New carry pistol...pocket rocket

R

Ridgerunner665

Member
Joined
Feb 3, 2005
Messages
3,584
Location
Upper East Tennessee
Pocket rockets... always understood they have their place in the world, just never liked the idea of depending on something so.....weak.


But, things change, situations change - and we gotta adapt or get left behind.


After my heart attack a while back I've been talking a long look at how I earn my living... I'm a flatbed truck driver, which is and always has been a young man's game (I've come to understand that I'm no longer a young man) ... the hours are long (12-18 hour days), the work is hard (lifting 160 pound tarps, throwing chains over loads, etc.), and it's outside in the 100+ degree heat or below 0 cold, depending on the season.


I'm too old and uneducated to change... so... I'm going to get some help... I'm going to become a driver trainer and see if I can teach these new kids a thing or two.


Hence the pocket rocket... having someone in the truck with me 2-4 weeks at a time means no more conventional carry, it's gotta stay truly hidden and out of sight...100%, all the time.... the company has no rules or policies against carrying, but I figure it's best kept out of sight and out of mind.


After weeks of research I settled on the M&P Bodyguard 380 without the integrated laser...lots of people love that gun, lots also hate it.... the trigger has a very long, very heavy pull that most folks just don't like.


I figure a true pocket pistol should have just such a trigger to be truly safe, it took some practice but I got used to it.


The gun has been 100% reliable and is way more accurate than it should be for what it is (something a lot of people who hated it still also noted about it).


Carried in a Sticky Holster it just disappears into the front pocket of my work pants (Dickies, Carhartts, Wranglers).


I'd feel better with my M&P 9mm, but that's a no go... the Glock 43 and Sig P365 are too big for "me" to hide in a pocket (others say they can).


The little M&P Bodyguard is a cute little thing, kinda like a puppy, lol....I didn't choose it based on looks, but it is in my opinion the best looking of the polymer micro pistols.


Oh well, it beats a sharp stick anyways.


 
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Ridgerunner665 said:
Pocket rockets... always understood they have their place in the world, just never liked the idea of depending on something so.....weak.


But, things change, situations change - and we gotta adapt or get left behind.


After my heart attack a while back I've been talking a long look at how I earn my living... I'm a flatbed truck driver, which is and always has been a young man's game (I've come to understand that I'm no longer a young man) ... the hours are long (12-18 hour days), the work is hard (lifting 160 pound tarps, throwing chains over loads, etc.), and it's outside in the 100+ degree heat or below 0 cold, depending on the season.


I'm too old and uneducated to change... so... I'm going to get some help... I'm going to become a driver trainer and see if I can teach these new kids a thing or two.


Hence the pocket rocket... having someone in the truck with me 2-4 weeks at a time means no more conventional carry, it's gotta stay truly hidden and out of sight...100%, all the time.... the company has no rules or policies against carrying, but I figure it's best kept out of sight and out of mind.


After weeks of research I settled on the M&P Bodyguard 380 without the integrated laser...lots of people love that gun, lots also hate it.... the trigger has a very long, very heavy pull that most folks just don't like.


I figure a true pocket pistol should have just such a trigger to be truly safe, it took some practice but I got used to it.


The gun has been 100% reliable and is way more accurate than it should be for what it is (something a lot of people who hated it still also noted about it).


Carried in a Sticky Holster it just disappears into the front pocket of my work pants (Dickies, Carhartts, Wranglers).


I'd feel better with my M&P 9mm, but that's a no go... the Glock 43 and Sig P365 are too big for "me" to hide in a pocket (others say they can).


The little M&P Bodyguard is a cute little thing, kinda like a puppy, lol....I didn't choose it based on looks, but it is in my opinion the best looking of the polymer micro pistols.


Oh well, it beats a sharp stick anyways.


Click to expand...
As long as it's reliable and you're OK with it.
 
For pocket carry in a .380 I went with a Ruger LCP MAX. I like that it's very small, really narrow (around an 1" wide). and weighs less than 11 oz. Sights are great too! All this and it takes 10 and 12 round magazines!
qAuLTDQ.jpg
 
It reminds me of the little Sig that my LGS owner and wife use. I forgot the model number but it looks like a seriously squashed 1911. The 380 isn't a blow you off your feet round like the 45 ACP was rumored to be early on but it is no popgun either. If I wanted a pocket pistol your choice would be just fine for me.
 
doubleh said:
It reminds me of the little Sig that my LGS owner and wife use. I forgot the model number but it looks like a seriously squashed 1911. The 380 isn't a blow you off your feet round like the 45 ACP was rumored to be early on but it is no popgun either. If I wanted a pocket pistol your choice would be just fine for me.
Click to expand...
Sig P238... sweet little pistol for sure, but the beavertail killed it for me, for this (pocket carry)....in a holster, on a belt, either IWB or IWB, that's a 380 I'd happily carry any day.
 
