There’s a sweet spot where a pistol carries like a compact but shoots like a duty gun. And then there’s the other category: guns that land in the awkward middle. They’re too tall to disappear, too thick to be comfortable for a lot of body types, or just long enough to poke and print… but they don’t give you enough extra shootability to justify the size. You end up with a gun that carries like a full-size some days and shoots like a compact other days, depending on hands, mags, and how you’re dressed.
Glock 19X
The 19X is the classic example: compact slide, full-size grip. On the range, the full grip is awesome. In the waistband, that grip is what prints and pokes. You get the carry length of a compact but the concealment headache of a full-size. Some guys love it because it shoots like a duty gun and they don’t care about printing. Others realize quickly it’s a lot of grip to hide for a gun that isn’t actually giving you a longer sight radius or more velocity.
Where it ends up “undecided” is wardrobe and season. In winter, it’s easy. In summer, the long grip becomes the whole story. If you can hide it, it’s great. If you can’t, you start wondering why you didn’t just carry a 19 or go all the way to a 17.
SIG Sauer P320 Carry
The P320 Carry configuration can feel like it’s trying to be everything at once. It gives you a grip that feels duty-sized in your hand, but it’s not always as easy to conceal as a true compact. Depending on your frame and holster, it can ride like a full-size with the same old grip-printing problem, while the slide length doesn’t always give you the balance benefits you’d expect from a full-size setup.
On the range it can feel great. In daily carry, the grip is what matters. If your priority is concealment, you may end up thinking, “This is basically as hard to hide as the bigger one.” If your priority is shootability, you may think, “Why not just run the full-size?” It’s a good gun, it just lands in an odd middle for many people.
Springfield XD-M Elite Compact (with extended mags)
This is one that gets weird because it can switch roles depending on the mag you choose. With flush mags, it carries more like a compact. With the extended mags and grip sleeves, you basically turned it into a full-size grip again—which is usually the part that prints. A lot of owners like having the option, but in real life they end up leaving the extended setup at home because it defeats the point.
On the range, the extended grip feels great and the gun is easy to run fast. In concealment, the long grip is your enemy. So it becomes “compact when it’s inconvenient to shoot, full-size when it’s inconvenient to hide.” That’s the undecided problem. The gun is capable. The role is messy.
Smith & Wesson M&P 2.0 Compact 4.0”
The 4-inch M&P Compact is a fantastic do-it-all gun for many shooters, but it can still land in the “which category am I?” zone depending on your build and carry style. The grip is compact-ish but still tall enough to print for some people, and the slide length is long enough to be comfortable to shoot but not always short enough to feel truly effortless to conceal.
A lot of guys buy it hoping it replaces both their compact and their full-size. Sometimes it does. Sometimes it doesn’t, because it’s still big enough to be annoying in hot weather carry while not giving the full-size handling benefits like extra weight, longer sight radius, and softer tracking. It’s one of the better “middle” guns, but it still lives in that middle.
CZ P-10 C
The P-10 C is a legit compact duty-style pistol, but it often feels like it sits right on the line. It’s big enough to shoot extremely well, but depending on your body type and holster setup, it can conceal more like a full-size than people expect. The grip and overall thickness are the main drivers. If you’re used to slim compacts, it feels chunky. If you’re used to duty guns, it feels compact.
That’s why owners split. Some call it the perfect size. Others say it’s just large enough to be annoying without being truly duty-size. It’s not a flaw in the pistol. It’s a “fit and role” issue. If it matches your carry style, you’ll love it. If it doesn’t, it’ll feel like a gun that can’t pick a lane.
FN 509 Compact
The 509 Compact carries like a compact in theory, but the overall feel and dimensions can make it ride bigger than expected. It’s not a slim little gun. It’s a duty-bred compact with a grip that can still print and a slide that still takes up real estate. Many shooters love how it shoots—because it does shoot like a serious pistol—but then realize it’s not an effortless concealment gun.
Where it becomes “undecided” is that it’s still not the full-size 509 handling experience. You get a compact-ish package that can still feel bulky under a t-shirt. For some people, that’s fine. For others, it creates that exact question: why carry something that’s still kind of big if it’s not giving you the full-size advantages?
Beretta APX A1 Compact
The APX Compact is another duty-style compact that can feel big for its class. It’s not a micro and it’s not a slimline. It’s a compact that’s still thick enough to feel like a service pistol. That can be a good thing on the range—more control, more confidence. In concealed carry, it can feel like you’re doing full-size work for compact benefit.
A lot of owners also end up in the “mag choice” trap. With flush mags it’s manageable, with extended mags it prints like a full grip. So it becomes a pistol that can be configured either way, but your body and wardrobe decide which configuration you actually carry. That’s the “can’t decide” theme again.
