considering a pocket gun

[dom1104]

I have NO idea what the attraction to the small, magazine fed .380s for pocket guns is all about. None.

A J-frame smith works so well, is so light, conceals so easily, and a simple Bianchi suede clip holster can be tucked into the waistband, tossed into a pocket or clipped onto your seatbelt.. I honestly dont know why someone would mess with tiny autos.

They are also much harder to draw from the pocket than a J, which has a nice curved handle that conforms to your pockets shape.

And their trigger pulls are INSANE horrible in every example I have tried.

.38+P Cor Bon DPX is a comforting round to have 5 of in your pocket.

I personally, would be hard pressed to carry anything else "In-Pockito"

 

[TheGunDen]

Diomondback came out with a .380 that looks like a "Baby Glock" it has actual 3 dot sights verses no sights on the lcp or keltec. It also cost about the same, If you go with sig or kahr you will spend more money and get the same results.

 

[hoosierfishing]

I absolutely love my LCP. If I'm not carrying my glock, I have my LCP with me. I'm fully confident in the 380 round.

 

[RichardR]

ok well i think i would like a pocket gun and i've been looking at the LCP and the kel-tech p-3at. what's the differences (if any really) also do you think this would be a good gun for the wife to start firing on?

LCP is probably going to be the more reliable than the P-3at, but P-3at's can be "fluffed & buffed" to help make them more reliable.

Anyway no an LCP or a P-3at would not make a good gun for your wife to start learning how to shoot with.

These are small concealable "in case of emergency" defensive weapons & as such they were not designed with comfort or accuracy in mind.

Pocket guns are great for their ease of carry, but they are not so great for recreational shooting at the range.

 

[dagibson1507]

Go with a pf9, not that much bigger than the p3at. I just sold my p3at to buy the pf9, you are more than welcome to try it out.

 

[firefighterjohn]

My wife had trouble pulling the slide on my new LCP. Made me stop and think that if she wants a carry gun, its going to have to be a lightweight .38 revolver. Doesn't mean I don't like my LCP though. I looked, compared in person, read opinions, and perused forums here for months before buying my LCP. With the Uncle Mike's pocket holster, it works for me just great. It will be an always-have gun even if it is only defensive...but I will HAVE it!

One of the final reason I decided on the LCP was that all of the other Ruger guns I've owned and shot had been very reliable, had great fit&finish, and didn't break the bank.

 

[mainjet]

ok well i think i would like a pocket gun and i've been looking at the LCP and the kel-tech p-3at. what's the differences (if any really) also do you think this would be a good gun for the wife to start firing on?

If it were me (and it has been) I would go with the S&W 642. It is so concealable but yet is very fundemental in it's operation. I don't know how familiar your wife is with guns but for my wife I wanted the very simple 1 step process of pull the trigger. In an auto there are more things to worry about. FTF, FTE, is there one in the chamber? With the revolver you just load it up and pull the trigger when needed.

I have a XD40 at home. But I have to explain to her how to be sure there is a round in the chamber and about the different safeties that are on the gun. These are things that I don't want her to have to second guess herself in a life or death situation. When I pulled out the 642 revolver, she was liek "oh, okay". No safeties except the one between your ears and pulling the trigger is always the same ont he revolver.

I started out with exactly the same questions as you when I went to find a pocket gun. After my research I came away with the 642. But I will still get the LCP soon just because I want one. LOL

Let your wife hold both of them and see how to load them and chamber them. My guess is she will be more comfortable with the revolver.

Good luck.

 

[kludge]

Had a lady take our class a month or so ago. She knew what she wanted when she came to class. She wanted the LCP. She left with a different opinion. I would not recommend a pocket gun to any new shooter. I have a hard time recommending an alloy snub. Both are too hard to learn to shoot with and are conducive to bad habits.

If your wife has not tried several different guns, it's worth the money a time or two over to get her into a class. Most people - men and women - leave class liking something different than they thought they would.

And it's not always revolver vs. semi-auto or big vs. small caliber. Many first time shooters, regardless of gender, fumble around with the controls, and can't rack the slide or get the cylinder to open. A revolver isn't foolproof - practice is needed regardless of the manual of arms.

Some people go away realizing they they should get a .22 and practice for a while before the step up to a SD caliber.

 

[mainjet]

If your wife has not tried several different guns, it's worth the money a time or two over to get her into a class. Most people - men and women - leave class liking something different than they thought they would.

Many first time shooters, regardless of gender, fumble around with the controls, and can't rack the slide or get the cylinder to open.

I agree with having her figure out what gun she is able to work with and is comfortable with shooting. Also, practicing to become proficient with the firearm.

If she has trouble getting the cylinder open on a revolver do not get her a gun. Get her a really good cell phone with a speed dial to 911.

The simplicity of a revolver is - load it and carry it.. There is always one in the chamber. No worries of a FTF or FTE no stove pipes and no figuring how to clear it when in a fight for your life. If the revolver doesn't fire because of a bad primer or something, pull the trigger again - BAM.

Once the gun is out of ammo the "J" frame still has enough weight to it to leave a nasty bruise when thrown at the bad guy - just like on TV

The LCP will just get blown of course by the wind when thrown.

