WHEN IS A PISTOL TOO SMALL? (Page 1 of 2)
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Posted: 1/7/2026 11:39:17 PM EDT
| I am finding I do not shoot small handguns well. I like the convenience of carrying a small gun....but....when does size degrade accuracy to the point of making it worthless? I have been carrying a G43. But I shoot a G19 much better. Have any of you gone from small to medium or larger for this reason ? |
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I'd say you found it. I really feel like the benefit of the glock platform is that shooting a 19 well, should translate to shooting the 43 acceptablly well. I don't feel like i shoot the 43 poor enough to worry about it, but i also haven't actually taken it to a uspsa match. I should really take my 43 to a uspsa match... i better get more mags. |
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it has always blown my mind why people like all these micro pistols. If my pinky hangs off in any way, I’m not interested. If there’s no room for my support hand to get some frame contact, I’m not interested. Not to mention, they flat out shoot like ass compared to bigger pistols. Glock 19ish sized guns are the absolute smallest pistols I’m interested in owning or CC’ing. |
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Originally Posted By TactiCoolBro: it has always blown my mind why people like all these micro pistols. If my pinky hangs off in any way, I’m not interested. Also why you use grip tape. When you have to do true concealment in an NPE with your shirt tucked in and NO bulges around your beltline ... compromises must be had. The micropistol market is trying to find the best balance of trade offs for this market. |
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Form follows Function. There is a place for small ultra concealable handguns. Sometimes what you wear and how it is carried is the limiting factor. Clearly if one uses a pocket holster the gun has to be selected by size. The right choice depends on how it needs to be used. |
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I own a 43 and 43x and with larger than average size paws I shoot them pretty well and often. +2 or +3s are a must and make a big difference to me. And, absolutely not as comfortable to shoot as the 19 or 45 I shoot but far more comfortable to carry IWB especially during warm weather. I am committed enough at this point that they are at Battlewerx getting optic cuts. |
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Originally Posted By FlashMan-7k: This is why they sell (usually as a factory option no less) extended mags for full grip. Also why you use grip tape. When you have to do true concealment in an NPE with your shirt tucked in and NO bulges around your beltline ... compromises must be had. The micropistol market is trying to find the best balance of trade offs for this market. …if I have to add something to make the grip longer then I’m right back to carrying a G19 size gun that, again, shoots considerably better. Not to mention, making the grip longer doesn’t solve it not being wide enough for the support hand to come in and have real estate to connect to. I’ll take the extra width of a bigger gun over the micro whatever. At the end of the day, shooting a micro pistol is a compromise in numerous areas that I just don’t/won’t do. It’s a grip compromise, it’s a capacity compromise for many micro guns, it’s a performance compromise because you’re not going to shoot it on the level you can a compact or full size pistol. I daily a 4” PDP Pro compact with zero printing and if it’s an event than requires me to have a shirt tucked in, that’s where a sports costume comes in and at that point I could carry the biggest damn thing I can get my hands on either OWB or IWB and no one would know it. |
| There are a couple things that I take into consideration with a question like this. Your firearm should fit your hand. If your gun isnt a good fit for you, its going to be pretty difficult to shoot well. I use a few set shooting standard drills (e.g. CSAT instructor standards). If I cant pass those standards with a platform, regardless of size, I wont carry it. Another factor is magazine capacity. Some of these small guns also have pretty limited magazine capacity. I would not want to be in a gun fight with a j-frame, G43, or a Shield. I have shot most of the popular micro pistols and found that they are not a good fit for me. Anything smaller than a g26/p365 hasnt worked well for me. |
| I HR218 qualify with a larger handgun... G23 but after retiring carry a G42.. Never even considered going back. First rule and all that.. |
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The OP lives in Virginia, so knows what summers are like around here. That season demands small gun compromise and that’s just a fact of life, or else you involuntarily cross that border into open carry territory. The S&W Bodyguard 2.0 is shaping up for me as planned hot weather carry, is perfectly scaled for that but is safe and reliable. And discrete. |
