Looking for a carry gun

[rwsmith]

Depends on the weather...

Is the .380 "pocket" pistol intended for pocket carry?

If so... I looked around and read a fair bit about about .380 pocket pistols. I chose the LCP. It is thin, small, lightweight, rounded edges, no external hammer, low profile sights and no safety. Perfect fit for my idea of a pocket pistol that will remain in the pocket at all times.

Sure, bigger heavier guns have less felt recoil and are easier to handle. But if it's intended for pocket carry you have to ask yourself if you're willing to carry a brick in your pocket.

Accuracy is perfectly acceptable for self defense. Yes, it's snappy. It's not intended to be a recreational range gun. Nor should it be intended for someone just learning to shoot.
I don't fret over caliber.



Someone mentioned a block 19.

LCP pocket carry gun vs G19 brick.

In cold weather, a coat pocket. In warm weather in holster.

 

[rwsmith]

Thanks guys!!!!

This is an abundance of great information. I would have to peruse all over magazines and boards to glean all of this. It will definitely go into my decision.

 

[ColbyBruce]

I saw a nice Glock 19 (gen. 2) Tuesday for $400.00 at a LGS.

 

[ChattanoogaPhil]

In cold weather, a coat pocket. In warm weather in holster.

Well... I don't see much use in buying a subcompact in .380 unless it's strictly for pocket carry, but there is a crazy clearance sale at Palmetto today on LCPs equipped with Viridian green laser... $259 Also selling LC9 with Viridian for $299.

Ammunition, Magazines, Rifle Parts, Bulk Ammo and Rifle Accessories - Palmetto State Armory

 

[redfox302]

I saw a Sig P238 going for $449 on slickguns.com

 

[planojack]

I own a dozen small carry guns, but the ones that get carried the most are the cheapest -- Keltec P38t and Keltec P-9. I shoot them regularly and have had no problems.

 

[feralmerril]

Redfox, look at my post #18. Maybe mine was unusual but since then I have checked out tests on the sig 228 and all complained about the hard trigger. I still have it and may work with it again but I couldnt hit with it at all as the trigger was/is unbelivably hard. The gun is light and cute BUT--

 

[Jhawk412]

Glock 42

I never thought much of .380s as defensive guns because most of the ones I'd ever dealt with malfunctioned fairly often. But then I got a Glock 42. This is a great gun. It's not the smallest but it shoots like a dream. No snap, crackle, just a pop. I've not had any malfunctions with cheaper range ammo and premium self defense ammo. It hides easily, there's a Klipt by Blade-Tech that's perfect with a laser. CrimsonTrace makes a perfectly functioning very petit laser for the front of this gun. I just really love it and find myself carrying it confidently. I do have a Shield and several 9mm Glocks from G26 on up but for ease of carry, the G42 has them all beat. I've also done some research on the efficacy of the round. It's not going to blast through concrete but like my motorcycling buddy says, the .380 has been killing Europeans for years. I have as much confidence in it as I do a 38 special out of 1 1/8 inch barrel and a lot of people are happy carrying those. Except I get six plus 1 and several faster reloads with back up mags.

 

[B3500]

If a person is set on carrying a .380, I'll recommend getting a model with a lock-breach design versus the blowback design. The lock-breach's felt recoil will be easier to take.

I have a Ruger LCP (blowback) and later picked up a Kahr CW380 (lock-breach) and the felt recoil is night and day. I don't carry .380 often, but when I do it's no longer the LCP.

 

[Ivan the Butcher]

My S-I-L is a bright person, but not a gun person! My brother bought 2 identical Walthers, one in 380 (Black) and one in 22LR (Green). We took the wives to the range to practice. The S-I-L fell in love with the P22 Walther and that became her pistol. Over the next year she was at the range 15 times when I was there and I know she shot in the yard some more. Then the fateful day happened, a raccoon was in the barn and she grabbed her Walther and went after it. For the life of her she couldn't get the gun to fire! After five tries she gave up and gave the gun to the Blacksmith to kill the 'coon. He racked the slide one time and shot the critter. My brother had to locate a gun she would have confidence in, and ended up with a Ruger LCR in 22LR. Simplicity is very important in times of stress! BTW, my wife isn't a gun person either, but her arthritis keeps her away from any revolver, so she has 2 guns. Her first, a Beretta 390 in 20 gauge, her second a Glock 17. We drilled with them so that she can operate them blindfolded and has learned to clear malfunctions in the rain ALL IN PRACTICE. I hope we never find out how good she is when it counts. Ivan

 

[PersDef]

I had a Taurus TCP and wasn't comfortable with its reliability. Traded it in and bought an MP BG380. Terrific little gun, absolutely reliable and shoots like a mid size 9mm. I had a couple of buddies shoot it a few weeks ago and they loved it. Try it, you will like it.

