Would like advice choosing a pocket pistol.

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Demitrios

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Hello all. I would like some reccomendations to get me into the wide world of pocket pistols.

To start my budget is no more than $500.

Since I want low recoil the calibers go I'm interested in the .32 NAA, .380 and 9mm. I'm well aware that 9mm is stronger than .380 and that both are easier to find in Walmart than the .32 NAA, however I reload so it's a moot point.

Reliability, I need something with not only a good reputation but something you guys have personal experience with.

A good trigger, I'd really like to avoid a 12 lb. trigger with a huge amount of length of pull. Also DA/SA or just SA would be preferable.

Lastly no revolvers and preferably no double stacks. Nothing against them at all but I'm looking for something slim. The slimmer the better.

What I've been considering is the Ruger LC9, Beretta Nano, Kel-Tec P series and Diamondback Firearms. I'm completely open to suggestions on other firearms, I only named those four off as examples.

Thank you in advance for all your help and advice guys, I really appreciate it.
 
Easy enough. Get the Kahr CM9 - it's slim, reliable and the trigger is smooth like butter. I love mine. Also it fits in your pocket better than the lc9
 
Right now I'm got the Ruger LCP and LC9 in my carry rotation. I had the Kel-tec P3AT and the P-11. The Rugers are heavier than the Kel-tecs they copy; but the recoil is much easier and the reliability is much better in my experience. With a little practice on their long trigger pulls, the Rugers are very accurate for me. Good luck in your choice; I'm very satisfied with my Rugers.
 
SHOOT THEM FIRST

That's about it
mouse guns have a DEFINITE bite
they are hard to hold due to short grip
they are sometimes difficult to sight due to type (or lack of) sights
they have a heavy recoil due to light/small frame and poor grip

past that it's all personal preference:cool:
 
Easy enough. Get the Kahr CM9 - it's slim, reliable and the trigger is smooth like butter. I love mine. Also it fits in your pocket better than the lc9
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Good advice here. ^
 
Demitrios said:
Hello all. I would like some reccomendations to get me into the wide world of pocket pistols.

To start my budget is no more than $500.

Since I want low recoil the calibers go I'm interested in the .32 NAA, .380 and 9mm. I'm well aware that 9mm is stronger than .380 and that both are easier to find in Walmart than the .32 NAA, however I reload so it's a moot point.

Reliability, I need something with not only a good reputation but something you guys have personal experience with.

A good trigger, I'd really like to avoid a 12 lb. trigger with a huge amount of length of pull. Also DA/SA or just SA would be preferable.

Lastly no revolvers and preferably no double stacks. Nothing against them at all but I'm looking for something slim. The slimmer the better.

What I've been considering is the Ruger LC9, Beretta Nano, Kel-Tec P series and Diamondback Firearms. I'm completely open to suggestions on other firearms, I only named those four off as examples.

Thank you in advance for all your help and advice guys, I really appreciate it.
Click to expand...
If you're looking for low recoil, you're looking at the wrong guns, especially in .380ACP and 9mm. I've owned both the Keltec P3AT and the PF9, and they had some of the worst felt recoil of any gun I've ever shot. Also, their trigger pulls are about 20 miles long. The Diamonback is close to feeling like a Glock, as far as the trigger is concerned, but the recoil is still a bit much.

My pocket gun of choice is a Baby Browning clone, made by PSP/PSA, and is chambered for the .25ACP round. It's all-steel construction, but is lightweight, accurate, reliable, and easy to take down for maintenance. It's probably the smallest gun I've ever had. I can conceal it in my hand, and it fits in just about any pocket I can find.

http://unblinkingeye.com/Guns/PSP-25/psp-25.html

http://www.precisionsmallarms.com/
 
Your trigger desc. sounds right up my alley so I will tell you what I have found so far as i started my search over a year ago. I agree with Shadow, you need to try them for your self once you gather some info here. I tried the ruger LCP and the trigger bit my finger every shot - long trigger pull also - horrible accuracy. Tried the Kahr - long trigger pull - not accurate with it. I settled on the Taurus PT738. Decent trigger and though I never would have believed it, I shoot it very accurately and fast out to 10 or 15 yards. I actually like shooting it at the range. I am not bashing any of the guns I mentioned, they just didn't work for me.
 
I carry a Taurus 709 Slim. Trigger is SA/DA (rather than the other way around) with a long pull and trigger safety plus a thumb safety on the frame. Very manageable recoil and it's been quite reliable so far.
 
I was about to trade in my LC9 for a Khar due to the trigger until the LGS selling it told me about the number of issues customers have had with feeding HP ammo even after break in period. Upon breaking one done the reason become apparent. The feed ramp is simply far too steep in my opinion. So i'm stuck trying to make the LC9 work. If you won't at least go for a nine then i'd say get a Makarov.
 
My Kahr P380 is the best shooting .380 mousegun I've ever shot. I've gone through a few mouseguns over the years.

Gentle recoil, requires no real skill at all. I shoot it one handed, or tea cup. It's so small you can't use a regular pistol grip stance, you'll char your support thumb off. But the mousegun world is a one handed world anyways.

It runs 100% on Corbon Powerball. Weaker recoiling WWB causes it to choke sometimes.

I like Kahrs trigger. It's smooth like a J-frame, but breaks sooner. It has good sights, and as long as Im careful with the trigger, I can keep all my shot on notebook paper at 13 yards. I'd like to try a thinner Dawson front sight and a plain black rear sight.

Avoid the Keltec and the Ruger-tec. They have a harsher recoil.
 
