Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Handguns whats your vote for a pocket gun?

I carry all the time. I cannot see, much as I like them, how an XD is a pocket pistol. I have a couple of Kahrs and love them but do not really consider them pocket pistols. If ya want a 9mm in a pocket pistol, I think your choice is a Rohrbaugh.

I would go with a Colt Detective Special with shroud in a pocket holster. One extra shot compared with the Smith J-frame, able to fire from inside the pocket if necessary, and easier to shoot well than a J frame if I have to hit something at a little longer range. I remember shooting a concealed carry revolver match more than a decade ago with my Colt, while most of the rest were using 2 1/2" or 3" Smith K-frames. This was shooting out to 25 yards IIRC. I didn't win, but I finished in the middle of the pack, which made me feel pretty good, considering. Would probably load it with Doc Robert's recommended load of Speer Gold Dot 135 gr +P designed for snubbies.

What works as a pocket gun depends entirely on your style of dress and which pocket(s) you're talking about. About the only thing I can get away with carrying in a pants pocket is an LCP size gun. I like my S&W snubbie, but it seldom gets chosen for pocket carry over small, flat-sided pistols.

I carry a S&W model 60 in a desantis nemesis all the time. It's loaded with 148gr wadcutters. I don't worry about the hammer one bit, I could see where someone would prefer a 642 or an LCR though, no hammer and less weight.
I certainly don't want to get shot with a wadcutter, They tear a nasty hole in things. My wife carries a .380 but is looking to switch to a 9mm , she doesn't have a lot of faith in it. I don't either, but she carries it because it's small.

A .22 for self defense is laughable.

http://www.snubnose.info/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/640_3_rotated_450.jpg

I'll take my .357 mag.

You guys must have big pockets to carry these revolver in pants pockets.

Tight pants could cause a problem. I carry a 642 everywhere in my front pocket with no problems.

The M (micro) series Kahrs - PM9, CM9 or PM40 and their little P380 - will disappear into a typical jeans front pocket. If your jeans are somewhat tight they can be seen but the outline is nondescript. If they are in a pocket holster it looks like a big wallet. The larger CW9 will fit in a front jeans pocket but it shows the outline pretty plainly, especially the butt.

I definitely recommend a pocket holster of some kind since a pistol carried loosely shifts around and might not be in the best position for a draw. A pocket holster keeps it in one place with the butt presented properly.



Roger that on a pocket pistol picking up lint. I carried a Kel-Tec P32 extensively in a DeSantis Nemesis pocket holster and every now and then had to blow out the lint that accumulated at the bottom of it. The newer Nemesis holsters have an open bottom so lint isn't trapped there but I'm guessing it could still find its way into a barrel.

S&W 340 CT in 357. I carry it left front pocket in a DeSantis Nemisis. I'm right handed. I carry it in the left pocket so that if my right hand/arm is out of commission and I can't draw or fire my primary gun (1911) I'm still in the fight.

Alan

Guys thank you so much for the great info. Very big help. Anybody else, feel free to chime in.

I prefer a full sized weapon. But sometimes the circumstances dictate a very discrete carry. In that case, this is THE weapon for me.

S&W M&P Shield





Don't hurt that it's the small version of my primary.

Either the 642 or the XDs is always in my pocket. Sometimes I have one in each pocket. Always STAY READY.

Ruger LCP.

Good thought.

From a power standpoint, the .38 Special is just a better performer than a .380 from a short barreled pocket gun; and quite a bit better. If I were carrying a .380, I would carry it either with FMJ�s or Buffalo Bore�s Lead Round Nose Flat Point load to ensure adequate penetration. In .38 Special, there are loads created specifically for the snubbies that provide adequate penetration even with an expanded bullet; hard to beat that.

I don�t care for .357 magnum out of a snub nosed revolver. Yes, it does have the power advantage, but recoil, muzzle flash, and noise are massively increased as the barrel is bobbed down. All of those things are liabilities in my book if you have to shoot more than once.

I don't wear my pants as loose as a gang banger, but I like them roomy. If a person is honest with themselves, even a Kel Tec 9mm or a Kahr prints pretty bad in a front pocket.

Back when I used to regularly carry a front pants pocket gun I figured out that a square of thick leather (big enough to cover the entire print of the gun/holster combo) placed in front of the gun obscures the print, making it look like you have a thick wallet in that pocket.

I just can't deal with the pocket carry deal.
I think my J frame in the light weight version is my most carried. That is in an ankle holster, IWB, OWB or shoulder harness.

For pocket carry I will drop a Seecamp or Baby Browning in a pants pocket. Kinda' my version of a New York reload.

Funny how a guy will be meticulous in keeping his pocket pistol clean, but will never think to clean the lint out of his pockets.

S&W Model 640 is my all time favorite, but the Colt 1903 Pocket Model is a very close second.