Best Mouse Guns

Have you looked at the CM9 or if you are set on .380 the Glock 42? (you can bring the trigger pull to 7-8lbs with the NY-1 trigger spring.)

The S&W 642 or 640 are also good options.

With any handgun, but especially the smaller ones you really need to practice a lot to be able to shoot them well.

I am very happy with my S&W Shield (9mm). I am able to carry it in most situation using IWB holster. Yes there are smaller guns that might conceal a little better, but I don't seem to have any issue. But that said, I seldom need to wear tucked in shirt.

When I first shot the Shield I was surprised how well I was able to do with it. Pretty darn accurate for short barrel. With the 9mm it has minimal recoil, quickly getting back on target. It has functioned without fail with factory ammo.

I do need to practice with it more. I find myself gravitating to my 1911s when I get to the range.

jj1962hemi said:

I was more accurate with the Ruger, but uncomfortable thinking I might have a CCW that has a short light trigger pull, ?

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This is the first time anyone ever called the trigger pull on an LCP as "short and light," not to mention there's a concern of the pull being too light....

This is the first time anyone ever called the trigger pull on an LCP as "short and light," not to mention there's a concern of the pull being too light....

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I can see where he might be coming from. I have looked at Kahrs that thought had very long and quite heavy triggers, notably some polymer Kahrs. Compared to those, the new version of the LCP has noticeably shorter trigger pull, though I'm not sure it is lighter. I have both LCPs and "Gen 2" is strikingly different. Maybe 40% shorter (WAG).

My wife was offered a lot of choices in carry pistol when she got her concealed firearms permit. I knew she wouldn't carry a .45 or 9mm so I tried to let her choose. She usually carries a KelTec P32.

I don't express an opinion to her because I'm just glad she goes armed.

The newer LCPs have nicer triggers. The older LCPs, and the original Keltec design, might be more to your liking.

BTW if you want a real mouse gun - a .25 - the only one to consider is the Beretta 950.

Take a look at the SCCY, I've got 2 and like both. No issues with either one.

Stick with the lcp if you shoot it well and get a good holster that secures the gun and covers the trigger.

MikeJackmin said:

BTW if you want a real mouse gun - a .25 - the only one to consider is the Beretta 950.

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Nope, the Beretta Model 20 wod suit him better. It's basically a DA/SA 950

Only imported for two years.

I find a KelTec P32 or a Beretta 950B to be very nice 'mouse guns'.

That is, as long as I am comfortable with the 'firepower' (sic?) of a small .32 ACP or .25 ACP pistol in my pocket.

My daily carry gun is a .38 Special J frame but when I need something very small I carry a Kel-Tec P-32. While the Kel-Tec in .380 is probably a little better it was not available from Kel-Tec when I bought the P-32. The P-3AT came out about 6 months later.

I suggest using Fiocchi 60gr JHP ammo (32APHP} in the P-32. (not the XTP bullet ammo 32XTP) The 32APHP ammo is rated @1,100 fps and although you will not see that velocity from such a short barrel it will deliver higher velocities in the P-32 than ammo rated at only @900 fps.

Get the LCP if you shoot well with it. Your cons with the LCP sound like pros to me. Are you worried its going to fire while concealed?

Until you become confident in your ability to handle what ever you choose you should not carry at all.

jj1962hemi

As David E. posted a Beretta Model 20 would be a perfect Mouse Gun for someone wanting a DA/SA trigger, tip-up barrel, and in .25 ACP chambering. In a .380 I would lean more to a KelTec P3AT or a Ruger LCP for their smaller size and more potent caliber. The S&W Bodyguard .380 (I would go with the latest version without the laser), is also another decent DA semi-auto though slightly larger than the P3AT and LCP.

I think there are great reviews of mouse guns at:

Pocket Guns & Gear

Shot the LCP a lot last Summer and I just...hate it. I did not like it at all and its recoil seems excessive for a .380 to me.

We wandered a lot and ended up with a Glock 42 for my Wife. It's a little bigger than the LCP but conceals fine, shoots accurately (surprisingly accurate) and has been very reliable. I'm anxiously awaiting the Beretta Pico as I think it's gonna be a nice DAO thin .380 with modest recoil but it's not yet released and has been MIA for 2 years.

Until then the G42 fills the bill for us just fine.

If you can rent/try one (Glock 42) I'd do so. It surprised me greatly and while touted to be "too big" we find it to be not all that big at all.

VooDoo

I've been quite happy with my S&W Bodyguard 380. Quite accurate and relatively comfortable to shoot, but you should be aware that the trigger pull is very, very long.

If you like Glocks, the G42 will suit you well.

There is nothing unsafe about the LCP's trigger. It probably was, as you surmised, simply you having just done three boxes from a more-heavily-triggered gun.

For my deep-conceal needs, I went with the P32 Kel-Tec, and really like it. In exchange for a little bit of ballistic energy offered by the P3-AT (and similar guns in .380), I got a nicer-shooting piece that lets me get back on target more easily, a last-shot slidelock, and an extra round in capacity.

My usual carry piece, though, is a PF9.

TOMCAT or PPK

HEMI,

I have been carrying either a WALTHER PPK or BERETTA Tomcat for the past several years.

The Tomcat is bigger and heavier than the micro .32ACP and .380ACP pistols like the K Mart, I mean Kel Tec. For me that is an advantage. The grip is just large enough to give good control, the trigger is adequate as are the sights and the gun is extremely reliable. Loading is as easy as popping up the barrel and dropping a round in the chamber, then slide in a full magazine.
I have an NAA and it is unpleasant to shoot and just as heavy as the Tomcat, but not nearly as controllable.

If I can carry a little larger, then I go to the PPK in .32ACP. Mine shoots very well and is controllable. The sights are usable, but a distant second to my SIG 232. So far, reliability with the PPK has been outstanding and it has completely lived up to its legend. I have not shot the PPK in .380ACP, but the INTERARMS models I examined had awful trigger's compared to my pre-war WALTHER. A S&W made version had a good trigger, but cost more than my SIG 232 which has night sights and is a superior weapon to the PPK. It is also bigger, unfortunately.

I am now testing a GLOCK 42 in .380ACP and if it passes my 300 round test, then it will probably replace my PPK as a carry gun. So far it shoots just as well, if not better than the PPK and recoil is ok, though heavier than the PPK or SIG 232.
The GLOCK 42 is about the same size as the PPK, but is lighter and is a .380ACP against a .32ACP for my PPK.

I have not mentioned the KEL TEC because my sample has not worked since the day that I got it. I am going to send it back to KEL TEC as the local gunsmith has already tried to fix it and could not.

I also have been shooting a COLT .380ACP Government Lightweight model. It shoots well, but is single action and I do not trust a manual safety on a pocket pistol and am not found of them on larger guns. I would not consider the new COLT Mustang or SIG 238 for that reason. If you are not a regular shooter of the 1911 style of pistols, I would avoid them.

I would try to rent or borrow as many of these pistols as you can. The small grips, usually second rate triggers and small to non-existent sights can make them a challenge to shoot.

Good luck,

Jim

The best mouse gun is the one you left at the store when you took home your real gun.

Don't confuse undetectable with concealed. Few states (if there even are any) require 100% undetectable concealment. Concealed means the gun isn't visible. You could theoretically carry your gun in a pouch shaped exactly like the outline of the gun and it's concealed.

Peculiar lumps and bulges are not illegal, even if the butt of the gun is discernible.

Of course, you asked a question for which your state would have been helpful in forming an answer, but you neglected to provide that important information.