Art of the pocket pistol: Advice needed.

[TH Moxy]

One night this week in my town we had 11 armed robberies in 6 hours. Things have been getting worse and worse in my area. One of the armed carjackings was in a parking lot which I often park.

I am 24 and have had my CCW since I was 21. I carry a S&W Bodyguard 380. I either pocket carry or carry with my IWB Raven holster with G-Code belt clips on the 4-5 o clock position with 1-2 extra mags. Recently I've had issues with the bodyguard while shooting. From the laser failing from sweat, to the actual gun having light primer strikes. Now, I do clean my pistol but not every day. Once a week I do a deep clean but I work outside and it gets some heavy sweat and general debris in and around it. Another issue I am having is that the magazine ejects randomly, but seems most when I sit down.

I chose a 380 because I'm a taller slimmer guy. No full size 1911's are possible for me. However I am looking for consult from others who have perhaps had some dilemmas such as mine and perhaps have some recommendations as far as pistols, carry style and any other information.

I was looking at the Sig P238 as it looking like a nice upgrade. Fits well, and the non DAO trigger is appealing. However my LEO buddy said he didn't like it. Curious if anyone has any other suggestions. I'm looking for something that can take abuse, not rust from sweat and be very reliable in the smallest footprint possible yet still enjoyable to shoot (as much as possible in such a pocket pistol)

Thanks for reading this far.

[Tigereye]

I pocket carried a 642 in a pocket holster to church today. But, it is not enjoyable to shoot. I also carry a Shield 9mm in an IWB Alien some of the time. It is more of a pleasure to shoot. My favorite carry is either the Shield or a G19.

[gtmtnbiker98]

Expect trouble? Carry a real gun!

[LibertyNeverDies]

Glock 42.

I just got one and I love it!

The gun is a laser. At 5 yards I was shooting 2 inch group which for me with a gun that small is crazy. I can only do 1.5inch with my Glock 19 which I am know inside and out.

PPS my dad has one and it's a tack driver. Doesn't have the best trigger pull and the grip isn't the most comfortable but it shoots well. Your experience firing is much better than fondling in the gun store. It shoots like a full size gun.

Glock 43. I just got one also and it's the exact opposite of the PPS. Feels good in the store but after shooting and dry firing it'll NEED the trigger guard undercut and a trigger job wouldn't hurt. I was struggling to gun hit a 12x18 target at 15 yards. And I five yard with slow deliberate fire I was around 6inches. I blame it all on the trigger.

[TH Moxy]

Thanks for the input everyone. The same LEO friend I mentioned has a G42 and I have shot it. I thought it a large upgrade in terms of grip and recoil compared to the bodyguard, not to mention the trigger. However I thought it too large of a physical increase in size as well but I think it is manageable. At the time he had limited carry time with it since he hadn't qualified with it yet. Since though he likes it and still carries it as a backup. I've never owned a glock so I wasn't instantly wooed by it upon release, however I will try to shoot it again if my local store will let me loan it for a day.

Some others I was looking into was the shield and the new Remington PM 380, my dad says that one is suppose to be real nice.

I know I should carry a "real gun" but for my work and social setting it just wouldn't fly. I've tried with a double stack and it sticks out like a fatty tumor anywhere on my hip or is way to uncomfortable to sit / drive with. (I don't like to have to readjust at all during the day). This makes weight an issue too if I have to take a piss at work (construction so ya know...) I don't want it dropping my drawrs or falling in the blue lagoon. 12-15oz is ideal weight wise.

Anyways look forward to reading more suggestions. Thanks again.

[drsal]

Eleven armed robberies in 6 hours.....
MOVE to a better neighborhood.

[The Dumb Gun Collector]

Pick up a J-frame 642/442. Best all-around pocket pistol in my opinion. Probably the most reliable gun across a wild variety of situations, and safe to carry even without a holster in a pinch. That being said, 11 armed robberies in 6 hours sounds like you need to be carrying an Ar-15!!

[SocomShooter]

I'll start this off by saying I live in a difficult county to have restrictions removed from your permit, thus I don't carry concealed.

With that being said, I took a CCW course last year with Rochester Personal Defense, and they asked specifically that people not use the super-small pocket pistols in the course. His reasoning is that they're harder to control and it's just a crutch to fall back on when you can't find the right holster/carry method to conceal your weapon.

Again, just "throwing that out there." If and when I do obtain my unrestricted permit, my go-to will either be my J-frame Airweight, or my S&W 3913. The latter is one of my favorite old work horses; super slim and has never failed to fire any type/weight ammo.

[HKGuns]

I shot a Kahr CM9 last weekend and was impressed by its smooth DAO trigger and its controllability. Most other pocket 9's I have shot border on wanting to jump out of your hands.

I'm now looking at a couple of the better made Kahr's as a small frame alternative for pocket carry. Specifically the P9.

My main small carry pistol was a P2000SK before I picked up a P30SK weekend before last. The P30SK can pretty easily fit in my shorts pocket.

[SpecWired]

I'm considering joining the pocket pistol club in the near future. I'm leaning toward a Glock 42 or 43.

42 is smaller and lighter (barely). 43 has caliber uniformity with the pistols in my house, including a CZ Evo Scorpion.