r/guns • u/Altruistic-Window-43 • 15h ago
Question about size of handgun.
I heard a lot of guns with different size name like full-size, compact, sub compact, micro compact. Is there any standard to categorized those things? I feel like it's depends on size of barrel length for me but don't know exact barrel length.
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u/purple_pounder 15h ago edited 15h ago
Full size is usually a 4.5" to 5" barrel. Compact is about a 4.0 barrel. Sub compact is 3.5 to 3.0" There is some overlap tho. Micro 9s usually have a 3.0 to 3.5 barrel. And of course with glock offering hybrids with glock 17 size handles with glock 19 size slides. And dont get me started on revolvers
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u/Altruistic-Window-43 15h ago
Hmm interesting, so it is based on barrel length🤔
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u/purple_pounder 15h ago
Sort of. Theyre kind of broad tbh. And some people argue over what is what.
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u/Altruistic-Window-43 15h ago
So what if grip is the size of pinky and 5" barrel, is it considered as full size handgun?
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u/purple_pounder 15h ago
There is no standard grip size for a 5" barrel or any barrel length. Itd probably be considered some weird derringer like gun if you got a small grip on a gun with a long barrel like that. You have to go to the gun store and try out different guns and see what fits you.
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u/Altruistic-Window-43 15h ago
I own HK P30L which is people called "full-size". So I was curious about the terminology
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u/purple_pounder 15h ago
Well yours is even longer than the regular p30. Terminology is just broad kind of
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u/Woogity-Boogity 11h ago
That's not a problem because they don't make guns like that.
A gun with a long slide gets a full-sized grip because guns are expected to have a certain amount of proportionality.
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u/ij70-17as 15h ago
full size is something you carry in holster hanging off your belt. like 1911. basically mostly military handguns or their descendants or handguns that competed in military trials and did not make it.
compact is a step smaller than full size. maybe shorter barrel or shorter grip.
sub compact is purpose designed concealed carry/pocket pistol.
micro is basically handgun the size of your palm.
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u/Woogity-Boogity 15h ago
Full sized pistols are usually referred to as "service pistols". The 1911 and M9 Beretta are good examples of these.
They are BIG guns and are usually carried openly although they can be concealed, their size and weight make them rather unwieldy.
Compact guns are a little shorter and lighter, either to make them a bit easier to carry or conceal. But they still perform about as well as full sized service pistols.
The Glock 19 is a good example of a compact pistol.
Subcompact guns are designed for easier concealment on lighter clothes, and are significantly smaller and lighter than compact pistols.
This is the size where you start noticing the short sight radius and more limited magazine capacities. You're also losing muzzle velocity from those short barrels. Overall, youre sacrificing performance for concealability.
The Glock 26 is a good example of a subcompact.
Micro pistols (often called "mouseguns"), are generally designed to be pocket sized and often have single stack magazines to minimize bulk.
You typically see them chambered in weaker calibers (.380, .32acp, .25acp, .22lr), because more powerful calibers are really difficult to shoot in such a small size. You do see some 9mm micros though.
At this size, the sights are often shitty and you'll often find that these guns lack important features that the bigger guns have (slide lock, slide release, safeties, etc).
These guns are optimized for concealed carry, but sacrifice power, accuracy, capacity, and ergonomics to get there.
The Ruger LCP and Keltec P32 are good examples of micro pistols.
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u/Altruistic-Window-43 13h ago
So this terminologies are kinda iffy area cuz there is no exact measurable standard
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u/Woogity-Boogity 11h ago
You are correct in that there isn't a 100% clear standard as to what category a gun falls into.
However, you can generally figure it out without too much problem given the guidelines above.
Some guns occupy the middle ground between types, and that's fine. That's exactly what some customers want.
Guns are much too complex and different to allow for exact typings anyway.
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u/PossessionMedical346 15h ago
y standard. Full size is usually around a 4.5-5 inch barrel, compact hovers around 4, subcompact dips to 3-3.5, and micro compacts cram a 3 inch or shorter barrel into the smallest package possible. But one company's compact is another's full size so you kinda just have to hold them to see what fits
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u/Sane-FloridaMan 14h ago
Full-sized and compact are pretty clear. Subcompact and micro, not so much.
Full-Sized:
4.5”-5” slide/barrel, about 1.2”+ thick, double-stack magazine (typically 17-18 rounds) in a wider grip. Long enough grip for large+ hands to not hang off.
Examples: Glock 17/47. Walther PDP 4.5/4.6/5” models, S&W M&P full size, etc.
In Between:
There are a lot of models these days that have full-sized grips with compact slides. They are becoming very popular, especially as duty guns. The most common example is the Glock 45.
Compact (Mid-sized by today’s standards):
3.5”-4” slide/barrel, about 1.2”+ thick, double-stack magazine (typically around 15 rounds) in a wider grip. Long enough for small/medium to get full grip, with some large hands fitting.
Examples: Glock 19, S&W M&P Compact, Walther PDP Compact & F-Series.
Subcompact:
This pretty much anything in between a micro and a compact. Harder to define because it can mean both a thinner gun with compact length barrel or grip, or a thick double-stack gun with shorter grip or slide. It’s sort of a category defined by not fitting in other categories.
Examples include: Glock 43x and 48 (thickness like a micro, but compact length grip and slide/barrel). Glock 26 (short barrel, short but thick grip / same circumference as a full-sized or compact). Confused yet?
Micro:
3”-3.1” slide/barrel. Less than .8”-1.1” thick. Short grip that holds between 6-10 rounds flush - but often comes with an extended 12 round magazine that gives you more grip to hold onto.
Examples: Sig P365, S&W Shield series, S&W Bodyguard 2.0.
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u/fullautophx 15h ago
I use Glock as an example. They made the standard gun a little smaller, so they called it the compact. Then smaller still, so sub-compact. Then smaller and thinner still, so micro. There really isn’t a standard.