Pocket carry

[TeamJackson]

I have a XD 3" Subcompact but it is to thick to pocket carry (I love the gun though). I would like a Pocket carry and would love to stick to 9mm(if I go down to 380 I will go LCP). Any suggestions? I was thinking Kel Tec PF9. Can I pocket this gun? Any real life experience?

[Guest dubaholic2]

If you go .380 go P238. It's 1000 times the gun the LCP is. The LCP is cheaper, but you have to remember, you get what you pay for.

[Guest JeremyB]

The Kel Tec feels very cheap to me.

Take a look at the new Beretta Nano if you can find one (they are still pretty new). It's a little more expensive, but it's a very nice design.

[Guest bkelm18]

Kahr CM9/PM9. Nuff said. The CM9 is probably the best shooting pocket 9 mm I've ever had. The PF9 is very harsh recoil wise.

[Guest Broomhead]

I can pocket a KT P-11, and the PF-9 is much thinner. I've pocketed a PF-9 as well. If you go .380, I'd recommend going with the one design the others are based off of, the KT P-3AT.

[c.a.willard]

My Walther PPS seems do do fine for PC for now, especially if you wear pants with a little bit more pocket space. Its a tad big for most of me jeans but fits good in my 5-11's. It will be going to the anke as soon as my kydex gets here and i make a ankle holster for it. Had a PF9 for a while as a pocket gun, ended up giving it to my little sister. Worked really good for pocket carry, not the kind of gun you want to shoot a couple hundred rounds of in a day, but was reliable and comfortable to carry and comfortable enough to shoot for the first few magazines.

[1pointofview]

have taken my ruger lcp everywhere i can. got an uncle buck sheath and it hides very well in my front or back pocket.

[Guest Kamikaze]

The DB9. I got one and love it. It never leaves my pocket. I've had several of the popular .380's and by far I like the Diamondback the best. Nice crisp trigger break. Good power and you can't beat 7 rounds of 9mm in a .380 sized package.

[Guest Kamikaze]

If you look real close you can see it under my .380 Bodyguard.

[Guest Ken]

I've got the Ruger LC9 and pocket carry it with a Galco Pro 158 holster. It's very light and just a little larger that the LCP. Also carry it in a IWB holster and it disappears under shirt.

Price seems to be holding around $300-350.

Has a long trigger pull but smooth.

Good Luck,

Ken

[walton6467]

I pocket carried a KelTec PF-9 last summer. No problems carrying. I just fell out of love with the PF-9. I traded it off and went to the Bodyguard 380. The Bodyguard has proven to be a great pocket gun. I also have a Micro Desert Eagle .380 which is a great pocket carry.

[Proscene]

Kahr CM9/PM9. Nuff said. The CM9 is probably the best shooting pocket 9 mm I've ever had. The PF9 is very harsh recoil wise.

++ What he said. My Kahr PM9 is ideal for size, power and quality.

[xRUSTYx]

If you're an XD fan, I'd wait till the new XDs comes out next month.

I have an LCP that I love to pocket carry.

[tentiger]

Go for quality if your budget allows... I have a Sig p238 w Crimson trace laser and it works perfectly in a Disantis Nemisis holster....if you want more punch you simply cannot beat the quality and accuracy of the Kahr PM9.... A little heavy for my pocket, but possible. I prefer it in my Disantis Cozytuck....

[Guest Sgt. Joe]

If you go .380 go P238. It's 1000 times the gun the LCP is. The LCP is cheaper, but you have to remember, you get what you pay for.

I agree about the Sig P238 and the Ruger LCP. I am a big Ruger fan but the P238 and the LCP are like day and night, I will take the 238 every time and feel that they are worth every penny of the difference. Sig has also recently released or at least announced their new P938 which is a 9mm that is designed after and only very slightly larger than the 238. I have not yet fondled one nor even seen the price but I will be looking into one because I like the 238 so much. Hopefully that will happen sooner rather than later.

EDIT: Whoa! Sig is certainly proud of this new little 9mm, $800.00 is a hefty MSRP.

http://www.sigsauer.com/CatalogProductDetails/p938-blackwood.aspx

Edited February 7, 2012 by Sgt. Joe

[Guest hawkeye10]

I will go along with some of the others and recommend the Kahr PM9. A lot of quality for the money. Don

[peejman]

Comfort and concealablility depends on how big your pockets are and how tight your pants are.

I'm not real big and pocket carry my P3AT frequently. Anything bigger than is both obvious and too heavy for me. If you want to stick with 9mm, the Kahrs are an excellent choice.

[graycrait]

I think this all depends on the pocket(s) you are carrying a gun in as well as the pants size and your size. Then your hand size has to be considered cause you have to fish that gun out with something. Speed and presentation are something to think about also.

Jacket pockets are something else altogether. I'm 5'10" 200lbs and wear carpenter pants a lot. Even the DB9 is somewhat hard to extract quickly. I've had a couple of PF9s, fiddled with the MK and PM9, but they didn't work for me as a pants pocket gun. I've been using a DeSantis pocket holster for the DB9 but I think I will make my own that has a better chance of standing the pistol upright consistently in my rear pocket.

I've tried small revolvers in pants pockets too, no go if you want to be discrete. INMHO the LCP is too big for practical pocket carry, but maybe the one I owned didn't stay with me long enough to give it a thorough testing.

[Jonnin]

I have a XD 3" Subcompact but it is to thick to pocket carry (I love the gun though). I would like a Pocket carry and would love to stick to 9mm(if I go down to 380 I will go LCP). Any suggestions? I was thinking Kel Tec PF9. Can I pocket this gun? Any real life experience?

I had the p-40 which is the p-11 in .40 cal, which fit into a pocket but was a little big for it. The pf9 is slimmer and will fit just fine. However it is a DAO with a fairly heavy trigger out of the box, and requires some lovin' and break in to get it running smooth. Kel tec pistols are sometimes a bit of trouble out of the box but they make up for any issues with outstanding service.

I use the sig p238 as my most common pocket pistol. However, it is coming out in 9mm later this year, if you can wait I would get that instead as 380 ammo is expensive. There are a number of small 9mms on the market now, there is no reason to move to a 380 unless you are wearing skin tight rock star pants or something, the 9s will fit in normal mens clothing pockets. I have the beretta nano and it has a pretty hefty trigger but is quite small and pocketable as well and much, much better built than most.

Edited February 7, 2012 by Jonnin

[bronco302]

Kahr Cm9

[TNWNGR]

I had a PF-9 and it was ok for pocket carry in some pants but still on the edge of being to large. I replaced it with an Lc9 which is to large for pocket carry so I also purchased an LCP which has worked very well for me. The Sig 238 look's and feels great but the cost and slightly increased weight in a 380 ACP pistol turned me off a bit. Now that Sig has the 938 coming out into the market I will take a much closer look at it as a possobility.

[Guest RobThatsMe]

I pocket carry my Sig P238. This is a great gun, and extremely accurate.

Also, as others have stated, I am patiently waiting for their release of their new 9mm version, the P938.

Rob

[FJCrusing]

Sig p238 or Kahr CM9 would be the way to go. I have had a positive experience with the Ruger LC9 and not so positive with the Keltec PF9. Long trigger pull on the Ruger LC9 which requires some training and practice but the Keltec PF9 I had too many FTF issues.

[Guest Lester Weevils]

For me, acceptable pocket guns have been slim and lightweight. Its amazing how much better a 0.9" wide gun hides in a pocket compared to a 1.25" wide gun. And small but heavy guns want to drag down the pants too much unless the belt gets tightened too tight.

Kahr polymer frame guns are slim and light, but any slim and light gun would potentially be in the running for me. They don't even have to be especially tiny in length and height, as long as it fits in the pocket and the grip isn't so tall that it wants to hang-up on the pocket during a draw.

For my big pockets, a 3.5" barrel kahr P9 works great, but anything bigger wouldn't work. My Stoegar Cougar doesn't have a drastically bigger profile than the P9 and theoretically would pocket carry, except the grip is a little too tall, it is far too fat, and it is heavy enough I might have to wear suspenders to make sure the pants don't occassionally fall down to my knees, standing in the checkout line at walmart.

One of these days might get a Sig P238 or its new 9mm cousin, but would have to get one and use it awhile to find out if the weight of those would be a long-term problem.

[MikePapa1]

I, too, am a Sig fan. I love my 238 and carry it in any circumstance where clothing makes my 220 impractical. I have a pocket holster for the 238 as well as an IWB tuckable. It is, in my view the best of the pocket carriable .380s. I am also awaiting the 938 as its dimensions suggest the it will be just as carriable as the 238 and probably even in the same holsters.

I'm not criticizing either the Kahr or the Kel-Tec, but I'll stick with Sig, even for the price difference.