Art of the pocket pistol: Advice needed.

[T2C]

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.

The Glock 42 is easy to drop in a front pocket and a spare magazine is easily carried. They are reasonably accurate and recoil is easily manageable.

I just picked up a Glock 43. The more I shoot my new Glock 43, the more I am thinking it might replace my J Frame as a daily carry weapon with the Glock 42 as a back up when wearing light summer clothing.

There are some good choices on the market.

[TH Moxy]

Should have also mentioned I live in Florida. The heat prevents wearing extra layers. The new glock 43 does look promising, but as I've yet to see or handle one I have no clue on it. T2C, how is it compared to shooting the G42?

[T2C]

Should have also mentioned I live in Florida. The heat prevents wearing extra layers. The new glock 43 does look promising, but as I've yet to see or handle one I have no clue on it. T2C, how is it compared to shooting the G42?

Some people complain about the recoil. Recoil is a lot more noticeable with the Glock 43 than the Glock 42, but manageable. The recoil doesn't bother me, but I normally shoot a J Frame S&W. If you can shoot one before buying, it would be a good idea.

I would give the Glock 42 an edge on recoil, accuracy and weight. The wife has access to both and picks the Glock 42 every time she leaves the house.

I have owned Kahr 9mm's, a S&W 3913, a S&W 3914 and fired a S&W Chief (cut down 3913), S&W Bodyguard .380's, Colt Ponies, Walther PPK .380's and other pistols. I would choose a Glock 43 over any of them. The Glock 42 is a good option if you are recoil sensitive.

[19852]

Another vote for the small revolver. Revolvers are tolerant of neglect, not abuse, but one can stuff them in a pocket and forget to oil. The trigger pull may suffer but a quality revolver should still work.
Should the need arise a concealed hammer revolver will fire from inside a pocket or at contact distance.

[T2C]

Another vote for the small revolver. Revolvers are tolerant of neglect, not abuse, but one can stuff them in a pocket and forget to oil. The trigger pull may suffer but a quality revolver should still work.
Should the need arise a concealed hammer revolver will fire from inside a pocket or at contact distance.

You bring up a valid point. You have to pay more attention to cleaning and lubrication to keep the weapon running with a small semi-automatic pistol than a small revolver carried in a pocket or under clothing.

[Flankenstein]

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.

The internet doesn't do the difference justice. I have a 42 and 43. The 42 is more than barley smaller and lighter. There is a noteworthy difference.

[Ron3]

If your a Glock guy and want something small and thin to wear on a belt go the Glock 43 9mm.

If you want a pocket pistol (not jeans pockets) on the large side go the for glock 42 .380. This gun will have a longer effective range than the very small pocket guns.

If you want a very small and light pocket pistol try the Kel-tec in .380 or .32 or Ruger LCP .380. I will say the Kel-tec .32 is more pleasant to fire and holds open on the last shot wear-as the .380 does not. There are also 10 shot mags by Kel-tec for the .32. (They are 9 round mags in reality) All of these have long, but safe triggers.

However if you can handle a little more bulk in your pocket go for a lightweight snub revolver like the Ruger LCR. This is the best and fastest pocket gun I've ever had. Nothing draws faster from a pocket than a snub nosed hammerless revolver from a good pocket holster. With this gun you can choose 9X19, (About 18 ounces loaded) .357 magnum (About 19 oz loaded) or .38 special (about 15 oz loaded)

These revolvers, like the Glocks above, have a more effective range than the small pocket guns. By that I mean you can put rounds into 6 inches at 25 yds without much trouble. Your not going to do that with a small pocket auto.

I've had a bunch of these type guns and the best small pocket auto IMO is the Kel-tec .32 and Beretta M950 .25. That being said I hardly ever carry such guns.

The best pocket gun of any type IMO is the Ruger LCR. (Mines a .357) I'll rarely carry it by itself though but regularly carry it as a 2nd gun (Not necessarily "back up") to a medium sized auto. (normally Glock 19)

Edited to add: Reading your post again and seeing belt-carry is okay with you, you want slim, and haven't mentioned a desire for large capacity I recommend the Glock 43 and a good IWB holster. If the recoil bothers you, wear a glove for part of your range time. Next question!

[Lost River]

I carry a J Frame daily as my BUG at work. It rides in my left front pocket, while I carry an issued M&P Compact .40 as my duty gun. That said, I much prefer the Glock over M&P line and carry a G19 off duty. Given you live in a high crime area, I would carry something more substantial than a pocket gun. When you need it, you need it in a bad way and since cretins tend to travel in packs these days, I want enough initial on board capacity to allow me to handle multiple assailants without reloading.

We investigated a homicide this weekend that was essentially an ambush by 2. I won't go into details, as it is an active investigation, but suffice to say, a person armed with only a J frame or tiny pocket auto might not have had enough armament to handle the bad guys.

[captdreifus]

I've carried a S&W 642 in a Desantis pocket holster for over 6 years. I recently switched to a Glock 43 in the same type holster and I couldn't be happier. The caveat to that is the size. I will not be able to pocket carry in jeans any longer, but I usually wear Vertx shorts/pants when off-duty these days anyways. But the size is a compromise I am willing to take since I shoot the 43 much better since it has real sights.

[CAVDOC]

In the pocket gun category there is simply nothing more reliable than a j frame. I also encourage if possible to buy new clothes to accommodate the gun, rather than buying a gun to accommodate the clothes
When I pocket carry I actually walk around much of the time with my hands in my pockets in a no. Threatening sheep stance - with the ability to instantly draw the pistol - IMO faster than any other method