OK, so first of all, I know what you’re thinking, and this is not that kind of article… we’re talking about firearms, specifically how to pick the right pistol for personal protection.
I get asked a lot by students and “What kind of gun should I buy?” from those 1st time pistol purchasers. My answer to them is always, “It depends.”
How does size matter when considering your 1st time pistol purchase?
Today, we’re going to cover the topic of size as one factor in your decision-making. It’s always interesting when I teach a class; the men tend to go to the full-size guns, and the women tend to gravitate toward the smaller pistols.
Why is that? After many conversations with both men and women, I’ve come to the conclusion that it comes from the idea that a smaller gun must be easier to manage and shoot vs. a larger “scary” gun. Sort of like a smaller vehicle tends to be easier to drive than a larger one. When it comes to pistols, there is some truth to that, but not in the way that you might think because there’s always a trade-off.
How to choose the right pistol for a 1st time purchase? Size does matter! Many believe a smaller gun would be easier to handle than a larger one. Compact and microguns are currently all the rage, flooding YouTube reviews and local gun stores. As a first-time buyer, the allure of a smaller pistol may be substantial due to marketing and online reviews. However, it’s important to note that larger guns are generally easier to shoot, although they can sacrifice concealability compared to smaller models.
Pistol size comparison: Which would you choose for a 1st time purchase? – Shootability
Many reasons for the difference in shootability boil down to simple physics… things like energy, weight, mass, and velocity. To keep from nerding out on you and to keep things easy to understand, I’m going to speak in general terms on how it relates to choosing/shooting a carry pistol.
First is the fact that lighter guns will impart more felt recoil to the shooter. Newton’s 3rd Law of Motion, an equal-opposite reaction thing, is real. Heavier guns just absorb and counter the recoil better. The increased slide mass of a full-size gun will absorb more energy before it is forced to move, and assuming you’re shooting the same caliber ammunition, that translates into less felt recoil.
That means a smaller pistol will feel snappier in the hand when fired because the slide will move and reset more quickly. It does this because the slide doesn’t have as far to go. But when it comes to a defensive carry pistol, most people are looking for a lighter or possibly even the most lightweight gun to purchase. What you gain in a more concealable package, you also lose in shootability. The opposite also applies when you’re talking about a full-size gun.
I’ve seen this put into practice many times when a well-meaning husband buys his wife her first gun, a 2″ super-light 38spl/357 magnum revolver for purse carry…usually with pink grips. That’s all sweet and stuff until she shoots it for the first time. I think I’ve saved at least a few marriages by convincing the proud husband to return that gun and trade it in for a more suitable pistol before the wife knew what was happening.
Why?…because as shoot-ability goes, firing a full power .357 magnum through a lightweight 2″ barrel is one of the worst pistols you could fire for a beginner. Put another way, it would be the gun you’d give someone if you didn’t want them interested in firearms…ever!! It’s so unpleasant no one in their right mind would enjoy it. On the other hand, if you’re going to give it to your buddy to shoot, have at it, but don’t do that to a lady.
Some folks will argue that in a life-or-death encounter, the user would be so hopped up on adrenaline that they couldn’t notice the recoil. That may be true, but what about when you train? Training with the pistol you carry is essential. And although you could train with less powerful ammo or maybe even train with a larger version of the same pistol, the fact of the matter is, most people won’t go practice if they know they’re not going to have any fun doing it.
I purposely used an extreme example with the 2″ 357 magnum, but the logic holds true when you compare a smaller framed pistol to the larger framed version in the same caliber.
Up to this point, we’ve been talking about the shootability of the pistol, but before we start talking about concealability, let me recap. A shorter slide will generally feel snappier or flippy in your hand because of the recoil, lighter weight, and increased speed of the slide compared to a larger pistol of the same model and caliber. A smaller pistol will also hold less ammunition compared to the same gun in a larger size.
The shorter barrel also means most of the powder from the round fired will not burn in the barrel because there isn’t enough barrel length, causing more powder to burn outside the barrel, resulting in a larger, more visible blast or flash seen at the muzzle.
