Recommendations for pocket pistols?

[ilikegunspdx]

P938 in an Alabama holster is my pocket carry. Tiny gun but 9mm and pretty easy to shoot well for a small gun. Smaller than many .380s or even 22s.

 

[titsonritz]

S&W J Frame snub nose.

Another vote for a S&W J frame snub nose.

Said J Frame (642) shown in a DeSantis pocket holster and Crimson Trace boot grips.

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More cause I couldn't resist…

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Mine is a 442 with CT grips and Mika pocket holster. If I was starting over I'd also look at the 32 version.

 

[Camelfilter]

Greetings program!


As towards pocket carry? I pocket carry a S&W bodyguard 1.0. Either as a back up gun, or as a primary in a Desantis "U7" Nemesis pocket holster.

Conceals very well. Has a "lazer beam", like a little pocket shark...



(Yah, skip lazer beams on handguns. Lazer beams (& IR beams at that) go on suppressed SBR's for larping with NVG)

Have a Ruger LCP 2 which am considering a switch to for pocket carry/bug, however still haven't run it thru it's paces...

 

[Jbsheepdog]

Bodyguard 2.0 is definitely worth it. It's 100% a game changer.

 

[OrPackrat]

Ruger LCP Max.

Personally I have the LCP2 in 380 which I got before the LCP max came out..

Found a drum mag for it, bought it because it was worth the laugh...

 

[Camelfilter]

Ruger LCP Max.

Personally I have the LCP2 in 380 which I got before the LCP max came out..

Found a drum mag for it, bought it because it was worth the laugh...

View attachment 2133063 View attachment 2133064

That's pretty hilarious!

What's more hilarious? I forgot that it's the max I bought, not a 2. Derrp!! ...Don't get old, you forget things!!!

 

[twangbangbang]

Ruger LCP Max.

Personally I have the LCP2 in 380 which I got before the LCP max came out..

Found a drum mag for it, bought it because it was worth the laugh...

View attachment 2133063 View attachment 2133064

how long does a mag dump take

 

[twangbangbang]

P938 in an Alabama holster is my pocket carry. Tiny gun but 9mm and pretty easy to shoot well for a small gun. Smaller than many .380s or even 22s.

thats the second P938 recommendation in this thread, i take it as a sign

 

[L0C0]

Welcome on board…

 

[orygun]

As far as a pocket pistol, I can recommend the Kel-Tec P3AT. We also have a Taurus TCP. Stuff either in a pocket holster and go.
I can carry an Airweight J-Frame, but I prefer that in a jacket pocket, not pants pocket. I have used both methods.

 

[ilikegunspdx]

thats the second P938 recommendation in this thread, i take it as a sign

This video shows size of gun and holster fyi. Holster has a thumb tab so you can release the gun into your hand with your hand in your pocket. No one knows you have a gun in your hand and lightning fast draw if needed. I've had a couple real sketchy situations where I've had it released into my hand just in case and fortunately never had to draw it. Other person had no idea I had a gun in my hand.

View: https://youtu.be/MtJvFEi1YxM?si=025zQbkkQClc5dYA


Here is how fast and concealed the draw from the Alabama holster is;

FullSizeRender.MOV

• ilikegunspdx
• Aug 23, 2022

 

[Koda]

thats the second P938 recommendation in this thread, i take it as a sign

The P938 coupled with the Alabama Front Pocket holster is a solid choice. The gun itself is often overlooked becuse its a single stack and many nowadays want more capacity but the P938 is about the most weight anyone would want to carry comfortably in a pocket IMO and its thinner frame helps give it a little more advantage on reducing printing. The gun is just big enough to shoot very well for its size, it handles closer to a mid size gun than a pocket gun.

 

[CountryGent]

Nothing wrong with the classics ...

 

[GrayGoose]

Ruger LCP Max.

Personally I have the LCP2 in 380 which I got before the LCP max came out..

Found a drum mag for it, bought it because it was worth the laugh...

View attachment 2133063 View attachment 2133064

Oh that would be nice with a binary trigger

 

[OrPackrat]

how long does a mag dump take

Haven't tried yet, but I want a dump pouch up front to hold the drum, at the same time pistol, and see if it can bump fire....

