By Massad Ayoob

S&W Bodyguard (M/649) with shrouded hammer, DA/SA. (Center) factory bobbed hammer on DAO Ruger SP101. (R) “hammerless” configuration of DAO S&W Centennial (M/40-1)

One can’t carry a concealed weapon without having a concealable weapon.  Some are suitable for the concealed carry task, and some are not.

We can’t cover every possible choice here. A swing through the Krause catalog will show you whole books on the 1911, the Glock, the SIG-Sauer, the Beretta, the Smith & Wesson series, etc. al.

The competent shooter loses little going double action only with a snubby. This old M/36 Chief Special with Herrett stocks made 5 out of 5 head shots at 20 yards single action (left) and double action (right)

Other good choices from Paladin include Living with 1911s and Living with Glocks by Robert Boatman, and the outstanding The Snubby Revolver by Ed Lovette. I think Lovette’s book should be read by anyone who owns or is thinking of owning a “snub-nose.” It puts the whole genre in perspective.

As noted earlier, it’s more convenient to have a “wardrobe” of concealable handguns, but it’s not entirely necessary. 

Generations of young cops have learned that it’s cheaper to buy a concealment holster for their full-size department-issue service handgun than to purchase a whole new gun and leather set for off-duty carry.

Similarly, many armed citizens have learned that the full-size handgun they bought for home protection is concealable if they set their mind to it.

Cocked to single action as shown, this S&W 649 can be a problem waiting to happen in a tactical situation. Author prefers double action only (DAO) S&Ws.

Cops have picked up on this, too. In 1967, Ordnance Sgt Louis Seman of the Illinois State Police convinced the ISP to become the first large department in the nation to adopt the Smith & Wesson Model 39 9mm semiautomatic pistol as a duty weapon. The reason was not firepower.

At the time, troopers were required to be armed off duty. They carried 4- to 6-inch barrel Colt and Smith & Wesson service revolvers in uniform, and generally wore 2-inch barrel small frame 38 versions of the same guns on their own time.

At qualification, the “snubby” scores were dismally inferior to those with the larger revolvers. Seman reasoned, correctly, that the Model 39 auto pistol would be light and flat enough for concealed carry, but would do fine for uniform wear as well.

He was proven right: scores skyrocketed, and the troopers became comfortable wearing the slim Smith 9mms on their off-time.

A bit larger than J-frames, and heavier, Taurus Tracker 45 (top) and Ruger SP101 357 (below), are very “shootable” and substantially more powerful than 38s.

More recently, when NYPD went with 16-shot 9mm pistols and gave their officers the choice of the SIG P226 DAO, the heavy S&W Model 5946, or the polymer-frame Glock 19, the overwhelming majority chose the latter.

This was partly because the Glock 19 was cheaper (NYPD officers buy their own guns through the department), but also because it was much lighter and the only one of the three options that was truly a “compact.” The G19 was easier to carry all the time off duty, or when transferring to a plainclothes assignment.

Just as hunters and sportsmen have historically modeled their rifle choices on the nation’s military small arms, America’s armed citizens have historically followed the police establishment in choosing  defensive handguns.

When most of America’s cops carried 38 Special revolvers to work, that same type and caliber was the most popular choice of home defense and concealed carry gun.

This book is a must-read for anyone interested in concealed carry of a handgun. Detailed chapters focus on selecting the best handgun, whether new or used, choosing the most effective ammunition for your purpose and options for carrying your pistol. Learn More.

Though private gun enthusiasts embraced auto pistols before American law enforcement in general, they did not switch to autoloaders en masse until the police did the same.

Today, the snub-nose “detective special” genre remains extremely popular among cops for backup and off-duty wear, and the same style gun is very popular among armed citizens, but both tend toward the autoloader as a rule for full size “heavy duty” handguns.
Let’s take just a cursory look at available choices today. In each weapon type, various sizes and  calibers are available.

 This allows armed citizen and cop alike to have a deep concealment gun, a larger handgun that’s concealable under heavier clothing, and perhaps a still larger one for home defense or target practice, all with the same fire controls and general “feel” for commonality of training and habituation, so that skills developed with the one will transfer to the other.

With some (but not all) combinations, one can also use the larger gun’s speedloaders or higher capacity magazines for efficient spare ammo recharging with the smaller gun.

Whats your concealed carry weapon of choice? discusss in the forums.