PDW's You Can Bring to Church: Top Discreet Carry PDWs for 2026
Why This Article Exists
Over the last several months, I have been getting a steady stream of questions about Personal Defense Weapons (PDWs). For those that don’t know what PDW’s are, they fill the gap between a pistol and a rifle (more on that below). People want to know what works, what is realistic, and what makes sense for someone who carries concealed and spends time in public spaces, including church.
Most of those questions are not coming from people looking to play commando. They are coming from responsible men and women who already carry a handgun and recognize its limitations. They understand that distance, barriers, and stress change the equation quickly.
This article exists to answer that question honestly.
A PDW is not a replacement for a rifle program. A properly staged rifle, with trained personnel, remains the best tool for defending a fixed location. But many people do not have that option. Some churches restrict rifles. Some people serve in volunteer roles. Some simply want something more capable than a handgun that can still be carried discreetly.
That is the lane this article lives in.
What a PDW Is
A personal defense weapon, or PDW, is a category of firearm designed to bridge the gap between a handgun and a rifle.
In practical terms, a PDW offers more control, accuracy, and terminal performance than a handgun, while remaining compact enough to carry discreetly in a pack or bag. It is meant for environments where openly carrying a rifle is impractical, restricted, or inappropriate, but where a handgun may not provide enough capability.
A PDW is built for close to intermediate distances, typically zero to one hundred yards. It prioritizes controllability, fast deployment, and performance in confined spaces.
What a PDW Is Not
A PDW is not a replacement for a true rifle program.
A personal defense weapon sits between a handgun and a rifle.
For the purposes of this article, a PDW must meet a few non negotiable criteria:
It must fit into a pack or bag without drawing attention. It must deploy quickly if time allows. It must provide a clear advantage over a handgun. It must be controllable indoors. It must be effective from zero to one hundred yards.
A PDW is not something you pull out while already under fire. In a real encounter, the pistol comes out first. The PDW is accessed once distance, cover, or time allows a transition.
Training matters. Carrying a PDW in a crowded environment without rehearsing deployment, manipulation, and decision making is irresponsible. Tools do not replace preparation.
How These PDWs Were Evaluated
Every platform discussed here was evaluated using the same standards.
Reliability came first. If a gun does not feed consistently, nothing else matters.
Control under stress was next. Soft recoil, predictable behavior, and fast follow up shots matter more than internet ballistic charts.
Accuracy from zero to one hundred yards was required. Each platform had to hit a one hundred yard plate five out of five times to remain in consideration.
Concealability mattered. If it does not fit in a pack and allow you to blend in, it fails the mission.
Finally, price versus performance was weighed. A great gun that only a handful of people can afford is still a great gun, but it matters where it lands on a realistic list.
The Top Concealed Carry PDWs for 2025
#5: B T APC9
The APC9 earns its place because it modernizes everything people wanted improved on legacy subgun designs.
Ergonomics are excellent. Recoil is soft. Follow up shots are easy. Suppressed performance is outstanding.
The two factors that kept it from ranking higher were price and caliber. Nine millimeter performs well inside typical distances, but three hundred blackout offers more flexibility through barriers and at the edge of the one hundred yard envelope.
If money is not a concern, this is a very refined PDW.
Inventory List For This Setup
#4: Flux Raider with SIG P365
This is a niche solution, but it fills that niche well.
The Flux Raider allows appendix carry while dramatically improving control over a standard handgun. It deploys quickly and provides stability when you need it.
Accuracy improved enough to meet the one hundred yard standard, which is impressive for a pistol based system. That said, it remains a pistol caliber platform, and that limitation matters.
This shines as a supplement, not a standalone answer. Appendix carry the Raider and carry a true PDW in the pack.
Inventory List For This Setup
#3: Daniel Defense Three Hundred Blackout PDW
This platform delivered consistent, predictable performance.
Build quality is solid. Ballistic performance from zero to one hundred yards is excellent. It handles indoor environments well and deploys cleanly from a pack.
The primary drawbacks are cost and minor comfort issues during extended shooting. Over high round counts, the stock interface can become uncomfortable against the cheek.
Even with those drawbacks, this remains a dependable and capable option.
Inventory List For This Setup
#2: Maxim Defense PDX 300 Blackout
The PDX was purpose built for this role.
It is compact, balanced, and optimized for short barrel performance. It fits extremely well into a pack and offers strong suppression potential.
