the LIGHTEST weight most easily concealed pocket pistol

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Samsonxd

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Hi all I looking for my next gun of course :D I am in a toss up. I am looking for a pocket pistol for summer time. I bought a S&W Shield 9mm and had it for about 30 seconds then my better half confiscated it and now I just longingly get to look at it in her purse.

I am in between another shield 40 cal or a 340PD or 360 something I can toss in my pocket. I have a Chiappa 200DS I like but its no Smith.

I dont want a 380 kel tec or anything like that.
 
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Samsonxd said:
Hi all I looking for my next gun of course :D I am in a toss up. I am looking for a pocket pistol for summer time. I bought a S&W Shield 9mm and had it for about 30 seconds then my better half confiscated it and now I just longingly get to look at it in her purse.

I am in between another shield 40 cal or a 340PD or 360 something I can toss in my pocket. I have a Chiappa 200DS I like but its no Smith.

I dont want a 380 kel tec or anything like that.
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Shield is about as good as it gets. Remember, the bigger the caliber, the weight of the ammo starts to make pocket carry a problem. This is especially pronounced in a .45 ACP.
 
I would say that the SW 360 is about as light as it gets with about as big a punch as it gets.
 
I do like the fact you can practice with 38's carry the magnums I liked the shield but to slip in the jeans pocket to run down to the store is do able but just a tad on the long side. Would the J frame contour to the body a bit better shorter overall length and grip then the shield I have never seen a 340pd or 360 in person and in that context which would be better the 340 or 360....I am also considering the PPS.
 
Actually, if you go by the name of your thread "the LIGHTEST weight most easily concealed pocket pistol" try the NAA 22lr/22Mag mini revolvers. mine is 7 oz. loaded and can be carried in the shirt pocket. Best caliber, no, but beats a stick.
 
Look for a 342 with a Scandium cylinder. Mine fully loaded in a Galco Ankle Lite holster weights 18.4 oz. I believe the gun empty is around 12oz.
 
The Smallest I know of

Samsonxd said:
Hi all I looking for my next gun of course :D I am in a toss up. I am looking for a pocket pistol for summer time. I bought a S&W Shield 9mm and had it for about 30 seconds then my better half confiscated it and now I just longingly get to look at it in her purse.
Click to expand...

The smallest light weight high quality pocket gun that I know of is the Seecamp SS .32 semi-automatic. It is so small it almost looks like a toy, but it is used by undercover agents and as a BUG. Seecamp is a small manufacturer and there is a waiting list to get his pistols.
 
A Kahr PM9 is tough to beat for its size.

Mine has been flawless and is carried 95% of the time on a belt.
Forget it's there.

Normally don't pocket carry any of my guns.
 
Thanks for the ideas and info guys. I guess I should clarify if I wanted to put the 340 or 360 in some shorts pockets and go to dinner would it be comfortable? I also dont have a j frame in the stable.... I am not big on the khar. Just looking for something light but can hit like the hammer of Thor if needed.

I cant find the shield in stock anywhere and though could wait i dont want to wait forever. I like the fact too I can shoot a revolver from inside a pocket.
 
Dinner in your shorts......OK...... I guess..........
NAA .22 Mag. Microscopic. Low mass. Insignificant weight. Enough power up close & personal. Underrated round.
You could probably carry it at the beach. As in shirtless & trunks. No one would be the wiser.
 
At first the J frames feel huge in the front pocket. I use a sticky holster or a Mikas pocket holster. After a while it disapears and you do not even notice it. The cylinder choices are Stainless black, Bright stainless or Titanium in the PD. I advise against the Titanium to many potential problems if you screw up and clean it wrong or shoot alot. The extra 2 ounces with the stainless helps with recoil and bullet creep. I really cant tell the difference with the extra 2 ozs carrying.
If you have not shot these little guns yet the 360 with the external hammer will provide single action shooting at first that will help you get better control over the little dragon. After you become proficient with double action the 340 hammerless is better for preventing debris getting into the action in your pocket.
IMG_4416.jpg
 
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A Kahr PM9 weighs 17 oz, about the same as a light weight J frame but with twice the power and half the felt recoil. There are smaller pistols in lesser calibers, but I wouldn't want them for self defense.
 
