Right now my pocket pistol is an M&P380. Would like a 9 but everyone I've tried is too big for pocket carry and if one is going to use belt carry one just as soon go full size in my opinion. Or are the current crop of small 9's about the limit?

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Forum consigliere

I think they're all too big for pocket carry, but that's just me . . .

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Wisdom comes thru fear . . .

Kahr CM/PM 9, easily slips into a pocket.

My Sig P938 fits into my pockets without a problem and only weighs a pound.

Rohrbach, if you wanna spend 900 bucks, which I don't.

I carry my new LC9-S pretty easily in a pocket. Smaller than the Shield, which I also owned.

Short answer: Yes.

Longer answer: It depends.

How big are you and how big are your pockets and what can you tolerate in your pocket?

There's probably a little subjectivity here.

S&W 940
Beretta Nano
Kahr CM9 or PM9
Ruger LC9
Double Tap derringer
Cobra derringer
Sig Sauer P938
Kel-Tec
Diamond Back

Diamond Back DB9 is a pocket gun imho... It's the smallest 9mm that I know of next to the over priced Rohrbaugh...

Size and Price Order:
Diamond Back DB9, Rohrbaugh R9, Khar CM9 or PM9...

It does depend on your pockets. i carry a Sig P290RS in the front pocket of my cargo shorts. It can fit in a pair of relaxed fit jeans, but it isn't as easy to draw. I bought mine primarily for carrying when it is hot and I am wearing shorts. It fits this role well.

I don't know why so many consider the Shield to big for pocket carry. They must be wearing skinny jeans! I pocket carry my 40 Shield without a problem, & no, I don't wear clown pants. Usually Cabela hiking shorts, or relaxed fit jeans.

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Lounge Lizard Extraordinaire

Ditto.....

Try the Runt Kahr.

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NRA LIFE MEMBER

What guns have you tried? Like g8 said it depends a lot on your size and the size of your pockets.

Personally I do not like pocket carry. I find the weight in a pants pocket feels uncomfortable. Even when using a good pocket holster the gun moves around and slaps against my leg. Plus I find drawing slow and awkward. I prefer IWB carry myself. My DC is a Kel-Tec P11 that I carry in my waistband using their pocket clip.

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Life Member B.A.S.S., NAFC

For me, the Centennial J-frame is better for front pocket carry than a semi-auto because there is no right angle where the backstrap meets the slide. The rounded corner with no sights to snag is so much easier to fish out of your front pocket. Want it in 9mm: then the snubbie 940 is your huckleberry.

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I know where you can get a AMT Back-Up 9mm if you want to try one. It is heavy though.

I carry the Shield in a Sticky Holster MD2 wearing Pleated Dockers or cargo shorts but for deeper cover a J Frame or the LCP fill the bill. I'm 6'2", 200lbs and have no problem with printing. A good belt is the answer. I use a BullHide gun belt and the Shield doesn't pull my waistband down on one side. I can hide the LCP in anything with a Mika holster.

Kahr PM909 w/+P+ 115 gr Gold dots is slipped into my left front pocket every day....

Springfield XDs in a Mika pocket holster. .45 or 9mm same size.
9mm with 7 rd. magazine works in my pocket. 9rd. magazine, 9mm,does not work in my pocket, but works well as the spare. My experience is that butt size or length determines pocket carry. BTW, 6'-5",280#, and jeans 98% of the time
Carried a .38, charter arms, police bulldog, in my pocket, my years in NOLA, especially while in the projects. There wished it was BHP, but the police guys with or near us said it had to be pocket carry, and to make sure we could run fast, but still be able to change directions!

Colt Pocket Nine Series 90...

3" BBL...produced in 1999 only

Can be yours for only $899

Comes with original box,holster and five mags.

Was just looking at it online.

It is too big IMHO. It can fit, but it's too heavy and to large to be comfortably carried all day long compared to other "pocket" guns.

I submit a vote for the Kahr Black Diamond PM9 although I pocket carry my S&W 342PD pre-lock the most.


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Too heavy!?!? Good Lord man! I've got some fairly serious health issues & I manage to carry mine all day. Too large? I don't know what to tell you there. It's not ideal, but it's the method that works best for me. I hate IWB, & carrying OWB prints too much & attracts too much attention. I've never been asked if i was armed while pocket carrying, but I've been asked a few times when I was carrying OWB, & that was with the pistol well covered. There are some pants that I wouldn't try to pocket carry in, but the ones I usually wear handle it with no problem.

