Best Small Concealed Handgun?
I would like an opinion on the best, or most practicle, semi-auto handgun that I can carry concealed in my pocket. I would prefer to stay under $300 but will go to $400. I don't want a cheap Saturday Night Special or a .25 caliber, but something small and effective, and of quality and reliability. I plan on carrying in my vehicle when driving and on my body at all other times. It will not be holstered, but in my front pocket of my pants. I'm just so afraid of random crime I feel I need protection but I must be able to hide it fom my employeer and the public. Thanks and have a great day!
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This subject has been discussed a million times... Bottom line: Keltec .32, .380 or 9mm or .38spl five shot snub by Taurus or S&W
Of course there are other choices but this is what seems to be recommended by most.
BTW, carrying in a pocket without any holster might not be the best idea...
Daniel.0 -
Seecamp .32acp.
Small, reliable and extremely well made. Best pocket pistol made.
Do a search on Gunbroker for more info.0 -
For small and reliable, I've always felt the 49 and 649 to be a good choice. This eliminates ammo failures from the equation.
NRA Life Member0 -
It has been my experience that the smaller the pistol, the greater the need for a holster of some kind. A 1911 or similar size pistol conceals very well carried "Mexican style" without a holster. The pistol is stuck in the waistband just behind the strong side hipbone. It is covered easily if the shirt tail is left out. Smaller guns don't stay put as well with this style of carry.
My Smith & Wesson Model 49 has ridden many a mile with a similar style of carry. It only works if the gun has rubber grips. The revolver is carried behind the strong side hipbone, just as with the auto, but turned backward, so the grip points forward.
My current favorite concealed carry pistol is a Colt Pony Pocketlite. It is out of production, and currently trades at prices a bit above your stated budget, but it is small, powerful, and reliable. It is too big for my pockets, and too small for Mexican style carry, so I always use a holster.
Some of the really small guns mentioned are small enough to fit in a pocket, but I have little experience with them. The Kel-Tec P3AT is popular, and I would probably buy one, but the grip is a bit small for me. I would probably put one of the rubber pull-on grips for it if I had one.
Another brand to look at is North American Arms. They make a ,32 and a .380 that are quite small, and within your budget.
A lot of people look down on small pistols. Pay them no mind, but just keep in mind its limitations, and practice with it enough to be deadly with it. The bullet is small, so fast multiple hits may be necessary to stop an aggressor. Even with the limitations, a gun that is with you always is better than one you left in the car because it is too big.
FFL Dealer/Full time Peace Officer, Moderator of General Discussion Board on Gunbroker. Visit www.gunbroker.com the best gun auction site on the Net! Email gpd035@sbcglobal.net0 -
Some have mentioned the S&W models 49 and 649. My personal preference is the S&W model 38 which is the airweight version of the 49 and 649. The all steel guns, when loaded, are too heavy for extended pocket carry. I have carried the model 38 many years at work in a pocket holster in my right front pocket and never did anyone notice. The criteria is you must wear pleated pants like Dockers and a substanital belt to keep your pants in place.
I was always concerned about lent buildup in carrying a semi-auto in my pocket. I wanted to know the gun would function if I had to use it so I went with a revolver.
Also, don't let anybody lead you astray. The 38 special is a substantial caliber for self defence, in my humble opinion.
Whoever said the pen is mightier than the sword obviously never encountered automatic weapons.
--General George S. Patton, Jr.0 -
Unfortunately pocket carry and effective caliber gun don't go together very well. All of the above suggestions are pretty good.
If you are going to carry in your pocket, I'd strongly suggest a pocket holster to keep dirt and lint out. The also aid in concealment by breaking up the silhouette of your gun in the pocket, plus help keep the gun from falling out. Another advantage is if you need to take the gun OUT of your pocket for whatever reason, inside of a holster its not so obvious to other people around that you are handling a gun!
