Considering a pocket pistol, advice please.

[hunter480]

I`m a firm believer that the .45 acp is THE best handgun round available as a man stopper.

Having said that, my Glock 21 is hard to conceal, so I many times carry my little Sig .380-but even my little Sig isn`t so little.

I`m going to pick up the new Ruger LCP as soon as I can find one on a shelf somewhere. It`s as concealable a gun as I`ve seen, it`s a Ruger, so I know it`s well made, and hey, the .380 isn`t a .45, but it`s better than a sharp stick.

 

[pinhead56]

pocket pistol comparison chart

Take a look at BoBo's "pocket pistol" comparison chart. He has a pdf of 16 different pistols with size comparisons, very handy when you are looking and wondering how a Keltec P-3AT looks next to a Rohrbaugh, next to a Seecamp, etc. You can find the chart at:
http://www.mouseguns.com/PocketAutoComparison.pdf

 

[hunter480]

Take a look at BoBo's "pocket pistol" comparison chart. He has a pdf of 16 different pistols with size comparisons, very handy when you are looking and wondering how a Keltec P-3AT looks next to a Rohrbaugh, next to a Seecamp, etc. You can find the chart at:
http://www.mouseguns.com/PocketAutoComparison.pdf

I wish they had included the Glock .380 in the chart.

I know the Glock is slightly longer than the minumum length they stated they were using as the cut off, but I think it should have been there.

 

[turkeykiller]

skyy arms came out with a new 9mm $250 great little pocket gun.

 

[melensdad]

skyy arms came out with a new 9mm $250 great little pocket gun.

I know a guy who has one, for a low priced gun its pretty nice, but it is bigger than I would like if I decide to go with a pocket gun. I've already got a safe full of compact 1911's and some of those are not much bigger than the Skyy pistols (although all are heavier than the Skyy)

Take a look at BoBo's "pocket pistol" comparison chart. He has a pdf of 16 different pistols with size comparisons, very handy when you are looking and wondering how a Keltec P-3AT looks next to a Rohrbaugh, next to a Seecamp, etc. You can find the chart at:
http://www.mouseguns.com/PocketAutoComparison.pdf

This is a great resource, thanks for posting it.

If this is up to date, then it seems like the Rohrbaugh may be the only really small 9mm out there.


My whole problem is that I already have a 380 AMT and simply don't feel good about the caliber. I normally carry a compact 1911 and if I go down to a 9mm then I really would want it in a package the size of a 380 pistol because guns like the Skyy, or some of the Kel Tecs, baby Glocks, etc are really not much smaller than the small 1911 pistols. I'd actually consider most of the small 9mm guns to be 'mid sized' because they are bigger than the 380s but smaller than the compact 1911s.

I'm still pretty undecided on the whole thing, but the Rohrbaugh R9 looks like the only gun that would fit my criteria of being a 'true' pocket pistol and being a 9mm.

 

[IDCC]

I have a S&W 642 in my pocket( UM pocket holster). I had wanted a 340 M&P $$$. I want to get my hands on a Ruger LCP. Next on my buy list is a S&W M&P 9c, I like them a little better than the G26.

There is the new Kel tec 9mm and the Walther PPS(?), I know they are very flat but I cant remember the other dimensions. We had a Rohrbaugh R9 at the shop I worked at, it was snapped up pretty quickly. It was a tiny litttle thing.

 

[in812]

J frames make a nice pocket gun IMO even in 38spl

 

[dblagent]

I really think the R9 is the only thing out there for what you are looking for. I really like little guns and follow all the news on the models, I can't even think of another in the realm of the R9 even outside the US, though there may be one.

After the R9 for 9mm or better it's J-Frame or Kahr, then you have the PPS and the Kel-Tec PF9, but none are as pocketable as the R9 in the specs. I'd like to find some comparison photos of the R9 in the flesh so to speak. I'll look as I like little guns anyway!

 

[dblagent]

WOW, check this photo out!

 

[dblagent]

Couple more.

All these taken from The Rohrbaugh Forum - Index in a couple of posts there, so credit goes where it is due!

 

[obijohn]

from all accounts, the rohrbaugh seems a good choice for pocket carry. or get 2 and wear them as cufflinks. hehe. seriously, the lightweight, hammerless or shrouded hammer j frame has been fulfilling this roll for quite some time. as an aside, i've read in this thread about not fitting in a certain style of pants. if it's a choice of tight, sexy pants or being able to pocket my pistol. i guess i'll just get bigger pants. choose the wardrobe for the pistol(s)/carry method, not the reverse. jmho.

 

[TomN]

Ah forget the pocket pistol! Just get a good holster and carry a full-size 1911! It looks cool and the ladies loooooove the long barrel!

 

[shooter521]

A 9x19 pistol the size of a P3AT/LCP? Man, that would suck to actually shoot! Right below the J-Frame .357s on the unpleasantness scale, IMO.

 

[melensdad]

A 9x19 pistol the size of a P3AT/LCP? Man, that would suck to actually shoot! Right below the J-Frame .357s on the unpleasantness scale, IMO.

If you are recoil sensitive it might be, but IF YOU REALLY NEED a gun then I would bet that you would not feel the recoil in the heat of the moment. OTOH I normally carry compact 45acp pistols with alloy frames, compared to those, a lightweight 9mm is a pleasure.

 

[shooter521]

I would bet that you would not feel the recoil in the heat of the moment.

Of course not; I was thinking more about those thousands of rounds I'd be firing in training/practice... I don't subscribe to the "carried a lot and shot a little" philosophy - anything that isn't comfortable enough to fire a couple hundred rounds in a sitting has no place in my armory. Thus, I don't own any Airweight S&Ws or .50 Desert Eagles, and got rid of my Kel-Tec P40 (what a little monster that was). Comfort issue aside, it's also MUCH slower to get off a good second shot when you've got a lot of muzzle jump to contend with (even more so when you add in a long and/or heavy DAO trigger pull).

My current backup/deep concealment piece is a Colt Pony Pocketlite .380. At around 13oz., it's light enough for pocket carry, yet has enough weight to make it very comfortable to shoot (something I couldn't say for the 7oz. P3AT). Trigger pull was pretty atrocious out of the box, but a Wolff spring kit and some internal polishing smoothed it right out.

 

[melensdad]

Of course not; I was thinking more about those thousands of rounds I'd be firing in training/practice... I don't subscribe to the "carried a lot and shot a little" philosophy

Total agreement with you there. I only carry a pistol that is proven flawless with at least 200 rounds of my chosen carry ammo, which is typically Federal Hydra Shock. If the gun runs with FMJ round nose it doesn't tell me if it will run with HP. So I test my guns with my carry ammo. Its more expensive, but its piece of mind! I also shoot reloads and everything else for practice, but to pass muster, the gun must run 200 round of carry ammo!

 

[Claddagh]

If you do get a Rohrbaugh you'll need to order a few replacement recoil springs to go with it. The article in the July/August '08 "American Handgunner" says that the spring must be replaced every 100 rds or there would be a high probability of damaging the frame.

Apparently the stresses generated by the 9x19 cartridge on a package this small take a heavy toll on them. Logical: TANSTAAFL.

Cost is $5.00/ea. IIWY I'd order at least 10 with the pistol.

 

[unclebill]

This an old thread, but what the heck.

It's not made anymore, but I see a number of Detonics Pocket 9's

out there and they seem to have a lot of fans, like cops, as backup

guns, etc.

Just my plugged nickel.