The first four are listed simply in smaller-to-larger order:
1. Seecamp LWS-32. Pocket gun. Not a best “primary” weapon, due to lack of sights, and the mild cartridge, which limit its effective range. I almost did not include this one, wondering whether a secondary/tertiary weapon should be listed as a “top carry gun,” but, well, here it is. In spite of its narrowness and small overall size, it actually behaves better in my hands than some larger pocket pistols I have tried.
2. Ruger SP101. My usual minimum “carry gun,” when out and about. Only a few of my trousers have large-enough pockets to hold this one, so, it is usually holstered. If I hold properly high, on the grip, I can get a good three-finger grip, on an SP101, and the heel of the factory grip will brace firmly against the “heel bone” of my hand, which is a tremendous aid to control and stability
3. S&W Model 64, 2” barrel, a K-Frame revolving pistol. My usual belt/waist pouch/pack gun, inside a specific waist pack, but I also have belt holsters for it.
4. Ruger GP100. Several, 3” to 6” barrels. Serious working guns. Serious fightin’ guns. One has a tritium front sight and spurless hammer. The one visible in my avatar image served as my personally-owned police duty revolver, for a while, until I switched to lighter-weight 4” K-Frame Model 66, to let that purplish spot on my hip heal.
The above are in smaller-to-larger order, rather than ranked by frequency of carry, or which I prefer. My absolute favorite is the GP100, visible in my avatar image. It placed a defensive shot exactly where it was necessary, three decades ago. I have another, just like it, except for the serial number. Both were made in the very early Nineties, when Ruger still cared enough to machine grunge grooves, under the extractor, to lessen the chance that unburned powder debris would cause a problem, during an extended shooting session. These particular GP100 revolvers are true Valley-of-the-Shadow-of-Death guns.
I have other revolvers, that I like, but that I do not often carry. Some of these other revolvers simply need better grips, in order to be more desirable as carry guns. I do often carry the above four listed handguns. So, next up would be either a full-sized 1911, or, a Glock. The 1911 has seniority, as a model series, because my first handgun, at age 21, 40+ years ago, was a 1911. One of my current several 1911 pistols has been a carry gun since the turn of this century, and was my police duty pistol for a while, in the twilight of my LEO-ing days, in my mid-fifties, after my then-chief OK’ed the 1911 to again be a primary duty pistol. I also like the Gen4 Glock G17, that was my duty pistol, for a short time, after my then-chief OK’ed 9mm to again be a primary duty pistol cartridge, and before I was able to resume using a 1911 duty pistol. (My high-bore-axis .40 SIG P229 had muzzle flip that was really starting to aggravate my arthritis. An all-steel, full-sized 1911, and a full-sized 9mm Glock, were/are both “orthopedic” pistols.)
Well, OK, I scrolled up, and re-read the part that says that this discussion is about what THR members “like to carry.” I like 1911 and Glock pistols, for different reasons, but can assert that I “like to carry” a 1911, more than a blocky Glock. I am more consistently accurate with a 1911 than with a Glock. A 1911 helps me to remember some adventurous moments, from my younger days, on the sometimes-mean streets of Houston. Solid steel is heavier, but blocky is less fun.
So:
5. Les Baer Thunder Ranch Special, a full-Government-sized, all-steel 1911 pistol, that I have owned since the year 2000.