Some pistols look good on paper but completely fall apart when you try to carry them day to day. They’re too heavy, too bulky, have sharp edges, unreliable safeties, or controls that snag at the worst time. A carry gun should be safe, reliable, and disappear under a T-shirt—these are the opposite. Whether it’s poor ergonomics, excessive weight, or a trigger you don’t want near fabric, these pistols break nearly every “carry friendly” rule. Some folks still carry them. Most eventually stop once they realize what a chore it really is.
Desert Eagle .50 AE
The Desert Eagle is many things, but carry friendly isn’t one of them. It weighs over four pounds loaded, is nearly impossible to conceal without a trench coat, and prints like a hardcover novel in your waistband. The enormous frame and sharp corners dig into your side, and forget ankle or appendix carry—it’s a full commitment to discomfort.
Then there’s the issue of ammo. Carrying spare .50 AE magazines is like hauling bricks. It’s loud, flashy, and unwieldy. It might make you feel like a movie character, but it’s completely impractical for real-world defensive carry. This is a range toy or BBQ gun—not something you want on your hip in a grocery store line.
Taurus Judge
The Taurus Judge breaks the rules in a different way. It’s a revolver that shoots .410 shells and .45 Colt, which sounds versatile until you try to carry it. It’s thick, heavy, and tall—almost impossible to conceal unless you’re wearing a jacket year-round. The cylinder alone makes it feel twice the width of a normal revolver.
Recoil isn’t pleasant, and .410 defensive loads don’t perform like many think. The pattern can be erratic, and .45 Colt rounds aren’t cheap. Add to that a long double-action pull and rudimentary sights, and you’ve got a gun that’s harder to shoot well than most standard carry options. It’s an interesting concept but not one that’s easy to live with.
Hi-Point C9
The Hi-Point C9 is affordable, but carrying one is another story. It’s bulky for a single-stack pistol, top-heavy, and the sharp slide profile doesn’t sit well against the body. The trigger isn’t great, the safety is awkward, and the magazine release is prone to accidental presses if you’re not careful.
Weight is also an issue—it’s heavy for its size thanks to the blowback design. You’ll feel it pulling on your belt all day, and it’s not as smooth to draw as most compact 9mms. It’s hard to conceal comfortably, and spare magazines don’t always feed cleanly. You can carry it, but it won’t make you want to.
Glock 41
The Glock 41 is a .45 ACP long-slide pistol that excels at competition and target shooting—but it’s a monster for daily carry. It has a 5.31-inch barrel and full-size grip, making it one of the longest Glock pistols out there. Even with a good holster, the slide pokes out under shirts, and the weight can shift and drag throughout the day.
It’s reliable, no doubt, but there’s no getting around the fact that it’s big, long, and difficult to conceal. Unless you’re a large-framed person with a solid belt-and-holster setup, carrying the 41 every day gets old fast. It wasn’t made for concealment—it was made to shoot fast and flat in wide-open environments.
FN Five-seveN
The Five-seveN is lightweight for its size and has great capacity, but it’s tall, long, and surprisingly hard to conceal. The grip is large to accommodate the 5.7x28mm magazine, and it feels almost stretched vertically. That makes it hard to hide under average clothing and harder to keep from printing.
The safety location is also unusual—up near the slide—which makes it slower to deactivate under stress for some shooters. While the caliber is fast and flat, the availability and cost of defensive 5.7 ammo isn’t ideal. It’s a neat pistol with interesting capabilities, but when you actually try to carry it, the downsides add up quick.
CZ SP-01 Tactical
The SP-01 Tactical is an all-steel duty pistol with excellent range manners, but it’s a beast to carry. It weighs over two and a half pounds empty and gets close to three pounds once loaded. The frame and rail are chunky, and it’s not forgiving under lighter clothes.
Even in OWB setups, it’s hard to make disappear. The DA/SA trigger with decocker is great at the range but adds extra steps for draw-to-fire speed under pressure. For those willing to carry a full-size all-steel handgun, it might work, but most people who try it once find it’s more trouble than it’s worth.
Magnum Research BFR
If you’ve ever carried a BFR, it was probably for a photo op. This massive single-action revolver is chambered in calibers like .45-70 or .500 Linebaugh and built like a cannon. It weighs over four pounds, has a foot-long barrel option, and doesn’t fit in any “normal” holster.
Forget trying to conceal it—it’s hard enough to carry on the hip without feeling like you’ve strapped on a table leg. The recoil is massive, and reloading is slow. It’s a novelty or backup for backcountry bear defense—not a pistol you’re going to carry into a gas station or wear on a daily basis.
Desert Eagle L5
The Desert Eagle L5 trims some weight from the original model, but it still breaks all the carry rules. It’s still big, sharp-edged, and chambered in calibers like .44 Magnum or .357 Magnum. Even in a shoulder rig, it’s a chore to keep hidden or draw cleanly from under clothing.
The gas system gets hot fast, and the slide serrations feel like they were made to tear up cover garments. It draws attention, sure, but when it comes to practical carry, the L5’s dimensions and recoil make it more of a collector’s piece than a tool for daily use.
AMT Backup .45
The AMT Backup in .45 ACP looks carry-ready thanks to its small size, but the experience doesn’t match the marketing. The trigger pull is incredibly heavy—some models break at over 12 pounds—and the recoil is sharp thanks to the all-steel frame and blowback design.
Add in tiny sights and a heavy slide, and it becomes clear that shooting it accurately is tough, even up close. Carrying it is also a challenge—it’s small, but dense and awkwardly shaped. You can carry it, but after a few trips you’ll be shopping for something with better manners.
SIG Sauer P220 Legion SAO
The P220 Legion SAO is a gorgeous .45 ACP pistol with high-end features, but it’s not built for discreet carry. The extended controls and tall sights make it snag-prone, and the weight of the all-metal frame wears on your hip after a few hours.
It’s optimized for performance shooting, not concealment. The SAO setup means you’ve got to be comfortable carrying cocked and locked, which some folks aren’t. The thumb safety is well-designed, but adds another step on draw. This one’s more at home in a range holster or duty belt than under a t-shirt.
Beretta 92FS
The Beretta 92FS is legendary in service circles, but it’s large, heavy, and hard to conceal without printing. The open-slide design is great for reliability but digs into your side in most IWB holsters. The long double-action pull for the first shot also slows things down for carry use.
The safety-decocker is slide-mounted, which is awkward for many shooters to use quickly under pressure. It shoots smooth and flat on the range, but carrying it concealed is a commitment. Many who try it eventually retire it to home defense or range use instead.
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Calibers That Shouldn’t Even Be On the Shelf Anymore
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*This article was developed with AI-powered tools and has been carefully reviewed by our editors.
