Can't decide on a barrel length...

J

Jacket67

New member
Hey TFL,

I have made quite a few posts concerning my first handgun purchase, but I have a slight shift in focus I would like some advice on. Before now, I was set on getting the XD mod.2 4" service in 9mm for HD and occasional ccw. Recently, my uncle let me try on his ccw holster and gun (S&W sd40). It is pretty similar in size to the mod.2 I was looking at, and I was surprised at just how big it was for me to carry (at 5'9" ~160lbs). I feel like I could do it easily in appendix, but not in the 8:30/9 o'clock position I plan to start carrying in. It was just too bulky for me to do well in that position, and turned me away from wanting the service model.

I am now trying to decide between the XDm 3.8 compact, and the mod.2 sub compact that has a 3 inch barrel. I wanted the 4 inch barrel offered by the mod.2 service, but I cannot see myself carrying it well due to it's full-size grip. I love the mod.2 grip feel, and I like the gun's overall aesthetics a bit more than the XDm. It also comes at a better price. My concern, however, is with the really short, 3 inch barrel. I feel like I might prefer the extra .8 of an inch offered by the XDm because it will feel more like the service model when shooting.

Should I be concerned with only having a 3 inch barrel with the mod.2, or am I just worried about a non-issue? I realize I need to go shoot one at the local range to see how I like it, but I would love to hear you guys' opinions on this. I have never put much thought into the sub compact until now. I am considering it simply because it's about $100 cheaper than the 3.8 compact. I know either would be comfortable to carry because of their compact grips, I'm just concerned that in getting the mod.2 subcompact, I may have remorse in not buying a gun with a longer barrel. I have shot two XDs 3.3 inch 9mm's in the past and hated how small they felt, which may be why I am so hung up on this.


Thanks in advance.
 
At typical self defense ranges:

1. The shorter barrel and shorter sight radius won't matter.
2. The shorter barrel won't matter too much as far as velocity loss is concerned.

If you find a gun you like you'll probably become proficient with it with some practice.

If the gun is really uncomfortable you won't carry it. You'll find excuses NOT to carry it.
 
I have a SD9VE with the 4" barrel and a Taurus PT111 G2 with a 3.2" barrel. I carry IWB with a hybrid holster and the shorter barrel is much better and more comfortable for me (and in the same holster). I would not have bought the SD9VE if I had bought the PT111 first. They have both been totally reliable and with similar accuracy.
 
IMO, the length of the barrel is only a minor part of concealbility (until you are talking about 6-8 inch barrels!) The length and bulk of the grip are much greater factors.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G935A using Tapatalk
 
As DaleA said, barrel length and sight radius dont matter alot in defense.

Getting something you feel comfortable with, you tend to be able to use better then with something you are not.

But dont worry about length. length is only needed really for a little more velocity
 
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I guess what I should have asked was would you feel ill-equipped if the mod.2 subcompact was your only gun for a while? Would I be better off paying the extra money for the XDm 3.8 compact for the slightly longer barrel and added capacity of the 19 round mag? Or would the 3 inch barrel and 16 round mag of the mod.2 sub-compact be fine?
 
"...It was just too bulky..." Likely more to do with your uncle's holster than anything else. Could be that his holster is not that great.
The belt you use makes a huge difference too. If it's not strong enough to keep the holster in place, it's no good.
Your size makes no difference. I can make a full size 1911A1 disappear on my far less than 5'9" and a lot more than 160 pounds. And it's quite comfortable.
You need to try a bunch of holsters with a good belt. There are such things as 'dress' gun belts too.
In any case, the firearm you need is the one that you can shoot best. The difference between 3" and 3.8" isn't enough to matter.
 
T. O'Heir thanks for that last line of advice. I will definitely take more of a look at the service model and some good holsters before making my decision. However, I do think I might get the subcompact 9mm first just because it would be so much easier to carry. Next on my list would be the service model in 45acp. Thank you!
 
Yup. Good belt, good holster and maybr move tge gun back so its at 10 o clock. Depending how you are built it may sit better against the side of your rump vs on the point of your hip.

And dont get to hung up on one gun, you will most likely tire of it and trade it off as you learn anyway.
 
As someone mentioned before, barrel length is very minor with concealability and matters minimally in regards to velocity and sight radius. They are all personal preferences and do make a difference but it is all relatively minor in regards to what you are looking at.

What does matter more is thickness of the frame as well as weight given your criteria. So depending on what exactly it was that made you consider it bulky should be factored. Was it the thickness within the belt? If so, I believe the mod2 is actually thinner than the xdm. Generally speaking that is why single stacks are as popular as they are. It doesn't have to do with barrel length and has a little to do with grip. Look at the XDS for instance. The 4" barrel has popularity and many people choose to carry the extended magazine. The bulky feel generally has to do with the thickness. Length will add weight and unless the length was uncomfortable sitting down, it doesnt really relate to bulk. Grip length can make it print more but that is outside of the belt line so you wouldn't "feel" it being more bulky.

Honestly, you need to explain how it felt bulky, was it in length, thickness or your perception of being visually bulky. If it all has to do with the thickness and weight, barrel length will be minimal to nonexistent in those matters.

You really have to decide what the issue was that you didn't like about trying the sd40.

Edit: You would be shocked at the difference 0.2" feels in the thickness of the gun.
 
I had trouble with the grip length on the sd40. It was in a canted holster st 4 oclock, but I still felt that the grip was too noticeable. Maybe trying a different position could fit this problem?

The thickness of the gun wasnt that bad, but I didn't care for the leather holster. I'd get a slimmer kydex one. I have no doubt I could find a setup to conceal the service size well, but I wonder if the size of the subcompact would just make it that much more enjoyable to carry.
 
would you feel ill-equipped if the mod.2 subcompact was your only gun for a while? Would I be better off paying the extra money for the XDm 3.8 compact for the slightly longer barrel and added capacity of the 19 round mag? Or would the 3 inch barrel and 16 round mag of the mod.2 sub-compact be fine?
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16/19, both far more than you would ever need in a SD situation. Likewise the longer barrel is of no consequence what so ever. Unless you intend on being some sort of Mall Ninja with visions of saving the World, and everyone in it.
Get the gun that fits you best. That feels best both in hand, and at carry. Don't get hung up on sight radius (meaningless in a SD gun), and round count. If you are in an extended, longer than a few yards away gun battle, you made some really bad decisions about where you were, and what you were doing.
 
Don't overthink the barrel length issue. In all honesty there is no real difference between a barrel that is 3 inches or 3.8 inches when we are talking handguns at self defense range. The overall size of a gun and the grip makes more of a difference than the barrel length .
If the gun is to be a carry gun , get the one that is comfortable to carry. If you don't have it on you then it's worthless. If possible try one out before buying, our local range rents guns so a person can try before buying.
Gary
 
As others have noted, barrel length is not really a factor in either concealability, nor does will sight radius really matter at typical SD ranges. Still, I really like "compact class" of handguns. They're sort of jack-of-all-trades guns, large enough to shoot well, small enough to conceal (if you're willing to dress around the gun a little). I'm either too cheap or too poor to keep buying more guns, so I buy guns that can serve in several roles. $100 represents a not-insignificant jump in price on an $800 purchase, but I would probably go ahead and get the 3.8" Compact, so that it could ably serve as CC, nightstand, and range gun.
 
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