 

[theweakerbrother]

A nice holster makes a world of a different in carrying a compact, mid or full sized pistol and is often less expensive than buying a pocket gun. The only benefit to a pocket gun is if you absolutely positively cannot carry anything else because of clothing restrictions. If it is weight, just HTFU and buy a nicer holster and a decent gun belt.

I would NOT recommend this as a wife's first gun. Pocket pistols aren't fun to shoot, aren't accurate and are hard to handle. Let your wife picket out her first gun and then get a pocket pistol; it is a poor choice to make the firearm do double duty.

 

[cbhausen]

My Kahr P380 is a fine pistol; easier to hang onto and better sights than most in its class. However, I wouldn't recommend a magazine-fed semi-auto .380 to a new shooter regardless of gender. To me, this gun handles better and has a better trigger than the LCPs and Taurus .380 I have tried but can still be a handful at the range and the only way to become proficient is to send bullets downrange. This will be a less than pleasant experience for most new shooters with any pocket .380.

My humble suggestion is to let her decide. Just make sure she gets enough trigger time with different types of weapons to make an informed decision. And start her out with something tame like a .22 target pistol if she's a new shooter.

 

[Muzzleloaderbill]

My wife likes something simple. Her 38 stub nose.

 

[darinb]

I see more and more people carrying guns that are just too small for them to shoot accurately and even grip securely because they have a gun that is on them and is as uncomfortable as possible. My training and shooting experience teaches me that the smallest sized gun I can carry and actually use is a snubnose/Glock26 sized gun. As long as you can grip securely and shoot accurately go for it. Kel tec makes a nice gun I have had a P32 and P11.

 

[Scooter71]

I recently bought a Taurus 38 Special 85UL very nice gun..

 

[INMIline]

If your wife has never fired a handgun the lcp is a very bad idea. She needs to pick out her own firearm. I took my wife to 21St in bluffton. I thought she would want a 22 or smaller gun. My 110 lb. wife left with a Sp101!

 

[Security122]

Taurus TCP 380

For a nice pocket gun I like the Taurus TCP better than the Ruger LCP. Just another option for you to consider.

I just ordered the SS model TCP on AuctionArms NEW for $218.03.

 

[Larryjr]

ok well i think i would like a pocket gun and i've been looking at the LCP and the kel-tech p-3at. what's the differences (if any really) also do you think this would be a good gun for the wife to start firing on?

On the first question - not many but for the money I would go with the Kel-Tec (also consider the Taurus PT738, I have one and love it).

On the second - NO, not in my humble opinion. The small pocket guns like the ones you mention are not really design for comfortable range shooting. A much better choice for her to start on would be most .22 long rifle plinkers. She can start on anything I realize but if you start her on a gun that is uncomfortable she may not want to shoot much after that and she may have a biased opinion of guns in general.

 

[stoyan79]

I was in your shoes a while ago. Did my research, bought a P3AT, then also bought LCP. Both guns were fine and about equal in every respect, BUT both were NOT 100% reliable. They were more accurate than expected, they are well build and 98% reliable, BUT they are NOT 100% reliable.

I sold both and went with a S&W J frame revolver. It is proven and 100% reliable every day. I cannot depend my life on 98% or 99% reliable pistol, ONLY 100% does it for me and the S&W revolvers deliver.

ok well i think i would like a pocket gun and i've been looking at the LCP and the kel-tech p-3at. what's the differences (if any really) also do you think this would be a good gun for the wife to start firing on?

 

[LP1]

I usually carry S&W J-frame, but wanted something small for those times when even the revolver is too big. Looked at Taurus TCP, Ruger LCP, and Kel-Tec. Didn't like the fact that you can't lock the slide open on the Kel-Tec - seems like you would need 3 hands to fix a jam. GF has arthritis; she can't pull the trigger on my revolver, and also can't pull the trigger on the LCP. She can pull the TCP's trigger, and it came with 2 mags for around $260, so that's what I bought. TCP has feeding problems, especially wtih hollow points. It's been back to the factory twice; I think it's fixed, but they still owe me a magazine. Since I don't yet really trust it, I bought the LCP. If not for the arthritis issue, the LCP is probably the better choice.

 

[dan lenson]

TCP 738 perfect for my carry

For a nice pocket gun I like the Taurus TCP better than the Ruger LCP. Just another option for you to consider.

Can't speak for the Ruger, although I have much respect for the brand.

The more I shoot my 738, the more I love it!

Being a thin guy & desiring to carry everywhere, it was tough to find a piece that provided some power, decent accuracy & great conceal-ability.

I will say this: I'm fine carrying a load of Winchester White Box FMJ's. Not sure, but I don't believe the TCP likes the hotter loads.

Matter of fact, I had about 200 rounds through mine without a jam. Let a friend borrow it & he complained it jammed nearly every round. Found out he was running hotter 'self defense' rounds through it.

Have been running WWB through with generally no problem, but am finding extractor issues now. Nothing serious, but... like I said, probably best not to get carried away with powerhouse munitions.

Hafta clean it well and often. Which is not a bad idea for anything you'd carry in your front pocket, anyway.

The more I shoot it, the more accurate I get with it, and the more I love it.