Best Backup Guns for Officers: Ankle, Vest and Pocket BUGs

The gun for the worst five seconds

Every backup-gun conversation eventually lands on the same set of ugly scenarios. Your primary is jammed and there is no time to clear it. Your strong arm is pinned or injured. Someone has a hand on your duty holster. You are on your back with a knee on your chest. The backup gun exists for moments when everything you trained for with your primary has already gone wrong.

That changes what "best" means. A backup gun is not a smaller duty pistol; it is a different tool with a different brief. It must be:

• Reachable with either hand, from standing, seated in a car, or on the ground.
• Simple to fire under stress, often one-handed, often from an awkward angle.
• Small and light enough that you actually wear it every shift.
• Compatible, ideally, with your primary's ammunition or magazines.
• Approved by your agency, and qualified with.

This list sorts common backup guns by those criteria. Specs come from manufacturer pages and published references. Check your department's backup-gun policy before you buy anything; many limit makes, calibers or carry positions.

Quick comparison

Widths matter for ankle and vest carry: Glock lists the G43 at 1.06 inches wide and the G26 at 1.26 inches; the P365 is about 1.0 inch.

1. Glock 26: the logistics pick

If your primary is a Glock 17 or 19, the Glock 26 is the backup that makes your whole system simpler. Glock lists 15- and 17-round magazines as optional capacities for the G26, which means your duty magazines on your belt are also reloads for your backup. One ammo load, one manual of arms, one set of armorer skills.

Best positions: Ankle (with a quality holster and a sturdy sock or wrap), vest carrier, or in a plainclothes role as a second gun on the belt.

Trade-offs: At 1.26 inches wide and about 19 ounces empty, it is the bulkiest gun here. On the ankle it is noticeable; in a vest carrier it competes with armor plates and pouches.

Stock extra Glock 19 magazines if your backup will rely on duty magazines; check that your agency allows that setup.

2. Glock 43: the slim single-stack

The Glock 43 trades capacity for width. At 1.06 inches wide and about 16 ounces empty, it disappears on an ankle or in a vest pocket far better than a G26. It shares your 9mm load and manual of arms if you carry a Glock primary, but not your magazines.

Best positions: Ankle, vest carrier, deep pocket in a pocket holster for plainclothes work.

Trade-offs: Six rounds standard. That is enough for many backup roles but leaves little margin. Small grip can be harder to control one-handed.

3. Sig P365: capacity in a tiny package

The P365, which entered production in 2018, packs 10, 12 or 15 rounds of 9mm into a pistol about 1.0 inch wide and around 18 ounces. For a backup gun, that is a remarkable amount of capacity in a small envelope. Its grip is small but shaped to fill the hand better than most micro pistols.

Best positions: Ankle, vest, pocket, appendix in plainclothes.

Trade-offs: It does not share magazines with any common duty pistol, so you carry separate reloads if any. If your primary is a P320, you keep the Sig manual of arms, which is a training plus. Many P365 variants exist, including the larger XL and XMACRO, so match holsters carefully.

Stock spare Sig Sauer P365 magazines for qualification and carry; our off-duty post compares the P365-XMACRO to the Hellcat Pro if you want a larger option.

4. Ruger LCR: the snag-free revolver

The small five-shot revolver is the original police backup gun, and for good reason. The Ruger LCR, produced since 2010, uses a polymer grip and fire control housing with an aluminum frame on the .38 Special +P version, a double-action-only trigger and a concealed hammer. There is no slide to be pushed out of battery if you fire from contact distance, no magazine to drop and no safety to forget.

Best positions: Pocket, ankle, vest.

Trade-offs: Five rounds, slow reloads and a long, heavy trigger. Light .38 Special revolvers kick hard for their size. Ruger also sells LCR versions in .357 Magnum and 9mm; the 9mm lets you share your duty load, though moon clips add a step.

5. S&W Bodyguard 380: the deep-concealment option

At a published 11.85 ounces with a 2.75-inch barrel and six rounds, the Bodyguard 380 is the lightest gun on this list. It is a choice for officers who need a backup that genuinely does not print, such as some plainclothes or administrative assignments.

Trade-offs: .380 ACP is a smaller cartridge than 9mm and does not share ammunition with your primary. Tiny guns are harder to shoot well, and some agencies do not approve .380 for duty backups. Check your policy and qualify with it.

Choosing a carry position

Ankle

Ankle carry keeps the backup reachable when seated in a patrol car or on the ground, and works with either hand if you cross-draw. It is slow from standing, and you need a holster with a solid retention strap and some padding. Heavier guns like the G26 sag; lighter ones like the LCR and G43 ride better.

Vest or armor carrier

Many armor carriers have a built-in backup-gun pocket or a place to mount a holster. It is reachable with either hand and stays put when you fight, but the gun competes with plates and pouches, and heat and sweat are a concern. Follow your armor maker's guidance on what can be mounted.

Pocket

Pocket carry works best for plainclothes and off-duty roles. Always use a pocket holster that covers the trigger guard and keeps the gun upright, and carry nothing else in that pocket.

Train with it

Backup guns are often carried for years and fired only at qualification. That is a mistake. Practice drawing it with either hand, from seated and kneeling positions, with an unloaded gun and no ammunition in the room. Fire it at the range with your duty load, if it shares one, or with ammunition that matches your carry load. Check your 9mm ammunition supply so you can afford regular practice, and see our training-ammo guide for matching loads.

Then check your policy: many agencies require backup-gun qualification and approve specific models, holster types and calibers.

The short list

• Carry a Glock primary? The Glock 26 is the backup that shares magazines and ammo.
• Need slim? The Glock 43 or Sig P365 in 9mm.
• Want simplest under stress? A five-shot revolver like the Ruger LCR.
• Need deepest concealment? The Bodyguard 380, if your agency allows it.

Browse current holsters by your exact model and carry position once you have chosen.

Editorial note: This is an independent editorial overview built from manufacturer specifications, retailer listings and published sources. We have not performed hands-on testing of the products discussed, and nothing here is a performance guarantee. Verify specifications, compatibility and the law where you live.

Affiliate disclosure: Some links on this page are affiliate links to Ammunition Depot. We may earn a commission if you buy through them, at no extra cost to you. Our editorial choices are not influenced by commissions. Check current price, stock and specifications directly with the retailer.