Weights of my concealled carry pistols... please join in.

General Firearms Handguns - Semi Auto
1

I’ve been a huge 1911 Fan for my entire adult life (45 years old) and although I’m not nearly as experienced or qualified as many here… I thought I’d share my carry pistols and their weights fully loaded. As I’ve got older the weight of, or lack thereof… is something I give more consideration to now of the pistol riding on my hip. My preferred carry method is IWB strong side ~ 3:30 position. I use a 5-stitch Instructors belt w/a quality holster. I don’t carry an extra mag, but do normally have a small fixed blade on my belt.

Recently w/all the talk of people moving away f/the 1911 in favor of ‘plastic’ pistols I’ve been rethinking my CCW options as well. I have a Gen3 G19 that is fun to shoot, but I have problems w/the grip angle when I’m trying to be efficient and work quick on-target shots. A great pistol, but not sure I’ll ever feel comfortable using it as a carry gun. I recently purchased a Walther PPQ M2 Navy (Navy because the gun shop didn’t have the standard PPQ M2 in stock… and the extra barrel length doesn’t bother me in a carry gun). I haven’t had a chance to shoot the PPQ yet, but wanted to include the weight here as well. I need to get some range time and a nice IWB holster and this may be my new CCW pistol.

I was a bit surprised at the differences w/the PPQ loaded with 16 rounds compared to the Single Stack guns I’ve been carrying. Dimensions of the pistols are very similar when you stack them up side by side.

My main EDC gun the past few years:
Ed Brown Cobra Carry (8 rounds of 230 gr ammo)

Ted Yost Colt LW Commander Custom (8 rounds of 230 gr ammo)

H&K P7 (9 rds 124 Gr Gold Dot ammo)

Walther PPQ M2 Navy (16 rds 124 Gr Gold Dot ammo)

2

Howdy redsnake,

Thanks for posting.

I’ve been carrying a handgun since I was 17yo ( I’ll be 50yo this month … Oh, where has the time gone?!? ) and for +25 years my EDC was a steel frame full size 1911A1.

Nowadays my EDC is Glock 23 .40S&W carried in a Glock holster OWB @ 3:00 but I have a Ceiner .22LR conversion kit for the G23 and I’ve been shooting it a lot lately so instead of swapping between the Glock upper and the Ceiner kit I’ve been carrying one of my other handguns. Lately it has been my truck gun which is a full size 12 shot Taurus PT 845 .45acp. Occasionally I’ll carry my Norinco 1911A1 .45acp or my Glock 20 10mm or my Glock 35 .40S&W which I usually keep in the nightstand.

I’ve never understood the “I can’t carry that because it’s too big and heavy!” line of thinking.

Really? A 200 pound grow man that’s not capable of carrying a 2 1/2 pound pistol on their hip. I just don’t get it.

Just my $.02.

Paul

3

One thing I know about carrying various guns is that half a pound is quite a noticeable difference. I love shooting 1911s but carry a G23 most often. The Hi-Power feels pretty light, too, compared to full-size 1911s.

4

Thanks for the replies. I don’t have any issues carrying an All-Steel 1911 (as noted above) … and it’s honestly my preferred weapon (all things considered for me).

I found it interesting that the PPQ with 16 rounds was that much lighter than my Combat 1911 w/8 rounds.

5

I find weight to be the most important dimensional characteristic of a carry firearm. I couldn’t care less how long or tall it is (within reason - I’m not going to be able to conceal an AR pistol), or even how wide it is because I always carry owb. Even with a good belt I find a heavy gun (30+ ounces by my definition) pretty much intolerable for all day carry as it ends up hurting my back. The options seem to be 1) wear the belt too tight causing muscle constriction and thus lower back pain or 2) let the gun side sag just a bit, pulling unevenly on my hip and thus leading to a different kind of lower back pain.

Basically I’ve found that I won’t wear a gun that leaves my back a wreck at the end of the day, which is why I now carry a 938. I’m not sure of the exact loaded weight but it’s in the neighborhood of 21.5 oz when loaded with 8 rnds of 124gr. It truly is almost unnoticeable when worn at the 3:00 - 3:30 position. I would prefer a bit more capacity and have been thinking about trying out an M&P 9c which should be ~28 oz loaded.

6

Unknown what a fully loaded Shield 9mm weighs but it rides well in a DeSantis OWB mini scabbard holster 3-3:30 position.
Spare mag in a cargo pocket on the off side.

7

Should be ~24 oz with 7rnd mag and 8rnds, just so that info is in the thread should anyone be curious.

8

Howdy,

jhr1986,

I can easily see your POV about it bothering your lower back.

I should have stated that a person without any injuries or disabilities should not have an issue with a 2 1/2 pound handgun on their hip. My bad.

Gunbug,

I just do NOT see how 8 oz would matter to a person that weighs 230lbs and can do 6 pull-ups.

Redsnake,

That’s a nice collection of pistols!

Paul

9

No worries, I didn’t take offense to anything you said, just sharing my experiences. I guess overall weight isn’t so much the problem as the placement of the weight or carry system. I’d prefer to carry a 1911 or 226 everyday but I just haven’t found a way to do it that doesn’t cause more pain than it is worth to me. CCW choice is always a compromise of some sort and we all agree it’s better to carry a subcompact than to leave a full size in the safe and not carry at all.