Good deal! I’m glad to read that you found a pistol that allows you to be armed, yet remain ultra-discreet. :thumbup:

I am another who went the LCP .380 route for an extra small pistol; first the original model and then an LCP II (Slightly better sights and MUCH better trigger). The S&W Bodyguard fills the same niche, so you will be well armed. (Well, as well armed as micro .380’s make us anyway. :))

You are right that driving a flatbed semi is a lot of work! My former FIL (died on Easter 2023) owned a small company with a 15-tractor fleet of tractor-trailers in the 1970’s- 1980’s; mostly 40’ boxes but he had some reefers and a few flatbeds, too. He said the same things about flatbeds being the most physical work to load, and depending on the load and driving conditions, they could be the most stressful, too.

Good luck in your transition, and stay safe out there.
 
doubleh
It reminds me of the little Sig that my LGS owner and wife use. I forgot the model number but it looks like a seriously squashed 1911.
Click to expand...

I have the SIG P238 and it's predecessor, the Colt Mustang, and they're a real hoot to shoot! Their SAO triggers are smooth and relatively short on the take-up and with a decent set of sights, the guns themselves are capable of some very good accuracy. Of course their delayed blowback design make for very little in the way of felt recoil. Only 2 drawbacks to these miniature marvels are 1) they're not made any more, and 2) their having only 6 round magazines (you can also use Colt Government .380 7 round magazines though they stick out a bit from the bottom). They're fun little guns to shoot and lightweight enough to pocket carry all day long without feeling it.
4dfdRS5.jpg

xFnKg2H.jpg
 
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My current go to is the Ruger LCP Max. I changed the trigger to a M-Carbo Flat Trigger, swapped to a M-Carbo Stainless Guide Rod, and added some Talon grip tape. I carry it in a Uncle Georges Wallet holster, not the fastest draw, but means I can have it with me no matter what I am wearing.
 

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We are an LCP family.
I have a gen 1 that is my normal edc. We are very rural and I get lazy about carrying all my hardware and leave it home for a few days......then I watch the news and start carrying again!
20231101_094920.jpg
My Mrs carries a 25th anniversary (Chrome) LCP in her purse.
20190521_222318.jpg
We both utilize the extended 7rd mag in the guns and carry the original 6rd as a spare magazine.

My #2 daughter in law works nights at an event center. They also have a bar there. She inquired about a pistol, so I bought her an LCP MAX. And an extended 12rd mag.
20231210_192635.jpg 20231210_192554.jpg
I am satisfied with .380 for personal self defense. These little pocket rockets are discreet and reliable.
I insist on premium ammo in these guns. I buy CorBon.
The shooting world accepts 9mm as the standard for SD ammo. The .380 CorBon(or other premium) is probably next best to 9mm.
Best wishes @Ridgerunner665 .
My father in law has carried S&W Bodyguard for years.
I have semis and hopper-bottoms for our farm. I am moving grain off farm to local elevators about all winter.
Happy trucking.....keep the shiny side up and all that.
 
I have many pocket pistols to choose from. My most carried gun is a DiamondBack DB9. I own 2 of them, a gen 3 and a gen 4. Both have been 100% reliable. They are the largest pistols I can pocket carry and I appreciate being able to pocket carry a 9mm. The Kahr CM9 is a bit bigger and a more refined pistol but it is too big to pocket carry for me.

https://www.handgunhero.com/compare/smith-wesson-m-p-bodyguard-380-vs-diamondback-db9-g4

index.php


I move down to the LCP and then down to the P32 depending on the clothes I am wearing. But the DB9 works with most of the clothes I wear daily.
 
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Another 1st gen LCP owner. One of the smallest, lightest, forget it’s in your pocket guns.

I tried a Sig 938, very mild shooting for its size. Problem is, all my training has been with guns with no additional safety to flick off. Something extra I didn’t want to have to think about.

OP: Good luck with your new gun!
 
I pocket carried a Sig P938 for years (still do on occasion). For me it's easy to do with the extended mag. I also have a Ruger LCP II that is great for more discreet carrying, i.e., in a suit, swim trunks, basketball shorts.
My son, who is also my range buddy, hates shooting either of them. I don't mind them a bit.
 
A man's gotta do what a man's gotta do. There are times I long for a pocket rocket also, but since I am retired, I really have no need for it. I just carry my Glock 26 as my IWB EDC. It is definitely too big to be carried in my pocket.

Joe
 
Another vote for the Ruger LCP Max. I carry one almost dally in a Mitch Rosen pocket holster. I use to carry the standard LCP, but moved to the max for the better trigger and sights.

WB
 
I don't have much use for the laser.

But the Bodyguard 380 is my choice.

Reliable, and conceals in WATCH POCKET of my granddad-jeans perfectly.



Not only do I not have a need for a laser. I don't use the sights or the safety either.
12-pound trigger and point. Pull the trigger LIKE YOU MEAN IT. No "target trigger" milking. Get on with it! Keep pointing through the shot and the recoil.

That size group will do just fine.
Orange shred of aiming dot was what I was pointing at.
A complainer would say it shoots a little low right. Or that I'm "doing something wrong." BAH! to that!!!.
That'll do just fine.

Aint gonna be using it any farther distance than this:

target - Sieger range.jpg target 10 feet.jpg
 
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