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Lounge Lizard Extraordinaire

I carry the shield & my M49 in the front pocket with no problems all day long.
Jeans or cargo pants with a good horse hide belt.
No shorts for me.
5' 8", 162 lbs and old.....

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Only difference Fool/Mule-ears

I have no problems at all carrying every day a Shield 9 in my right hand jeans pocket...(cheap Walmart $9.99 blue jeans) and carry the spare mag in the left hand pocket with the car keys.

My P938 is pretty close in size to my M&P 380. So close that I use the same Desantis pocket holster. The Sig feels better in my hand too so I pocket carry it more often.

I have an Xds-9 and a Sig P290, both of which are too heavy for pocket carry for me.... too much nuisance slapping against the leg. So when I pocket carry, it is usually my BG380, sometimes a snub 38.

In my case it's the Kahr PM9 or Shield 9mm. I generally favor the Kahr due to size & weight and I will admit the Shield is right at the limit for size, but it is still a great carry piece. It just depends what mood I'm in on any given day. DeSantis is my holster of choice.

Ever shoot a Rohrbaugh? Forgettaboutit!

The Kimber Solo is a pocket size 9mm. You didn't mention a price range, which would help greatly in giving suggestions.

I don't see the Shield as a pocket gun (though I guess if you buy pants with big enough pockets it could work). It is not a sub-compact gun. My pocket gun is a Bodyguard 380. I carry my Shield on the belt.

Depends on your build and tolerance. I am 6'1/220; 36-ish waist, 50 coat. The trousers I wear most are either part of a suit, or cargo pants. I have carried a Glock 33, and before that a 26 (traded for the 33), for years, using a Kramer pocket holster. No problem at all. I have started to have my left trouser pockets lined a bit when I buy them, and the right coat pocket have been lined for years, as that is where I carry a spare mag and my flashlight.

For lots of reasons not related to issues with carrying that pistol that way, I have been carrying a cut down G17 IWB a lot more lately.

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NHI, 10-8.

I use a Beretta Nano 9mm in pocket and a shield 9mm IWB. Works great

I was gonna say Beretta Nano, but Alr beat me to it.

You will likely have to sacrifice something if you want the smallest/ lightest, (going plastic), towards that end the kahr pm9 shoots well/ reliably/ much less recoil than you would think. If you could handle an extra 4-6 oz's the all steel version would be a better choice IMO. The single stack Sig 239 in 9mm,
(8+1 capacity) is a great size/wt for a metal gun & my choice for best deep CC semi. My cc is the stainless 239 in 40 cal & feels very much bigger/wider/heavier, I can't pocket carry it, the 9mm I could. I now pocket carry my stainless 640 no dash, or an airwt S&W snub

As someone had mentioned earlier a Kimber Solo works well.A close friend works undercover and under certain circumstances a Solo is a good choice.He also carries a XDS in 45 not a pocket pistol but packs a heavy punch.

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SWCA#2288
SWHF#407

Yes to heavy for a pocket gun. I don't want to walk around all day with a pound and a half piece of metal in my pocket. I, like the OP, prefer a close to 380 size and weight firearm for pocket carry, and there are many other solutions better suited for that IMHO...

To me, the Shield is best suited for on the waist carry.

Better start working out, or something...

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Lounge Lizard Extraordinaire

That's the next handgun on my "buy" list.

For pocket carry, it's hard to beat the DoubleTap. Bud's has a deal going right now for $349, including both the 9mm and .45 barrels

What does working out have to do with me not wanting to carry a larger heavier firearm in my pocket when there are more comfortable smaller lighter options available? To prove that I'm manly? If you don't mind the extra weight and a firearm that size in your pocket, then more power to you, but I can guarantee you that I'm not the only one who prefers a smaller gun for pocket carry, and that has nothing to do with what kind of shape I'm in.

I'm sure many people here who chose edc the Shield instead of a full sized firearm because the Shield is smaller and lighter must be wimps to according to your flawed logic correct?

I don't understand the weight issue either. If you are trying to carry in a pocket of a pair of gym shorts with only a draw string, then sure, weight can come into play. But a pair of cargo shorts with a belt, I don't notice the weight.

If you want 9mm, you are going to have to have a bigger gun. Plus, a little weight makes it easier to control recoil. I don't like to shoot my 12.7 oz. Kel Tec PF-9, but my 20 oz. P290RS is great as a range gun.

Kahr cm9. I have one in my pocket now and a SA XDM Compact 3.8 45 iwb as I write this. The cm9 is both small for a 9mm and 15.9 ounces. I carry the cm9 easier than my S&W 638, but I'll always hang onto my 638.