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Originally Posted By TactiCoolBro: it has always blown my mind why people like all these micro pistols. If my pinky hangs off in any way, I’m not interested. If there’s no room for my support hand to get some frame contact, I’m not interested. Not to mention, they flat out shoot like ass compared to bigger pistols. Glock 19ish sized guns are the absolute smallest pistols I’m interested in owning or CC’ing. Ditto, I am not a real fan of pinky dangling guns. I have two though, one I fixed and it’s a range toy, a 4.2” Sp101 revolver. I like the OEM grip other than its length. I put a Hogue which extends it. The other was my old work back up gun that I did carry. A Kahr MK40. Ok with the extended 7 round mag but a pinky dangler with the 6 round mag. I liked shooting it with the longer mag of course but really even though it is a handful I always shot the gun quite well due to the extremely smooth trigger. A friend wanted me to buy his .25, a Colt I think but it may have been the comparable Baby Browning. It’s just too small. |
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Originally Posted By Tirador223: The OP lives in Virginia, so knows what summers are like around here. That season demands small gun compromise and that’s just a fact of life, or else you involuntarily cross that border into open carry territory. The S&W Bodyguard 2.0 is shaping up for me as planned hot weather carry, is perfectly scaled for that but is safe and reliable. And discrete. I live in South Louisiana. Summers are frequently 100+ heat index with 90+% humidity and carrying a regular compact without printing isn’t an issue. It sounds like some of you guys need to re examine holster choices or position you’re carrying or something. With a quality holster, it REALLY isn’t hard to carry a regular compact pistol without printing unless you’re wearing clothes that’s a size too small for you. |
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When you cannot shoot it well, due to its size. There are very small 22 NAA revolvers that are too small for me. I can shoot an airweight j-frame fairly well, but while it is not a good choice to take as a primary arm in military combat - it does serve a purpose. I have seen folks that simply cannot shoot a j-frame well, though, as it does not fit/feel well for them. If limited to one gun, for whatever reason, a good medium sized service type handgun is never a bad choice. |
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Originally Posted By mylifemygun: I am finding I do not shoot small handguns well. I like the convenience of carrying a small gun....but....when does size degrade accuracy to the point of making it worthless? I have been carrying a G43. But I shoot a G19 much better. Have any of you gone from small to medium or larger for this reason ? When you can't shoot it accurately enough to do the job. I just picked up a micro on sale because my compact prints too much in the summer. I have experimented with different carry positions to try and alleviate this but have been unsuccessful. I prefer this time of year as I can carry a larger pistol with no issues. |
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Usually most people can shoot a larger gun better, unless it's too large to get a good reach on the trigger (apparently was a problem for some with the Beretta M9). I never liked my performance with micro compact guns, until I tried a 1st Gen S&W Shield back around 2015 or so. For some reason, the ergonomics and grip shape just work well for me. After a lot of practice with it, I got good enough performance with the Shield that I matched my CZ PCR or 1911 Commander (both my previous CCWs). (I can definitely shoot the Shield better than my G19s, but I just never could shoot Glocks well for some reason.) Lately I've been working with the P365 (the original 3.1" micro). I put a Wilson Combat grip module on it and the grip ergos and traction are very good. It has great sights too. It's slightly smaller than the Shield, but I can pocket carry this. More importantly, I can quickly draw it from a front pants pocket. It took me considerable practice to work up proficiency, but last time I compared them with drills side by side I could shoot the P365 nearly as well as my Shield. That was almost a year ago though. I need to revisit that comparison again. |
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Originally Posted By AdLucem: First rule and all that.. Attached File |
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In the days when revolvers were king ( yes I am of that age) J frame snubs were called experts guns. Every gun is a compromise. Big and easy to shoot well? Hard to carry. Small and easy to carry? Hard to shoot well. Pick your poison ! In addition to being difficult to shoot accurately compared to bigger guns, the micro carry guns also are harder to manipulate ( mag changes , malfunction clearance , racking slide) and while some are very reliable, there is always a chance as the gun gets smaller that reliability can be compromised ( officer length 1911’s are a good example, and in some hands poly frame guns like glocks tend to malfunction more in the smaller models) First rule of a gunfight is have a gun. If based on activity wardrobe lifestyle etc that is a smaller gun so be it. If you can’t bring yourself to strap on a mid to full size small beats nothing. Just practice with it ( a lot of people I see do a ton of practice or training with the mid/ full size but rarely shoot the smaller carry gun) I typically carry a J frame or ruger LCPII in a pocket holster, and have likely exceeded whatever the design limits were for the amount of shooting these guns were intended to do |