I really like the size, weight, SA trigger, and night sights on my SIG P238. The gun is a natural pointer for me and is very easy to conceal. A friend of mine has a S&W Bodyguard .380, and while I'm not a big fan of DAO semi-autos, the trigger on his particular gun is quite smooth and manageable. The only problem he has had with it has been the laser module moving around within the frame. Recoil is minimal with either pistol.
 
I pocket carry the LC9. I need to get a Nemesis pockets holster with the bottom/back hook to keep it in place. This Blackhawk wants to come out with the pistol. I also carry the LC9 with the standard floor plate; not the finger extension plate pictured. The std plate allows the pistol to slide out of the pocket without catching. As long as I am wearing pants with a good size pocket, (i.e. cargo shorts or 5.11 type pants) there is no problem. I like having this much firepower in the pocket. Currently I have 150 rounds of 115g Fed Champion FMJ rounds through it with no issues.

LC9C.gif
 
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Other than extreme reliability (the first consideration when deciding on any pistol to get for self-defense), when it comes to choosing the best pistol for pocket carry, possessing relatively light weight and having a snagless configuration become very important factors. Personally, any pistol weighing much more than ten ounces or so is too heavy for long term pocket carry and pocket carry, in my book, constitutes a true "niche" pistol.

My recommendation for a reliable, relatively snag-free pistol weighing ten ounces or under and costing (considerably) less than $500.00 is the Ruger LCP, chambered in .380 ACP.
 
a Khar due to the trigger until the LGS selling it told me about the number of issues customers have had with feeding HP ammo even after break in period. Upon breaking one done the reason become apparent. The feed ramp is simply far too steep in my opinion. So
Click to expand...

Lol - Don't believe everything the lgs tells you. My cm9 has been 100% with fmj and jhp. The barrel tilts up so feed ramp angle is perfectly fine. Look at the feed ramp on a glock 36. It's about the same steepness.
 
I own both the Ruger LCP and the S&W Bodyguard. The LCP makes a fine backup but the BG is hands down a much better primary carry. It's the perfect pocket pistol in my book. Any of the small nines like the LC9 are just a little too big for me to draw easily from my pocket with my meaty hands. If I were to where it IWB I would rather carry my S&W 3913 or my M&P 9C.
BTW both the LCP and the BG are much better shooters than you would think based on their size and weight. This weekend I was breading pieces of broken clay pigeons at 25 yards with my BG. I'm not capable of that all the time but the BG is capable of it when I am.

The small Kahrs might be an exception for pocket carry if you can shoot it well. IWB I would still lean towards a larger weapon.
 
I carry the PF9, and have done so for two years now, having switched from the more-pleasant-shooting Bersa Thunder .380 (great gun, BTW; I still own and enjoy shooting it.)
The PF9 can indeed be snappy to shoot, but I found it easy to acclimate to. It's trigger pull is substantially improved over the one on the P-11.
If you like the .380 round, the Bersa Thunder CC might fill the bill as a heavier gun in that caliber. That makes it, as well as the one I have, much easier to shoot and return to target than many people find the "keychain" .380s to be.
Incidentally, I also own on of these "keychain" guns, but it is in .32 ACP. It's the Kel-Tec P32 and usually rides along with the PF9 and is rarely carried alone.
 
What Shadow 7D said: Go to a ranage with a variety of candidates, give them all a test-drive, find the two or three that strike you as the best of the bunch, and then test-drive the heck out of those until you find the single pistol that best fits your hand and eye. Everything else is a crapshoot, and yo don't want to entrust your life to a crapshoot.
 
If you want a real POCKET gun, I'd look at the Seecamp LWS32. The other guns mentioned in this thread are excellent, but unless you constantly wear pants with huge cargo pockets and strong belts, they really aren't "pocket" guns.
 
I went through this search and finished Saturday when I bought my Ruger SR40C. I have a SW MP 40 FS as a main gun for Home Defense. I was willing to go to a 9 mm to get reasonable recoil in a smaller gun for CC. But the 9 mm I like the best was the Ruger SR9C. It was not the smallest but it was the smoothest shooting. My LGS had a sale that took a bunch of money off the Rugers. So I figured the SR40C would not be too tough to handle since it has the same external dimensions as the SR9C. I expect it will take some practice. I regret that I could not shoot the SR40C before buying. But now I can take both my 40's to the range and work on which ever needs the most practice. I think it will work out. I know I will have enough power. It fits my Galco WB472 holster that was intended for the MP40FS. It is an "Inside The Waist Band" holster that hides the weapon very well.
 
Since you mentioned pocket pistol I would rule out anything that requires a cocked hammer much to the disagreement of the Sig 238 fans.
In my opinion,for what thats worth,a striker fired pistol or concealed hammer pistol is the way to go if you are talking pocket pistol.
I alternate constantly between a reliable Ruger LCP and a Kahr PM9.
The Ruger LC9 or the Kahr CM9 are great choices.
The Diamondback has potential as long as it's consistently reliable.
Which many here, including myself,have found that wanting.
 
To me the .380's and the 9mm's are two different classes of pistol. The 9mm's are just enough bigger to make pocket carry questionable (to me). I would MUCH rather carry the 9mm round, but the compromise of having a .380 that is small/light enough to always have with me is worth it.

I'd really like to shoot the Kahr and Sig, but having shot the LCP, TCP and 3AT, I think the TCP was by far the most comfortable to shoot. The grips on the 3AT and LCP were nowhere near as comfortable and the slide doesn't lock back on the last round (if that matters to you). That being said, I had decided on the TCP until a friend bought one and had MULTIPLE failures to go fully into battery (two bad magazines), which made me extremely gunshy (pun intended).
 
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