Groo here
Look at a Robaugh R9s.

Bring lots of money for a Robaugh.

If it only weighs a pound, it won't do you much good.

Either that, or yours is the special Unobtainium edition. My P938 weighs 17.2 Oz empty, 21 Oz with 6+1 on board.

My PF9 weighs 18.1 Oz with 7+1, but it's a bit larger in overall size.

These are the largest pistols I'd want to pocket carry. Yeah, the Shield fits some of my pants, but drawing it out fluidly is a challenge in peace time, much less in a panic mode. Even the PF9 can snag coming out of some pocket. Realistically, my BG380 is the real fit-any-pants go-anywhere pocket pistol..

In a S&W forum, asking for a good pocket carry choice and it took 9 replies before a Shield was suggested. Says a lot about why it is not a top choice, or even a choice at all. After 43 posts, only 5 people suggested the Shield for pocket carry in the #1 Shield forum.

Since they first became available, bought the Shield 40 as a pocket carry, but as others stated, it can be uncomfortable to pocket carry. Instead, now usually end up pocket carrying a Sig P238, which replaced a poor BG380. The Sig is a much better choice for pocket carry, and the 9mm P938 is supposed to be similar in size to P238. Florida cargo short wearing 90% of the year, which was rarely the case before pocket carry. The pocket carry Shield changed the way I now have to dress.

The problem with pocket carry of shield is the weight and size flopping around on you. Quick jog for a moment and you might as well be a braless man with DDD's. Sitting in tight car seating and it starts off flat on top of your leg, then ends up trying to wedge itself between you and what ever is on your side. Can become very uncomfortable. Seems I am always having to adjust the position in pocket (with pocket holster). After 2 years of trying hard to like pocket carrying of Shield, pretty much gave up on Shield, and mostly use the Sig instead. Shield now mostly relegated to IWB. Looks like a P938 will soon be in my pocket, as I too hate IWB. Currently testing an XDs, and while it seems to also be too big for pocket carry, if I had to choose between the XDs or the Shield in my pocket, leaning towards the XDs at this time.

Lets not forget the SCCY.........similar to the KelTec but, has a more comfortable grip and a lighter trigger pull.

I suppose that a lawyer may need to dress up a bit more, and I can imagine nothing sexier than a shoulder rig under an Armani suit. And maybe a fedora, or a shantung panama...

"...Like a fox circling a henhouse, The Cajun Lawyer entered the room sizing up the blonde who was impatiently waiting and when he flung his Boater onto the hat rack and carefully folded his pale blue summer coat over the back of the easy chair, the worn leather shoulder holster revealed his matte black M&P compact. Her green eyes widened in surprise. 'What', Caj quipped, 'You never seen the inside of a seersucker before?'

The barrister could see the smirk slowly forming at one corner of her perfect ruby red lips and knew then and there that it was going to be a bumpy ride from here on out..."

The Kimber Solo fits the bill quite well for me,,,but has a but big price tag,, it has no sharp corner,, ambidexterous safety,,,, easy to hold on to and rip off 7 rds, very quickly.

How's the Solo working for you? I considered getting one but got scared off by all the stories on the Kimber forum about Solo malfunctions. It's a neat little pistol and the price is almost reasonable now. Maybe I need to reconsider.....

This^. The P9 is about the same as a Shield. The PM is smaller and the CM is the economy version of the PM and to me look to be a little smaller

I've never found any gun that fits comfortably and is quick/easy to get to in the front pockets of my regular fit Wranglers.

I just continue to dress around my 3913 and spare mag.

Cargo shorts...... 337PD and a speedloader/strip..... and I'm looking happy to see the misses...LOL

Tux...... Walther PPK.... of course................

For me, the only guns I can pocket carry, regardless of caliber, are a snub J frame, the Kel Tec/Ruger .380's and the various Kahr CM/PM 9's and .380's. I have a Shield, and pocket carry just doesn't work for it. As a matter of fact, the uniform khakis that I wear at work won't allow a J frame without the butt being visible in the top of the pocket. A tucked shirt is also required, so a cover garment is out too. I'm really jonesing for the M&P .380 without the laser, but just haven't spent the moolah for one yet.

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MARK

My pocket BUGs are either a Sig P938 9mm or a 3.3" Springfield Armory XDs-45 with a spare magazine in the watch/change pocket. I wear loose-fit Wrangler jeans or shorts.

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U.S. Navy - U.S. Army, ret