[jon1996]

hello,
i need a direction to look for a new smaller summertime handgun to carry, my must haves, be at leat a 9mm or close, easy to conceal, easy to find a holster for, and cost under $300.00, it dont matter if it is a auto or a revolver, i need somewhere to start,
thanks,
jon

[Craig M. Arnold]

You might try a KelTec P3AT. It is very small and light. I have about 700 rounds through mine and it has been perfect. I carry my P3AT in my front pants pocket everyday and I live in Southern Arizona where you have to wear very light clothing most of the year. The cost of a KelTec is well under $300.00. Holsters are available from dozens of makers.

Good luck.

[DMK]

I picked up an S&W 642 J frame for my summertime carry. It fits nicely into the front pocket of my denim shorts. Although my Colt CCO still conceals well IWB under a Golf shirt if I don't tuck it in.

http://firearms.smith-wesson.com/userimages/163810_large.jpg

[Curley]

I have a Kel-Tec P3AT and an S&W 337PD and recommend both.

The KT cost about half as much, can be hidden just about anywhere, and weighs 10 ounces fully loaded (6+1).

The 337PD carries a marginally more powerful round (.38 Special) and weighs a little over 13 ounces fully loaded. But it only holds 5 rounds, compared to the KT's 7.

I find myself carrying the KT most of the time. The addition of Hogue rubber grips and the Bersa magazine finger rest make the recoil manageable and improved my accuracy tremendously.

[obiwan1]

KT P-11 or used J-frame. Both will do you well. Both will be perfect for pocket carry (my favorite in summertime)

[atek3]

makarov, cheap, reliable, small. More powerful than 380 (not a 9mm) though.

atek3

[dairycreek]

It's light, reliable, a 9 mm, and a very easy carry. I bought a belt clip with mine and, more often than not, wear it that way without a holster. It fastens tightly to my belt or to the waistband of my shorts, sweats, etc. and is very secure. Great for summer carry. Easy to install too. Good shooting;)

http://www.kel-tec.com/p-11_a1.gif

[clubsoda22]

bersa thunder is nice.

[Baba Louie]

A used S&W 36 or 60 or a new Taurus 85 is about all that I can think of in way of .38 for less than $300.
A new Taurus 905 9MM wheelgun will run you about $350 as will a Firestorm FS9MM semi in 9.
Used... hit the pawn or gunshops in your town.
Llama makes a MiniMax in .45 acp. ???

[azrael]

I recommend the P-11....I carry one most days in my pocket..NO I wont say if I carry it in a holster or not!:D

[DDGator]

P-3AT is a great gun. Mine was a very early model and has been flawless.

On the other hand, I prefer to carry my 342. The 342 is a little pricey (and not available anymore), but the 442 or 642 would fit the bill very nicely. Great pocket guns.

Duane
Sales@KDHolsters.com
www.KDHolsters.com

[Soap]

I like the full size 1911. It is thin, powerful, and easy to conceal with a good holster and belt.

[PATH]

I like the Kel-Tec P32 myself. Small and easy to conceal and carry. Great for summer wear!

[ruger357]

I use a S&W 637. A used one should go for under $300 if you can find one.

[flatrock]

I have a Kel-tec P3AT (.380) I'm pretty happy with.

My wife has a S&W 642 (.38), but a new one of those is a bit over your $300 price limit.

A Kel-tec P11 (9mm) would also fall below the $300 limit, as would a Makarov.

Those will depend on how much your summertime wardrobe will allow you to conceal.

I couldn't hope to conceal a full sized 1911 in the summertime.

Remember that small guns like the P3AT require a lot of practice to shoot well.

[sgb]

Anything smaller than .38 spl or 9x19mm is below acceptable self defense standards. In the $300 range you can find a used stainless j frame S&W as has been suggested above or a used S&W Mdl 6906. Good places to look are KY Imports, Keislers, Southern Ohio Gun and Cdnn investments.

Good Luck.

[goalie]

Anything smaller than .38 spl or 9x19mm is below acceptable self defense standards.

I've used a .380 and it worked just fine. :rolleyes:

[sgb]

I've used a .380 and it worked just fine.:rolleyes:





Even a blind squirrel finds a nut now and then;)

[JNewell]

I've used a .380 and it worked just fine.

Can you give more background on what you mean by "used" and "worked just fine"?

[38snapcaps]

Why is it whenever someone asks for advice some caliber snob shows up?

Whicn one of you "nothing less than......" will be first to put on a ski mask and pretend you are the assailant I'm emptying my .380 into?

Repeat after me-Shot Placement, shot placement, shot placement.

