Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Handguns Pocket pistols. LCP or something else?

If you are looking at a Glock 42, just get a 43.
Minutely larger and a 9mm.

If you are looking at the 43, might as well jump up to the 26. Minutely larger, but double stack mags, and you can use any Glock double stack 9mm mags, including the 33 rounders. We can go on and on in this direction.

But a 26 is not as slim as a 43, and not a pocket pistol.
Unless you got big pockets

Pocket pistol, for people who have never carried, and are concerned about size? LCP. Anything larger and they will leave it at home.

Im looking at the 42 as well for the wife and me to carry... from what ive read, felt recoil is managed well for such a small pistol...thus Im not interested in the 9mm, my wife wont shoot a small 9mm that well

i shot a ruger LCP this past weekend, that longgggg trigger pull was god awful, the worst Ive ever pulled

found these FBI stats on another forum:

What better place to start then the statistics kept by the FBI. Here are a few examples of performance of different bullets. ATI=Average incapacitation time. This is an estamated number based on their formula of shock and blood loss. All of these were among the top performers in their respective calibers.
exp pen shock one shot stop ATI
Cor-Bon JHP +P 90 0.58 9.0in 467psi 70.0% 10.2 sec 380acp
Cor-Bon JHP 115gr 0.55in 14.2in 626psi 90.6% 8.8 sec 9mm
Federal Classic 125 0.65 12.0in 1487psi 95.8% 5.7 sec357 mag
Remington Golden Saber0.68 12.0in 771psi 93.8% 7.9 sec 40 S&W
Cor-Bon JHP 185 0.7 11.3in 920psi 91.7% 7.2 sec 45 ACP

What does this tell us, well first of all the puney little 380 is far from worthless seeing as 70% of the time one shot was all it took.
Although the 45 did beat the 9mm in one shot stop ratio the margin was so slim that it is hardly noticable.
The myth on larger bullets always being more effective is busted here as the 357 magnum (9.1mm) has a higher one shot % and a faster ATI then any of the larger bores.
The choice of bullets seem to have more of an effect on performance then the choice of caliber as each had good and poor performers.

I could say the same for the 43. Just a hair too big, while the 42 just makes it into the pocket pistol category. It's like arguing the number of angels that could dance on the head of a pin.

It's not a target trigger. It's a GetTheFuckOffMe trigger.

The OP is asking suggestions for people who are not firearms enthusiasts, not shooters, not used to carrying, and who won't be comfortable carrying something any larger than the minimum necessary.

That screams LCP or K-T P3AT.

I've got an old LCP that has never jammed with FMJ, HP's or reloads. Makes a dandy summer gun and disappears in cargo shorts.

I hadn't shot it in 3-4 months so I took it out this afternoon. I just treat it like a DAO revolver, block the slide over whatever I want to hit and stroke the trigger quick and straight back. I shot both magazines empty on 6" plates at 7 yards and an 11x17 plate at 25. No misses and no jams- about all you can ask of a pocket gun.

The little pistol feeds anything but I carry FMJ in it. In that caliber you don't have any penetration to spare. You need all you can get.

Get it, the 42 is sweet.

Two CW380's by Kahr

I'll have to look at the Kahr offerings, don't think I've handled anything from them in a decade and didn't even think of them.

4ager has the right idea about them, while they are shooters they aren't normally handgunners. Dad has killed a deer and a hog or two with his 4" M19 but doesn't own any pistol other than that and a Buckmark. The area they live in has never been an area where you would feel the need to carry until lately with the meth and Mexicans the county sheriff has encouraged citizens to arm themselves and they finally feel like it may not be a bad idea. Who knows after a few years getting in the habit they mey want to step up to a full size pistol but until then I'm just happy they want to carry something.

The new LCPs are nice little guns. Just no fun to shoot much. But if all they're going to do is carry them, and not shoot them much, they will do well enough.

The Keltec P3AT is in the same class as the Ruger. In fact it's what Ruger copied.

airweight or scandium framed Smith J frame, in 38+p or 357.

Seeing as he didn't see fit to respond to this, I will repost it.

The first word that comes to mind is "abusive". Ouch, is an understatement.

Exactly, and it wouldn't be the first time such things have happened.

Make sure your mom gets to handle the LCP before you $$$. I have no idea of her age, but many older ladies will have trouble with the slide on a small semi. My Mom has worked hard her whole life, doing some things many men would not do today, but time and arthritis has made things like pulling a slide impossible. An LCR might be an alternative, although bigger.

Every gun that’s carried in a pocket needs a holster – failing to do so is the purview of a novice.

Some Glock 42’s are still having reliability issues and at twice the price of an LCP, I’m not particularly interested in beta testing. Hiccups with new guns are to be expected sometimes, but I recently heard of a 42 that started off just fine but started getting finicky after a few hundred rounds.

Kahr quality is completely hit or miss it seems, so I don’t suggest them to folks who aren’t able or willing to part with them promptly (usually at a loss) if you don’t get a good one. The CW380 can be had for about $260 and if you’re lucky enough to get a reliable one, they are the best shooting pocket .380’s out there. The two P380’s I had were not reliable, but hitting a 12” plate at 50 yards was more than doable and WHO shots at 20 yards on the same plate became pretty ho-hum.

Kel-Tec’s aren’t even on my radar and there’s no reason to even consider them with so many better options available.

Regarding the LCP, it’s arguably the perfect pocket gun;

• At 12 oz fully loaded, it’s entirely comfortable to carry in a pocket.
• It diminutive size seldom gives any indication that you’re carrying.
• It’s more accurate than they needs to be.
• It has no sharp edges to impair drawing from the pocket.
• They’re very reliable if you feed them good ammo and stay with factory magazines.

I test drove an LCP Custom briefly and promptly sold it – for pocket carry, the juice just wasn’t worth the squeeze. While the Custom model’s enhanced sights made it a bit easier to shoot beyond 10 - 15 yards, the trade-off was a HUGE potential to snag when carried in a pocket. They also don’t fit many close fitted holsters intended for the standard model, so try before you buy.

As for “shootability”, a nine ounce pistol firing the .380 cartridge is going to generate a bit of recoil, but the gun isn’t designed to be a target or plinking pistol and you’re certainly not likely to fire enough rounds in a self-defense situation for it to become an issue.

As previously stated, the LCP remains one of the best “Rule #1” guns in existence and with a brand new standard model going for $200 these days, owning one a no-brainer in my book.

The only potential downside I possibly see with the LCP is durability. That’s a non-issue for most folks I suspect, but I buy .380 ammo by the case. But, with Ruger’s reputation for replacing worn out guns, shooting the life out of one is an secondary concern. To address that potential issue, I have two LCP’s that I have vetted and carry, and one that I use strictly for training and practice. I also replace my recoil springs every three to four hundred rounds – the set costs a whole $4.00.

Small pocket guns really shine where discretion is absolutely mandatory or clothing restrictions prohibit anything larger. If you can’t find a way to carry an LCP concealed, you’re simply not trying very hard.