Pocket guns

Revolver or auto for pocket carry and wat brand

  • Automatic

    Votes: 24 6.9%

  • Revolver

    Votes: 49 14.1%

  • Kel-tec

    Votes: 81 23.3%

  • Bersa

    Votes: 13 3.7%

  • Kahr

    Votes: 33 9.5%

  • S&W

    Votes: 77 22.2%

  • Ruger

    Votes: 19 5.5%

  • Walther

    Votes: 8 2.3%

  • Charter arms

    Votes: 5 1.4%

  • Sig

    Votes: 4 1.2%

  • Other

    Votes: 34 9.8%
  • Total voters
    347
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A

abrink

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Dec 2, 2007
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353
Location
Moyock North Carolina but i go to VA a lot also.
Since i'm getting tired of lugging around a full size auto everyday i've decided to switch to pocket carry. My question to you is if i should get a revolver (like the S&W 642) or an auto (like a kel-tec or a walther or something.)

What are your experiences? A revolver is OK but only 5 shots worries me. I drill putting 2 in the head and 3 in the chest. What if there's 2 BG's? What if there's more than 2? I know you can use speedloaders but you need to take time to get to them. And it's an akward shape to conceal. What brands do you reccommend?

Sorry for the poll: just vote for a brand and not whether an auto or revolver.
 
You can search this and every other forum on this subject til the cows come home and still have a few opinions to read the next day.

I say stick with the 642...and aim center of mass...forget about the head shot crap.

You and the BG together are not likely to fire more than 3 shots, whether the situation is an ambush, armed robbery, or family fight. In the majority of cases, the initial exchange of fire will determine the outcome. The speed in which you can react to danger, therefore, is likely to be a more critical commodity than the amount of ammunition you have at your disposal. You probably carry more ammunition than you will ever need.

Now...having said that, if there is a buch of BGs' attacking you and they all have guns...well then, guess you are in big trouble eh? Hope you are all prayed up.
 
My P32 Keltec is reliable, very small:) If the new Ruger 380 proves to be reliable, I'll get one of em, but I'll let some time go by first.
 
Smith and Wesson 642 which recently replaced a Kel-Tec P-3AT. The P-3AT was ultra light, flat, and concealable, but had reliability issues. And in a close range gun like pocket carry, reliability is key.

With a 5 shot wheelgun, and more than 1 BG, you just have to revert to "Boarding House Rules"...everybody gets ONE before anybody gets TWO. Most BG's will lose a lot of their courage when they see their colleague get ventilated right before their eyes.

Use a speed strip instead of a speedloader. Strips conceal flat, and with practice, you can get reloaded and back in the fight quickly.
 
I tried a revolver for pocket carry and ended up not liking it. Not that it is bad for pocket carry it is just I ended up not liking revolvers. The next gun I plan to purchase is a kel-tec p3at. I have handled them and realy like em.
 
recently bought a s&w bodyguard. VERY easy to conceal. Like it a lot, but love my sp101. The ruger is just a bit heavy to conceal.
 
I am quite fond of the Kahr PM9 as a pocket gun - in a large enough pocket. It has a flatter profile in the pocket (no cylinder bulge) and is far easier and more pleasant to shoot than any lightweight snubnose revolver I've tried, and it holds two more rounds of a more efficient cartridge. The flatter profile does work against it when drawing from the pocket - you have to dig and claw at the grip to get a good grasp on it, and the protrusion of the rear of the slide and rear sight is more prone to snag than the smooth contours of a concealed-hammer revolver.

There are some things to be aware of about a pocket gun as your only weapon. Even the PM9 is harder to shoot well than a full-size service pistol or its compact version, or the larger Kahrs for that matter. If you go smaller than the PM9, you sacrifice cartridge power. Pocket carry can be surprisingly fast when you are standing, but is very slow if you are sitting down, especially in your vehicle with a seat belt fastened. You will want a pocket holster. (I endorse Mika's.) And don't put anything else in that pocket along with the gun. Objects like pens, keys and coins can tie up a mechanism or even trip the trigger.
 
Why not two? Sometiimes I carry a Kel-tec P32 in the pocket and a S&W 642 in a Smartcarry holster. You hardly notice either of them.

_________________

"Phydeaux, bad dog....no biscuit!"
 
Take a look at the Colt snubs. They are about the same size as the S&W J frame yet they hold 6 rounds.

The Detective Special has a steel frame
The Cobra and Agent have an alloy frame

Food for thought... while we often train with tactics like the 2 to the body and 1 to the head, one of the real purposes of having a CHL is having the means to remove ourselves from harms way. In many cases that means flight. The concealed weapon is a means to allow us to get away from the situation, not stand and fight to the last man standing.
 
I own a Kel-Tec P3AT, and am also in the market for a S&W .357 snub down the road. Despite my protests that it's not the best POCKET gun, my Bersa Thunder .380 is on board right now in my right front pocket.
 
I sometimes carry a S&W 637. At first, I wondered about the 5 shot capacity but when I realizes that it carried 5 more shots than I had ever needed in the past, I became more comfortable.
 
You asked, "Revolver or auto for pocket carry and wat brand" but your Poll is set up for only 1 vote choice so I can't give you a full answer. I would have picked Revolver and S&W.
 
I waffled over a KT or a 442. I went with the 442 and it's extremely reliable. KT's have to many problems with reliabilty for me to trust it.

The Ruger LCP is something I may consider after the dust settles on them.
 
I only carry Revolvers. I carry Two at a time. If I am wrestling with an attacker I don,t want to think about fail to feed, fail to eject, because of bad grip or interference with the function of the slide. Two revolvers and reloads for each is plenty to seek cover or get away all together. If I need to arm someone to help me they get a revolver, not much training needed.
 
I'm pretty sure that I'm gonna get laughed out of here for this, but for about 2 years, before moving here to the non-concealed carry state of Wisconsin, I carried an AMT Backup .45 in a pocket holster. It was a bit heavy at something like 24 oz loaded (5+1), but carried totally unobtrusively, and was easily retrieved from standard size jeans pockets, and I have large hands.
After the first 100 or so rounds, it was stone-reliable with both my carry load (185 Golden Sabres) and my 1911 competition load of 200gr SWCs. The dbl action only trigger was atrociously heavy (but consistant) at more than 15lbs but less than 20... as tested by hanging 5lb gym weights and a piece of welding rod. With consistant dryfire practice, I could keep all six rounds inside 3 1/2 to 4" @ 7 yards rapidly, and just a tad larger @10. "Sights" are a channel on top of the slide. The mag release is a catch on the heel, and your off-hand has to pull the mag free, but again, with practice, can be done fairly rapidly. Even though the whole thing is stainless, I still had to clean and oil every couple of days from April til October, as I'm a serious sweat-hog, and was a carpenter, or it would begin to rust. (my clothes were sweat-soaked 8-10 hours a day)
Anyway, I got in a real bind a few years back and sold it. If we can get rid of our governor, or at least get him to quit vetoing the CC bill (twice now), Ill prob buy another. Well, I'll prob check out what's available when the time comes, but so far, I've seen lighter 45's, but not one as concealable. Price is right on them too.
 
The clothes dictate the pocket gun.Seecamp .32 for medium weight pants pocket carry,S&W 642 for jeans pocket carry,kel-tec P-32 for light weight pants pocket carry,ie Tuxedo,business suit.Seecamp in my Sporran when wearing a Kilt.YMMV.tom.

PS by the way if NOT pocket carry I'll wear either a 1911,642 or 649 on my belt depending on conditions beyond clothing choices.tom.
 
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