Reader Question: What’s the Biggest Firearm You’ve Ever Concealed?

There is a plethora of skinny, shiny firearms for purchase for defensive use.

Seriously, if you really feel inclined you can get a moderate-caliber semiautomatic in a nice, comfy holster in your pocket for well under $400. That’s a pretty sweet deal.

Single-stack handguns are becoming more prolific and comfortable by the year, so in the age of tiny-but-mighty — what about the opposite end of the spectrum?

When I first took my concealed carry class, one of the two men teaching the class wanted to demonstrate a point — you can conceal almost any firearm if you’ve got the right holster and take a moment to think about what’s the best fit for you.

He made his point pretty clearly when he pulled 11 handguns off of himself without having to wear a jacket, one of which was a .44 magnum Desert Eagle.

Well, that’s a little much, but it sure made an impression on me.

I’ve never carried a Desert Eagle, but I have carried a few larger firearms.

I’ve carried the Tristar T-120, which is the Turkish clone of the full-size Jericho 941. It was quite a bit smaller, but the full-size 9mm handgun with a 20-round capacity makes for a chunky firearm.

Actually, a full-size 1911’s 8-inches-and-change in length also makes for a pretty long handgun to conceal, and a large portion of the concealed carrying community use them as staples.

If you buy the right holster, you can conceal some pretty large firearms. The shoulder holster, which I don’t often recommend unless it’s a method of carry you’re proficient with, can be pretty forgiving of a handgun’s size.

So my question to the audience here is: what’s the biggest firearm you’ve ever carried? What’s the biggest handgun you’ve ever regularly concealed for carry?

Let us know in the comments below, and tag a friend or two!