Pocket carry pistols?

[RobertNashville]

I also carry an LCR as my backup gun...and sometimes my only gun. It's small and light enough that I can carry in pretty much anywhere/everywhere when carrying anything else could cause problems.

[Guest Lester Weevils]

Apologies singing the one note samba, but a Kahr P9 with 3.6" barrel and "almost full size grip" fits in my front pockets. Just barely. It is about as big as would comfortably fit. With an extended mag (8 round), the grip gets too long to fit. Been carrying it for a few months no problemo.

My old S&W 649 snubbie felt too fat and too heavy for pocket carry. An airweight 38 snubbie would be lighter and maybe easier to shoot, but would still be fat, and only 5 rounds.

Both of the small-grip short barrel pocketable guns I've had, I haven't been able to shoot accurately. It is surely the indian rather than the arrow, but I can't easily fix the indian. So the only choice is to adjust the arrow.

Maybe there is a small-grip short barrel pistol somewhere that I could shoot accurately, but I don't have the energy to go searching for one, since the P9 does fit in the pocket.

Maybe there is a better "almost full size" pistol than the P9 that would fit in a pocket that I'd like even more gooder. Am open to other possibilities in the mid-size pistols. But just gave up on the practicality of tiny guns.

[TNWNGR]

Kel Tec PF9 when wearing an overcoat or cargo pant's with deep pocket's, P32 or P3AT(purchasing) for BUG or hot weather carry in short's, etc. S&W Mdl 60 with overcoat or coveralls. All of these are what I swear by and I'm as much of an upper end gun snob as you'll ever encounter. I've looked at the S&W BG's, the Ruger LCP & LCR as well as the SIG P238 and was impressed but not to the point I was willing to purchase any of them. Whatever you select will be subjected to harsh condition's, becoming a part of your everday wear and tear lifestyle so select accordingly.

[Guest Carryin Counselor]

I had a Kel-Tec 3AT. It was a great gun for front pocket carry. I used a Uncle Mikes pocket holster when I carried and had almost no imprinting. I have since sold my kel-tec but my dad and step-mom still carry theirs. My grandpa is a retired police chief and he's carried a Kel-tec .32 since they started making them, and most off his officers carried them as ankle guns. He actually qualified every year with his Kel-Tec. However, from my research I think you will do right by any of the pocket guns. All of them have pros and cons. Good Luck!

[Kevo]

At 6' 160 lbs my pockets range from small to medium size. My Kel-Tec 32 fits anywhere and had been 100% reliable. My 640PD will fit in all my pockets depending on which grip I have installed. My G26 fits in a couple of my pockets but is too heavy and sticks out like a brick. Might not be an issue for non-skinny people. I prefer it in my Crossbreed IWB. If I only had one pistol, and it had to be in my pocket, I'd want my 640PD. Only 5 shots, but 357 or even 38+P, beats any other option IMHO.

Having said that, I can "hug" people all day long with my Kel-Tec32 and no one would ever notice. No matter what choice you make, either power, comfort or price will have to be compromised.

[Guest carbonarcher]

I am greatful for all of the great insight! Thank you all!!

[Guest RichieRich]

I have both an LCR and LCP. The LCP is definitely the lighter and easier carry, but (at least in my hands) harder to shoot as accurately at the range. That said, at contact distances (rather than 7 yards--my usual target practice), I think it will suffice.

[Guest 270win]

I carry a S&W 642 Airweight in a cheap Uncle Mike's pocket holster most of the time. It is a hammerless J frame 38 Special. I sent it to S&W and had the factory do a action/trigger job on the gun to smooth out the trigger. If I have a bad round in one cylinder that fails to fire I just pull the trigger again and the gun goes boom. I've had this happen with reloaded ammo.

I have shot the Ruger LCR 38 Special. That is a real nice gun and has a smooth trigger out of the box that does not need to be sent to the factory. It is a light weight gun like my S&W 642. It also handles recoil well for some reason. I did not see how well it fits in my pocket compared to my S&W.

