The third season of our popular "I Carry" video series covered dozens of different concealed-carry guns, along with the necessary holsters and other EDC items that make up a great kit. However, some CCW guns and holster setups stood out among the pack, so here are our top five "I Carry" EDC kits from 2019.
In one of our top "I Carry" videos of 2019, we featured a Glock G25 Gen 5 with aMeprolightFT Bullseye sight in aT.Rex Arms holster. We also have aStreamlightTLR-6 light and a NeoMagmagazine carrier.
As part of the company’s fifth-generation rollout, Glock enhanced its double-stack, sub-compact G26 with redesigned internals, a finger-groove-free frame and enhanced texturing. All this optimization makes the Gen 5 model leaps and bounds better than earlier Gen 3 and Gen 4 iterations, because the Gen 5 offers a better factory trigger pull, and the new ergonomics mean owners can obtain a better grip on the gun without being directed by the one-size-fits-none finger grooves on the frame.
In 2018, Smith & Wesson release two new options for fans of its Model 19. One was styled and configured like the classic K-Frame first produced in the 1950s, only with updated and modernized internal mechanisms. The other, the Carry Comp, was a 21st-century take on the platform, providing defensive shooters with a compact, carry-sized variant that still featured the sturdy construction and six-round capacity of the K-Frame design.
We put together a unique EDC kit around the Bond Arms Rowdy derringer inside of a matched Bond Armspocket holster, a snake-shot load fromCCI Ammo, aGerberknife and a trauma kit fromTMS Outdoors.
Bond Arms is known for the company’s line of well-built, high-quality derringers, and the company has introduced two new lines of more-affordable options for those looking to add one to their collection. The Roughneck series is available in popular centerfield pistol cartridges like 9 mm and .45 ACP, while the Rowdy we have here today is slightly larger and offers slightly more punch. Don’t worry too much about recoil, as the 20-ounce weight will reduce kick somewhat. Another neat feature? The Rowdy is compatible with all standard Bond Arms barrels, so should you desire to match your carry gun’s chambering, it’s most-likely possible.
The Ruger EC9s is comparable in size to either the Shield or the G43, lighter than either of those pistol and of equal or superior capacity. About the only significant difference is in the sights: while the other pistols have aftermarket options, the EC9s does not – because the front and rear sights are milled into the slide. It’s rather hard to change sights when they don’t come off. Really, your only option is a dab of paint on the front sight to help it stand out – which is something revolver fans have been doing for decades.
Launched in 2019 was the X Compact version of SIG’s staple P320, the company’s striker-fired, polymer-frame pistol famous for winning the U.S. Army’s Modular Handgun solicitation in 2017. The X series brings a refined, flat-face trigger, XRay3 night sights and a slide cut for a micro-red-dot sight to the list of upgrades over the standard P320 model.