Pocket carry for PM and CM9
The decision to carry a concealed firearm requires quite a bit of planning and consideration. Once, after due diligence and research, you have decided on the smallest caliber you are prepared to carry as insurance, you can go shopping for the gun.
The gun has to fit you. If you find the perfect 45 ACP that's the size of a pack of cigarrette's, you can bet it is a very concealable gun and in a very effective caliber. If you can't hold on to it, it is of no value to you as a CCW.
The easiest guns to carry and conceal are the mini-guns. The little .25 ACP's, the .32"s and .380's. They are diminuative in size and performance. They require careful shot placement and often so small that they are difficult to manipulate during a high stress situation. Yeah, they conceal easy but do they accomplish the job that prompted you to make the decision to carry a concealed handgun?
During my gunshow days, I used to have lots of young women come to my tables and fondle the small 25's and 32's that I had. They would comment on how cute they were and how well they would fit in their purses.
I would always try to discourage them from those types of guns and steer them toward a lightweight revolver. If I was unsuccessful in steering them away from the mouseguns, I almost always got their attention with the last comment I would make to them before I made the sale.
I would tell them to be sure to consider the cost of having the front sight milled off of their soon to be new mousegun . When asked why they would have to have the front sight removed, I would look them straight in the eye and tell them that once the front sight is gone and the bad guy takes their gun away from them and shoves it up their butt, it won't hurt so much! Rude and crude, yes, but in most cases, it struck home.
Getting back to the point, the decision to carry concealed to protect your family, friends and loved ones may also come with a requirement for a partial wardrobe change. The fact that a very good, reliable gun doesen't fit in your normal designer jeans without printing should not mean, abandoning the gun and moving to a smaller caliber. It could mean, buy a different style of jeans that have deeper pockets. (I have a few pair from that "Deluth Trading" company. They are normal in every respect except that they have deeper and larger pockets than most others.)
My decision to be armed at all times has led me down an expensive road of dozens of different handguns and hundreds of different holsters. I can usually come up with a combination that will allow me to go about my business without offending my community; at the same time affording me the opportunity to feel comfortable.
If you have been unable to glean anything out of this rant, let me make it simple. Carry the tool necessary to get the job done. If you need a big hammer, you better plan on purchasing and wearing some big overalls!