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| I usually carry a Bodyguard 2.0, it is quite comfortable and is easy to shoot accurately. I have P365 I want to love but the angle of the grip is the biggest deterrent in a handgun for me. The newer handguns by S&W-Bodyguard 2.0 and the Shield X, fit me the best. |
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Originally Posted By Tirador223: The OP lives in Virginia, so knows what summers are like around here. That season demands small gun compromise and that’s just a fact of life, or else you involuntarily cross that border into open carry territory. The S&W Bodyguard 2.0 is shaping up for me as planned hot weather carry, is perfectly scaled for that but is safe and reliable. And discrete. THIS Had a Ruger Max, Bodyguard 2.0 better in every way, slightly longer grip but thinner. Shoots like a much bigger handgun. Pocket holster guns. As for 9MM, Glock 43 with +1 peace floor plate or equivalent will give you a place to put your pinky. Too large for pocket carry. Some like the Sig 365, I guess it would be good IWB, but the lack of a safety on the trigger face would preclude pocket carry for me. |
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Originally Posted By TactiCoolBro: it has always blown my mind why people like all these micro pistols. If my pinky hangs off in any way, I’m not interested. If there’s no room for my support hand to get some frame contact, I’m not interested. Not to mention, they flat out shoot like ass compared to bigger pistols. Glock 19ish sized guns are the absolute smallest pistols I’m interested in owning or CC’ing. Do I prefer a full grip and a Glock 19ish sized gun over a Micro 9? Sure. Did learning how to shoot a micro 9 well require more practice? In my experience, yes, it took me more time to become proficient with a micro 9 than a sub-compact/compact/full-size. Do I feel that I shoot micro 9's adequately well? Yes. I think my split times are a little slower than with a bigger gun, but I enjoy good accuracy at a reasonable distance. So, what's the benefit to a micro 9? Why do I have one? Well, they shoot pretty well, they are in 9mm, and if I need something small, a micro 9 is small. As much as I like a full-size or compact (I think micro 9's make subcompacts obsolete for me at least), sometimes a micro 9 is a better option for me. |
Is it the length or the girth you like?  Can’t think of a better way to word that.I shoot a G26 better than the 19 because my pinkie doesn’t push it off target. Realized this when I got a pinkie groove spacer that goes over a 19 mag. Can’t shoot skinny guns very well either. Have a tiny .25 that I can shoot very well. It has wide grips. With a skinny Kahr P380 I perform terribly. |
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For years I carried a S&W M&P 4” compact. I did this because I hated the sub compacts I had shot. I found myself making excuses due to being too big. -I’m home from work so I can finally take this thing off and relax. -This shirt is a little smaller than my others, so I don’t want to risk any extra printing at work. -I’m going to be driving a lot so I’m going to leave my CCW in the console so I can be comfortable. Modern CCW guns changed that. I am a Glock guy, but I don’t see the G43X as being in the same class as guns like the 365, CC9, Bodyguard 2.0, etc. These guns are a completely different ergonomic design method built as small guns instead of being smaller or shrunk down versions of existing designs. They’re tiny but everything is designed to sit in your hand different. They don’t shoot as good as a full-size, but they shoot way better than existing sub compacts and they carry MUCH better than full-size based compacts. It’s a balancing act. Only you can decide where you want the give and take, but I’ve learned the ground up modern carry guns with a 3 finger grip are my preference. |
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Try out the Shield Plus (maybe Shield X as well, but I don't have one of those). Small, shoots great. I've found the Shield Plus outshoots my larger M&Ps unless I spend enough extra to put an aftermarket barrel like Apex Tactical or KKM Precision in the big models. The barrels that require some fitting to improve the ability of the barrel to be in the same spot for every shot. I carry a Shield Plus (concealed carry only) any time I'm out on the road/driving somewhere. I'll admit I've only shot three glocks in my life. I only own one. I haven't shot it in years. Group size is important to me. |
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Originally Posted By Karankawa: Is it the length or the girth you like? Can’t think of a better way to word that.I shoot a G26 better than the 19 because my pinkie doesn’t push it off target. Realized this when I got a pinkie groove spacer that goes over a 19 mag. Can’t shoot skinny guns very well either. Have a tiny .25 that I can shoot very well. It has wide grips. With a skinny Kahr P380 I perform terribly. It's a combo for me, but girth is more important than length. Without the pinky extension on my Hellcat, I take a little longer to get back on target, but on a smaller gun which also has a dangling pinky, I'm just not as accurate and at that point the pistol is too small. Bigger is not always better, but sometimes a micro is just not big enough.