SW 638 is always in the pocket or with in a foot, unless I am on a plane!! I prefer a bobbed hammer 44SPL, but as stated earlier the weight of the ammo becomes a problem- But the 200 gr Gold dot or silvertips look NICE. Be Safe,
 
oberon said:
Dinner in your shorts......OK...... I guess..........
NAA .22 Mag. Microscopic. Low mass. Insignificant weight. Enough power up close & personal. Underrated round.
You could probably carry it at the beach. As in shirtless & trunks. No one would be the wiser.
Click to expand...

I think my Baby Browning would conceal even better, has 2 more rounds, gives faster follow up shots, reloads MUCH faster and is remarkably accurate at social distances. It disappears in the pocket of a dress shirt and can get lost in a pocket that's much bigger. It's not a hammer of Thor, but if the 25 Auto was good enough for James Bond . . .
 
Pitdog02 said:
At first the J frames feel huge in the front pocket. I use a sticky holster or a Mikas pocket holster. After a while it disapears and you do not even notice it. The cylinder choices are Stainless black, Bright stainless or Titanium in the PD. I advise against the Titanium to many potential problems if you screw up and clean it wrong or shoot alot. The extra 2 onces with the stainless helps with recoil and bullet creep. I really cant tell the difference with the extra 2 ozs carrying.
If you have not shot these little guns yet the 360 with the external hammer will provide single action shooting at first that will help you get better control over the little dragon. After you become proficient with double action the 340 hammerless is better for preventing debris getting into the action in your pocket.
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I am a fan of the Ti cylinder and have owned more than one including a 329PD that has fired several hundred full power 44 mag loads with zero issues. Understand the properties of Ti and cleaning a Ti cylinder becomes a moot issue (a Ti cylinder is not a delicate item). I would like to see any documented/verifed issues with "shooting a lot" with a Ti cylinder. Another example of recycling internet garbage?

A 2 oz heavier revolver will have zero advantage in decreasing bullet creep. Elimating bullet creep is a result of using the proper factory ammo or proper reloading techniques.
 
Well.... I've tried many of the guns mentioned. It all comes down to how you want to compromise and in what direction.

Ideal for CC is the perfect combination of size, weight, capacity and power. Problem is perfection doesn't exist. The Shield your wife absconded with is about as close as it gets in either 40 or 9mm. Another option with dimensions almost identical to the Shield but with more power is the Springfield XDs in 45 ACP (the Shield weighs 19oz, the XDs about an ounce and a half more). The problem today is they are equally difficult to find but worth the wait...

If your butt is ever on the line you'll be glad you didn't settle for less either in quality or caliber...

Just sayin'......

TwoCCWFavorites2_zpsce8bf495.jpg
 
My EDC is the 442 carried in my front pocket and it works regardless of how I dress. As to comfort it's hard for me to say for someone else but my guess is you'll get used to it quickly (I did).
 
FAIR_CHASE said:
I am a fan of the Ti cylinder and have owned more than one including a 329PD that has fired several hundred full power 44 mag loads with zero issues. Understand the properties of Ti and cleaning a Ti cylinder becomes a moot issue (a Ti cylinder is not a delicate item). I would like to see any documented/verifed issues with "shooting a lot" with a Ti cylinder. Another example of recycling internet garbage?

A 2 oz heavier revolver will have zero advantage in decreasing bullet creep. Elimating bullet creep is a result of using the proper factory ammo or proper reloading techniques.
Click to expand...


Several hundred? Yeah let me know if you have 6+ thousand 158grn .357 out of a 340 pd, a burned up eroded cylinder and the scars on your face to match. Since I changed over to stainless the number of factory brand ammo I can use without issue has increased,so the 2 ounces makes a difference. I now have a little over 3000 rds 158grn .357 downrange from my 360 and 340 SS. So internet garbage? yes, where its coming from here you be the judge. I would like to hear documented evidence as to why a guy that admits he never has even held one of these revolvers should chose titanium over stainless. If he buys used he does not know what the last owner cleaned/shot with, then there is the chance he might shoot 110grn by mistake and damage that hardy titanium. So the POTENTIAL for problems with the titanium outweigh the 2oz benefit. IMHO, YMMV.
 
