Smallest, most concealable gun powerful enough for defense...

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Kel-tec P32, P3AT and P11 are all good carry guns. S&W J frames, CS9, 39xx or 69xx guns. Kahr if you have the money. I like DAO guns for carry purposes so no safeties to worry about! :)

More important then the gun is the belt and holster for concealed carry. I have 2 to 3 ways to carry most of my guns.
 
WSP3.jpg


WSP, or World's Smallest Pistol. 11 ounces, chambered in .357 magnum or .45 ACP. Single shot, DA only.

http://members.aol.com/wsp45/
 
Any subcompact Glock is your best bet. They make them in 9mm, .357sig, .40, and .45. For concealment and power, the Glock 30 slimline in .45 is my recommendation.
 
Hi-
In an auto I'd carry a Combat Commander in 9mm or .45acp. Don't care for the super compact Glock.
Any of the sub 9mm caliber pistols-I don't consider them powerful enough to trust to stop an aggressor bent on killing me, so 9mm para is the least auto and a good caliber too.
Revolvers-the Ruger sp101 is both compact and powerful in .357 mag. It is reasonably easy to control with it's heft, even with full power magnums, and is very accurate.... BUT-I prefer my round butt Ruger Speed-six 2-3/4" bbl .357 over my sp101 though. It is short, and has a full size frame and carries a full 6 rounds. It is as easy to conceal as a sp101 or j-frame Smith for me.
Just my opinion.
Best-MC
 
Here's my line of carrys...

Day-to-day IWB = Kimber Ultra CDP II w/lasergrips in "The Answer" holster
Dress pants = Rohrbaugh R9s (version with sights) in RJ Hedley pocket holster
Left hand pocket BUG = NAA .22mag revolver in leather slip holster (occasionally on belt buckle for fun).

Remember that reliability is job #1 for a carry piece, not low price or concealment

I would never use less than a 9mm as my primary pocket gun. Balistic gellatin tests are nice and all, but gellatin rarely wears a modern motorcycle jacket or a leather jacket over a couple layers of clothes. ;)
 
My small gun experiences

I like my SP101 a lot, but it's not small or light. It's medium size.

My Bersa-Firestorm .32 is small and light. It carry well in some of my slacks right front pocket with the barrel and trigger guard in the small inner watch pocket with the rest of the gun in the larger pants pocket. This works quite well in all my Claiborne slacks that have watch pockets. The watch pocket supports the weight of the gun and keeps it from "printing" against the outside of the main pocket.

Bersa and Firestorm .380 are the same size and weight and should work well too. I prefer the Firestorm guns over the Bersa because the Firestorm have a rounded triggerguard that slides very nice into a pocket without ripping or wearing holes in the pocket. The Bersas have a recurve triggerguard that might make them a bit easier to shoot than the rounded Firestorm triggerguards, but the rounded triggerguard Firestorms don't make holes in my pants or coat pockets.

The Firestorm .32 also works well in most of my different coats' pockets.

The Ruger SP101 .32 Mag also fits some of my coat pockets, but is to heavy to carry that way. Same with my CZ-83.

I don't own a Kahr, but I think they'd be very nice. The only thing I don't like about Kahr is that they don't have a double strike capability. Otherwise they're great. I especially like the Kahrs with the 3.5" barrels. Kahrs are much thinner than Glocks, but otherwise very similar.

I don't own one, but I think the Taurus .32 Mag snubby with 2" barrel and 6 shots would be a fantastic pocket gun if the hammer were bobbed. It's smaller than the Bersa-Firestorms and lighter too. I'd like to get one of these Taurus .32 Mags.
 
I too have a case of dunlaps disease and i will tell you the easiest way to carry is on the belt in a OWB and get to wearing overshirts. I wear a lot of sweat shirts, pull overs, and big flannels shirts in the winter and hawaiians and golf shirts in the summer. i have no trouble hiding with those.










Dunlaps disease, where the suffers belly done laps over his belt.
 
hands off

A R9 9MM is the same sizes as the P3AT in length same width as the PF9 Keltec making it the smallest 9MM:cool:
 
Wbond..I've had my KAHR P9 for 2.5 years and love it. Less than an inch wide in 9MM. 8 or 9 with 1 in the tube depending on magazine. Highly recommend it.
 
