Carry a Walther TPH or Jetfire?

R

Racingsnake

New member
Hi guys,

My work situation demands that I carry deep concealment. I've just found that even snubbies and 380s are still too difficult to conceal completely when in smart business attire so I bought two mouseguns.

A Walther TPH in .25 ACP and a Beretta 950 Jetfire also in .25 ACP. Picture below.

For some reason I can't get the pictures embedded in the post so my apologies but the links work.






Which would you carry?
 
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That TPH in blue and 25 is incredibly hard to find here in US. I would go TPH in this case due to DA, never can figure out berettas swing safety
 
The little Italian-made 950s with no safety, like yours are probably the best pocket .25s made. It's thin, lightweight and holds 9 rounds. They are reliable, durable, accurate, and easy to shoot.
The TPH is a neat gun, but practically, the 950 is the way to go.
Make sure that the firing pin does not protrude from the breech face with the hammer fully down. If it does, your gun needs to be retrofitted with an inertial firing pin.
Never carry the 950 on half-cock. Always carry it with the hammer fully down.

All that said, a Keltec P32 might be a much better carry choice.
 
I suggest trying the TPH first if you have not done so. I had one and the slide raked my hand every shot, drawing blood. It was either stock up on adhesive bandages or trade the gun.

Jim
 
My buddy carries a TPH in his front pocket every day. Hes always been a big fan and proponent of it. Unfortunately, even with it being in a well worn leather pocket holster, most of his pants have a TPH "Skoal ring" worn into the material in them, and its pretty obvious whats in his pocket, even at a causal glance.

My final choice for the baby guns ended up being a Seecamp LWS32, which I carried in a Smart Carry holster for quite awhile. In that holster, it was easily carried and completely invisible.

While I have carried a few of the mouse guns, Ive never felt comfortable that they would do the job needed of them, and that is even more evident these days, especially if its your "only" gun.

Ive also never been able to, or comfortable with, carrying any of them in my pockets. This is where the Smart Carry shines. Its an unbelievably effective holster, that is also my most versatile holster, and now for guns Id never have considered before. You dont have to give up a your larger, more realistic guns anymore.

Ive retired the Seecamps for my Glock 26, which is carried in a Smart Carry every day. Ive been playing with a 19 and 17 as well. I too work in a NPE, and Im completely comfortable, both "comfort" and "nerve" wise, with the 26 in the Smart Carry. I have yet to have any problems or issues doing so either. So far, even the larger models are very easy, and still quite comfortable to carry this way.

Im just pointing this out, as it seems to be a common misconception these days, that you cant carry anything but one of the little mouse guns, if you want to keep it hidden, which is patently false. With a Smart Carry, you can carry a full size gun, wearing nothing more than a pair of shorts. A pair of trousers with a tucked in shirt, is nothing. I highly recommend checking them out.

www.smartcarry.com
 
I'd go with the Walther because they are very thin and that low profile pays off big when hiding a gun. The Beretta is fatter. I'd second the Seecamp too. So tiny, so easy to carry and conceal. I used a TPH when my Seecamp was being worked on. Either a good choice.

 
One of the primary concerns about pocket guns is WEIGHT. The 950 is the lightest gun of the bunch- almost as light and flat as the little Keltec .32.
 
The slide bite on the TPH concerns me where's the Jetfire seems to fit me a bit better.

The shop also had a Tomcat but I've read a few reports saying they are prone to slide cracking. It is bigger but fits my hand well.
 
TxFlyFish said:
...never can figure out berettas swing safety
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What swing safety? You're not confusing the 950 with the 1934 / 1935 / 948 series, are you?

The latch visible in the OP's picture is the barrel release.

The OP's 950B and the original 950 had no manual safety—they are intended to be carried with the hammer down over a loaded chamber (Condition 2) and hand-cocked when the shooter is ready to fire. These models' safety features consist of an inertial firing pin and a half-cock notch. The latter is ONLY intended to intercept the hammer if the shooter's thumb slips on cocking; it is NOT intended as a safe carry mode (re: Bill's first post).

Speaking of Bill's post...
Bill DeShivs said:
Make sure that the firing pin does not protrude from the breech face with the hammer fully down. If it does, your gun needs to be retrofitted with an inertial firing pin.
Click to expand...
I thought ALL 950's had an inertial firing pin. Is this incorrect?
TxFlyFish said:
what about the 950 with thumb safety and 22 short.
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The American-made, post-GCA 950BS added a frame-mounted "cocked-and-locked" thumb safety. IOW the presence of the safety a generational thing and is NOT tied to the chambering, although I'm not 100% sure that you meant to imply this; the 950 has been available in both .22S and .25ACP with and without the thumb safety.

Some 950 fans like Condition 2 carry and regard the thumb safety as extraneous, but others find it easier to manipulate than the hammer and prefer carrying a 950BS in Condition 1—YMMV.

Speaking of safety features: AFAIK the TPH's firing pin is only positively locked with the thumb safety in the on-safe position; in DA/off-safe mode, it relies on an inertial firing pin just like the 950. IOW (and AFAIK) the TPH is theoretically more drop-safe than the 950, but ONLY if the shooter chooses to carry on-safe.
 
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Oops you're right I guess these berettas all start to look like the same for a while. In regards to 22 I prefer that to the 25 especially in berettas, where I've had magazine issues with some 25 oal not fitting...plus 22 berettas are very reliable
 
The Berettas SHOULD have an inertial firing pin, but it's always best to check. Some "home gunsmith" could have made the wrong type.
 
GrailKnight said:
What is wrong with the Beretta Tomcat .32acp?
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The OP started out by discussing the 950B and TPH; the Tomcat only came up in passing. That said:
  • There's the documented frame (not slide) cracking issue. Although newer Tomcats and/or the Inox versions are supposedly more durable in this regard, the Tomcat is basically designed like an enlarged 950 with a DA/SA trigger, and the frame is very thin at the slot for the DA trigger drawbar—a feature that the 950 lacks. IMHO the Tomcat is an example of a mechanical design that's just been pushed very close to its inherent strength limits; IIRC someone on this forum has characterized it as "punching over its weight".
  • The TPH and particularly the 950 are both a bit smaller than the Tomcat, and in the mousegun game, a bit smaller can count for a lot. On that note, the Tomcat is larger and heavier than the Kel-Tec P32, a gun that's IMHO superior in most respects unless you're in love with the tip-up barrel and/or DA/SA operation.
 
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I have both as well as the beretta in.22 short. Its very hard to find quality .22 shorts so I would rule that out. Although I like the DA of the Walther, I do not like a safety on a deep cover FA. The Beretta. 25 is reliable fast to put into action and you do not need to worry about knocking off the safety. The tip-up barrel is also a plus.
 
I'd carry whichever I shot better and felt more comfortable with it's manual of arms, as others have said a Kel Tec p32,p38t or LCP really aren't much bigger and lighter
 
I'm a big fan of the 950. Served me well in a pocket for a few years. The only reason I stopped packing it is because I didn't want to mess up the finish. Mine has always functioned flawlessly. 25 ACP may be a weakling but multiply it by nine rounds and hopefully that would be enough get you out of a jam. You're going to love it.
 
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