Caliber matters when carrying a concealed weapon
At the end of the day, that is the primary consideration in choosing the right gun. It has to be 100 percent reliable, every time. If your concealed carry gun and ammunition combination ever fails, change out the ammunition first. If it happens again, get a different gun. Your life depends on it working every time, without fail. And practice. A lot.
I carry a Glock 26 with TruGlo TFO night sights, with an additional 13 round (extended) mag . That seems like a lot but it really comes down to the type of holster you have, Tier 1 concealed is a bit pricey but worth every penny.
The Glock 43 is a great concealed carry weapon, just try wearing a “T” shirt in the hot summer weather all the while trying to avoid scaring the crap out of everyone who sees you as the next lone gunman with your full frame gun looking like you got some huge tumor on your side.
.22 LR firearms are not the best choice for concealed carry
Normally .22LR isn’t a caliber you see a lot in the concealed carry world and for two main reasons. The first main reason is perceived reliability and to some extent it is true – cheap bulk produced 22LR ammunition can be quite unreliable – especially in semi-auto handguns.
A snubbie in a pocket holster or a deeply concealed belly band is also a tenable choice of carry gun in lawful but not overly permissive environments. With proper ammunition selection, .22 LR is going to be effective at what you'd call self-defense distances. With good ammunition and good placement, a .22 LR is fine inside 10 yards...but that 25-yard "movie theater shot" some people talk about is probably not as tenable.
One of the most popular types of .22 pistol for concealed carry is a .22 LR or .22 WMR snubbie, which some people will carry as a backup or as a deep concealment or Rule One gun (Rule One Of Gunfighting: Have A Gun) when they don't want to carry a larger pistol.
Large caliber firearms are better choices for concealed carry
Bigger guns are better stoppers, but they weigh more and are harder to carry comfortably. Every choice involving concealed carry is a compromise, but modern ammunition makes calibers that were once marginal much more effective. Or course, in many confrontations between citizens and aggressors, the aggressor doesn’t have a gun, and in a large percentage of those cases, the simple presence of the gun is effective for stopping the aggressor, whether that gun is a .500 or a .22.
I have a carry gun in 9, and 40. I also have a .45 Auto - full size 1911. No doubt In my mind bigger is better when it comes to downing things you want down. Both of my carry guns have their applications. The 9 is primarily a summer pocket gun or inside the waistband. When cooler weather hits, I switch to an owb holster and my 40. More rounds and more power. The 9 is simply a compromise so that I can CCW comfortably with less clothing
On the other hand, pistols that are better suited for open-fire situations since they have a larger magazine capacity and inherently quicker reload speed. Additionally, it’s lower in weight and requires a shorter, lighter trigger pull, making it a more enjoyable weapon to use. Also, since pistols are more ergonomic and provide a greater degree of personalization than revolvers, pistols are often more preferred by gun enthusiasts.
Whatever you choose for your carry weapon, be sure that it meets your requirements (and know what those requirements are). I choose firearms that are known to be accurate and reliable, have a decent carry capacity, and can be carried comfortably.