I have tried a 380 autopistol and was less than impressed with the reliability. It made me uncomfortable. My gun I carry must go bang no matter what. The small frame revolvers make me feel a lot better and 38 special +P or even 357 mag if you can handle it are good rounds. If 38 Special is too much there are some 32 H&R mag or 327 Fed Mag that will let you shoot 32 H&R mag.

Good luck.

[Guest The Highlander]

I own and carry both a S&W 342 Ti (the original ultra-light) in .38 Spl. and a Keltec P32. Wifey just got an LCP, and we are both very impressed with its accuracy, pointability, and function. Looks much more "finished" than the Keltec, and has had zero problems, unlike the Keltec. Obviously, never a problem with the 342.

If I were starting from scratch, the LCP and LCR would probably be my choices, although I would never trade my 342 for an LCR, I will probably end up getting one.

While they may be too large for pocket carry, I really like the SR9c, and just this afternoon I handled a very nice Walther PPS in 9mm. First opportunity I've had to pick one up.

[Guest carbonarcher]

So if I am not mistaken, I am hearing that the Keltec needs a long break in period, and the ruger seems to be ready to go out of the box with the sig p238? What about the Taurus? out of the box? I must say, revolvers are out. I wish for a .380 or a .32 for a back up pocket or aka bug pistol.

You all prefer the .380 over the .32?

You all have been so insightful! Thank you!

[TNWNGR]

I wouldn’t agree with KelTec’s needing a long break in period, most of the people I’ve talked with have had no problems whatsoever from the first rounds fired, in fact their initial response is surprise when you question them about it. IMHO many of the initial FTF issues wouldn’t even happen if the owner field stripped, cleaned and properly lubricated and greased the pistol before even going to the range.

The concept of carrying an personal protection handgun without first running at least a couple of hundred rounds of mixed ball and hollow point ammunition through it would frighten me and affect my confidence in the weapon. Also, accepting that other handguns such as the Ruger LCP and LCR as being better than another brand is questionable as they’ve had their own reliability problems.

What it comes to in the end is whether the user has properly maintained and kept their handguns as well as the issue of how they’ve prepared and trained themselves. Nothing substitutes for actual hands on training and experience with equipment in order to know how it works and what will mess it up.

[Guest pwhphd]

Kahr PM-9 in an IWB holster - light, fast draw, smooth trigger, deathly accurate, plenty of power!

[Guest tnharley]

i have spent some time with the smith bg380, kel-tec 380 and the ruger lcp. all three are great pocket rockets. the smith was my favorite its a little larger then the other two but still hides away easy. the kel-tec had the roughest frame texture and the most felt recoil. the smith is a little pricey as it comes with a built in laser but not as pricey as the sig. the ruger was very accurate and malfunction free. i would choose smith then ruger then kel-tec in that order and that is just my opinion. all three of them have long heavy trigger pull. i was more acurate with the ruger then i was with the smith or kel-tec. i personally shot the tec low and had to adjust my aim. i pulled the smith low and to the right until i figured out the trigger wich has a kind of upward trigger pull if that makes any since that didnt really give any indication that it was about to break and release the hammer. with that said i still preffered the smith over the other two because it fit my hand betterand had less felt recoil and once i figured out the trigger i was very accurate with it.

+1 on the S&W BG 380

[Guest tnharley]

Here's a picture of my S&W Bodyguard 380 in the DeSantis Superfly pocket holster.

[Guest chaplain tom]

I usually ONLY carry a pocket pistol. It's a Bond Arms Texas Defender in .410/45 Colt. I know, I know, people say that's "not enough gun", but I'm not too concerned with ever being in a long distance multi shot "shoot out". It does happen, but only in RARE occasions. Most self defense situations are at very close range and over with very quickly. BUT...YOU carry what YOU are comfortable with, don't rely on my or any body else's personal choice. Just make sure you can shoot whatever you choose well.

Now in my home, that's another story. XD .45 all the way.