Are you big caliber guys such bad shots you don't have the confidence in your ability to hit your target? If so, I'd recommend some practice, I sure don't want to be around you when you're throwing big he-man lead all over the place!

[sgb]

Snapcaps,

Are we to take it from your latest post that you've never really been in a shooting as you originaly insinuated by your post?

Are you unaware that your beloved little .380 just out and out lacks the power to CONSISTANTLY penetrate to the vitals? That there are now 9mm handguns in the same size range that out preform your .380? That when using handguns bigger is just flat out better? After all the largest most powerfull caliber handgun is still a poor choice in a gun fight.

Your latest post suggests that you know nothing of the situational awareness, training and tactics necassary to be profishent in the use of a handgun for self defense. Simpley carrying any old handgun won't save your butt.

Did it ever occure to you that some of us are dedicated professionals in the use of weapons as well as enthusiasts, and that we may actualy have something to say that you may benefit from?

No one here cares if you carry a .380 to defend yourself, after all it is your choice. However it's only popular with the cool factor crowd. After all it's cool to carry a gun that you'll most likely never have to use isn't it? So a .380 or heck even a .22lr will do just fine won't it?

For the rest of us "caliber snobs" we'll continue to choose the proper tool for the job at hand. Knowing that cool don't mean sqaut when the man in the ski mask shows up;)

As for pratice, I spend more money on ammo a month than your .380 cost you. Shot placement is not a problem :cool:

[DonGlock26]

I use a G-26 in a galco fannypack or a P-32 in an uncle mikes pocket holster.

[Marko Kloos]

Your latest post suggests that you know nothing of the situational awareness, training and tactics necassary to be profishent in the use of a handgun for self defense. Simpley carrying any old handgun won't save your butt.

Golly gee...I carry a SIG P232 quite frequently. Does that mean I know nothing about using a gun for self-defense, either?

You may want to be careful with the confrontational generalizations.

Did it ever occure to you that some of us are dedicated professionals in the use of weapons as well as enthusiasts, and that we may actualy have something to say that you may benefit from?

Did it ever occur to you that some of the folks who have no issues with toting a .380 are people who have been carrying guns for a long time? Some of us may even have valid reasons for carrying a .380 on occasion, and we may even have something to say from which you may benefit.

No one here cares if you carry a .380 to defend yourself, after all it is your choice. However it's only popular with the cool factor crowd. After all it's cool to carry a gun that you'll most likely never have to use isn't it? So a .380 or heck even a .22lr will do just fine won't it?

Your first statement in that paragraph nonwithstanding, you seem to care enough about his choice of .380 for self-defense to attack him and come close enough to name-calling to gather yourself a "tone it down" warning. Try and keep your posts civil and non-confrontational, please. Attitude does not equal competence, online or elsewhere.

[sgb]

Please allow me to apologize for offending you. I didn't know this was such a sensitive board that my post could have been construed as offensive when being called a caliber snob is not.

Evidently I hit a nerve with you with my crack against the cool crowd, as you've posted that you carry on occasion what I consider an inappropriate choice for it's intended use.


Your house, your rules. I will abide by them.

sgb

Edited to apologize to snapcap for mistaking his reply as comming from golie in the above post

[RVSinOK]

SGB -

At the risk of offending you (which isn't a real great concern since you appeared here out of nowhere and jumped right in insulting people), I beg to differ. I don't consider being called a "caliber snob" offensive if it is true. You apparently are of the opinion (which is your right - I don't care what it is) that YOUR definition of the "right" caliber for self-defense is the only correct one, and that anyone who disagrees with you obviously doesn't know what they are talking about and is just asking for trouble. Have you considered the fact that maybe for some people, a .380 is the biggest gun that works for them in a given situation? Are you suggesting (with your obvious infinite wisdom) that that person would be better off with nothing? Or the fact that someone carries a .380 means that they think they are part of "the cool crowd"?

This from someone who claims to know what the "best" gun is, but can't even spell originally, or consistently, or perform, or powerful, or simply, or occur, or....need I go on? And are we to be impressed by the amount of money you spend on ammo per month?

I'm not impressed, and I doubt that there are many others on this board who are.:rolleyes:

[sgb]

RVSinOK


Thank you so much for your pearls of whisdom. I will give them the consideration that they deserve.:uhoh:

[goalie]

Thank you so much for your pearls of whisdom. I will give them the consideration that they deserve.

And I will let the family of the next patient I see killed by a caliber you said wasn't acceptable know your thoughts. I'm sure it'll make them feel better to know some guy on the internet thinks that the .380 or .32 is too puny. :rolleyes:

[sgb]

And I will let the family of the next patient I see killed by a caliber you said wasn't acceptable know your thoughts. I'm sure it'll make them feel better to know some guy on the internet thinks that the .380 or .32 is too puny.

