MikeNice81
New member
With a heat index of 110 degrees that isn't really a feasible carry plan. Well, maybe if you stay at home or in the office all day. For normal folks though it wouldn't work in the dead of summer.
Pocket Guns
- Thread starter SteelChickenShooter
- Start date
With a heat index of 110 degrees that isn't really a feasible carry plan. Well, maybe if you stay at home or in the office all day. For normal folks though it wouldn't work in the dead of summer.
MikeNice81
New member
I carried a Taurus 85b3. It was the Taurus 85 with a 3" barrel. It was actually pocketable in dress slacks and some cargo pants. I ended up giving it up for IWB and OWB of a CZ P-07 Duty.
I just don't feel comfortable with only five shots anymore. I know all of the statistics. I studied them before I started carrying. The problem is that the bell curve has two slopes and somebody has to end up on the wrong side.
I visit my dad and work in a town that is dangerous. It is not uncommon for people to be robbed and then pistol whipped. Lately there has been a group of guys that pull up shoot a person in the leg or stomach then jump out to rob and beat them.
Just up the road from where I live two teenagers ambushed a sheriff's deputy. Then they hightailed it through the woods. They broke in to an empty house and hid out for a while before running off again. That very well could have been my occupied house. We're talking less than a mile away.
With incidents like that happening, I don't like having only five rounds. Semi-autos have proven to be reliable for nearly 80 years at least. My next pocket gun will be a Kahr or a Kel Tec P-11. If it will fit my pocket I might go for a Ruger LC9.
I wish CZ made a pocket gun.
I just don't feel comfortable with only five shots anymore. I know all of the statistics. I studied them before I started carrying. The problem is that the bell curve has two slopes and somebody has to end up on the wrong side.
I visit my dad and work in a town that is dangerous. It is not uncommon for people to be robbed and then pistol whipped. Lately there has been a group of guys that pull up shoot a person in the leg or stomach then jump out to rob and beat them.
Just up the road from where I live two teenagers ambushed a sheriff's deputy. Then they hightailed it through the woods. They broke in to an empty house and hid out for a while before running off again. That very well could have been my occupied house. We're talking less than a mile away.
With incidents like that happening, I don't like having only five rounds. Semi-autos have proven to be reliable for nearly 80 years at least. My next pocket gun will be a Kahr or a Kel Tec P-11. If it will fit my pocket I might go for a Ruger LC9.
I wish CZ made a pocket gun.
Retail or office carry while energetically working means: no jacket, no IWB, no ankle, and no guns on the premises or, you're fired! Donald Trump style.
Pocket or underarm carry are about all that's left. Is a pistol or revolver more concealable in each location?
Just like some revolvers, some pistols are known to be great reliable performers, cherry picking the bad ones and damning them all for the behavior of the few makes as much sense as it does when the subject is race, gender, creed, or national origin. If you don't like one, don't blame them all. There are better ones out there. And we can all make new decisions.
Revolvers have more open construction which can allow debris to jam the workings, and they can and do have malfunctions. A back up revolver jammed with wool lint from an ankle carry holster has been attributed to the loss of an experienced LEO. Carry of rounds is less concealable, too, for revolvers.
One thing misrepresented is that most encounters use less than three rounds, so capacity isn't an issue. I'd be more worried about how responding officers would perceive me. Cell phones and 911 help there, tell them what you are wearing.
"Making the case" for one or the other is basically an attempt to justify a decision and mindset already made. Draw up a Ben Franklin list of pro's and cons for YOUR specific circumstances and be prepared to discover that just maybe you have it backwards. What's good - overall - for one set of circumstances is absolutely wrong for another.
Like jacket pocket carry for a retail clerk, there's a major disconnect. In the three colder seasons outside or in a suit, it's more likely. That's why blanket assertions make no more sense than picking a specific type of firearm for Home Defense. A 24" barreled bolt gun with 4x12 scope may - or may not be - optimum there, either.
I'm going to strongly suggest that if anyone can't see where either the pistol or revolver does have specific advantages, then an objective decision is beyond their grasp.
Pocket or underarm carry are about all that's left. Is a pistol or revolver more concealable in each location?
Just like some revolvers, some pistols are known to be great reliable performers, cherry picking the bad ones and damning them all for the behavior of the few makes as much sense as it does when the subject is race, gender, creed, or national origin. If you don't like one, don't blame them all. There are better ones out there. And we can all make new decisions.
Revolvers have more open construction which can allow debris to jam the workings, and they can and do have malfunctions. A back up revolver jammed with wool lint from an ankle carry holster has been attributed to the loss of an experienced LEO. Carry of rounds is less concealable, too, for revolvers.
One thing misrepresented is that most encounters use less than three rounds, so capacity isn't an issue. I'd be more worried about how responding officers would perceive me. Cell phones and 911 help there, tell them what you are wearing.