Canik TP9 Elite SC
The Elite SC is marketed as a subcompact, but it shoots bigger than it is—which is good—and it also carries bigger than some people expect. The thickness and shape can make it feel like you’re carrying a compact even though the slide is shorter. The grip is short enough to hide better than a duty gun, but it’s not so small that it disappears like a micro.
So you get this odd result: it’s not as easy to conceal as a true micro, but it’s not as soft and steady as a full-size. Many shooters still love it because it’s a very shootable smaller gun. But if your goal is “one gun that does everything,” you may find it’s living in the middle and you’re still compromising on both ends.
Walther PDP Compact
PDP Compacts are great shooters, but the platform can feel thick and substantial—more like a duty gun shrunk down than a carry gun designed to vanish. That’s awesome for recoil control and speed. It’s less awesome for concealment, especially with lighter clothing. Many guys buy it because it feels amazing in the hand, then realize “feels amazing” doesn’t always equal “carries amazing.”
Where it feels undecided is that it’s still not the full-size PDP stability if you’re shooting long strings, but it carries closer to full-size than many expect. If you dress around your gun and like a thicker pistol, you’ll be fine. If you’re trying to keep carry effortless, it can feel like it’s not fully committing to compact.
Ruger Security-9 Compact
The Security-9 Compact often lands in the “big compact” zone. It’s not tiny, it’s not slim like the micro-9 class, and it’s not a full duty gun either. It can be a good budget option, but it’s the kind of gun where you may wonder what problem it’s solving. It carries like a compact that still takes effort to hide, yet it doesn’t always give the refinement and shootability of a higher-end compact.
If you like the gun, you can absolutely carry it. But for many owners, it becomes one of those “I liked it, but…” pistols. They end up moving either smaller for concealment or bigger for performance. That’s the reality of a middle-size gun with middle-size compromises.
IWI Masada Slim
Masada Slim is kind of the reverse of the “thick compact” issue. It’s thinner, which helps concealment, but it’s often long enough and tall enough that it still doesn’t feel like a true micro. That makes it feel like it’s trying to bridge two categories. It’s easier to carry than a chunky compact, but it’s not always as small as people expect when they hear “slim.”
Where it becomes undecided is the expectation mismatch. Some buyers want it to replace their micro. Others want it to shoot like a compact. It’s somewhere in between, and whether that’s perfect or annoying depends on the person. The gun itself is fine. The “lane” is what confuses people.
Glock 48
The Glock 48 is slim and carries well, but it’s also long enough that some people don’t treat it like a “small gun.” It’s not a micro like a 43, and it’s not a thick compact like a 19. It’s a slim, longer gun that can feel like it’s straddling categories. For some people, it’s the perfect balance. For others, it’s “too long for what it is” compared to a 43X, or “not enough gun” compared to a 19.
On the range, it’s usually pleasant. In concealment, length and wardrobe decide if it’s a win. It’s the poster child for “middle lane”—and you need to know if that lane fits your daily life.
HK VP9SK
VP9SK can be a compact carry gun with a flush mag, or it can quickly become a full grip gun with extensions. That flexibility is great, but it also creates that “what am I?” feeling. Because most people prefer a full grip while shooting, they train with extensions… then carry with flush mags… and wonder why it doesn’t feel the same under stress.
The pistol itself is excellent. The problem is consistency. If your carry configuration doesn’t match your training configuration, the gun can feel like it changes roles on you. That’s how a “great gun” becomes a “weird fit” for some owners. It’s not unreliable. It’s just not consistent unless you force it to be.
SIG Sauer P229
The P229 is a classic “it’s compact, but also kind of not” pistol. It’s heavy and thick enough to feel like a duty gun on the belt, yet it’s not as long or as stable as the full-size versions when you’re shooting hard. It’s a phenomenal pistol, but concealment-wise it can feel like you’re doing full-size carry work for compact slide length.
A lot of guys end up loving it for OWB carry, winter carry, or as a “serious gun” that isn’t meant to be hidden under a thin t-shirt. If you’re trying to make it your everyday concealed carry in hot weather, it can feel like the role doesn’t match the gun. That’s the “can’t decide” feeling: great pistol, awkward everyday niche.
1911 Commander (4.25”) in steel
Commander-length 1911s can be the most tempting “one gun” setup. They carry better than a Government model and shoot better than an Officer. But they can also sit right in the middle where they still carry like a real piece of steel and still don’t give you the full-size stability and sight radius. Some people love that balance. Others end up realizing it’s neither the easy-carry option nor the easiest shooter.
The “undecided” part shows up in how people use them. They want it to be a carry gun and a range gun and a class gun. It can do all of that, but you’re also managing weight, comfort, and sometimes spring maintenance more than a striker compact. If you want the 1911 feel, it’s a great compromise. If you want effortless practicality, it’s a middle that can feel unnecessary.
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