[leroy]

....I usually ONLY carry a pocket pistol. It's a Bond Arms Texas Defender in .410/45 Colt. I know, I know, people say that's "not enough gun", but I'm not too concerned with ever being in a long distance multi shot "shoot out". It does happen, but only in RARE occasions. Most self defense situations are at very close range and over with very quickly. BUT...YOU carry what YOU are comfortable with, don't rely on my or any body else's personal choice. Just make sure you can shoot whatever you choose well.

Now in my home, that's another story. XD .45 all the way.....

Tom:_______________

I believe you are well armed brother. I like the Bond Arms stuff. You simply cant beat the build quality for the price. I would like to have a double 44 special or double 45 colt (...without the 420...) myself. I believe if you shoot the first bg; the others will run away. The old guys liked the idea of a small pistol on the person and a big backup in the car or nearby. i like that idea too.

Keep up the good work.

Leroy

[Guest Fathog]

[East_TN_Patriot]

For pocket carry, I have a Seecamp .32 that I carry in a pocket holster. It's an easily concealable little gun that is very reliable.

[Guest Ken]

Been carrying my Tarus 85 Ultralite for about a year now in a Galco pocket holster. Conceals great even in dress pants.

[Guest chaplain tom]

Tom:_______________

I believe you are well armed brother. I like the Bond Arms stuff. You simply cant beat the build quality for the price. I would like to have a double 44 special or double 45 colt (...without the 420...) myself. I believe if you shoot the first bg; the others will run away. The old guys liked the idea of a small pistol on the person and a big backup in the car or nearby. i like that idea too.

Keep up the good work.

Leroy

Leroy I have VERY good news for you. If you first buy the derringer of your choice from Bond, you can then order a set of barrels in just about any caliber they have (and they are rifled down the entire barrel except for the cartrige chamber of course). I'm going to order a set of 4.25 inch .45 Colt barrels for myself. A .45 Colt coming out of barrels that long will be pretty accurate for a lot longer range than the standard 3 to 3.5 inch barrels not to mention the added muzzle velocity of the extra length. You know come to think of it, the guys there at Bond Arms are so easy to work with, you might just be able to order the "custom" barrels on the gun when you order it instead of having to buy the "standard" gun and then order the custom barrels. Give them a call, they're great guys to talk to and work with. I sent my Defender back to get the firing pins replaced (my screwup not the gun's, I dry fired it one too many times without snapcaps) on the Firday before Labor Day weekend. On Wednesday I called to verify the gun had arrived and was told that the gun had arrived on Tuesday the day after Labor Day and was repaired and shipped back later that same day. About an hour after I got off the phone the FedEx guy was on my porch handing me my gun back. I even got a free Bond Arms ball cap and a free cable style trigger lock.

Anyway while I had them on the phone I asked about the longer rifled barrels for .45 Colt and they told me that they had them and also the .44 special, .38 special /.357, .45 ACP and a whole list of other calibers in the 4.25 inch length rifled all the way down the barrel. They did say they had to be custom ordered and they were more expensive than the "standard" lenght barrels because they had to hand make and hand drill them by request. They weren't mass producing them yet.

Edited October 29, 2010 by chaplain tom

[leroy]

Thanks Tom!! Very interesting and informative. I really like the 3.5 inch setup; and i bet the 4.25 would work real well in a hip holster.

Again, thanks for the great information.

Kind regards,

Leroy

[VolunteerGuns]

Love my Kahr P380.

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http://www.tngunowners.com/forums/handguns/37099-itty-bitty-new-toy.html

Was a bumpy experience at first, but great customer service and a now super dependable, super concealable BUG.

Edited October 29, 2010 by adamween

[Slappy]

I love my Ruger LCP. I have around 1,100rds fired through her without a single issue. I use a Desantis Nemesis pocket holster.

[Proscene]

I chose the Taurus TCP over the Ruger LCP at first cause I didn't care for the LCP trigger but then fell in love with the SIG P238. I've never looked back, it's my EDC with a custom pocket holster I had made by a local Leather craftsman in Wilson Co.

[MikePapa1]

I love my 238 and look forward to the P290 in 9.