The five inch barrel struggled slightly at the far end of the one hundred yard standard compared to longer systems. Proprietary parts and price also factor into its placement.
This is a serious tool for someone who understands its strengths and limitations.
#1: PSA JAKL Three Hundred Blackout
This was the surprise.
The JAKL kept pace with platforms costing far more. It delivered reliability, accuracy, and control across the entire evaluation.
Deployment from the pack was consistently the fastest. Performance indoors was excellent. Accuracy out to one hundred yards held up without issue.
It is heavier than some competitors and newer as a platform, but price, performance, and reliability put it at the top for 2025.
Guns That Did Not Make the List
Several solid platforms were evaluated and left out for specific reasons.
The MP5 remains effective but suffers from outdated ergonomics and slower manipulation.
The SIG MPX is a strong design, but concerns about consistency and support weighed against it.
The CZ Scorpion EVO is reliable and affordable, but it was edged out by platforms that offered better overall balance.
Any of these can work with training and familiarity.
A Biblical Perspective on Readiness and Watchfulness
Scripture does not portray preparedness as fear. It portrays it as responsibility.
Nehemiah understood this when rebuilding Jerusalem. Scripture tells us that the people prayed, and they set a guard day and night. Prayer and preparation were not competing ideas. They were inseparable.
Throughout the Bible, watchmen are placed on the walls. Gatekeepers are assigned to protect what is entrusted to them. Their role was not to seek conflict, but to warn, to observe, and to act when danger approached.
Those who serve in protective roles today are filling a similar function. Quiet, disciplined, and often unnoticed. Their presence allows others to worship freely.
Closing Thoughts
A PDW is a tool. It does not replace wisdom, training, or discernment.
If you choose to carry one, know why. Train with it. Follow the rules of the place you serve. Keep it secured and under your control.
Above all, remember that the goal is not domination or violence. The goal is protection, peace, and the ability for the congregation to gather without fear.
If this article helped you think more clearly about that responsibility, then it served its purpose.
Brother Keith
I am thoroughly enjoying, as it were reading your insights. I am just joining a church security team and I don't think they follow you.
I appreciate your list of PDWs, but at this stage I still worry...they are one heartbeat away from being illegal SBRs, and leave us open to prosecution. What are your thoughts on the Keltec sub2000 and the SW model PCCs?
Thank you, and God Bless you for all you do for us.
Kirby
Nice evaluation Mr. Graves. I was a bit surprised though that the CMMG Banshee didn't make the list, particularly the 10mm Auto version.
Not only does the Banshee itself seems to be an ergonomic, reliable platform, but the 10mm Auto chambering is especially intriguing because of two prominent factors: A) ballistic performance; B) ammo and magazine (loadout) interchangability possibility.
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(A). The 10mm can be loaded to achieve very similar terminal performance to 7.62×39 or 300 AAC out of the length of barrels requisite for a concealable (yet quickly deployable) PDW, but without excess muzzle blast and wasted propellant. Out of barrels in that conformation (i.e. around 7" to 8"), the cartridge actually has considerably more knockdown than 5.56 NATO, and yet isn't wasting propellant or breech pressure, with a large muzzle blast. Perhaps it's needless to say, but the 10mm also has much greater power and superior ballistic trajectory to 9×19 Parabellum out to the 100 yard consideration.
(B.) The 10mm Auto, unlike 300 AAC or other intermediate cartridges, can be and is chambered in fighting pistols. It's a very practical, eminently viable pistol cartridge, in addition to qualifying as an intermediate cartridge (loaded adequately) when fired from PDW length barrels. This affords team members the ability to have both the pistol and the PDW/longarm in the same chambering, which is a huge operational and tactical advantage. In the case of the Banshee, if people are utilizing the excellent Glock20 handgun, the same magazines are even interchangeable, which is another excellent operational and tactical advantage.
In short here, utilizing 9×19 or 45 ACP to achieve the same uniformity in ammo carriage and interchangability of the loadout means sacrificing significant (arguably even substantive) power and ballistic performance out of the PDW, while utlizing 300 AAC, 5.56, 7.62×39 or similar to any of these means giving up shared ammo loadout and interchangability.
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Leaving aside the idea of 10mm Auto not being in the evaluation as an intermediate cartridge, I would be most curious to hear why the Banshee (in any chambering) did not make the list. Was it considered? If so, did you discern issues with it? Would be awesome to get a follow up reply.
Regards.