But first, we need to talk about personalization.
No One-Size Fits All
Im fat.
No two ways about it.
There are a multitude of options when it comes to buying a carry pistol. Where do you start, and are you making any mistakes?
I didnt used to be.
I once was the definition of a beanpole, spanning six feet tall and weighing 125 pounds.
These considerations are unquestioningly important regarding the selection of a concealed carry pistol.
Springfield Armory’s line of Hellcat pistols are excellent CCW tools. Shown above (R to L) are theHellcat RDP,Hellcat ProandHellcat FDE.
What worked for me then most certainly does not work now.
Back in the day, every shirt I wore draped over me like a tent.
My job also required a suit/tie, which made things even easier!
The choice is yours when it comes to defensive pistols. The author shares his journey of experimentation with concealed carry.
Its more than useless sitting at home while youre out dealing with society.
At each stage of this article, I will endeavor to provide helpful tips toward this goal.
So, lets start at the beginning.
Springfield’s XD-M Elite Compact pistol offers excellent ergonomics, capacity and accuracy.
Now, this may sound to you like a classic interweb meme.
Im guilty of sharing such memes myself.
A first-time buyer ending up with a duty-size pistol with no need for one.
Part of the author’s journey included time with the XD-S Mod.2. This thin pistol offers superior concealment characteristics.
The 4.5 barrel and excellent slide and frame ergonomics made for a very smooth shooter.
But this is about concealed carry.
If you have the right body jot down, i.e.
The XD-9 Subcompact is a proven platform with magazine compatibility throughout the 9mm XD line.
Even with a normal fit shirt, these Adonis types can wear the XD-M 4.5 in the appendix position.
Full-size pistols are referred to as duty pistols for a reason.
My first EDC
My first goal in searching for an EDC was lighter weight.
Full-size magazines can feed the Subcompact XD pistol to offer additional capacity in the small gun.
So, I searched for something lighter and smaller.
This led me to the original XD-S 3.3 9mm.
My wife still has the original, her preferred EDC.
Another Springfield Armory pistol carried by the author is the original XD-M Compact chambered for the 9mm cartridge.
TheXD-S Mod.2 9mmis a superb single-stack, striker-fired pistol.
Muzzle flip from the 3.3 barrel was minimal with the 9mm round.
With the flush 7-round mag, it fit effortlessly under my clothes.
Perhaps the genius of the Hellcat is it offers the best combination of all carry pistol features: size, capacity, reliability and optics-ready configuration.
The extended mag became a back-up as the extra length was slightly more difficult to hide.
The 2+ finger grip and generous trigger guard were easy to operate/us, even with heavy gloves.
This very well may have been my permanent EDC if I hadnt taken a pistol course later that year.
And I wanted more capacity.
Thats where my next purchase came in.
Stepping Up
In furtherance of my quest for more capacity, I came upon theXD Subcompact 9mm.
Ease of concealability remained with an added six rounds of capacity and just 4.4oz of extra weight.
And I had found that the right belt made this added weight a non-issue.
It was at this point that I decided it was time to buy a different jot down of pistol.
Lo and behold, I ended up right where I started, mostly: theXD-M Compact 3.89mm.
As my primary EDC, the XD-M Compact goes with me 80% of the time.
The Hellcat
Next on my list was the ever-popular Hellcat.
With a 3 barrel, the 9mm Hellcat has the shortest overall length of the three.
It measures 1 wide at the grip, only bested by the XD-S by 0.02.
Despite this, the Hellcat holds 11 rounds, vs the XD-S seven rounds.
It hides under your clothing easier.
The Hellcats ease of accuracy surpasses the Subcompact despite having the same size barrel.
It is also 8.1oz.
(yes, half a pound!)
lighter than the Subcompact and 3.6 oz.
lighter than the XD-S. With all that weight, is it snappy?
But I will wager that after one session at the range, youll completely forget about it.
Its just that well-designed.
This all adds up to a pistol that wants to go everywhere with you.
Conclusion
These are my priorities and my situation.
Yours will necessarily differ.
I can offer no better advice than to take a pistol course beyond your concealed carry class.
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