Saturday Movies: Pistols for Concealed Carry — Top Choices

The Kimber R7 Mako Pistol was the NRA Shooting Illustrated magazine 2022 Handgun of the Year.

Millions of Americans now exercise their Constitutional right to “keep and bear arms”, specifically to carry a pistol for personal protection and home defense. In response to the rapid growth of the CCW (Concealed Carry Weapon) market, numerous gun-makers have introduced compact handguns specifically designed for concealed carry. These “Carry Guns” tend to be smaller, lighter, with smoother, rounded edges on slide and frame. Today, many modern carry guns are also “Optics Ready”, meaning they have slides that can accept smaller red dot sights. And some companies are now selling handguns with the optics pre-installed.

For today’s Saturday video showcase, we feature five videos covering a wide range of popular semi-automatic carry guns. You’ll see offerings from Beretta, Glock, HK, Kahr, Kimber, Ruger, Smith & Wesson, Taurus, Walther and more. In addition, we’ve included a video that covers the pros and cons of installing optics on carry pistols. Finally, as a bonus, we’ve included a video that highlights five handguns that you may want to avoid, as they have not lived up to expectations.

Top Ten Best Carry Pistols for the Money

Here the Honest Outlaw Channel reviews ten semi-auto pistols. The host states these are the “10 best pistols for the money,” adding that “these handguns are reliable, accurate, durable, light weight, and cost less than most alternatives.” This video was released in December 2022, so it covers the latest generation of modern carry pistols.

Five Favorite Carry Pistols — Colion Noir’s Top Handguns

Colion Noir is a very popular gun reviewer and Second Amendment advocate. In this video, which has over 1.1 million views, Colion covers the five guns he personally carries. Why five? Colion states: “When it comes to my concealed carry guns, I practice tactical polyamory. Essentially, I don’t just carry one gun. I have a rotation of guns I carry based on what I’m wearing that day, where I’m going, and what I’m doing. I put a lot of thought into my carry rotation, which changes based on my needs. Sometimes a gun that’s better at handling the job comes out, and I’ll carry it once I’m comfortable with its reliability. That said, there are five guns I consistently carry[.]”

Five Top Choices among CCW & EDC (Everyday Carry) Handguns

The host notes: “We are going over the five best CCW firearms that I reviewed this year and ranking them from 1 to 5. We are going to save the best for the last. Some of the criteria for ranking these firearms isn’t only based on performance. We are ranking based on performance, price, reliability, and comfort.”

Ten Modern Micro-Pistols for Concealed Carry

The reviewer states: “It’s 2023 and the world of firearms keeps evolving. One of the hottest trends in the firearms industry right now is micro pistols — small, compact handguns that are perfect for concealed carry or as backup guns. If you’re looking for the best micro pistols in 2023, you’ve come to the right place. This video reviews the latest and greatest micro pistols on the market, discussing their features, performance, and why they’re making waves in the gun community.”

Kimber R7 Mako — Award-Winning Twin-Stack Micro-Compact

Kimber’s R7 Mako pistol won a coveted Golden Bullseye Award from NRA’s Shooting Illustrated magazine, taking the trophy for the magazine’s “2022 Handgun of the Year” category. The R7 Mako is very compact, with good ergonomics, yet it offers 12-rd (11+1) capacity (and 13+1 with extended magazine). The R7 Mako showed outstanding accuracy when tested indoors (see video at 15:25 time-mark).

The R7 Mako is offered Optics Ready for $599.00 MSRP or with Crimson Trace Red Dot Optic installed for $799.00 MSRP. SEE Shooting Illustrated Review.

Optics on Carry Pistols — Factors to Consider

Red Dot sights are becoming more popular than ever. Many pistols today are “Optics Ready”, and some handguns can now be purchased with optics already installed. There are both strengths and weaknesses having optics on CCW handguns. In this video, Massad Ayoob outlines the pros and cons of Red Dots on carry pistols. Along with covering the factors to consider, Ayoob provides advice on red dot zeroing, defoggers, and more.

BONUS: Five Handguns to Avoid

When shopping for a handgun, it’s helpful to know which models to avoid, because of poor reliability or other shortcomings. This Honest Outlaw video reveals five handguns that are not the best choices for concealed carry: Smith & Wesson CSX, SCCY CPX-2, Remington RP-9, Kahr CW 380, and Taurus PT 22.