I'm seriously considering adding a G19, Shadow Systems MR920 or a Walther PDP Compact with the 4.25" barrel to my CCW next time I am able to. Do you have a subcompact CCW and are coming to the realization that a compact instead of a subcompact would actually be a better carry gun?
Thoughts? Anyone else thinking of dumping their subcompact CCW guns for something a mid size like a G19? It's all fine to have a smaller, lighter, less bulky carry gun but if you don't shoot it as well, is comfort everything?
The following responses are not in the same order as the above questions/comments:
I traded-away my G19 Glocks in 2020, after not shooting them since a painful qual, at the PD range, in 2017, at age 56. Too short, in the grip. (More about this, further down.)
I tried a number of sub-compact and compact pistols, chambered for duty-type cartridges, in the Eighties and Nineties, up to 2002-2004, so, my “realization” happened quite some time ago. My skinny fingers enabled three-finger grips, on most of the compacts and subcompacts I tried,, but my large hands never enabled me to perform as well with a “chopped” grip as well as with a duty-sized grip, that reached all the way to the “heel bone” part of my hand. A too-narrow gripping area could also be a problem, though some double-column-mag pistols were/are wide enough to be a problem, as I have short thumbs, and short pinkies. The pinkie actually contributes quite a bit to grip strength, so, a large-volume grip, that prevents my pinkie from having some traction, is not my friend.
“Is comfort everything?” Well, I have aged-out of shooting many handguns, so, comfort is pretty darned important. It is comfortable, for me to shoot 9mm Glocks with G17-sized grips. It is comfortable for me to shoot full-sized, all-steel 1911 Govt-sized pistols. These pistols are my friends. I have also noticed that pistols with duty-length barrels/slides are more stable, when holstered, whether IWB or OWB, so, again, full-sized pistols are my friends. Dressing around larger weapons is more trouble, of course, but I have never considered that to be a factor in “comfort.” So, my most comfortable pistols are my most accurate pistols. Life is good.
I do still have a place for “baby” Glocks. The width and volume of the grip enables effective shooting, but, I only train with them, with my healthier left hand. I still consider my right hand to be my “primary” weapon hand, with handguns. (I am, effectively, ambidextrous with most of the handguns that I use. I right lefty, and throw righty, so, am not truly and fully ambidextrous. Some handguns work better in my left hand, and some work better in my right hand. Strange, yes.)
A “baby” Glock can be a nice emergency “reload,” when the “primary” weapon is a revolving pistol.
Life is good.
On the revolver side of things, the smallest weapon I normally carry is the Ruger SP101. The “heel” of the factory grip actually reaches all the way to the “heel bone” of my hand, enhancing stability and accuracy. Yes, indeed, the SP101 grip means that it fits me better than does a Glock G19. An SP101 with a 3-1/8” barrel balances much like a 4” K-Frame, which enhances “pointability” and practical accuracy. The SP101 is my friend.
Back to that painful qual, with my G19 pistols. At that time, I was still working for Houston PD. My usual duty pistol, at that time, was a 1911, which I had been using in that role, since early 2016, when I was able to resume using 1911 duty pistols, for the first time in a number of years. My previous usual duty pistol was a Gen4 G17, and I was still using both Glock and 1911 pistols, both of which point just fine, in my hands. Because I always fired my 1911 and G17 pistols more accurately than the G19, I usually toted the bigger pistols during personal time, too. Getting “qual’ed” with all of my pistols required multiple range visits, and, for a now-forgotten reason, decided to get my little-used G19 pistols done, first. Well, 50 rounds, each, with 80 of those being fired right-handed, did not hurt, while shooting, but shortly afterward, the pain, swelling, and discoloration started. I allowed two weeks, to heal, and then qual’ed with my full-sized guns, which did not cause pain or swelling. Big pistols are my friends.
All of the above applies to compact and subcompact pistols chambered for duty-type cartridges. Covering small-bore and “pocket pistol cartridge” weapons would be too much typing. I will say that I have dabbled with .380 ACP pistols, but never made a habit of carrying them. I have occasional, niche roles for the Seecamp LWS-32, .32 ACP. This little pistol is ingeniously designed, at least for my hands, to behave like a bigger pistol, in spite of only a one-finger grip being possible. Of course, having no sights, it is not a weapon for longer-range fighting, anyway.