Since we’re talking about barrels, compensators have been growing in popularity along with smaller guns because compensators reduce the snappiness and recoil by countering the upward movement of the pistol and can help tame the snappiness of the gun. There are downsides to that as well, the most obvious being you’re adding length back to the gun you chose because of its small size. I would recommend porting your pistol vs. compensators.
A gunsmith typically adds porting, where a series of holes (ports) are made into your barrel and slide so that some of the gases from a shot are channeled upwards to mitigate the recoil. A compensator accomplishes the same thing, but instead of cutting into the slide and barrel, it is usually attached to the end of the barrel. Most compensators will be more effective at reducing muzzle rise than porting; however, porting generally does not add length like a compensator does but still mitigates some of the muzzle flip.
Pistol size comparison: Which would you choose for a 1st time purchase? – Concealability
When discussing semi-automatic pistols, the slide and grips will be the main determining factors in concealability. Slide width is the thickness of the slide. Slide length is the distance from the rear of the slide to the muzzle and generally varies between 3″- 5″ for self-defense pistols. Many believe a shorter barrel will be easier to conceal, but it’s not as cut and dry as that.
In many ways, slide width will determine comfort and concealability, especially when carrying inside the waistband (IWB) or appendix inside the waistband (AIWB). Logically, if you stick a thinner object in your waistband, it will take up less room and push in toward your body and out against your shirt less than a thicker object.
Regarding pistol slide width, it is usually determined by whether the pistol is a double-stack or single-stack pistol. What that means is a double-stack magazine will hold two columns of cartridges and a single column of ammunition in a single-stack magazine. Single-stack guns tend to be thinner from side to side, while a double-stack will be thicker. If you haven’t guessed already, single-stack guns hold less ammunition, and that’s the price you pay for a thinner slide.
As you can see from the pictures, the difference isn’t huge, but it’s enough to make a difference. The pistol on the left, a full-size (5″) single-stack 1911, is more comfortable to carry than the shorter Sig Sauer P226 double-stack pistol. When it comes to concealed carry, fractions or millimeters can make a world of difference in comfort and concealability.
Grip Size
Let’s talk next about the grip. The grip is your interface with the firearm and is super important when talking about pistols because you literally only have your hand(s), i.e., two points of contact. In most cases, a smaller gun will have a shorter grip and hold less ammunition. The circumference of the grip doesn’t always change, but the length often does (We’ll discuss exceptions later in a future article because there are always exceptions.). The circumference does change depending on whether the pistol is a single or double-stack magazine, with the single-stack being thinner from left to right.
A shorter grip has its advantages in concealed carry and for those with smaller hands, but it can also result in a sub-optimal grip because it can be too small (length or circumference) if you have medium to large hands. Sound confusing? It can be. That is why it’s essential to handle/hold a firearm you’re considering purchasing because what looks good in a video or gun magazine may not feel good in your hand. In a future article, we will go into more depth about the importance of grip.
Next on the list of considerations are the sights. If you’re planning on using iron sights, a smaller pistol will have a shorter sight radius (the distance from the rear sight to the front sight.), which can make the process of sight alignment and sight picture more difficult. It’s part of the reason why shooting a rifle with iron sights accurately is easier than shooting a pistol using iron sights.
Some may argue that sight radius doesn’t matter because most self-defense shootings happen at close range, and those people have a point. However, it’s also essential to have the ability to shoot accurately further than “bad breath” distances. The ability to do that is made easier with a longer sight radius.
If you choose a pistol-mounted red dot optic, sight radius is no longer a concern because it is specific to iron sights. However, red dot optics aren’t a panacea if you don’t train regularly and practice. Finding the dot can be a slower process than iron sights because the dot appears to be floating in space without a reference point to help with alignment. Until the shooter becomes consistent with the presentation of the pistol onto the target, red dot sights are usually slower than iron-sighted pistols.
