Bill DeShivs said:
To be fair, Walt- this thread did start about a Sterling .25- a gun that hasn't been made in 40 years.
You are correct. It was about the Sterling .25-. But as I explained earlier, I was unconsciously thinking (and writing) about the newer small guns when I first replied. Talking about their age, however, was to indicate that that their technical features are much less common now than once was the case. (That doesn't justify my errors in talking about/dissing firing pins as ejectors.)
I've had a couple of these older small guns over the years, including a small Colt Ace and an Astra Cub. The Astra, was chambered in .22 short, and I had a hard time finding ammo. The novelty of these smaller guns wore off. I had some of these guns some years ago, before I began to better understand how some of them function -- I didn't always pay attention to the details, back then.
In addition to the small .25s and .32s, I've also had several Berettas in .22 and .32 (a Tomcat) and a small Taurus .22; I swore off (after swearing at) all of them. I've ALSO had a number of .32 and .380 guns based on the Communist Bloc military designs, and a couple of 9x18s; some these military guns are almost pocket guns, but heavier than they need to be.
I sometimes carry a Remington RM380 in a pocket holster, when nothing else fits the need. The RM380 is the Remington version of the Rohrbaugh 380, with some minor changes. I think it's a surprisingly good design. I've come to the conclusion that the .380 round with at least a 3" barrel is about as small as I want to go in size and caliber -- and I'd much prefer a 9mm. But the 9mm "pocket" guns I've tried -- I've owned several -- aren't really what I'd call pocket guns, so it's IWB holsters rather than pocket holsters when I've carried them.
I had previously given serious thought to a Keltec P32. You don't find USED P32s for sale very often, and I've always considered that is a good sign. I've also owned a Keltec P3AT (which has a smaller trigger guard than the Ruger LCP), which is almost a clone of the P3AT; the P3AT trigger guard hurt my trigger finger when firing and that led me to try the LCP, which didn't. I've shot many of the smaller guns, including two Seecamps (one in .32 and one in .380); I didn't like the Seecamps at all and the .380 was painful to shoot.
A few of the older .380s have a long history of use and good function -- including the Colt 1903 which is still highly valued and actively sought for modern-day carry by some shooters.
I also have a beautiful nickel Browning BDA 380 (a Beretta made for FN); it's an accurate and pleasant gun to shoot. The various Beretta 80-series guns are much loved. That said, none of these guns are all that much smaller or that much lighter than some of the smaller 9mms.
I have an IWB holster for the Browning BDA 380, but probably will never carry it. I'll carry my Ruger SR9c, instead.