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We've done testing using defensive drills showing you can be within 1 second as a baseline using your ccw size weapon vs a duty weapon. You could see a decent shooter be consistent at their skill level within these time frames. I liked the g26 with a full 19 or 17 mag as a back up. I think it's improved with the M&P metal shield comp 2.0, 365 AXG or Fuse comp, shield pro's or 40X's. I've never shot the 43x or 48x well compared to the 19's or other duty size G guns. With the GS 26x it seems like a good alternative. Unlike a 5 round j- frame I think you can run bill drills, failure drills, multi target and reload drills and prove on a timer you're capable and proficient. Practice is straight forward as well. The ccw offerings have become slightly bigger and thinner adding a comp you have a decent fire rate with control/ recoil/ follow thru. If you knew today was the day you'd want your full size, + carbine and multiple friends; but with this latest generation of choices you will likely have a gun on your person. Which is what counts the most when the flag flies from recent headlines. Pick your system and train like it matters! |
| There are no differences in group size for me at close range with smaller guns. Not that much difference at longer ranges either. I prefer getting all my fingers on the grip for better recoil control and faster follow up shots but can make do without. If you want to get better with smaller guns then practice more with them. If that still does not help, move up in size. |
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After rule #1, I carry the largest pistol that I can shoot well and conceal well enough for the day ahead. When they came out I switched from a shield to a 365 / 365XL for about six years, now except for a 43 maybe a few NPE days a year my small gun is a 43X and I've taken to carrying my g45 size RXM, both of which deliver solid A zone hits @ 25+ yds and are large enough for me to obtain a good firing grip on the draw. I have enough flexability to dress for concealment of one or the other maybe 360 days a year. |
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| I carry the Shield Plus a lot of the time. Yes without the magazine the grip is a little short (but who carries without a mag?). I use the 13 round mags and it completes the grip for me and I can shoot it quite well. Reloading takes a little "shift" of my grip but with a little practice don't even notice it. YMMV |
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Has to have a grip capable of being held securely for the caliber and it needs to be a caliber adequate for defense. It's why a .25 is said to be a caliber and firearm for when you can't actually carry a firearm. I've seen some pistols with a grips so short that you can get one finger [trigger finger isn't doing that job] around the grip securely, in 9mm that's just not enough, two would be a minimum. Some of the short Glocks are ridiculous, even my Firestar is far easier to hold then some of the Glocks and it's not really much bigger. One nice thing about revolvers is that while they are down on capacity often, you can change the grip to one that works far better quite easily. Extended mags, if done right can mitigate some of the semi auto hold issues at the risk of harder carry sometimes but they can also just be carried as a second or third spare too. |
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Originally Posted By TactiCoolBro: it has always blown my mind why people like all these micro pistols. If my pinky hangs off in any way, I’m not interested. If there’s no room for my support hand to get some frame contact, I’m not interested. Not to mention, they flat out shoot like ass compared to bigger pistols. Glock 19ish sized guns are the absolute smallest pistols I’m interested in owning or CC’ing. I shoot my Kahr Mk40 quite well. I used to shoot it regularly as a back up gun for work. It’s heavy and a handful. I would have been way better off with the 9mm version. That said double taps were closer paired than the G22 service pistol. The tiny .25s are in the too small to shoot or handle with certainty. There’s just not enough gun to hold on to. I could have bought a Browing vest pocket .25 cheap but I just didn’t like it enough. I actually like the .32 cartridge, it’s no true duty gun cartridge these days but I call it the bare minimum. |
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Originally Posted By forensicgun: There are a couple things that I take into consideration with a question like this. Your firearm should fit your hand. If your gun isnt a good fit for you, its going to be pretty difficult to shoot well. I use a few set shooting standard drills (e.g. CSAT instructor standards). If I cant pass those standards with a platform, regardless of size, I wont carry it. Another factor is magazine capacity. Some of these small guns also have pretty limited magazine capacity. I would not want to be in a gun fight with a j-frame, G43, or a Shield. I have shot most of the popular micro pistols and found that they are not a good fit for me. Anything smaller than a g26/p365 hasnt worked well for me. This is certainly true. A gun can be a very reliable and accurate well made gun but if you don’t interface with it well then it’s not the gun for you. I have smaller hands and trigger reach is a concern. That can rule out some guns unless a parts swap can fix it. The Glock double stacks to me always had a shitty, too blocky feel. It took some time to be closer to one with the G22. |
The only hyphenated names I like are cartridge names......30-06, 30-40, 38-55 etc.
