Why not the Guardian? What instead?

[lohman446]

It has struck me that a lot of members of this board have passed up on an NAA Guardian for carry and have chosen something different.  As one of the values of such a board is feedback. 

To those of you who have chosen something other than the Guardian what is it, and why?

For me I have simply decided that anything as large, wide, and heavy as the Guardian does not work for pocket carry and if I am going to go to belt carry it is going to be something else.  This is one of three guns to me:  a Ruger SP101, a Sig P232, or a Sig P938.  To me they are better belt guns than the Guardian.  The last time I purchased something similiar for in the pocket it was a Beretta Tomcat.  I simply found that I came back to the size issue - it was a bit too wide to be a pocket gun. The good news for NAA:  having found the Tomcat (and thus the Guardian as well) too large for pocket carry I purchased a mini-revolver. 

Why did I pick the Tomcat over the Guardian?  Simply put I like external hammers.  That is why I ended up with the Tomcat when looking at guns in this niche. 

[Uncle_Lee]

I like the feel of the Kel-Tec P3-AT better.

[RogueTS1]

Not a fan of double action only in an automatic. I much prefer the Beretta 21a or Walther TPH with threaded barrels for my BUG. Then my Pug for my BBGUG.

[grayelky]

My reasoning is the same as yours: size and weight. I have a KelTec P32 and a Seecamp 32 I prefer, due to the smaller size and lighter weight. I am currently experimenting with a Guardian in .32NAA, which is the same size and weight as the Guardian 380. I like the ballistics of the 32NAA caliber. Since everything is a trade off, if my test shots and shooting go as I suspect, I will have some tough (for me) decisions to make.

My next dream concealed carry gun? Kimber SOLO in 9mm. I am not a huge fan of the 9mm, BUT, in a package the size of the Sig P238, I really like the concept. If I can ever locate one I can afford, I suspect my Kel Tec, Seecamp and Guardian will find themselves lonely quite often. And, yes, one of my NAA .22 mags will still be in my front pocket.

[kel11]

I like my Guardian 380 but it really is too heavy to carry.  It has found its home in my wife's nightstand.  I now carry a Seacamp 32

[redhawk4]

I pocket carry my Guardian 380 everyday and have never been aware of the associated problems of size and weight that I hear others complain about and marvel anyone could find that an issue. I'm so used to carrying it I often have to check it's there with a hand as I cannot tell it's in my pocket. I nearly always wear jeans or jean shorts, pocket carry does not work in dress pants so well with any gun, and definitely more weight makes it worse, so the Guardian is not the best for that.

I too have noticed how many on the forum shy away from the Guardian range,particularly the 380. While there are many models to choose from out there and the Guardian is a less sophisticated design, I prefer to carry a good old fashioned chunk of metal over many of the polymer designs which in addition to looking horrible also have some rather tacky looking internals.

[boots]

I have one of the 1st Guardian 32.  I originally carried in my pocket and IWB but now days it stays in my truck.  My BW is always in my pocket.  Both are great guns but the Guardian is now a little too big and heavy for EDC in my pocket and too small for primary carry. The 32 is a capable round and I will sometimes carry but only if my 1911 is too big. 

[redhawk4]

I really don't understand the Guardian size issue in 380, let alone 32. Perhaps if you are 6' 4',  like me your pockets are proportionally bigger so the gun is proportionally smaller. As my hands are so much bigger too, the Guardian 380 is about as small as I want to go and still have something to grab a good  hold of. I can carry a J frame in my pocket comfortably, although that is starting to get towards the bulky end because the cylinder makes it fat and it tends to print, even with a holster, and that's a lot bigger than a 380 Guardian.

[cedarview kid]

I LOVE all three of my Guardians! (.380, .32, .32NAA) The workmanship is excellent and second to none. I have wooden grips on my .32 and .380 and laser grip on the .32NAA. I have carried both the .32 and the .380 extensively and they do a great job of making me feel safer.

However, lately I have found that I prefer a lighter firearm, so I've been carrying polymer instead of steel. First, I went with my Diamondback DB380 and then later I moved up to 9mm with my DB9.

Frankly, though, I bought the Guardian .32NAA about 2 years ago strictly for concealed carry with the higher ballistics power of the .32NAA round, but I never got around to actually carrying it. Part of the reason was that I needed to do some reliability testing and I didn't have enough .32NAA ammo to do that. I like the idea of the ammo, though.

I guess you'll just have to decide if you want an heirloom carry piece, which the Guardians truly are, or something you might consider more functional. Only you can decide that. Don't let us sway you either way until you have the chance to examine all of your options.