Mike

 

[shamuscull]

I swore I would never carry a .380and then I noticed I was not carrying some days so I picked up a Kahr p380 it is a sweet little gun for pocket carry. Beats not carrying.

 

[kip_j]

Like shamuscull, I also own a Kahr P380 and like it quite a lot. The trigger, while long, is smooth and, even though I have large hands, I can gain decent purchase on the grip with a Hogue grip cover wrapped around it to add to it's very slender profile. I've only fired one other .380...a Bersa Thunder that a kind woman loaned me at a range with which I took a total of TWO SHOTS...and found it fairly smooth and controllable, but without being able to compare the two side-by-side, I can't say which one felt the best, as far as recoil goes.

My only beef with it is twofold; one, it's somewhat finicky on ammo. I had to plow through quite a number of different brands to weed out those that the Kahr didn't like. And one Kahr owner's results may be different than another, even with the exact same pistol so it's strictly your own evaluation.

Secondly, finding .380 ammo is a rather frustrating experience. No one in my immediate area sells anything more than just a few 25-50 round boxes of it and even then the supply is very limited. Mail order purchase is almost mandatory. I don't understand why it's so scarce, but that's my experience.

 

[Voyager28]

I'm not a big fan of Keltec.

Amen X 10!

Bob

 

[JFA]

Bodyguard 38

Do yourself a favor. Check out a Bodyguard 38 Smith revolver at a gun store. 14 ounces of perfection for concealed carry

 

[MOONDAWG]

Since you're open minded you might wanna consider one of these.

I was so impressed with the ergomomics, reliability and handling of the stainless steel Taurus PT-111 G2 that I bought a second one.

They are about the same size and weight as the S&W Shield but with a bigger payload.

3.5" barrel, 21 oz's, 1.2" thick, 12+1 rd. capacity, loaded chamber indicator, manual safety, quick (GLOCK clonned) disassembly, fully adjustable sights...and a double strike capability.

 

[Wyatt p. Tato]

I have a Glock 42 and it's great, even though I have to confess that I'm not a Glock fan in general. I handled a lot of so-called pocket 380s when I was shopping for one about 6 months back, and the 42 fit my hand best although was larger than some. Because of it being a little bigger and fitting my grip, the recoil is very mild and manageable. No criticism of other 380s, I'm of the mind that it's best to handle as many as you can and pick the one that fits you best. We're all a little different.

My experience is much the same my 42 has replaced my 442. It fits my pocket, is fun to shoot. My son and grandson bought .380 bodyguards. I like my glock much better.

 

[nbragtop]

I have always been a revolver person. For all the reasons that any revolver person would say, I would agree. I just like revolvers. I have had thru the yrs several semi-autos and I guess until recently my XD9sc is my favorite semi-auto. My EDC for a long time has been a S&W 642. It seems the older I get the more uncomfortable and more printing the 642 gets. I try to shoot the 642 on a regular basis but the recoil snap continues to get worse. A friend recently sold me his Sig Sauer P290RS 9mm. It shoots easy and fits flat in my rear pocket and I can easily carry the extra 8 capacity mag. Best of all to me is that it is double-action only so no safety to fool with.

 

[shouldazagged]

OP, you mentioned an M60 "maybe".

I'd say, hold that thought. A steel J-frame is much more comfortable to shoot than an Airweight, and personally I prefer not to go below .38 Special for self defense.

You might consider a 640 in .38 Special for pocket carry in a holster. Or, if you don't mind hellacious flash and blast, and pretty nasty recoil, a 640-1 that will shoot .357 Magnum ammo.

I've considered a Shield--not that I can afford one at this point--but I'm more trusting of a revolver for reliability, with no worries about limp-wristing.

 

[M2MikeGolf]

Kimber Solo (DC)

Kind of pricey, but find one and take a look. You will really be amazed; even the .380 micros aren't much smaller, and most .380 autos are bigger. And it will take two more than a J-frame. Interestingly, same barrel length as a lot of carry sized Speed Sixes, but a whole lot smaller (I've considered a 2.75" speed six in 9x19 for awhile; but after I bought this, no longer). This is the DC version, the stainless silver colored ones are a bit cheaper.