I know you asked about automatics, but as mentioned above, the airweight Smith revolvers and their clones are pretty good. 38+P isn't all that powerful, but its still better than .380, 32, .25, and, 22. The wheelguns are also highly reliable, will fit in the usual male front pocket with the "boot" grips, and only weigh 15 oz.
Unfortunately, the all steel compact autos (and wheelguns) usually weight about 25 ounces, which is really pretty heavy for pocket carry. I agree with onearmbandit, just not practical.
A lot of people love the Keltec 32. Its small and light. Problems with it are also that the round itself is pretty wimpy, and that many people have feeding problems (supposedly easy fixed by polishing the feed ramp and other "buffing"). Might as well go for the .380 version, I think since the extra power more than outweighs the one fewer capacity. 9mm version is a lot more powerful, but the gun isn't that small anymore, and now you are up there close to the size/weight of the alloy-framed wheelguns.
http://www.kel-tec.com/products.htm
In response to Mateo, below, 340PD is a great gun too. . .lighter than the others with its scandium frame. Unfortunately at close to $600, it also busts the budget of the question asker. Advantage over the airweight version (which weighs 3 ounces more, and costs nearly $300 less) is small. You can load this one with .357 magnums, but in a gun this small, firing one of those is like having a bomb go off in your hand! Recoil, muzzle noise, and muzzle flash are all extreme. In some cases, the violent recoil snap can also make the bullets shift within the cartridges, potentially locking up the gun's cylinder. I'd suggest .38+Ps (rather than full .357s) if you go this route.0 -
Seecamp .32 IMHO the best pocket auto. They can be found now, (thanks to Kel Tec), for less than $350. I use a Uncle Mike's IWB size 10, that can also slip in a pocket to prevent imprintinting, keeps it from shifting too. NAA Guardian has a good rep too, but I don't personally own one. Good luck.--Kevin 0 -
S&W 340PD
Light, good caliber, foolproof.
Mateomasfeo
"I am what I am!" - Popeye0 -
I use the hammerless S&W airweight, in a .38. I sometimes carry a Baby Browining (.25), but feel more armed with the .38...., I also feel the gun to hand will always serve you more than the one ya left in the glovebox...when trail riding I carry a Hawes .44 mag in a saddlebag, but still have a small gun on my person. My dad, a retired LEO, carried an Italian .32....functioned beautifully, was simple to carry.....he also carried his service revolver in a S&W .38. Course, this was in the mid 40's....(and he also carried that same Browning as pocket firearm)!
Don't pick on my mule, and we'll get along just fine!0 -
$400 would be a rough condition used one from a private party, but by far the best factory pocket gun is the Kahr PM9 9mm. It has about 3x the power of the 380 Keltec, and 2x the power of the .38 snub, if the .38 load is as controlable as the 9mm. In such a short barrel, you want either the Corbon 90 gr jhp or their 100gr PowRBall load. 0 -
P3AT Kel-Tec .380 cal. and a Uncle Mike's #2 pocket holster that I modified a bit. [^] [^] [^] 0 -
9mm ammo costs a lot less than 380 ammo, and the Kahr can probably stand up to 2-3x as much shooting as the little kel tecs. I'd get a used Taurus PT22, a DAO .22lr with which to practice quite a bit, with a very similar feel and for about 10c a shot less cost than 9mm ammo. 0 -
quote:Originally posted by bleu
$400 would be a rough condition used one from a private party, but by far the best factory pocket gun is the Kahr PM9 9mm. It has about 3x the power of the 380 Keltec, and 2x the power of the .38 snub, if the .38 load is as controlable as the 9mm. In such a short barrel, you want either the Corbon 90 gr jhp or their 100gr PowRBall load.
