Small carry Handgun

[titan14]

Sig P238!!!!.......yeah it has a safety.....and all 1911's do.....

[daddyo]

After reading the article in the American Rifleman a couple of months back, I was reminded why I am no fan of the .380. I have no use for a pistol that I have to "break in" before I carry it. If it isn't ready to go out of the box, I don't want it. I've had exactly one .380 auto that did not jam and that was a SIG P230. And that was the meanest kicking pistol I ever owned. Got rid if it after a year. I don't consider myself a wus either, has I regularly shoot a Springfield 1911a1 in .45acp.

Currently the pistol I carry the most is an old Gen 2 Colt Agent in .38spl. Wonderful pistol, goes bang when the trigger is pulled and is plenty accurate. Why this pistol and not a Smith? Because it weights in at 16 oz and holds 6 rounds instead of 5. But I be comfortable with a S&W J-Frame, Taurus, Ruger or any other small modern revolver.

All that said, find the pistol that best suits you, buy it, shoot it often and enjoy it!

Ok, everyone stand back! Fat man coming down off his soapbox now!!!

I put a minimum of 200 rounds through every weapon I buy and I won't carry it till I do. I want to be sure it will do the job when and if I ever need it to.

[Guest forklift]

Hey Charlie, PM sent. I live nearby and have a pf-9 and we can get together at the Hunter's Education Range if you want to get your hands on it to test her out.

[Ghooge2008]

I sold my p3at and bought an LCR...no regrets.

[daddyo]

I sold my p3at and bought an LCR...no regrets.

Did the same thing only I bought the Smith 442.

I don't miss the P3AT in the least.

[Guest pusherman]

I carry my .410 bond arms century 2000 almost every day(cant carry at work) in the front pocket of my jeans. Its simple, built like a tank and if I miss with my 2 shots I can punch the bad guys in the face with it.

Easy to carry on my bike and w/ a pocket holster no printing to speak of.

[eapking]

I vote Glock 26. Even though I have an LCP, I rarely carry it since the 26 can be carried so easily and it actually shoots like a real gun.

+1...G26 is one of the best subcompacts around. It can be pocket carried too (pocket holster strongly encouraged).

[Guest 1eyedwillie]

Depending on your budget, don't discount the 9mm micro kahrs. Metal or

plastic is your preference of course, but even the mk9 is pocketable with the

right pocket holster. I hear guys saying all the time that the mk9 is too

heavy to pocket carry, but it hasn't stopped me yet. A bonus is that the

9mm ammo is easier to find than .380. The little kahrs are very accurate also.

[crossfire]

My vote is for Ruger LCR. I have carried Kimbers, Smiths & Colts. The Ruger revolver is the lightest, easiest to carry personal defense weapon I have owned to date.

+1 on the LCR

[Will Carry]

The pistols you mentioned will do just fine. Buying a pistol is the easy part, learning how to use it in a self defense scenario is harder. What ever pistol you get, you will learn to shoot it well.

I carry a Smith and Wesson Chief's Special. I practice (unloaded) drawing it and creating distance between me and the threat, in my back yard. Like on those U-tube videos. The bad guys are not all stupid thugs, some of them have had training and use practiced techniques that involve ambush, distraction and multiple attackers. When good guys train, they are only leveling the playing field.

Good luck on your purchase!

Edited May 2, 2010 by Will Carry

[VolunteerGuns]

The little Kahr P380's are great shooters and tiny! Love mine. Nothing easier to conceal. Its what I carry when I'm not carrying;). Plus added bonus is you get to support the moons.

[Guest italia]

+1 for the Sig P238

[JReedEsq]

The little Kahr P380's are great shooters and tiny! Love mine. Nothing easier to conceal. Its what I carry when I'm not carrying;). Plus added bonus is you get to support the moons.

To each his own, but supporting the Moons is one reason I won't buy a Kahr.

Edited May 2, 2010 by JReedEsq

[Guest 270win]

I like my Smith and Wesson 642 Airweight. When I carry it in business clothes, I use a quality ankle holster. Otherwise, I use a pocket holster. No one knows about it. I carry it work, church, family, meetings, etc. I have shot a Ruger LCR 38 and that seems to be a quality handgun too. It has a great trigger that doesn't need work. I sent my S&W to the factory to get trigger work done on it to smooth it out.

[VolunteerGuns]

To each his own, but supporting the Moons is one reason I won't buy a Kahr.

If I'd have kmown then what I know now, that'd have made two of us.

[Slappy]

My vote is for the LCP. I would have purchased a Kahr PM9, however it was much more expensive. I love my LCP.

[Guest MERRILL]

Shoot before you buy. Got some kick.

PF9 has bad recoil? I never noticed it to be particularly bad. My main gripe with that pistol was the trigger pull. You aren't supposed to feed it +p ammo or so says the instructions.

[Bubba0031]

What do Kahr and the moons have to do with each other?

[Guest bkelm18]

What do Kahr and the moons have to do with each other?

The Moons own Kahr...

[Will Carry]

Aren't the South Korean's on OUR side? I know the ROK helped us in Nam. Tough little dudes!

[wjh2657]

I own and carry at different times five S&W J-Frames. I carried .380s for over 30 years, but then started actually shooting them. All of mine were high end guns (Walthers, SIGs and Colts) and all jammed frequently. I switched a decade ago to the revolvers. That said, I have fired and like the smaller 9MMs. They also seem to be much more reliable. I would not feel the least uneasy carrying a small 9MM of any quality make.

[SonnyCrockett]

like my LCP very much........

[Guest TennFarmer]

Can you guess which one I carry regularly??

[Guest adm]

I saw that you said you're fixated on the PF-9. You should be. I just bought one a few days ago. We shot about 250 rds of assorted 115 gr FMJ ammo, including the dreaded Winchester WB. There were no failures to do anything.

I've heard bad things about the fit and finish of Kel-Tecs. I own a Kel Tec sub-2000 and an SU-16. The fit and finish on those were not so great, but about what I expected. I love both of those too. I think KelTec has been improving their fit and finish a lot in the last couple years. Maybe the older PF-9's were cheap feeling, had molding marks, feed ramp issues, but the 2 tone stainless slide PF-9 I got was excellent. I paid 260 plus tax, the feed ramp is as smooth as glass, and the fit and finish is just as good as any other higher priced gun I've owned or handled. I looked at a PF-9 with the blued slide, and the blueing did look...crappy/cheap...something. I recommend the duotone. It looks, feels, and shoots like a much more expensive gun.

The trigger pull is long, but I have a Walther p990 DAO, so it was easy to get used to and it's better on the Kel-Tec. I was shooting my bro's LCP at the same time. The recoil for the PF-9 is exactly like that. It is noticeably bigger though. The accuracy on the PF-9 is, like most guns i've shot, better than I need. Meaning, any problem with the accuracy is shooter error. I was shooting bottles the first time, every time at 30 yards. Nutnfancy has a shooting review and a tabletop review of the PF-9 on youtube, you should check that out.

With all that said, if you want a PF-9, get a newer, duotone version, and you won't be disappointed. I'll try to post pics of mine by Saturday.

[daddyo]

The gun companies are very good at selling it, aren't they? They know we'll buy any damned thing.

Same goes for ammo.