From about 1983 to about 1997, I was very much engaged in the constant pursuit of the latest/greatest compact carry guns. The Detonics Combat Master was my first, and, the Kahr K9 was my final experiment, in that area. Other examples include the HK P7 and S&W Model 3913. Some time in 1997, I re-bought a weapon that I had briefly tried, previously, the Ruger SP101. The difference, the second time around, with the SP101, is that I had learned to really pay attention to holding HIGH on the grip, greatly improving controllability, and comfort. To this day, my default small handgun is an SP101; I now have more than just a few. (Differing barrel lengths, hammer configurations, and chamberings.)
I did acquire more compact pistols, after 1997, when there was a reason to do so. In 2002, when I transitioned to Glock G22 duty pistols, I did buy a G27, to try as a “back-up” gun, but it failed to put my SP101 out of business, in that category, and I soon sold the G27 to a colleague. I then acquired a pre-owned G29, to try as a personal-time carry gun. I liked it well enough, but those early larger-framed Glocks were just a bit too large for me, and I never really liked the gripping area of any Gen3 Glocks, and, was not happy with my accuracy potential with Glocks, so, when I transitioned to a SIG P229R DAK duty pistol, in 2004, all of my Glocks soon went away. (I was able to choose from among several duty pistol choices, and switched to SIG when I learned about the optional slimmer trigger, which my less-than-long index fingers could reach, for a proper placement on the face of the trigger.)
I never sought to acquire a more-compact SIG than the P229. It is not that the P229 is a small pistol, as the grip is large-volume, and, when a magazine is in place, it is fully as tall as its larger cousins, the P226 and P220. If I needed a more-compact handgun that the P229, I carried my SP101 snub-guns.
As I reached my fifties, the muzzle flip of the .40 S&W, fired from the P229, started to really aggravate my arthritis. I learned that my chief was considering authorizing the 9mm versions of our .40 duty pistols, for uniformed field field/street duty. I bought a pre-owned Gen3 G17, and was gratified to learn that it was an “orthopedic” pistol, that did not aggravate my gimpy thumb/hand/wrist. Then, I noticed that some investigative personnel were already authorized to use the Glock G19 as a duty pistol. I started looking for openings in the investigative divisions, and bought a pair of Gen4 G19 pistols. In 2015, the chief finally re-wrote the duty pistol policy, and I was able to carry a G17, for street duty. I knew that Gen4 fit my hands better, so, I bought a Gen4 G17, and soon added a Gen4 G26, to be my ankle holster gun.
I still believe that the Glock G26 is a perfectly useful “Compact Nine,” or “Sub-Compact Nine,” depending upon how one draws the categories/definitions. In the twilight of my LEO-ing career, I sold my G26 ankle gun, to a younger colleague, to be his back-up pistol, but, I eventually “replaced” it, as I realized that even though all compact Nines are now too painful to shoot right-handed, they have a role to play as lefty back-up guns. (My left hand is aging much better than my right.)
My G19 pistols were traded-away, in 2020, after I had not fired them since 2017, due to their aggravation of my arthritis, and, because I simply saw no more need for an intermediate-sized Glock, between the G26, and those with full-sized grips. I never noticed any difference in conceal-ability, between the G19 and G17, because it was always the outside rear edge of the slide that “printed,” not the grip, and I could never shoot a G19 as accurately as I could a G17. I can either “dress around” a G17, or other full-sized handgun, or carry a “baby” Glock, or short-barreled revolvers.
After I retired, I re-bought an S&W Model 3913, though this time it was the TSW version. I followed this my adding some more well-preserved samples in this model series. I had really liked my original 3913, and had regretted letting it go, as I had moved on to the next new latest/greatest thing, in the early Nineties. The panic-demic interrupted my opportunities to easily vet any new auto-loading carry guns, and, thus far, my now-classic Third Generation S&W auto pistols remains in “collectible-only” status.
I still add the occasional revolver, too, of course, pre-keyhole S&W, and Ruger, mostly pre-owned, some of which become carry guns, and some of which are just in the “nice-to-have” category.
So, yes, a Glock G26, a G17, or an Eighties-/Nineties-era-tech revolver, will do, just fine, for me, thanks. I’ll tote the occasional 1911, too.
To be clear, there is nothing wrong with buying, and using, a new pistol. It helps the economy, and helps keep folks employed. The point is that that chasing unicorns is not my thing, so, if I were to drive to my nearest favored pistol emporium, and buy a new pistol, today, it would probably be a G26, G45, or G17, because multiple spares are good to have, and because I do not own a G45, plus, because I think it would be fun to do a shoot-off with three generations of the G26, and I do not yet have a Gen5 G26.
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