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My current Magnum pocket lite weight is my relatively new 351PD. Okay, it's 'just' a .22 WMR... but it weighs only 11.5 oz loaded with seven 45gr Hornady FTX 'Critical Defense' rounds. It also fits my spare Mika's 642 pocket holster and carries much more effortlessly in my rf pocket than my 642 stoked with +P 158gr LHPSWCs. Yeah, I know they are better man-stoppers than the .22 WMR, but my theory is that if the .22 WMR's bark doesn't deafen and disorient an assailant, it's flash should scare him. In any case, he would likely notice the recently installed seven exsanguination ports.

The really great news re the 351PD and that ammo - or CCI MaxiMag 40gr TMJ - is that, despite the necessarily miserable DA pull, follow-ups are fast and furious! I have an ANIB, bought 11/11, 4" 651 and I believe - all things being considered - it, resprung and slicked rebound slide, etc, has about the same DA-pull as my 351PD quickly broke in to have. The 351PD 'feels' harder due to the lighter weight. I can hit a paper dinner plate 7/7 times with it from 3-7yd after retrieving it from my pocket and firing rapidly - the 351PD should be effective. I'll still carry my 642 quite often - and it's predecessor, my 296 - some, too.

I've shot a 340 with hot CorBon .357Ms - ouch. It, and a similar 360, were range friend's firearms. No thank you! Follow ups? Eeek! Misery - pure misery. If I am as vocal upon the first shot in an emergency as I was the first time I shot the AirLite Ti .357M, my loud expletives would give away my position and likely result in my having my mouth washed out with soap. I'll stick with what I have... and very likely, start carrying that 351PD more!

Stainz
 
TDC said:
Well.... I've tried many of the guns mentioned. It all comes down to how you want to compromise and in what direction.

Ideal for CC is the perfect combination of size, weight, capacity and power. Problem is perfection doesn't exist. The Shield your wife absconded with is about as close as it gets in either 40 or 9mm. Another option with dimensions almost identical to the Shield but with more power is the Springfield XDs in 45 ACP (the Shield weighs 19oz, the XDs about an ounce and a half more). The problem today is they are equally difficult to find but worth the wait...

If your butt is ever on the line you'll be glad you didn't settle for less either in quality or caliber...

Just sayin'......

TwoCCWFavorites2_zpsce8bf495.jpg
Click to expand...

Ah, isn't it an X"D"s? Just axin'... :D
 
A j frame is a must have in anyone's collection! I recently picked up a 360j. It's a 38spl only built on the same scandium frame as the 360pd/360m&p. it's much cheaper than its 357 brothers! And if you don't feel the 38spl is enough, have pinnacle high performance machine the cylinder for 9mm(waiting for mine to return!!) You get close to the same power as the 357 but without the massive blast of the 357!!(shooting 357 out of these is NOT FUN!!!) And after the price o the gun and machining, you still come out cheaper than the 360pd/m&p!!
361D4310-D6A9-4DE9-BF6A-261DFA958A40-3720-0000058F222656A6_zps7ddadb18.jpg
 
I carry a 340PD and I like heavy bullets. Since I've never shot a 357 load less than 158 grains, there's no risk of flashing the titanium cylinder. I shoot my other guns a lot, but not the 340PD or the 329PD.

If you are thinking of shooting the pistol a lot, then the Scandium/Titanium or Scandium/Stainless pistols are not the longest-lived. I think that's true in general of any super-lightweight pistol. If you shoot a lot of the wrong loads even in a stainless cylinder scandium frame you will have to send it back to S&W periodically to get the stainless blast shield replaced.

The 340PDs are great carry guns, and I think the 2 oz does make a difference.
 
stainz, although I don't advocate a .22 Mag. as a primary carry piece,I will say,in an earlier life I used a .22 Mag derringer to cancel my one way ticket to North Viet Nam. If you are cool under stress and can place an accurate shot, a .22 Mag can be deadly.In my case,luckily,I hit him in the right eye and it made a 3"[approx] exit wound out the back of his skull. IIRC these were 40 gr. WW half jacket hollow points. Either way a .22 Mag,well placed, sure beats a sharp stick. Nick
 
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