Pistol size comparison: Which would you choose for a 1st time purchase? – Caliber
The last thing to discuss to help you narrow down your selection is caliber because the caliber of the ammunition often dictates the overall size of the gun or, more specifically, the grip. I’ll discuss caliber in more detail in a future post, but as a general rule, most should choose 9mm.
Having started my law enforcement career in the early 1990s, I had a front-row seat in the evolution of defensive calibers from the 90s to the present. I was one of the first classes to go through FLETC that shot a semi-automatic 9mm S&W 6906 instead of the 38 special revolver. I was there when the FBI unit in Quantico, VA, evaluated many shootings and found 9mm to be weak. That led to the adoption of new calibers like the 40 S&W and .357Sig and the resurgence of the 45 ACP for some tactical teams like FBI HRT.
Without boring you with all the details, most agencies now have gone back to 9mm. There was a time when ballistics testing of various calibers through media like ballistics gel, denim, drywall, laminated glass, sheet metal, etc…found some calibers performing better than others. But with time and technological advances in powder and bullet construction, the differences are now so minor that they’re statistically insignificant. 9mm performs just as well or better in some tests than 40 S&W, 357 Sig, and 45 ACP.
The most significant difference, however, is that 9mm is the easiest to shoot out of the calibers mentioned above. For defensive purposes, improved shootability means you can shoot faster and more accurately, assuming the shooter is doing their part. Speed and accuracy improve your chances of survival. 9mm also allows you to carry the most ammunition in a magazine, all things being equal. It also happens to be the most affordable ammunition to buy and practice with.
If you doubt my suggestion, try this: Go to a range that rents guns and rent the same model of pistol but in different calibers, say 9mm, 40 S&W, and 45ACP. Since Glocks are common rentals, rent a Glock 17 (9mm), Glock 22 (40 S&W), and a Glock 21 (45 ACP). They are all full-size versions of each other. Next, come up with a drill, for example, the “Bill Drill,” which is 6 shots in rapid succession at 7 yards with the goal of hitting a 6″x11″ with all 6 rounds. The key here is rapid.
For the purposes of this “test,” it doesn’t matter how you start as long as you begin the same way for each gun. For ease, I’d suggest starting with the pistol in your hand, aimed at the bottom of the target. Use your own timer or ask the range staff nicely to borrow one. Time yourself, and I can guarantee you will be the fastest or have to work the least to be fast with the 9mm. I’ve done this test many times, from beginner to expert, and the better you are, the less difference in time there will be, but 9mm is always the most manageable caliber to shoot. If there’s any doubt in your mind, try it.
Pistol size comparison: Which would you choose for a 1st time purchase? – Closing Thoughts
You might get the idea from the article that I’m discouraging you from purchasing a smaller-size firearm, but I’m not. The purpose is to educate you to better understand the pros and cons of each of the choices you make before purchasing a pistol for the first time. There is no free lunch; there’s always going to be give-and-take. I suggest going with someone knowledgeable for your 1st purchase and visiting a store that not only sells the pistol you might be interested in but also has a range where you can rent the gun you’re considering purchasing.
Going by yourself and taking the advice of a gun store employee can be hit or miss. Some can be very knowledgeable, but most are not. And by knowledge, I’m referencing fit and shootability for self-defense, not product knowledge.
If you’re considering a smaller gun, I would also rent the full-size version or the next size up from the gun you’re shooting to see if it makes a difference for you. The extra expense will be worth it if it helps you make a more informed decision. In fact, many gun stores will credit one range visit and rental toward purchasing a new gun. My general rule is to purchase the largest gun you are willing to carry vs. looking for the smallest version. For most, that will be a medium-size pistol. It will give most of the advantages of the larger and smaller guns while mitigating the disadvantages.
Make sure you read my other articles, especially the one regarding Get a Grip, before you go rushing off to buy your first pistol. I think you’ll find it helpful. This post was mostly about pistol size, but the grip is your connection to the pistol, and the feel of it in your specific hand is vital, along with your ability to fire it (i.e., trigger reach.)
If you found this helpful and would like personalized service with your purchase or training, I’ll be happy to help you. Let’s schedule a meet.
