A Little Help Here... Pocket CCW

[Zerodefect]

Zerodefect, I was thinking about a little .38 +p revolver. I will probably only shoot this gun 50 times a year after my initial 200 round test so comfort in terms of shooting it a lot won't be a big concern. How does the little revolver conceal?

Little revolvers are such an odd shape that they don't print a pattern that looks like a gun. As long as the handle isn't poking out.

Adding a grip that fills behind the trigger frame area nicely makes them better to shoot. 99% of my J-frame pain is the trigger guard hitting my fingers, or the cylinder release scalpeling into my thumb.

I'm even considering an LCR for something lighter than my steel J-frame:

 

[rdrancher]

Based on some of the recommendations some of you guys have great old big pockets! And must be wearing suspenders to carry all the weight! A .45 ACP for pocket carry???

Personally in jeans I find even my S&W 642 too big (thick). Generally for pocket carry it's either a KT P32 or P3AT, very slim and short. I also have Beretta and Browning .25's but I won't talk about those due to all the hate mail they generate.

If you can't conceal a j-frame in your pocket, maybe you should try some different jeans.

 

[BSA1]

However, there are two situations where I find the Glock to be a bit cumbersome. In the summertime when shorts and T-shirt are almost an everyday thing and 7 o' clock at night when the wife tells me I need to run to the store to get something. I am just looking for something I can throw in a back pocket (hooked to a kydex trigger guard holster) and still keep perfectly concealed.

I would like to respectfully challenge your thoughts for the following reasons;

1. Convenience stores (and liquor stores) are a high target for armed robberies. That is the reason LEO’s called them “stop-n-rob.”

2. Armed robberies increase dramatically after dark.

3. Violent crime increases during hot weather.

4. Everything in firearms is a tradeoff. More so with handguns.

5. Smaller means difficult choices. Higher capacity means smaller less powerful cartridge. More powerful cartridges are larger. High power cartridge are more difficult to control in small guns.

6. Quality can be found for less than $300.00 but in what calibers? The Makarov is a excellent buy with a cartridge considered marginal by some but it is well out your size requirement. I have a Star Firestar 9mm+P that comes very close to your size requirement but being all steel it is too heavy for a pocket gun.

7. Humans can be very, very difficult to cause to stop their actions especially quickly.

8. Walking in on a robbery in progress is extremely dangerous with the likelihood of violence increasing.

9. Pocket carry is slow to draw from and telegraphs your actions.

10. Pocket guns still require a holster to keep them from shifting their position.

So when you are making a trip to the convenience store you are going into a potentially more dangerous situation with a lower power low capacity handgun. The robber may well be better armed with a high power higher capacity handgun. Not only that but there may be more than one robber (i.e. wheelman of escape vehicle).

I have a Seecamp LWS that meets your criteria perfectly. But I am under no illusions about it’s stopping power and that it is strictly a last ditch no other way out defensive gun. Most experts agree you are better off dressing around your firearm than other way around.

 

[macadore]

My smallest concealed carry handgun is a P64. It shoots 9x18 which has the energy of a 38 Special. It is a lot of power in a small package. It has two downsides. First, the DA trigger pull is so heavy it's almost unuseable. You can get Wolff springs to replace the original or get a gunsmith to do it. The other downside is that the recoil is brutal. That happens when you go up on power and down on weight. Of course it's much worse for the person on the other end.

 

[chaim]

Since you are looking mainly for something to drop in the pocket for an evening run to the store, not EDC pocket carry, I would go more for a heavier pocketable gun (around 20oz +/- an ounce or two) over one of the lightweights. That will allow faster follow up shots and you will likely get more practice at the range which will be important in allowing you to more quickly master one of the hardest categories of handguns. So, if I was in your situation, I'd look more for measurements than weight. My first choice is a tad over your price range used (and about $200 over if new), the SIG P290. Next would be a Taurus 85 (you may even be able to find one new in your range). If you definitely want size and weight as low as possible, and want to stay under $300, you might get lucky and find a Taurus 85UL or S&W Airweight used for around $300. Otherwise, I'd say a Kel-tec P-11 may be your best bet.

That said, you didn't mention how you carry. Something you can quickly slip on and off for those runs to the store is similar to my needs (I live in a non-shall issue state, so I carry around my home but have to take it off when I leave). A clip on or snap/loops IWB or a paddle can easily be put on or removed in a matter of seconds without partially removing your belt. Even if you don't want that for your EDC uses, maybe simply buying a new holster may solve your late evening run to the store needs. Then, if you want something smaller for the summer, you have a little time to save and get exactly what you want (maybe a G26 would make sense as a good complement to your G19).

 

[ACP]

BSA1 summed things up very, very, very well.

 

[edmo01]

To the OP, make sure you aren't using the wrong yardstick to measure your self-defense requirements...

Although adequate handguns can be found at relatively cheap prices, "less than $300" isn't the first benchmark I would use for something I may call on to defend my life. Things like reliability, chambered in an effective caliber, and a handgun platform I can shoot accurately would be a better measure of a defensive handgun for my needs. I just might be able to fulfill those requirements for less than $300, but maybe not.

For pocket carry I would pick something which is snag free on the draw from the pocket. I have found semi-autos generally aren't snag free. The rear of the slide sticks up above the top of your hand when grasping the gun and can present a snag hazard. For that reason I choose a hidden hammer version of the S&W J frame such as the 442/642. You only get 5 shots so practice enough to make them count. My 642 is pictured below and gets pocket carried in a Galco leather pocket holster. It provides as snag free of a draw as you can get.

For a semi-auto option I would pick the GLOCK 43. I carry mine in the AIWB holster pictured below. Although much smaller it will mimic your G19 in feel, trigger, and controls.

Neither of these will be below the $300 mark as a new offering, but may be found closer to this $$$ mark on the used market. Both will give you easy carry in the shorts and T-shirt attire of summer. They also come in proven calibers and have been 100% reliable for me.

Just a thought.

Edmo

 

[Ed Ames]

Honestly this is an easy one: Get a p3at. Problem solved for about $250.

If that's too simple a solution, consider the p11. 10 or 12 +1 of 9mm in a package that has zero frills to make carry or concealment more difficult. I don't understand why the p11 doesn't get more love as it might be the best overall concealed carry gun sold today and you can easily find them for under $250.

 

[pacerdude]

I've been alternating between a S&W Bodyguard and a Glock 43 for daily carry. At work I throw on a sweater or sport coat over my polo/button up.

With the slimness of the modern polymer .380s, look at a Ruger, S&W, Taurus or Kel-Tec.

Good luck!

 

[1KPerDay]

DO NOT carry your handgun in a pocket! You need to find a belt holster that will allow you a consistent, rapid, smooth draw without having to futz around fishing for your firearm that shifts around in a pocket! Plus if you are seated pocket carry is comparable to keeping your firearm at home. Pockets are for keys and combs, NOT FIREARMS.

 

[Haywood]

A 442 is always in my pocket.