10

^^^THIS And I’m 28 and can carry pretty much whatever I want but it is usually a G19 or as of lately a Kahr PM9 as it’s getting hot in Florida fast lately. Always a spare mag though.

11

I don’t have any opinion as I’ve always carried “plastic” guns. However, that Ed Brown is one SEXY bullet thrower!

12

Thanks… the Brown has some nice distinctive carry/rub marks but it’s a slick operating 1911.

BTW… no offense meant using the ‘plastic’ term. :slight_smile:

13

My Wilson XTAC weighs in right at 3LBS with 8 rounds of 230gr. Gold Dots. I carry it in a RCS IWB holster with offset wings. This helps distribute the weight a bit.

I’m currently waiting on another RCS holster for my Sig Mk25 with X300Ultra. That pistol with 15 rounds of 124gr. Gold Dots and light weighs less than the 1911.

I’ve also got an MTAC IWB holster incoming for the Sig Mk25 and spare body for my West German P226 which is off at Gray Guns. I like the wider IWB holsters for these heavier pistols.

In the past I’ve carried a P226R in a Milt Sparks VMII IWB holster. The only thing I did not like about that holster is you could not adjust ride height. It concealed ok but I like my guns to ride a little bit lower than the VMII.

Regardless of what I’m carrying I always carry a spare magazine or two in my back pocket or in a mag holder depending on what I’m wearing. I am currently 27 years old, 6’0, and weigh 225LBS. The belt I use is a 1.5" Ares belt. I’ve never had much issue carrying or concealing larger pistols with loose fitting t shirts. With a tighter polo they will print but I rarely wear those if ever these days. I usually just wear jeans and t shirt 99% of the time.

14

I don’t know the weights of all the guns I’ve carried, but I still have an interesting perspective on the subject of carry that I think fits into this thread.

I’m 25, 5’9’’ and I weigh 150 lbs

When I started carrying I was 21, and I weighed 220 lbs…

The extra weight on my body made inside the waistband carry difficult to say the least, but I still toughed it out.

I started carrying a Browning Hi-Power in a Crossbreed Supertuck holster. Although I had “love handles” I carried it at 3:30 and had good comfort. The holster dug into my side a little but I dealt with it because it was worth it to have a gun on my side.

Soon after I purchased a USP .40 fullsize, which I also carried at 3:30 inside the waistband with a Crossbreed Supertuck. Again I had decent comfort, about the same level of comfort that I had with the Hi-Power.

I wanted something thinner though, so sometime later I bought a Bulgarian Makarov that I started carrying appendix in a Shaggy from Custom Carry Concepts. The Makarov doesn’t feel much lighter than the USP, in fact it might be heavier, but I saw a huge increase in comfort from changing carry positions, I also continued to lose weight which helped too.

Soon thereafter I traded my fullsize USP for a compact, and started carrying that appendix too. It feels like it weighs the same as the Makarov. Again, very comfortable for me. I did find myself jumping back to the Makarov periodically because the thinness of that gun made carry so much more simple for me. The weight wasn’t something that really bothered me now that I was carrying appendix.

That’s when I realized that for me, thinness is where it’s at. I use a strong belt, and I carry appendix so weight doesn’t really matter, it’s the “amount” of gun that I stuff in my pants, not how much that “amount” weighs.

By this time I was down to 150 and didn’t have love handles anymore. With my reduced weight you’d think that I might try to go back to a fullsize handgun. But as my body lost weight, so did my guns. I went from flipping back and forth between the compact USP and the Makarov down to carrying a Colt Mustang XSP in my front pocket. I also carry two spare mags in my back pocket now (before the Mustang I would carry spare mags only sometimes).

The reason I didn’t purchase something like a S&W Shield which fires a much more effective round is simple: The option for pocket carry. I’m going to purchase an appendix holster for the Mustang so I can have a fast clean draw, the versatility of being able to throw it in a pocket if I’m dressed up and have it be completely concealed is priceless to me.

So after four sort years, I’ve lost 70 pounds and my guns have steadily went down in size too.

Began with a Hi-Power and USP fullsize at 3:30

Changed to a Makarov in appendix.

Went to USP compact also in appendix

And now I carry a Mustang in the pocket, and will also be carrying it appendix depending on the situation.

I hope this was an interesting read, this is an excellent thread that I have already got a lot from myself.

And if anyone’s wondering, I used Weight Watchers to lose the weight. :o

15

.38 spl 342 Pd. 10 oz unloaded. Because I am lazy.

16

Ill tell you what it weighs, damn near perfect.

17

Yes, this is the king of the lightweights. I run the 340 with 38+P. A nice recent Galco horsehide holster. I use for when I don’t have a belt and often for gym shorts days.

18

I think weight is a none issue, with the proper belt and carry method you never notice your gun.

19

I’m in my 50’s, I workout 5 days/week so I’m in decent shape. But if I do something stupid with my body I pay the price and I don’t recover as quickly as I used to. After carrying large metal framed pistols for years I’m liking the plastic.

20

Howdy,

Plus 1!

At the same time I’ll be 50 this month, 6’ 1" 260lbs and workout/lift weights so I’m fairly strong.

I usually wear either a Wrangler or Dickie’s belt that’s fairly stiff and carry OWB @3:00.

Weight or size isn’t an issue… Well, my Ruger Super Redhawk .454 w/ 7 1/2" barrel is too big and heavy to CCW.

Paul