The Perfect Personal Defense Gun for Concealed Carry? Good Luck…

Over the past couple of months, the internet has been flooded with chatter about two new guns in particular: The R51 and the Glock 42. The first was celebrated in its release but has met with terrible reviews of the production models in the hands of the intended audience. The second was originally met with great dismay and disappointment, but has been almost universally praised since it hit the streets and, most importantly, the ranges. In addition to these two guns, Kahr and Springfield released slim profile guns ( the CT9 and the XD-S 4″, respectively) that are also vying for attention as most excellent new concealed carry option. Meanwhile, everyone has an opinion about what the “perfect” personal defense gun would be like. The manufacturers are in a tough spot… they’ve got last year’s trends, their competition, the engineers, their existing model lines and, last and often least, their customers all driving their next projects. Who will produce the unicorn gun that is engineered for efficiency in defensive situations, gets everyone excited  and is delivered on time, fairly priced & works reliably? I don’t know… but, I say “Good Luck!” to everyone who is trying.

I have seen what I consider to be good trends from both the manufacturers and the marketplace that encompass three major themes when it comes to personal defense guns:

1. Bigger is not better: Carryability

When it comes to a personal defense gun for concealed carry, neither the gun itself nor the round being loaded into it need to be the stuff of 1980’s action movies or 1970’s police dramas. The days of the .45 acp and the magnum revolver  being the image of defensive handguns are gone. There is no doubt that the new crop of first time guns owners, the large number of women obtaining concealed carry permits and the incredible amount of information and education to the gun buying public can all be credited with the establishment of the 9mm as the most preferred personal defense caliber and the increase in interest for mid-sized and compact single stack firearms. Today, the person who carries regularly is very likely to not be a life-long gun enthusiast. They may only own one gun for a specific purpose: Personal Defense. They aren’t shooting on the weekends with their family, they aren’t hunters and they aren’t willing to wear a tan vest every day or otherwise dress around their gun. They want something with a high degree of what I call carryability and slim 9mm’s are very carryable.

2. Fit is Paramount: Shootability

Manufacturers are realizing that their guns need to fit as many types of hands as possible. Thankfully, the ego-driven days of “any gun will do, if you will do” have also passed. While that sentiment may be fundamentally true, if we get to pick the gun we’ll be using days, months or even years in advance (and those seeking out CCW Permits and Training do!) of our defensive shooting, we should pick a gun that fits our hand well. That means two things:  Smaller grips that will accommodate both small and large hands and modular grips that can be quickly and easily adjusted to a more perfect fit for everyone. When it comes to holding a gun intuitively, after thousands of students in thousands of classes, I can assure you that smaller grips can be held by larger hands much more easily than small hands can manage a large gun. Manufacturers have been responding not only with single stack designs, but also with less girth in the area of the grip that is held between the thumb and index finger of the strong hand and with deeper in-cuts at the top of the back of the grip area. The XD and the M&P firearms exemplify these traits and tend to fit more people well because of them. Fit is the primary driver of shootability.  If a gun doesn’t fit a person’s hand well, they will not be able to shoot it intuitively or naturally. Their shooting will be forced and mechanical, which means that their efficiency will suffer.

3. There is no replacement for Reliability

People are making excuses for their guns less and less often… and this is critical. If a gun isn’t reliable, you shouldn’t be carrying it for personal defense. I often make the comparison between guns and cars with my students. People generally need their cars everyday. People rely on their cars to get them to work, to move their families around and to meet their obligations. Cars must be reliable and functional. You may want a 1968 Corvette Stingray, but if you live in New Hampshire and have a family of 4, there is no way that you will have that car as your primary vehicle. Thankfully, we don’t need our guns everyday… but, that means that people can choose to buy and carry eccentric choices that the “like” and probably never have to confront their illogical fetish-driven decision. As I mentioned earlier, however, fewer and fewer people carrying guns for defense are gun collectors today. They aren’t looking for something to impress their friends with during Open Carry day at Cracker Barrel or to post cool pictures of on the instagrams…. they really just want a reliable tool that they can have at the ready to protect themselves and their families with.

There are a plethora of firearm designs that do a good job at meeting the needs for those interested in personal defense. There are a handful that I consider great choices. For years, I’ve consistently recommended three choices to those looking for an efficient defensive handgun: Glock, M&P and the Springfield XD series. All three of those brands have entered the single-stack arena in the last couple of years. Most people agree that Glock really missed the mark by going .380 instead of 9mm. As much as people love the M&P Shield, I think that their inclusion of an almost-impossible-to-use-efficiently manual safety was a fail. Springfield faltered with an early recall of the 9mm XD-S, but has now rallied to offer what I think is the best single stack from the three major manufacturers of modern striker fired defensive handguns: The XD-S 4″ model. I think the trend will continue and we’ll see more great options for those looking for guns with the right combination of reliability, shootability and carryability.

So, who’s going to come out with the perfect defensive carry gun? What will it look like? When will it get here? Idunno… but, if I get to vote, here’s what I want: