Pocket Pistols, What's best for Concealed Carry?

[centralpadoug]

I have been carrying a fullsize H&K for sometime. However, there are many work & personal situations that make this prohibitive...i.e. the gun must stay in the car. Besides the fact that it gets lonely, it can't help me there.

I've shot a few small snubby's but don't like the feel. To date I have not had the opportunity to fire any small semi's. Since my experience has been with large semi's, going to a small semi makes more sense to me (maybe I just have't found a snubby I like yet?). I hear that .380's are the smallest to consider, I also understand that most smaller guns are simply difficult to shoot well. I also hear (and agree) that size doesn't matter as much as shot placement so a .32 or even .25 may be effective with well-placed shots.

Please let me know what you've found to be good shooters, and still powerful enough to be effective.

 

[croyance]

I have a Kahr and a Galco pocket holster. The P9 would be a better choice. It is a little large, but fits in pockets of dress pants.

How much weight and bulk are you willing to put up with? Have you considered those day-timer holsters?

 

[Kevinch]

See if you can find a COLT MUSTANG POCKET LITE . Lightweight and 6+1 rounds of .380ACP. I carry my regularly in a simple Uncle Mike's Pocket Holster, tucking it into a vest pocket when I ride my motorcycle or in a front pocket of "Docker Type" pants.

You do have to be comfortable with a SA trigger though. I carry mine with a round in the chamber, hammer down, safety on. (Mine has the firing pin safety; this mode of carry is safe).

 

[mdurrbeck]

Try these....

Glock 26(10+1 9mm) or Glock36(single stack .45acp) Taurus PT-111 (9mm) are all good choices, if you really want small goto a Davis Derringer in .25 or .38 special they are really small I have 1 in .22 mag kinda feel undergunned.

 

[bad_dad_brad]

MK9

Love my Kahr MK9 for this purpose. Slip it in an Unkle Mike's sidekick #3. A little heavy but 6+1 in +P 9mm is pretty formadible in a pocket gun.

 

[Las Vegan Cajun]

I currently carry a Beretta Tomcat (.32) as my pocket pistol. True that you have to be very good to be on target with one of these at any long distance.

At 3 and 7 yards I can stay in the 9 ring but at 15 yards I'm out to the 8 and sometimes an occasional 7.

I just bought mine in Feb and it came with an IWB holster that has worked great for me. I can carry this one in the IWB with shirt tucked in and it will stay there all day just below the beltline.

I have, on some occasions, just slipped it on my front pocket, but it does print a little too much when I carry that way. Most people probably would not notice it, but someone with a trained eye might be able to spot it in the pocket.

My self defense loads, for this gun, are Federal Hydra-Shok 65 grain JHP's.

 

[blades67]

If you're looking for something that is currently in production I suggest a Kahr P9 or a Glock 26 if you want a 9mm. If .25 ACP or .32 ACP are calibers you will consider carrying, take a look at the Berettas or the Kel-Tecs.

The Colt Mustang PocketLite is a great little .380 ACP pocket gun, but they are getting hard to find.

 

[denfoote]

If you don't have the fat Pierce grips installed, the Makarov makes a decent pocket pistol. I have carried mine this way several times when I was constrained to tuck in my shirt because of social obligations. I wear pants with deep pockets anyway, so it works for me!!!

 

[sam3]

you might want to really give a smith 642 a serious look even thou you don't yet like five shot revolvers. i my experiance nothing conceals or carrys as nice as a five shot snub in a good pocket holster like a kramer. the handle on a auto being heavy with the mag seems to move a lot more in your pocket than a snub and the snub won't be affected by the amount of lint and dust a pocket gun picks up.

 

[PreserveFreedom]

Currently, my pocket pistol is a Glock 27. I used to carry a 2 shot derringer as a pocket gun. It was a lot thinner but heavier as well.

 

[Redlg155]

Although I have yet to own one, I'm sure the Keltec P32 is a good one. I finally got to handle one the other day. Now I know what it means when folks say it feels like a toy!

My pant size is 32, so needless to say I don't really have big pockets. And then of course there is no happy medium of for me. Either the gun is too tight in my pocket, making me look happy, or too loose and threatening dearest parts of my anatomy with the pendelum type swinging action!

Glocks..too Thick, Mak..ok for the walking the dog, but extended use, forget it. Airweight snubs, kinda ok...but they hurt like hell to shoot. I've taken to using pocket carry for very limited situations, otherwise it's holster or fanny pack.

But to answer the question, get to handle one of the Kel Tec P32's. They will suprise you and have you thinking..."Dang...this is a gun??"

Good Shooting
RED

 

[Kentucky Rifle]

Pocket Pistols are what I collect. (Mostly)

I have to agree that my Kel-Tec hard chrome P-32 is something else! It has never had a malfunction and I use that new Cor-Bon hollow point. The P-32 is light (6.6 ounces)
and also inexpensive. A marvel, really. I also think pretty highly of my Seecamp. Seecamps are supposed to use "Silvertips only"! It's stamped in red on the owner's manual. Well, For some reason, Winchester has changed the Silvertip a little and in my pistol they "keyholed". I talked to Larry Seecamp about this and he admitted that the change in the Silvertip had caused problems and to go ahead and try Gold Dots. The keyholing dissappeared! (Seecamp knows his stuff!) It has no sights, but with a little practice, I was doing head shots easily. I also have a stainless Beretta Jetfire in .25ACP that I keep loaded with MagSafes. A lot of people will tell you that NO .25 is any good, however I've done the little test on the MagSafe package and it is impressive.
(Even for a .25ACP)
My Colt Mustang Pocketlite is pretty amazing also. Weighs just 12.5 ounces. I keep mine loaded with alternating rounds of Hydra-Shoks and Glasers. Some EMT left a post here one day which described a run he went on and the wound a .380 Glaser makes. Half the unfortunate wounded man's butt was GONE! It's my summer pistol and just perfect for a hip pouch while on a hike through the park.
I have a few more pocket pistols (and some larger pistols) in the safe, but I don't want this post to get too long here!

Kentucky Rifle

 

[Clemson]

One advantage to revolvers is that you can change the "feel" almost infinitely by changing the grips you use. Different grips come in different sizes, finger grooves, covered backstrap vs bare backstrap, different materials, etc. If you are willing to dig a bit, it is likely that you can find a set that feel good to you.

 

[oktagon]

Kevinch,

You said "I carry mine with a round in the chamber, hammer down, safety on. (Mine has the firing pin safety; this mode of carry is safe)."
So, in order to use it you would have to take the safety off and THEN retract the hammer?? May I ask why? The gun is designed for condition 1 carry, some prefer to carry it in cond 2, because as you pointed out the gun is equiped with firing pin safety. But cond 2 AND safety on? Perhaps you have a reason to do that, in which case I would really be interested in learning it.
I frequently carry Mustang, customized by SM&A (deep cover package), but I ALWAYS carry the gun in condition 1. With pocked gun chambered for marginally effective round, speed of presentation and firing is extremily important.

 

[Dave R]

I recently switched from an FEG .380 (PPK clone) to a Kel-Tec P-11. The P-11 is light, compact, and holds 11 of my favorite 9mm. I've heard it described as a "poor man's mini-Glock" and I think that's about right. Except I think its even smaller and lighter than the mini-Glocks.

 

[RHC]

I have several of the guns mentioned, a Glock 26, a Kel-tec P32, and a snubbie, though mine is a Taurus multi-alloy. The Glock is just too thick for me. Anyone who can carry it in a pocket must have enormous pockets, or just not mind people staring at his pockets. My Glock is my choice for IWB carry when practical.

The Kel-tec is wonderful and very light and thin, but I confess when I carry I am constantly visualizing scenarios in which a large angry man attacks me and all I have is .32 ACP. I carry it either loose in a pocket without a round in the chamber or in a Nemesis pocket holster ready to go. I highly recommend the Nemesis - it's got some sticky stuff one side and holds the holster in the pocket well, though it does add some thickness.

The Taurus snubbie is what I wind up with for pocket carry most of the time, in a Kramer pocket holster. It really doesn't print any more than the kel-tec when both are holstered, and it shoots a much more powerful round. Besides, it looks like a real gun, so I figure the intimidation factor is a little better. I try to always carry extra rounds.

I bought all three of these guns in the last couple of years when it looked like they'd be banning them soon. I do still have a longing for the supposedly soon-to-appear Kahr MP-9, a polymer framed gun the size of the MK-9. I think it would beat any of the choices mentioned above or by me as a pocket gun.

 

[Watch-Six]

I carry a larger gun IWB when possible. If I cannot do that I go with a P32 in a pocket holster. Not my first choice if I needed it, but better than nothing.

 

[JB in SC]

Seecamp .32 in a Ken Null SPS.

 

[lonegunman]

Some of you must have giant pockets!

How do you carry a Glock 26, 36, S&W642, or Kahr in a pocket without drawing attention?

I assume the Glock toters are putting them in a holster for safety reasons. That makes them way too thick for me to want to carry in a pocket.

Do you guys really carry these guns in a pocket, or are you recommending them for concealed carry in general (eg IWB holster)?

For pocket carry, Keltec p32 is by far my favorite. Other reasonable choices in my mind would be Beretta Tomcat, Colt Mustang Pocketlite, and I guess a Seecamp, if you can get one.

 

[centralpadoug]

Wow, what a great response! This is going to take me soommmee time to check out the many options you all so kindly offered.

I am very used to a fanny pack for the fullsized USP, this will be an interesting transition when I need/ want to go this route...thanks again, any other ideas let me know!