What Are The Cheapest Concealed Carry Handguns On The Market?

What Are Some Good Cheap Concealed Carry Handguns?

The basic question any concealed carrier asks himself when selecting his everyday carry is: how much is my life worth? Because, essentially, that's the question being answered when selecting the make and model of your daily carry firearm.

While your life is priceless, that doesn't always mean plopping down thousands of dollars on a custom design, high speed-low drag concealed carry pistol. We're going to look at a few popular choices that fit a tight price range and see which ones are worth every penny.

    Base Criteria for our CCW selection:
  1. Must be readily concealable
  2. Must not currently be on recall
  3. Must retail new for less than $400

Keltec P-3AT .380 ACP - 6 Rounds

Retailing at less than $350, the P-3AT features a great .380 AUTO chambered micro-compact pistol ideal for daily carriers. This is a pistol that was designed to fit well within an inside the waistband holster while still having a decent overall capacity (6+1).

Taurus 850B2UL .38 Special - 5 Rounds

Everyone boo-hoo's revolvers but there's one basic thing every concealed carrier needs to keep in mind - accuracy and reliability don't get much better than in the revolver platform. That's why people keep buying them. And Taurus makes a great ultra-light 5 round .38 special designed to be tucked conveniently into an inside the waistband holster. With a barrel length of 2" and no hammer, it's the perfect every day carry.

Bersa Thunder .380 ACP - 7 Rounds

Sad fact - Walther has stopped producing the iconic James Bond-era Walther PPK. The good news? Bersa makes a close rendition for surprisingly cheap. It's such a popular concealed carry option that the Ecuadorian Air Force issues it standard to their pilots and officers. When you need a no nonsense .380 ACP for close to medium distances - you can't get much better (or cheaper) than the Bersa Thunder.

Hi-Point 916 9mm - 8 Rounds

This is literally the cheapest gun on the market. Hi-Point makes guns designed for cost efficiency and little else. That said, for less than $200 you can equip yourself with an 8 round capacity firearm capable of using +P ammunition. Is it the ideal choice for anyone? No. Will it work in a pinch? Absolutely.

Kahr CM9 9mm - 8 Rounds

Kahr makes an affordable concealed carry model that can be chambered in 9mm, .40 S&W, and even .45 ACP. The CM versions tend to be slightly less polished than the PM series but they have every bit as much accuracy and precision in craftsmanship. While it retails at slightly over the $400 mark we set for our caveats, almost every gun store in America will have one used for well less than that. And the majority of those used are used because the owner decided he or she wanted something fancier. One thing that can be said about the CM series - nothing fancy, but every bit as deadly as a pistol three times as expensive.

Do you know about any pistols or revolvers that are extremely compact and affordable? Tell us about your selection in the comments below!

About The Author

James England (@sir_jim_england) is the contributing editor for Alien Gear Holsters. He is a veteran of Operation Iraqi Freedom and private defense contracting in Afghanistan.

Back to blog