There are plenty of weeks when we talk about the latest gear and training techniques when it comes to carrying a concealed firearm. Typically every week there are discussions about the topics down in the comments below. But what you guys don’t see is we will have random conversations about carry guns in a TFB group chat as well. Whenever someone gets a new carry gun or sees something interesting, we will typically send it to the group chat to have a discussion on a certain firearm. After some conversations, I decided to go through the various firearms most of us at TFB carry on a daily basis. Let’s take a closer look at some of the carry guns of TFB.
Concealed Carry Corner: Carry Guns of TFB
Glocks of TFB
It’s probably not a shocker to most of you, but the staff here at TFB love Glocks, and almost everyone has some sort of Glock pistol they carry daily. Whether it’s something small like a Glock 43 all the way up to a large Glock 20, there’s someone who carries a specific model depending on where they live throughout the country. A few different staff members carry various size Glocks for their own reasons and they have widely different designs.
Glock 17/19
Whether it is all year or just seasonal carry with the full-size Glock 17, plenty of staff members carry the Glock 17 and 19 models for self-defense on a daily basis. With the aftermarket community being flooded with options to customize your carry gun, a few staff members have personally taken their Glocks to the next level. Adam S for example carries a full-size Glock 17 he calls his “Gucci Glock.” It’s equipped with a Trijicon RMR, Streamlight TLR1-HL and a custom Cerakote finish. The TIN and green color pattern definitely is a bold statement and it’s one of his many carry guns.
Adam S’s Gucci Glock 17
Rusty S also carries a full-size Glock 20 since he is out west and needs the higher capacity heavier 10mm round. Rusty keeps his Glock 20 stock with an outside the waistband holster when he’s out in the wilderness in the western part of the United States. I also carry a Glock 19 occasionally as well as one of our other writers Mike R. Our main overlord Pete even has claimed the best concealed carry gun money can buy is a Glock 45 MOS for its overall size and weight. Whether it’s the full or midsize frame, Glock pistols are great to really make it your own with custom parts or holsters so it’s not a huge shock there’s a number of us who carry either full-size or mid-size variants of these pistols.
Mike R’s Glock 17
Glock 48/43
With the newer models rolling out, there’s a number of us on staff who carry either the Glock 43, 43X or Glock 48. The standard configuration is a great option for carrying concealed but the Shield Arms really does take these firearms to the next level. With a 15-round capacity, you have a thinner option than a mid-size firearm. Having a smaller firearm with a high capacity makes carrying easier with less bulk to deal with on a daily basis. James Reeves is one of the biggest fans of these smaller carry guns because the ease of carrying with these guns is much improved while the ease of shooting these smaller guns is fairly easy as well. Having a firearm that’s lighter while offering a high capacity makes it easier to carry which in turn makes you carry more over time.
James Reeves’ Glock 43X
James Reeves and Nick C both share a love for their Glock 43Xs. James just finished up customizing his Glock 43 with a Trijicon RMRcc and Shield Arms 15-round magazine. Nick C most certainly has a Gucci option as well with a Zaffiri Precision slide, red dot, and Streamlight TLR6 all riding in a fanny pack. Both James and Nick have done up their guns exactly how they want them. If you’re on the fence about picking one of these puppies up, I would say give it a shot, and with the right upgrades, they can be a truly unique carry gun for you.
Nick C’s Glock 43X
SIG Sauer P365XL and P365
Staying along the lines of smaller carry guns, a ton of the younger writers carry some variation of the SIG P365. Luke C, Will P and I all carry some variation of these guns almost full time. James Reeves, Rusty S and others also carry a P365 on a regular basis. When the P365 came out a few years ago, it was the highest capacity available at the time, combine that with the contoured ergonomic grip and you had a really comfortable compact firearm to carry on a daily basis.
James Reeves’ P365
Combine these ergonomics with a growing aftermarket community supporting the P365 and you have a great carry gun that offers plenty of options for customization. Over the last couple of years, there have been aftermarket slides and frames to come to the market making the P365 even more modular for various barrel and frame lengths. Throw into the mix their upgraded models like the Spectre Comp and Spectre XL and you can truly build out some fantastic functioning and ascetically looking firearms. Based on these traits, it is one of the more popular models for the TFB staff.
Will P’s SIG P365XL
Metal Framed Firearms
Even with all the polymer wonder nines being popular with the staff, there are still a few of us who carry old-school full metal framed firearms. Nick C, for example, carries his Heckler & Koch P7 in a leather outside the waistband holster. Having a P7 you can carry is a fantastic option but with their age and inability to get spare parts, you’re starting to see people not carry the P7 near as much as you would have seen 10-15 years ago.
Nick C’s HK P7
In addition to Nick’s P7, Austin R and I both carry our SIG P229s fairly often with his being the P229 Elite Dark model and my Legion model. Occasionally if I’m dressing up, I will also carry my Smith & Wesson 5906 inside a leather holster but again, due to a parts shortage, I typically won’t carry it much anymore. Just because there are great lightweight models on the market, there’s absolutely nothing wrong with heavier older models if you shoot them effectively. No matter who says otherwise, if it’s a gun that you can effectively put rounds on target with, carry it and train with that gun instead of swapping and fighting with lighter options.
Overall Thoughts
There are plenty of options when it comes to carrying concealed. The vast majority of writers here at TFB either carry stock or completely customized Glock or SIG. There are certainly others who carry other options like Adam S and Sam carrying Springfield 911s but the vast majority carry similar firearms depending on the time of year. Just like you guys chatting with like-minded friends, everyone on staff had a fun time going back and forth on this one figuring out what carry guns are better than others depending on the time of year.
Which carry guns do you prefer or use from our list? Do you agree with certain carry guns or do you think there are better options out there? Let us know down in the comments below. If you have questions on carrying concealed or firearms in general, don’t hesitate to shoot me a message on Instagram @fridgeoperator. Stay safe out there!
TFB’s Concealed Carry Corner is brought to you by GLOCK
