Does anyone make great pocket pistol?

[snooperman]

If you really want better sights on a pocket gun, a gunsmith can always do what you want too. Just a thought. Snoop

 

[Cycletroll]

Kahr PM9 or CM9. Both about 16oz (20oz with 6+1). Very accurate, very reliable, good sights nice trigger, safe.
I've hit a coke can offhand at 40yds with my CM9 so yes it is very accurate if you can hold a gun that small steady.
P380 is smaller but IMHO .380 is not really enough penetration/expansion given the small guns available in 9mm.
I carry mine in right front pocket on a regular basis when not carrying a S&W 340.

 

[celem]

...The LCP and Kel-tec neither have useable sights. ...

I can shoot my P3AT pretty accurately using the sights at 12 yards. That said, However, that isn't what it is for. It is for point and shoot self defense in close quarters. In point and shoot self defense range practice it also does well - hitting 100% center mass. I am perfectly happy with it for its intended purpose - highly concealable self defense.

 

[Claude Clay]

friend i instructed got sig 238's for the whole family.

2 are dead-nuts accurate in my hands, the other 2 are 3" at 25'

my Shield is 2" @ 25' and that is all i need

 

[76shuvlinoff]

Yes the "sights" on my LCP suck. BUT the thing seems to point just right for me at the ranges it is intended for. A pink grip extension tightened my groups and follow up time.

 

[SDGlock23]

I like the Kahr CM9 or CM40, both very pocket-able and have good sights and are reliable. Opinions vary on Kahrs, but with a good initial break in they're good pistols with a pretty nice trigger. They come sprung tightly and I've found are a little more susceptible to limpwristing than some, but once the springs settle in just a little and with proper (and firm) grip they're very good pistols, accurate too.

I've had a few LCPs and I don't care for their trigger, the non existent sights and worse of all, the slide doesn't lock back on the last round. The Kahrs do all of these things the LCP doesn't, and for being a 9mm or .40, they're a great size and make a very nice pocket pistol. I hope to snag a CW380 and give it a go.

 

[WRGADog]

I pocket carry almost 100% of the time. I rotate several pistols, a Beretta Nano, Kahr PM9, Kahr P380, and Kimber Solo. These are quality guns, accurate, reliable, and have decent sights. The Kahr P380 is somewhat selective on ammo and doesn't like Hornady Critical Defense, but feeds everything else (Winchester Ranger, Remington Golden Saber, and Corbon) just fine. I also just picked up a Glock 42 that I have not yet taken to the range. IMO there are lots of good pocket pistols available just pick the one that fits your hand the best and you shoot well. I have night sights on my Nano and Solo.

 

[4season]

I have looked at the Nano but I would love to try the Pico. I also looked at the Bodyguard today and think I could live with the safety as it took a bit of force to engage it, but it still lingers in the back of my mind about what could go wrong. I also looked a the LCP again today and I am not sure how people are releasing the mag in their pockets. The button is recessed and not exactly sensitive. Are people putting the gun in their pocket with their keys? I may look at a LCP with the laser again.

 

[hartcreek]

S&W Airweight in .38 Special. My mom carries one. She was concerned about accuracy with it. At 50 feet I put 50 rounds into a standing five gallon bucket. That is plenty accurate for a SD firearm. Practice is everything.

 

[VA27]

How about the Micro Desert Eagle? It would actually fit in the pocket. Anyone have experience with that one?

I've carried mine for a coupla years now. Goes bang every time. Reliable with everything from ball to DPX. Sights are as good as a J-frame. As accurate as a typical service-sized gun.

All metal (except the grips) so it's a few ounces heavier than the polyguns, and size-wise it is bigger than a Seecamp but smaller than anything else.

I like it enough that I picked up another as a spare rather than a P3AT/LCP/P380.

Some have complained about the trigger pull. It's actually about like a J-frame. Some have complained about the recoil. Those folks have likely never shot a Seecamp 380 or one of the airweight 357's. It's just not that bad.

 

[djm3801]

I have a new LCP. Better sights than the original but basic. The Bodyguard does have better sights but I fired it and did not care for it. That said, S&W advises that misfires occur with non American ammo due to harder primers. I asked them about it when i thought that I was going to buy one, then I tried one and changed my mind.

I do not see sights as being an issue for a pocket carry. In the heat of the moment where you are defending yourself sights may not even be real visible and if they are I think a best case sight picture is all you will get. That said, I find I can use the LCP sights as well as any and I can punch a pie plate at 10 yards - all the distance you need. I was looking at the Bodyguard and the Kahr P380 and went back to the LCP with hogue grips and a pocket holster.

My opinion and you know what they say about opinions... Good luck.

 

[toivo]

• SIG P238
• SIG P938
• Beretta Pico, if it ever actually comes to market.

 

[Hossfly72]

This statement is just false. The laser is below the boreline and even further below the sights. If sighted to strike right at your point of aim that will only happen at that exact range. It will strike higher than the laser at closer range and lower the further past that range you get. Its best to sight the laser to point for a POI the same distance below the sights as your POA. Then it will be relatively consistent regardless of range. having the laser cowitness with your sights is a pipe dream at anything other than one specific distance.

Told ya the "experts" would come out and start flaming away didn't I?
Did I say it was a freaking sniper rifle? No. I aimed at a target 20 feet away and hit that target. I'm not aiming at somebody on the 2nd floor of a building down the block or driving down the road in a car. I'm aiming at an immediate threat, up close and personal. If it came to the point of having to use it for it's intended purpose though, I'm sticking it up the bad guys nose and pulling the trigger until it goes "click" and screw the sights!