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This is a rabbit hole I went down very thoroughly: Started with a G19, and was happy. Then I started to carry. My wife decided she wanted to carry too. Got her a j- frame. She hated it. Got her a Sig P238 with the 7 round mag and she was happy. I liked it and got a second for summer (Heat is brutal here) and was ok. Then the microcompacts started coming out. I bought into the marketing (full 9mm, 10 or 13 rounds in the size of the P238) Picked up a Hellcat. It was just ok, barely fit in my hand in multiple ways. Very snappy. So practice, practice, practice. I discovered that square range plinking was fine, but if I put myself under any stress, particularly weak hand only drills, I was getting malfunctions and slow splits. Unless I was very very careful. Puts a big fat question mark on carrying it. This was not an issue with P238. So I rented and bought a series of smaller guns to try. Conclusion: If you go smaller than subcompact a reduction in round power might be in order, especially as you get older. I think this is why we're starting to see the 380 come back as an option in microcompacts. (bodyguard, p365, Hellcat are all now available in 380) I would like to see a DA/SA microcompact in 380. It would be ideal for appendix carry (I prefer hammers for appendix) |
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Originally Posted By DDRAIGA: This is a rabbit hole I went down very thoroughly: Started with a G19, and was happy. Then I started to carry. My wife decided she wanted to carry too. Got her a j- frame. She hated it. Got her a Sig P238 with the 7 round mag and she was happy. I liked it and got a second for summer (Heat is brutal here) and was ok. Then the microcompacts started coming out. I bought into the marketing (full 9mm, 10 or 13 rounds in the size of the P238) Picked up a Hellcat. It was just ok, barely fit in my hand in multiple ways. Very snappy. So practice, practice, practice. I discovered that square range plinking was fine, but if I put myself under any stress, particularly weak hand only drills, I was getting malfunctions and slow splits. Unless I was very very careful. Puts a big fat question mark on carrying it. This was not an issue with P238. So I rented and bought a series of smaller guns to try. Conclusion: If you go smaller than subcompact a reduction in round power might be in order, especially as you get older. I think this is why we're starting to see the 380 come back as an option in microcompacts. (bodyguard, p365, Hellcat are all now available in 380) I would like to see a DA/SA microcompact in 380. It would be ideal for appendix carry (I prefer hammers for appendix) Look into the csx. I also prefer hammer fired and may pick up a csx. But I actually went back to single stacks. I just prefer their slim form for carrying for me. |
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Originally Posted By Ivan1: Look into the csx. I also prefer hammer fired and may pick up a csx. But I actually went back to single stacks. I just prefer their slim form for carrying for me. Originally Posted By Ivan1: Originally Posted By DDRAIGA: This is a rabbit hole I went down very thoroughly: Started with a G19, and was happy. Then I started to carry. My wife decided she wanted to carry too. Got her a j- frame. She hated it. Got her a Sig P238 with the 7 round mag and she was happy. I liked it and got a second for summer (Heat is brutal here) and was ok. Then the microcompacts started coming out. I bought into the marketing (full 9mm, 10 or 13 rounds in the size of the P238) Picked up a Hellcat. It was just ok, barely fit in my hand in multiple ways. Very snappy. So practice, practice, practice. I discovered that square range plinking was fine, but if I put myself under any stress, particularly weak hand only drills, I was getting malfunctions and slow splits. Unless I was very very careful. Puts a big fat question mark on carrying it. This was not an issue with P238. So I rented and bought a series of smaller guns to try. Conclusion: If you go smaller than subcompact a reduction in round power might be in order, especially as you get older. I think this is why we're starting to see the 380 come back as an option in microcompacts. (bodyguard, p365, Hellcat are all now available in 380) I would like to see a DA/SA microcompact in 380. It would be ideal for appendix carry (I prefer hammers for appendix) Look into the csx. I also prefer hammer fired and may pick up a csx. But I actually went back to single stacks. I just prefer their slim form for carrying for me. +1 on the CSX. I would be more interested in the 3.6" E-Series myself though. |
WHEN IS A PISTOL TOO SMALL? (Page 1 of 2)
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