight radius will aid the defender in acquiring quick sight alignment, together with realistic combat shooting by placing decisive hits on target when subjected to elevated levels of stress.
Width – The thickness of a handgun slide or cylinder will affect the complexity of concealment. The slimmer the slide, the easier it will be to hide on your body. The smaller calibers such as .22 Long Rifle, .380 ACP and 9mm will have thinner slides. Larger calibers like .40 S&W, 10mm and .45 ACP will have a thicker slide due to the mass of the cartridges.
Recoil Pivot Distance – Draw a line from the pistol’s muzzle down the center of the barrel beyond the end of the slide where the tail end of the firing pin or striker is located. When the shooting hand has a proper grip on the pistol, measure the distance from the tail end of the firing pin or striker to the top of the shooting hand – that distance is expressed as recoil pivot distance. The greater that distance is the more exaggerated the muzzle flip will be, requiring additional time to recover from recoil and reacquire the target. Time is a precious commodity when fighting for your life. The lower the pistol sits in the hand, the easier it is to control the pistol’s three-directional recoil – rearwards, upwards and towards the weak side. That is a lot of movement to be occurring within the blink of an eye.
Grip Angle – Grip angle is the perpendicular line at a right angle on the slide or barrel of a handgun. Draw a horizontal line on the side of the slide or barrel from the muzzle to the end of the slide or frame, then draw a vertical line centered on the flat gripping surface (magazine well) of the frame from the bottom of the magazine well to the horizontal line on the slide. The right angle line will indicate the grip angle of the handgun. The Colt® 1911 Government model pistol has a grip angle of 18 degrees, as do most contemporary pistols manufactured today. The polymer framed pistols manufactured by GLOCK® have a grip angle of 22.5 degrees which is my personal preference for two important reasons. First, they support shooting with a locked wrist. Because the grip angle is 22.5 degrees, I do not have to break the shooting wrist up to obtain proper sight alignment, as I must with a pistol which has an 18 degree grip angle.
Second, the grip angle on GLOCK pistols benefits unsighted fire, such as hip point and shoulder point shooting techniques. Col. Rex Applegate of World War II’s OSS was a devotee of point shooting or “Instinctive Point Shooting” which is completely explained in his book, Kill or Get Killed. In his book, he recommends a semiautomatic pistol with a grip angle like the German Luger pistol which pointed better than other semiautomatic pistols at the time, due to the greater grip angle in relationship to the barrel. GLOCK’s line of semiautomatic pistols is very close to the grip angle Col. Rex Applegate desired. Neither grip angle is inherently better than the other; it simply depends on an individual’s hand and wrist anatomy. Some people naturally find one angle more comfortable and intuitive than the other. This is why many have a strong preference for a specific type or brand of pistol – it feels more natural to them. When someone says, “That pistol doesn’t point well,” it’s likely true for them due to their unique anatomy.
Personal preference plays a significant role in performance. If a person feels comfortable and confident with a pistol, he (or she) is more likely to perform well with it. While anyone can learn to operate either grip angle, all else being equal, it’s easier to develop proficiency – especially under stress – when using a pistol with a grip angle which aligns with their natural anatomy.
Capacity – Magazine and/or cylinder capacity and caliber are still a subject of lengthy debate and they all have a valid point. What I would choose for myself will not work for everyone. So, as for caliber, I recommend my students to carry the same exact cartridge as their local police or county sheriff issues to their officers or deputies. The reason for that is it is one less item you will have to justify if involved in a court case after a shooting. As for capacity, the rounds you carry on your body will also increase the total weight of the handgun. So, there must be a remedy to the question, how much is too much and how much is too little? My life experiences have taught me to carry a pistol which holds at least ten rounds in the magazine and an additional ten round magazine as an emergency reload. When I carried a revolver as a deputy sheriff, it had a six-shot cylinder and I also carried an additional six rounds in a speed strip to reload with, if it became necessary. The choice is yours – just remember why, and for whom, you are carrying a concealed handgun.
My personal everyday carry (and I do mean everyday carry) pistol is fully loaded and has a four inch barrel, a six and one quarter inch sight radius, a half inch recoil-pivot distance, a 22.5 grip angle, and a single stack magazine charged with ten cartridges. I carry it on my dominant side in a KYDEX outside the waistband, zero cant hip holster. My emergency reload magazine is charged with ten rounds of 9mm ammunition giving me 21 rounds, if I should need them. I carry my reload magazine on my support side in an outside the waistband KYDEX magazine pouch. My defensive ammunition is the same as my local county sheriff issues to his deputies, one less item I will have to justify if I should end up in court after a shooting. I also carry a small backup handgun, a three inch folding blade pocketknife, a small flashlight, and my cell phone. All of the aforementioned gear is supported and firmly attached to my body with a Nexbelt gun belt. I sincerely hope and pray I never again have to use any of that equipment on another person.
Larry J. Nichols retired in 2011 after 27 years of honorable service as the Senior Rangemaster/Armorer for the Burbank (CA) Police Department. He served five years with the Orange County (CA) Sheriff’s Department as their Firearms Instructor/Armorer before moving to Burbank, California.
Larry has over 40 years of experience as a professional firearms instructor, with over 31 years as a law enforcement lethal, less lethal and less than lethal force instructor. He is internationally noted for his innovative and pioneering work in the planning, development and implementation of realistic law enforcement firearms training programs. He enjoys receiving feedback from his readers and he can be contacted at gunnyretired@gmail.com.