One day, a female was waiting to see her doctor at the Christus Outpatient Pavilion in Beaumont, Texas.
While waiting, the woman started digging through her purse for some paperwork.
When she pulled the paperwork out of her purse, she also accidentally pulled out her pistol.
The gun fell out of the purse and discharged when it hit the ground. The bullet went through a wall and hit another patient in the hip.
According to a witness, “Everyone was sitting in the waiting room and there was a gunshot. A woman dropped her purse down on the counter and it shot through the wall and shot another lady.”
The victim received immediate treatment from the doctors in the office and was transported to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
Police said the woman didn’t break any laws by bringing the gun into the doctor’s office and the shooting was accidental.
Regardless, this was clearly not a good thing for the gun owner.
It’s hard to imagine a pistol getting caught on some papers and dragged out of her purse.
But crazy things happen.
Either way, when choosing a pistol for concealed carry a big decision you’ll want to consider is the size of the gun.
And there are a few considerations to keep in mind to help you choose the right size concealed-carry pistol…
Full-size pistols:
The biggest reason you should consider a full-size pistol is that they are easier for new shooters.
Full-size pistols will have less recoil since they weigh more and have longer barrels that absorb more of the recoil.
Plus, a full-size pistol will have a longer sight radius, which can help with accuracy.
Also, it should be easy to grip the frame of a full-size pistol.
Of course, there are drawbacks to concealing a full-size pistol.
The biggest issue is that it’s big and heavy, so carrying a full-size pistol all day long can wear you down.
And there is no getting around the fact that the larger pistol will be harder to conceal from people.
If you choose to carry a full size, I recommend using an inside-the-waistband holster.
Compact pistols:
Compact pistols are medium size guns (such as the Glock 19).
These size pistols work for a lot of shooters because they are the best of both worlds – not too big and not too small.
A compact pistol will usually have a thinner slide and frame compared to a full-size pistol.
Ultimately, compact pistols will have similar accuracy as full-size pistols.
Another thing about compact pistols is that they still have a good amount of capacity like a full size, so you won’t lose out on the rounds available to you.
The thing to keep in mind with a compact is that they can still be difficult to conceal.
So, like a full-size, I would recommend an inside-the-waistband holster.
Sub-compact pistols:
In the past few years, the popularity of sub-compact pistols has increased.
As ammo has become more reliable, shooters have trusted smaller calibers more.
The reason people love sub-compacts is that the smaller guns are easy to carry and conceal, have plenty of power, and can be as accurate as larger pistols.
Most noticeably, the width of a sub-compact is going to be much smaller compared to larger pistols.
Also, the majority of sub-compacts are 9mm, .38 special, or .380.
These days, you can find sub-compacts that have a ten or more round capacity.
One example of this is the Springfield Armory Hellcat.
The drawback to sub-compacts is that they are more challenging to shoot.
But, with plenty of practice and dry firing, you can become accurate like you would with any other pistol.
Sometimes people will get a pistol that is too big to conceal or too small to shoot accurately.
Next time you are thinking about getting a new pistol go to your local gun range and rent it first.
Make sure it’s a pistol you can conceal, as well as accurately shoot.
And be sure you try it out in a holster to get a feel for drawing it as well.
Be sure you don’t just shoot from a static position, if possible, do some drills to really put the pistol through its paces.