"Making the case" for one or the other is basically an attempt to justify a decision and mindset already made. Draw up a Ben Franklin list of pro's and cons for YOUR specific circumstances and be prepared to discover that just maybe you have it backwards. What's good - overall - for one set of circumstances is absolutely wrong for another.
Like jacket pocket carry for a retail clerk, there's a major disconnect. In the three colder seasons outside or in a suit, it's more likely. That's why blanket assertions make no more sense than picking a specific type of firearm for Home Defense. A 24" barreled bolt gun with 4x12 scope may - or may not be - optimum there, either.
I'm going to strongly suggest that if anyone can't see where either the pistol or revolver does have specific advantages, then an objective decision is beyond their grasp.
serf 'rett
New member
Can't speak to the J frame side of the questions, but I do like the Kahr P9. It is large for pocket carry; however, I do like all fingers on the grip and 7+1 and extra 8 round mag.
If it is to be a 'Pocket pistol' then whether it is a .22 or a .44 Mag, it needs to be in your pocket... Not just some of the time, but comfortable, convenient, quick to bring into battery, and dependable. Everyone has a favorite, but mine is a KelTec PF9. As light as anything made in 9mm; it functions reliably with 147 grain Federal hydra-shock ammo, and in a 25' pocket pistol limitation, it is an 'hammer'. There are a number of fine leather pocket holsters available that will not "print" your pocket. The lightweight PF9 has become my companion any time conceal-ability is an issue.
The Ruger LCP in .380 is an authorized BUG for me but I had to do two things to make it reliable enough for pocket carry: 1. grind down the mag release button. The mag was constantly being ejected with that high profile button while carried in a pocket holster. 2. Make sure it only is loaded with correct sized ammo. Some cheep white box will NOT even fit in the chamber which seems very tight and if it does fit it will jam to the point the extractor tears past the rim and leaves the empty in the chamber to be pushed out from the front. Chromed high end ammo has never caused this problem and no break in was needed.
Cheapshooter
New member
It's funny on these types of threads that it seems the higher the price of the pocket pistol, the more malfunctions they have.
LCP...Flawless performance, lower price.
LCP...Flawless performance, lower price.
zombieslayer
New member
I have a lot of pistols and my favorite to carry is my 640 because its very comfortable and reliable. But for pocket duty, the lcp is a better choice.
10Ringmagic
New member
Not to hijack this thread into a caliber war, but I feel much more comfortable with five rounds of .38Spl+P in my pocket vs. 7 rounds of .380.
The revolver is much more reliable when carried in the pocket than an auto, IMHO.
The revolver is much more reliable when carried in the pocket than an auto, IMHO.
I carry a S&W J-Frame (640) loaded with 125 grain Buffalo Bore ammo along with a speed loader.
I love the gun. I make sure to shoot at least 1 box of ammo every pay check (every other Friday) and usually shoot a box every week.
With the slightly larger grips of the CT 305 it makes them fairly comfortable to shoot. I like shooting the 110-125 grain ammo but have gone as heavy as 180 on a semi-frequent basis and I have shot a box of 200 grain reloads just for kicks. All seem fine to me.
My wife carries a Sig P238 that in the past was very unreliable but after the 3 trips to Sig and finally a local gun smith it seems much more relabel. Sig changed out the extractor, recoil spring, mags which helped. The Gun smith polished and took a buff off of the ramp and then did some other stuff that I am not sure what it is. He also did a trigger job. For the last 3 boxes of ammo it has been 100% but I still don't trust it... may be after another 15-20 boxes. The wife loves it though and it has some sentimental value to her (other wise I would of traded it in long ago)
I love the gun. I make sure to shoot at least 1 box of ammo every pay check (every other Friday) and usually shoot a box every week.
With the slightly larger grips of the CT 305 it makes them fairly comfortable to shoot. I like shooting the 110-125 grain ammo but have gone as heavy as 180 on a semi-frequent basis and I have shot a box of 200 grain reloads just for kicks. All seem fine to me.
My wife carries a Sig P238 that in the past was very unreliable but after the 3 trips to Sig and finally a local gun smith it seems much more relabel. Sig changed out the extractor, recoil spring, mags which helped. The Gun smith polished and took a buff off of the ramp and then did some other stuff that I am not sure what it is. He also did a trigger job. For the last 3 boxes of ammo it has been 100% but I still don't trust it... may be after another 15-20 boxes. The wife loves it though and it has some sentimental value to her (other wise I would of traded it in long ago)
Last edited:
With factory ammunition I have never had FTF, or FTE with any of my 9mm autoloaders, nor any FTF with my S&W M&P 340. With reloads I have had those problems with both platforms. I carry 147 grain Buffalo Bore in the 9mm, and 135 grain Speer +P Gold Dots, or 135 grain .357 magnum Short Barrel Gold Dots in the 340.
