Midsize Defensive Handguns

CROSSOVER GUNS

Barret calls midsize defensive handguns crossover guns because they work well for concealed carry and as home-defense weapons. They are small enough to conceal and wear comfortably all day. Rob points out that if a gun is too large or heavy to carry comfortably all day, you won’t want to do it. Rob’s EDC has been a Glock 48 and it works very well for him. It’s at the far right on the table.

Rob doesn’t like subcompact handguns for concealed carry, for example the Glock 43, original Springfield XD-S, and original SIG P365, with their short barrels.

LONG BARREL AND LONG SLIDE

The longer barrel of midsize defensive handguns helps manage recoil and actually helps conceal the gun by keeping it flat against the body.

In terms of ballistics and precision, the longer barrel gives you more velocity behind the bullet, i.e. better performance when you strike a threat, and the longer slide gives you a longer sight radius, which means it’s easier to make higher precision shots.

HOME DEFENSE

For home defense, concealment is a non-issue. The only concern may be grip size—some members of the household may not be able to grip a large double-stack handgun. But everyone who’s authorized to handle a firearm should be able to hold the single-stack or stagger-stack grips on midsize defensive handguns. Plus they have high capacity, for example 15+1 in the G48.

OTHER CONSIDERATIONS

If you’re shopping for midsize defensive handguns as one of your self-defense weapons, think about the accessory rail, especially for use in home defense, as that’s where your light or laser will go. Also the carry optic cut is available on most of these guns, if you want a red-dot sight for carry.