I can get a P10 .45 ACP Para Ordnance easily in and out of my cargo pocket, and not the huge baggy pants either. I owned them before I started carrying, but I have a reputation of having a lot of things in my pockets, so having any kind of bulge isn't surprising to anyone now. I'm not big either, which I discovered required some creativity as I normally just wear t-shirts.

I also have a Davis P-380. Good working order, however their crappy history. I generally use an ankle or pocket for this one. It was my Uncle's back up piece on the force before the force standardized their back up pieces to 357 snub nose revolvers. And he was getting his extra guns out of the house while going through a divorce, originally started with me just holding a few of them to...just keep em, we'll go shooting from time to time. Can probably pick these up for $20 if someone is even trying to feel evil enough to try selling one to you.
 
I can't believe I've seen more recommendations for Taurus then for Springfield XD subcompact. The XD sub is a every bit the gun as the glock, but fits my hand better and I like the mag extentions better. It's also very accurate.

My last Tuarus, was my last taurus. Never again unless I have money to burn and need something to drag behind my truck.

Shoot safe -

Lovesbeer99
 
Bond Arms .44 mag derringer. Smallest and most powerful gun I can carry in my pocket. Two shots - but if you hit what you need to hit, will definitely get it done. 240 grain jsp hits 1100 fps out of it.
 
Seldom will a fire fight last more than a few seconds (JMOHO)

If it comes down to it, it's 2 to 3 seconds of dirty work, within the span of two to three minutes of chaos. If you are a professional LEO w/ five or more years, maybe a lesser measure of chaos.

Stick w/ the small concealable 38, 357 - five shot palm pistol of some type. Don't loose the element of surprise jacking in a round, or releasing some saftey on a semi-auto.

If it has to come out, it ain't show and tell time.
 
my prime carries

GLOCK 21 in .45 acp, DAO, and a ROSSI 352 in .38 spl, 5-shot, both loaded w/ WINCHESTER Silvertip Personal Protection Rounds, = big and nasty hollowpoints. :)evil:JMOHO = :evil: :fire: Try' em, your enemy w/ hate you for it. :fire::D:fire::D:fire::D:fire::D)
 
well I like many on this board have tried several different carry guns.
Glock, 1911, HK, SA etc..
While I still think my Kimber Compact CDP is the ideal size pistol (short grip,
4"bbl) for carry and the fact that the 1911 is my handgun of choice 99% of the time.
I have found myself carrying one of my two Kahr PM9's almost exclusively now. It is just so easy to carry and in my clip on FIST holser with the Ultra THin Kydex I dont even have to wear a belt if Im just running out real quick.
So for me the smallest handgun for self defense is the PM9. Neither of mine have ever failed and the are extremely accurate for a pistol with a 3"bbl.
 
When I think about put down power . i think about Pit Bull dogs. or worse my 27 Lb boston that i called a boston terrorist. . Meanest dog I ever met. died at age 17 did not have the heart to put him down but could not give him away.

Any way that is how i define put down power.
 
The originator of this thread wrote it in December of 2005 . . . and last posted here in early 2007.

You guys are talking to a ghost.
 
Cutting and pasting from another thread...

Hi all,

I am looking for a new gun (at the wife's request!) for her to use in her "cocktail" dress. You know when women carry those teeny purses. I was thinking something along the lines of a derringer type 2 shot or a NAA mini with 5 rounds. It HAS to be tiny and 22LR mini mag HP is the round and no semi-autos. She is 5' 2" and 100lbs. Yes I know its a small shot but its something to make the attacker pause and her able to haul ass.

Understand that she usually carries a Stainless S&W Airweight +P .38 with her - pink handle of course. So please no debate on 22's stopping ability! IT's something small or shes unarmed. If we go out together I'll be carrying so this is only for those remote occasions that might happen.

Thanx

BTW - I carry and XD Sub 9 with 124+P Golden Sabers and its accurate and I like the 2 safetys because I feel better carrying it hot - so I wont shoot my ass off.
 
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