That said, I like the revolver as my pocket handgun. I am disabled and cannot reload the little J-Frame revolver with any speed, or without a glitch. I solve the problem by carrying a S&W 3913 in a small camera style tote on my left hip. I can unzip the tote and draw the pistol a lot faster than reloading a J-Frame revolver, if a reload becomes necessary.
This arrangement also takes care of drawing when seated, as the 9mm in in a crossdraw configuration.
Different strokes for different folks. I doubt that there is a single, 'Best way', or way that will never fail.
That said, I like the revolver as my pocket handgun. I am disabled and cannot reload the little J-Frame revolver with any speed, or without a glitch. I solve the problem by carrying a S&W 3913 in a small camera style tote on my left hip. I can unzip the tote and draw the pistol a lot faster than reloading a J-Frame revolver, if a reload becomes necessary.
This arrangement also takes care of drawing when seated, as the 9mm in in a crossdraw configuration.
Different strokes for different folks. I doubt that there is a single, 'Best way', or way that will never fail.
Last edited:
As a cop, I used to carry off-duty a Chief's Special, or a Model 15, or a Model 27, or a Model 66, or a Sterling 302 .22, or a Mauser HSc.
I never got into a gun battle, or had to draw my off-duty gun. I hear some stories from time to time about off-duty cops who have gotten into a shoot 'em up, but I have hardly ever heard of a CCW person who got into a shooting situation. I've seen the accounts of home and business owners who got into shootout, (AMERICAN RIFLEMAN - ARMED CITIZEN page, FACEBOOK) but other than that, nothing.
So I get to wondering, does it really matter how many shots you have, or if your gun is 100% reliable. Shoot, even in my pistol and rifle leagues, I get duds in my .22 ammo and have to rack the slide or action fast to get more shots off. Even my centerfires sometimes smokestack shells. (My revolvers don't)
Anyway, I just got to wondering about this after seeing some of the slightly negative comments going back and forth.
If you have taken care of your gun, not let oil get into the shells, it should work, and you probably won't need to carry much ammo, either.
The Doc is out now.
I never got into a gun battle, or had to draw my off-duty gun. I hear some stories from time to time about off-duty cops who have gotten into a shoot 'em up, but I have hardly ever heard of a CCW person who got into a shooting situation. I've seen the accounts of home and business owners who got into shootout, (AMERICAN RIFLEMAN - ARMED CITIZEN page, FACEBOOK) but other than that, nothing.
So I get to wondering, does it really matter how many shots you have, or if your gun is 100% reliable. Shoot, even in my pistol and rifle leagues, I get duds in my .22 ammo and have to rack the slide or action fast to get more shots off. Even my centerfires sometimes smokestack shells. (My revolvers don't)
Anyway, I just got to wondering about this after seeing some of the slightly negative comments going back and forth.
If you have taken care of your gun, not let oil get into the shells, it should work, and you probably won't need to carry much ammo, either.
The Doc is out now.
I carry, depending on my inclinations at the time, either a Ruger LCP or an old Smith model 60. It's strictly a spur-of-the-moment decision, but it's one of those two, carried in my pocket. Today it's the LCP, for no other reason than I was going to church and was wearing slacks.
Terminus009
New member
S&W Bodyguard .380
Several boxes of Remington 95gr fmj later and my BG is still shooting fine, no failures (knock on wood.) If Illinois ever adopts some form of ccw I will trust this pocket pistol to carry. Long travel DAO and a slide safety makes me feel safe carrying with a round chambered, giving me 7 shots. That should be more than enough for self defense situations. So until the day ccw becomes the law of the land, I will keep up carrying my Victorinox 2" pocket knife: sadly neither the scissors nor the tweezers are much good for SD......
Several boxes of Remington 95gr fmj later and my BG is still shooting fine, no failures (knock on wood.) If Illinois ever adopts some form of ccw I will trust this pocket pistol to carry. Long travel DAO and a slide safety makes me feel safe carrying with a round chambered, giving me 7 shots. That should be more than enough for self defense situations. So until the day ccw becomes the law of the land, I will keep up carrying my Victorinox 2" pocket knife: sadly neither the scissors nor the tweezers are much good for SD......
I was the Firearms Officer for my LE agency at our academy. We allowed both kinds of guns (revolvers & semi-autos), as did the other agencies using our range. We had an armorer on the range at all times, and he gave me these numbers:
The bottom line is:
When a semi malfunctions, the shooter can 'fix it' over 95% of the time and get back in the fight. They do malf more often than revolvers.
When a revolver malfs, it takes tools and an average of 10 min. of armorer time to get it working again. Revolvers malf less than semi-autos.
WE should all factor that into our decisions.
The bottom line is:
When a semi malfunctions, the shooter can 'fix it' over 95% of the time and get back in the fight. They do malf more often than revolvers.
When a revolver malfs, it takes tools and an average of 10 min. of armorer time to get it working again. Revolvers malf less than semi-autos.
WE should all factor that into our decisions.