 

[Esoxchaser]

Another firm believer in the 238 here. Dead solid reliable, accurate, and soft shooting. whats not to like?
I have a 938 as well, great pocket pistol, but if I could only have one it would be the 238 because it fits clothes the 938 won't.

 

[Vodoun da Vinci]

Are people putting the gun in their pocket with their keys?

With the exception of my Px4 SC because of the decocked, trigger deactivated, hammer down on a down turned firing pin block, all guns get pocket holsters and a dedicated pocket. Generally I'm of the feeling that they should always be in a holster and nothing in the pocket 'cept the gun.

VooDoo

 

[bikerdoc]

I use a Bersa Thunder CC for summer carry. 9yrs and lots of rounds, never a fail.

 

[kokapelli]

There is nothing out there in a pocket 380 that beats the P238.

It has excellent sights (as good as most full size pistols), good trigger and very reliable.

 

[huntsman]

Pocket gun, with "good sights"?

For decades, the "pocket gun" was the classic .38 snub revolver. Just look at the sights that come on those things. Even then, people understood that "good sights" and "pocket guns" just don't go well together.

+1 and then it's usually complaining about the trigger like it's not a bullseye gun.

For me this isn't too difficult: pocket carry LCP, light belt gun BDA, Sidearm S&W 4566. All are tried and true with good rep.

 

[ritepath]

For me my LCP is a great pocket pistol. Accurate, easy to shoot, reliable.

I do wish my 5yo specimen had a little better sights and trigger, but for me it's pretty darned good as is.

 

[bannockburn]

I also like the S&W Bodyguard .380 for pocket carry. Decent sights (though the laser module is a bit problematic), a relatively smooth DAO set-up, and great ergonomics make the gun quick and easy to get on target.

In a single action design I like my SIG P238 (night sights and a removable laser), in the pocket carry role as well.

 

[PabloJ]

This goes back to the issue of accurate and reliable carry gun. It has to go bang every time the trigger is pulled and it has to punch holes where it is aimed. I have yet to find a pocket gun that can claim these 2 key features.

I have looked at the usual candidates, LCP, TCP, Kel-Tec, and Diamondback. The LCP and Kel-tec neither have useable sights. The TCP is known to choke on hollowpoints. After handling the Diamondback I thought I had found one with useable sights but upon doing more reading I found it won't eat hollowpoints either, and apparently it doesn't shoot to point of aim either. So I looked at the LCP with a laser, thinking it wouldn't matter if I can see the sights then. But apparently the mags come out in your pocket meaning you only have a single shot assuming no mag disconnect. Is it too much to ask for a small gun to have good sights that point where the gun will hit, eat any ammo, and be ready for action when it's drawn?

Now before someone responds that that is why they carry a big gun, I have a full size that I carry everyday. But summer is coming and I am tired of dressing around my gun. I can dedicate a shorts pocket to my gun but that is the only dressing hassle I want to deal with this summer. Also I am in and out of places that I can't carry so a pocket holster can be slipped out and put in the glove box when I go in many times a day.

I also looked at revolvers but the cylinder is just to bulky even on 5 shots like the LCR and SP101. I really think the 380 is the way to go for my application.

While I do not understand need for high quality combat sights on 5 to 7 yard piece Sig Sauer makes tiny pistols with very good sights.

 

[5-SHOTS]

Maybe the Kahr 380?

 

[CraigC]

Even then, people understood that "good sights" and "pocket guns" just don't go well together.

And maybe that was a design flaw? I know I have come to realize that one can shoot these little pistols a lot better with decent sights. For I no longer consider them restricted to "point `n shoot" affairs. Better to have them and not need them and all that.....

 

[Pyzon]

Heard at the LGS sales counter, every day:

I want a little tiny and lightweight, invisible in a bikini easy to carry and draw pistol that:

1.) Is accurate out to 25 yards.
2.) Meets the FBI penetration standards of (enter number here ").
3.) No recoil, no loud noises.
4.) Is really cheap.
5.) Shoots easy to find at Walmart ammo, even now.
6.) Never malfunctions, even if I use bad technique, cheap Walmart ammo and never practice, break it in, or blow out the pocket lint.
7.) Holds at at least 15 rounds.
8.) Has a laser visible across town, a 1000 lumen flashlight w/strobe and SOS, and a bayonet too.

 

[jrdolall]

It depends on your pockets. If you wear pants that are 2 sizes too big for you and have pockets that reach your knees then put a full size Glock in there. I got some new Levis 527 jeans a couple of weeks ago and the KT P3AT in a nylon Uncle Mike's holster will barely fit. The Bodyguard won't work in those jeans.

I like the laser on the BG but in very bright daylight conditions it is pretty useless. With lots of practice I am able to consistently hit a 2 liter bottle at 25 yards with a BG, P3AT or any of my other "pocket" guns. I don't really consider that a needed skill for a pocket gun but it can't hurt. If I can just get an attacker with a gun to stand still at 25 yards for a couple of minutes then I feel confident I can hit him. Maybe he will be holding a 2 liter bottle center mass.

The Sig P-238 or the Bersa Thunder are too big for me to comfortably carry in my front pocket. The Sig is nice to shoot and has all the features of a full sized gun but the hammer on both of these make them less than desirable in MY pocket. The P-238 is probably my favorite gun right now. Accurate and easy to shoot.

I don't carry a pocket gun with the intention of taking on a gang of drug addled gang bangers on the south side of town. It is a bare minimum SD weapon that I consider as a compromise based on where I am and what I am wearing. If I do run into the aforementioned gang I will be well and truly screwed whether I am carrying a Seacamp or a Kel Tec.