How Much Does A Handgun Weigh (Loaded and Unloaded Examples)

When choosing a handgun, especially for concealed carry, the weight of the firearm will be a big consideration. Weight impeeds speed as a normal rule.

So how much does a handgun weigh? In short, while this varies from style and caliber, a handgun will weigh between 500g and 950g. Popular 9mm handguns weigh between 650g and 950g and the most popular concealed carry firearms weigh between 400g and 700g.

While there are a lot of details available for different firearms, each manufacturer or website seems to give out different data on the official websites.

While I have endeavored to retain original data, some are my best guesstimates. For example, on some firearms, I couldn’t find any data on the loaded weight. So I had to add the weight of a known 9mm round (around 12 grams), times it by the number of rounds the firearm can carry and add it to the known weight of the unloaded weapon.

Occasionally I had to go on flimsy evidence of a magazine weight and take it off the known unloaded weight quoted.

There are obviously deviations in weapon construction, even within the models. Wherever possible I have tried to use the version consistent with the title.

All errors and omissions are mine.

I did a lot of research for this article to make it as accurate as possible, typing weight, weight empty, specs, loaded, without magazine, magazine weight etc into google for every firearm listed so that it as accurate as possible.

How Much Do The Most Popular Firearms Weigh

One way to judge the popularity of a firearm is through the overall sales within a year.

Various different sites on a google search reveal several different contenders for popular firearms, but in general, the table below illustrates the weight of the common ones.

How Much Do The Popular Concealed Firearms Weigh

Different from popular firearms purchased is the choice of the US population for a firearm when considerations for carry weight and draw speed might be a consideration.

According to concealednation.org these are the popular choices for a concealed carry pistol.

As the table shows, the popular firearms for concealed carry have a slightly smaller weight than those purchased for regular use.

How Much Do The Popular 9mm Firearms Weigh

Whether everyone agrees or not, many people prefer the power of a 9mm in a pistol, it being a good combination of weight, stopping power and magazine capacity for most shooters.

According to gunbacker.com, the best 9mm pistol handguns are tabled below.

How Much Does An Automatic Weigh

Most people choose an automatic nowadays, rather than a revolver.

How Much Do Popular Home Defense Firearms Weigh

When selecting a firearm for home defense, the decisions consumers might seem take into account different factors.

According to CaveArmor, the following is a list of popular firearms for home defense.

I find this list quite interesting.

There isn’t a single 22LR or .380 on it. It seems when protecting your family is being considered, the mantra appears to be maximum damage and plenty of it. There’s a  lot of high capacity 9mm firearms on that list.

The moral, don’t break into other peoples properties.

How Much Do .45 ACPs Weigh

You might expect a .45 ACP firearm to be a little heavier and you’d be right.

According to PewPewTactical, these are the most popular .45 ACP firearms.

How Much Do Revolvers Weigh

Being a completely different kind of firearm, you might imagine they weigh somewhat differently than automatics and semi-automatics, not least of which is the lower round count.

From AmericanRifleman, these are the most common revolvers.

How Much Do Women’s Guns Weigh

While all tables in this article are composite averages, what sort of weights do women pick when they are after a firearm.

Let’s take a look.

According to WellArmedWoman, the following is a list of the popular choices for women.

This is quite interesting. Women it seems, tend to prefer the smaller capacity over the drop in firepower. In other words, they would prefer a smaller gun, with fewer rounds than consider dropping stopping capacity.

Chances are good that a woman’s concealed carry is a 9mm.

How Much Do 22 Pistols Weigh

According to GunNewDaily, the best 22 pistols out there are;

Surprisingly, there appears to be some weighty 22LR pistols out there.

Is Weight Important In A Handgun?

When considering weight for a handgun it’s important to realize that it’s a very personal choice. Generally speaking, a weightier pistol will give less of a recoil kick, thus giving quicker accuracy but a well fitting gun to your choice can reduce this problem.

Pick a handgun that feels right as you shoot it first.

A weapon can ‘feel’ a little heavier if the top slide is made of metal as opposed to the Polymer of a Glock say, as the kinetic energy of the slide to a round being fired males the gun kick if the pistol is heavier than you need.

Again, always pick a gun that feels right in the hand, feels right to shoot and that you can easily manage.

Conclusion

Weight is only important in a handgun if it feels too big for your frame and size. There is no ‘real world’ advantage to a deliberately heavier gun over a lighter one you are more comfortable shooting.

People new to shooting can be quite surprised by the weight of a normal firearm, so if you want the same firepower, but want it a little lighter, then consider the range of Glocks. They seem to be around 200 grams less than their metal counterparts for equivalent firepower and magazine capacity.

Again, always go for a pistol that is comfortable and easy to control regardless of weight. It’s an interesting consideration, but only one of many, depending upon your preferred use for a firearm.