Carry Pistol

Choosing a Concealed Carry Pistol

The next step is to choose a weapon. This can be a complicated process, especially for someone new to firearms. There are two main types of handguns used for concealed carry; revolvers and semi-autos. Both have advantages and disadvantages and like most other aspects of concealed carry it is a personal decision.

Revolvers vs. Semi-Auto

Revolvers are very reliable. They rarely have issues with failing, and if they do you can simply pull the trigger again and the next round will fire. In a semi-auto, if the firearm fails to fire when you pull the trigger, it takes a series of actions to clear the round that didn’t fire in order to fire the next round. While this can be practiced and mastered, it definitely takes training and still takes more time than a revolver. However, revolvers typically can only hold 5-7 rounds at a time where semi-autos typically might hold anywhere from 7 to 16 rounds. Another advantage with semi-autos are the ability to carry extra magazines. It is quicker and easier to change magazines in a semi-auto than to change rounds in a revolver.

Loading Your Pistol

Revolvers do have speed-loaders which hold an extra set of rounds that give you the ability to re-load when you are out, but for most people they aren’t as easy as swapping out a magazine in a semi-auto and don’t have a few other advantages as magazines do (such as the ability to swap out magazines before they are fully unloaded and swap back as needed to have a full magazine when most needed).