I agree that the Kahr is an excellent gun, but to suggest the 9mm parabellum is 3 times as powerful as the .380 ACP is just ignorant. IT is, in fact, a little less than double. In my Kel-Tec .380, my 90 gr. JHP's develop 221 FPE. In my Beretta 9000S, my 115 gr. JHP's develop 378 FPE. Also keep in mind the 9000 has an inch more barrel than the Kel-Tec. Those same .380 loads fired from my Beretta 84 FS develop 253 FPE. Results are similar using factory ammunition, although all figures are markedly lower.
As to the original question, the best pocket gun to compromise size/weight/power/price is, by a long shot, the Kel-Tec P3AT. It is half the weight of any 9mm pistol and far easier to conceal than any revolver, sans the NAA mini's. That said, I do carry a folding-grip NAA mini in .17 HMR while I am at work. The great thing about these little critters is that the outline in your pocket does not even slightly resemble a firearm; they look like a bulky knife or a cell phone.
Save the seals-club a liberal instead.0 -
Kahr PM9 measures 5.5 x 4 inches and weighs 17 ounces empty. That's not the smallest of the small compared to the smaller .380s, (Kel Tec .380 weighs only 8 ounces empty) but it will also take 9mm+P which makes it quite a beast, power-wise.
Nobody mentioned it, so just to be comprehensive, I will.
The Rohrbaugh 9mm is currently the world's smallest, 5.2 x 3.7 inches and its pretty light at 13 ounces empty with an aluminum (not plastic) frame.
Supposedly quality control is good, but it better be since the cost is astronomical, over $900 for a new one!
Edit: Incidentally, the .380 guns are so tiny nowadays, that I definitely wouldn't pick a smaller caliber. In terms of stopping power a .380 is roughly equivalent to a .38 (non +P). That's marginal, but probably adequate at close range, with a couple of followup shots. Obviously a 9mm or .38+P is better, but the package is bigger.
But I'd consider the 380 to be practical minimum. Less than that and you are keeping all of the liability of carrying a gun, but with less and less of the benefit! Forget the .25 altogether, its weaker than a .22. And out of the short barrel (like one of those mini revolvers), even the .22 is kind of crippled. Its certainly better than nothing, but frankly, if it came down to it, I wouldnt even trust one of those mini-revolvers to stop an adversary with a direct contact wound. A decent knife probably has more "stopping power".0 -
Since you said semi auto I will go with what dbarale
and ATF said for the Kel-Tec.
They are really great pistols in your price range and size.
ALL AMERICAN INFIDEL0 -
My first carry gun was a PPK in .380. A little heavy perhaps but the caliber is the smallest I would consider. The price range is right. I found it to be pretty reliable new and very reliable once it was broke in. It is stainless and with the addition of some ivory grips it can even go with formal wear. I have heard that with a ramp and trigger job they can be flawless out of the box.
Ted Kennedy's car has killed more people than my gun.0 -
wrong. CHRONO the 380 out of the Keltec, it's a lousy 150 ft lbs, and it won't expand a jhp in flesh. So 50 of the 150 ft lbs gets wasted on overpenetration. The Corbon 90 gr jhp is 1400 fps from the Kahr 9mm and thats 390 ft lbs, and that jhp expands just fine in flesh, keeping all the power in the target. Therefore, 3x as powerful is an understatment. The keltec 308 hits like a Stinger hp from a .22 rifle. That's way too pathetic for me to even consider. The PM9 is considerably smaller, lighter, and thinner than a .38 snub, and it's easy to forget that you have a .38 snub in a front pants pocket holster. There's no reason to settle for less power than the pocket 9mm. It's feeble enough, when you really have to stop somebody. 0 -
beantownshootah,if you're referring that the Kel-Tec has a plastic frame it doesn't it's aircraft aluminum.The grip is a separate part.Also the Kel-Tec P-11 is only 14 ozs. and holds 11 rounds of 9mm
[:)]0 -
if it's like the Keltec 9mm's frame, the polymer lower is pinned onto the aluminum upper part of the frame. Really inspires lots of confidence in the gun, those 3 little pins, embedded in soft plastic. 0
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