Shorter grip longer barrel for concealed carry?

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fallingrock71

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I have a Ruger sr9c which impresses me more every time I shoot it. I've been thinking that I would like it even more with a longer barrel. The short grip works just fine despite my big ole Sasquatch hands, but with the full size magazine and lil adapter thingamajiggy it is even better. For me it really is like shooting a fullsize pistol. The setup just plain works for me. I'd REALLY like to have an sr9 with the grip of the sr9c for the longer barrel. Maybe I'm missing something, but I just don't see the downside of such a pistol. Honestly, I'd like a sr9c with a 5 inch barrel.

Seems to me that barrel length(within reason of course) isn't nearly as big a factor in comfortable/practical concealed carry as grip height. I've always wondered if there would be much interest in a pistol with about a 4-5 inch barrel with a short grip.

Does such a thing already exist? Am I alone in my interest for such a critter?
 
Lots of glock 26L and 19L. Glock 19 and 17 with a grip chop.
Bowie Tactical will do the same with an M&P.

A CCO is a commander slide and an officers grip frame.

Lots of options
 
This is one of the most common pieces of feedback you hear from shooters that seems to get ignored. Unlike the poster above me, I see almost no options for this in the marketplace. Reduced Glocks are not exactly commonplace, although you could make one.

Springfield seems to be catching on with the XDs 4.0; that is the only gun to do this from the factory that I'm aware of. You get competition models like the Walther PPQ 5.0, but that's not really the same thing since they aren't subcompact grips.
 
Springfield seems to be catching on with the XDs 4.0; that is the only gun to do this from the factory that I'm aware of.
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This pistol is the first one that came to mind when reading the OP.
 
I've often wanted a chopped down Glock 17 or 21, with the 19/30 grip length. Make a great carry gun.

One of the reasons I really like the Browning Hi Power. Height equivalent to a Glock 19 (best size for me to conceal easy) with the 4 5/8" barrel.
 
This is one of the most common pieces of feedback you hear from shooters that seems to get ignored. Unlike the poster above me, I see almost no options for this in the marketplace. Reduced Glocks are not exactly commonplace, although you could make one.
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Every year, pre-Shot Show, you hear folks hope that Glock will come out with a single stack 9mm. I'm always hoping they come out with a short grip (short like a G26) on G19 frame for the CCW market.

That configuration is the sole reason I bought a little Phoenix HP22 with the long "range kit" barrel for plinking. Really like it better than the short Phoenix.
 
I love the CCO configuration on 1911s. As others have said officers frame with commander slide. This is custom gun from Wild West Guns built on an 80 series Colt CCO.



 
You can definitely do that with a Sig P250. I have all 3 grip/slide assemblies for the 9mm and it's kind of like playing with Legos - fun. The longer barrel wrings out an extra 100 fps over the sub-compact. That is about the only advantage. Maybe slightly less recoil but it's only a 9mm.

For CC, I would rather have a shorter upper and the ability to take a higher capacity mag, like the way the G26 is designed. I carry a P11 in my rotation and sometimes have a spare 20 round S&W 59XX series mag with it. I figure if 33 rounds don't cut it, I'm in deep doo-doo. :D
 
We bought an XDS 4.0 9mm for my wife and it's a great gun for CC. The longer barrel really tames the already mild recoil and makes for an enjoyable shooting experience.
 
I carry AIWB so like what Onward said, I prefer a shorter bbl for carry comfort & greater mag capacity. Hence my EDC is a SIG P250 subcompact 9mm slide on a bobbed compact frame so I have that shorter bbl but still have 15rd capacity w/a full grip.
Tomac
 
ScotchMan said:
This is one of the most common pieces of feedback you hear from shooters that seems to get ignored. Unlike the poster above me, I see almost no options for this in the marketplace.
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I think the reason for this is lower demand. At the LGS where I work, by far the most common complaint from customers regarding subcompact pistols is that the grip is too short and they have no place to put their pinky. You see customers with guns as small as the LCP still wanting a grip extension so they can fit their whole hand on it.

This emphasis on a longer grip is misplaced, in my opinion. Like the OP said, grip length is one of the most important factors in concealing a gun. But when people start extending their grips with grip extensions it ruins the whole purpose of a subcompact carry gun.

I've found that with a good thumbs-forward grip it doesn't really matter if your pinky hangs off. So with a gun like a Shield or a Glock 26, I just use the flush-fit mags for maximum concealment, and the fact that my pinky doesn't fit on the grip doesn't affect my shooting at all.
 
An SR9c with a 4" barrell would be really nice. 5" would feel off-balance to me I think.

Always been a fan of the G19/CCO size. It's the perfect balance between duty and CCW. Just for me, the all round perfect dims.
 
I always liked the idea of the longer barrel and shorter grip. Seemed to me that the barrel was not the hard part to conceal.

Some may say that longer barrels increase draw time, but if you keep it reasonable, and don't look like the Joker pulling out his custom S&W revolver from his pants, you are probably fine.


I seen the FS 320 slide on the compact frame, it looks good. I wish they made the FS frame with less rail up front, so it would look better.
 
I had both the SR9 and the SR9c. I sold the SR9 because I never used it. For barrel length there is only about an inch difference.
Because the magazines are interchangeable, you may be able to take a SR9 and have the handle shortened. Then you would have what you wished.
 
I agree, it's the grip length that's the hard part for me to conceal...barrel length is 2ndary within reason. I particularly like my Sig 1911 RCS for that reason: shorter grip by 1/4"+ and a 4" barrel. It's controllable, superbly accurate, and unobtrusive when tucked in the FBI 4 o'clock position in an OWB holster. I'll post a pic if I can get photobucket to work tonight. You can see the difference when compared to Ruger's 1911 CMD.

Best Regards, Rod

 
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Barrel length is secondary, but can be an issue for me. With CCW my pistol rides much higher than when OC'd. I haven't measured, but probably close to 6 inches. This already results in a somewhat awkward pull. A longer barrel force me to pull the pistol higher. A longer barrel adds to that. If I am standing up right drawing on my refrigerator that isn't a problem. From positions where my body is bent to my strongside or twisted toward my weak side it becomes an issue. Drawing with my weak hand from a strongside holster even more so.

Not enough of an issue to convince me the longer sight radius wouldn't be nice enough to at leas look at some of the conversion options though.

Decreasing the radius of my belt line might alleviate these problems. I can't remember having them when I wore a 32" waist size.
 
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