Any caliber can kill. Self defense isn't about killing it's about stopping all aggressive action by the assailant.


PS....... we're all just "some guy on the internet" aren't we?


Getting your feathers ruffled because someone points out that anything smaller than .38special or 9x19mm is a poor choice for self defense doesn't make it any less vaild.

The .380 and smaller calibers are better than nothing. But then so is a sharp stick.


Again allow me to apologize to all those of you that have chosen to arm yourselves with what I {AND MANY OTHERS} consider poor defensive calibers. I also wish to say that I'm sorry to the spelling police, sometimes I just don't proof read like I should.

thank you for your support:neener:

[middy]

Are you unaware that your beloved little .380 just out and out lacks the power to CONSISTANTLY penetrate to the vitals? That there are now 9mm handguns in the same size range that out preform your .380? That when using handguns bigger is just flat out better? After all the largest most powerfull caliber handgun is still a poor choice in a gun fight.
I think that's just flat-out ignorant. I'm considering a NAA mini-revolver in .22 magnum for deep-concealment because it's just so tiny. It may not be a one-shot stopper for a crazed psychopathic crackhead speedfreak 6'6" 300 pound professional wrestler with a samurai sword who wants to feed me my own head, but I guarantee you some punk-ass mugger is going to be hurting when a deafening shotshell of lead and fire takes out his eyes, nose and teeth, and he will be in a poor position to defend himself when I start kicking him in the nuts. Yeah, I carry the Glock when I can, it's just not always an option.

Have you never killed anything? At conversational distances it's just not that hard, even with a small caliber. My brother-in-law uses a .22 WMR revolver to put down wild hogs in his hog trap all the time, and their skulls might be even thicker than yours. ;)

Diameter isn't everything, either. Sure that .45 leaves a bigger hole, but wouldn't you rather have a .308 or even a .223?

Self-defense is all about mindset. An unarmed man with the proper mindset and a decent right-hook (or even *gasp* a mouse gun!) is more prepared and more likely to survive than a sheep with a .44.

[Art Eatman]

Y'all go back and read the first post. If you can't speak to those questions and considerations, go stand in the corner and try something new: Think.

Some of us Certified Old Farts think the best part of a computer is the Delete key. :)

Art

[1911Tuner]

"Never argue with an idiot. They drag you down to their level and then beat you with experience."



:scrutiny: :D

Nahhhh...Too easy:p

[38snapcaps]

I've been so enjoying the comments following my response to sgb's arrogance and his subsequent assault on me that I forgot what the thread was orginally about! So, as Mr. Eatman has requested:

JON1996, my answer to your question for a summertime carry is the Bersa .380, which I have trusted for over a year and a half. Over 1500 cartridges have gone thru it with total dependability, and wonderful accuracy. Flat, light in weight, eight shot capacity, and cool looks (oops, I'm not supposed to care about "cool"). All for only $225.

Don't worry about what the caliber snobs have to say. When one of them comes on hard it only shows their insecurity about their choices.

Webster's New Collegiate Dictionary describes such a person perfectly-"One who has an offensive air of superiority in matters of knowledge or taste".

[Johnny Guest]

There appear to have been some ruffled feathers. That's over now, and the topic can stay open. But, LET IT DROP, okay?

Johnny

[middy]

I have to agree with 38snapcaps that the Bersa is pretty nice. I like mine. It's not as small as it looks though... it's no P-3AT, a .38 snubbie is much easier to conceal.

[RVSinOK]

Hey, sgb - glad you like my pearls of "whisdom" (which some people spell "wisdom"). Sorry, but bad spelling is one of my pet peeves, especially when you are insulting someone, and pretending to be the one who knows all.

1911tuner, you said it all.

As for the original post, I believe he asked for opinions. I have no problem with anyone posting theirs, as long as they don't think their opinion is the only answer, and all others are the "idiots" referred to in a certain person's sig line. I don't know about anyone else here, but I am of the opinion that there is NO one who "knows it all". I welcome all opinions, but I won't tell anyone that they are wrong, because I don't know that to be true.

By the way, sgb, you didn't simply "point out that anything smaller than .38special or 9x19mm is a poor choice for self defense", you belittled anyone who might use a .380 when that is all they had. There is a difference.

OK, I'm done "arguing with an idiot".

:D

[Don Gwinn]

You were supposed to be done when Johnny nicely asked you to LET IT DROP.

I'm going to close this, and if Johnny or another Handguns mod decides to open it back up, they'll be welcome, but I wouldn't hold my breath. It's kind of depressing to the staff that we can post the words "let it drop" and people still won't let it go. This is The High Road, right?