 

[petehammer]

Really depends on the caliber you're comfortable with. Pocket 9s (and 380s to some degree) will be way, way snappier than full-size 9mms. A common adage is "the [smaller caliber] that you can hit with is better than the [larger caliber you think you need] you'd miss with." For this reason, I think the smaller the caliber the better for pocket pistols, just because followup shots are going to be a lot easier to place. Even the Ruger LCP in 380 (any variant) has complaints that it is snappy and not fun to shoot for any period of time (which means you won't practice with it). A lot of people have strong opinions about 22LR (I think based on older bulk ammo and old wives' tales) but it also means very small guns. The Keltec P17 isn't necessarily a pocket gun (slightly too large) but does hold 17 rounds of 22lr. The Ruger LCP 22LR is very small though may have reliability concerns. LCR in 22 holds 8 as a revolver (if the round fails to fire, pull the trigger again). (Cue people telling you never to carry 22LR).

I would strongly recommend going to a range that has rentals and trying a pocket 9 before committing to really see about recoil management and how likely you are to practice with it. These are great guns but they require a fair amount of skill and practice.

 

[ilikegunspdx]

Really depends on the caliber you're comfortable with. Pocket 9s (and 380s to some degree) will be way, way snappier than full-size 9mms. A common adage is "the [smaller caliber] that you can hit with is better than the [larger caliber you think you need] you'd miss with." For this reason, I think the smaller the caliber the better for pocket pistols, just because followup shots are going to be a lot easier to place. Even the Ruger LCP in 380 (any variant) has complaints that it is snappy and not fun to shoot for any period of time (which means you won't practice with it). A lot of people have strong opinions about 22LR (I think based on older bulk ammo and old wives' tales) but it also means very small guns. The Keltec P17 isn't necessarily a pocket gun (slightly too large) but does hold 17 rounds of 22lr. The Ruger LCP 22LR is very small though may have reliability concerns. LCR in 22 holds 8 as a revolver (if the round fails to fire, pull the trigger again). (Cue people telling you never to carry 22LR).

I would strongly recommend going to a range that has rentals and trying a pocket 9 before committing to really see about recoil management and how likely you are to practice with it. These are great guns but they require a fair amount of skill and practice.

I agree you need to practice with whatever you carry. 22lr you need even more practice than a tiny 9mm because it doesn't penetrate as far or do as much damage so shot placement is vital imo. The problem I have with .380 is ability to penetrate. We're talking 140 ft pounds of energy. 9mm will be more than double that. And if you use some super hot loads to make up for it it's likely to be more snappy than the 9mm.

.22lr isn't worth talking about imo as a primary edc (100 ft lbs.). As a backup no problem. I carry my little NAA revolver in 22 mag as a backup.

 

[2ndtimer]

Kind of surprised that no one has mentioned the Sig P365 9mm.
It fits easily in cargo shorts thigh pocket. Just started looking for a pocket holster for it.

 

[ilikegunspdx]

Kind of surprised that no one has mentioned the Sig P365 9mm.
It fits easily in cargo shorts thigh pocket. Just started looking for a pocket holster for it.

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Easy gun to shoot well imo. I've never tried it in a pocket holster cuz mine came with a red dot which eliminates pocket carry. It's a p365x (ie 12 round grip) but I put a p365 (10 round grip) frame on it to reduce printing. Grip length is most important factor for me in terms of printing in a IWB holster. Let us know how it works for pocket carry.

Btw, don't trust sig's romeo zero red dot. Check it before carrying. I picked my p365x up a few days ago and dot was in a crazy place. Gun would likely hit about 10 feet low at 10 yards if I used that dot. Sig is sending me a replacement but just a note for those that have it. It had been sitting on the table for quite a while and just moved at random, not from use or being jostled around. Those are cheap dots though I think they cost $75 new on sale.

 

[1775usmc]

I have just recently started carrying a second gun. I carry a Glock G19 appendix (left side) and the snub nose in my right pocket. Rather than carrying a spare mag I'd rather carry a second gun that weighs nearly the same. I have been against pocket carry for a longtime and still am as a primary carry method but for a secondary it has been working pretty well.