Thinking of a Pocket Pistol Caliber for a small guy.

[Rojack79]

And I'm stuck between getting a gun chambered in .25 ACP, .32 ACP or .380 ACP? I honestly don't want to go with a 9mm because from what I've seen the smallest guns won't actually fit into my pocket, the ones that come close won't hold very much ammunition, and they're not exactly the best to shoot with my small hands. So I'm looking for something that's, small, easily concealable, has a modest capacity of at least 6 rounds I'd think, and is able to be fairly accurate at 7 yards.

[jar]

You really need to first shoot examples of all three calibers from small guns and see which caliber you control best. There are very few modern handguns available in 25 and 32acp, far more in 380 but 380 in a small hand gun is best for more experienced shooter. Most truly small 380s are harsh and difficult to learn to shoot well.

My personal pocket gun caliber choice is 32acp but mostly with older pistols like the Walther PP and Beretta New Puma 71 or the modern Beretta Tomcat. The Tomcat has a wide grip that allows great control even when under stress.

If you choose 380 understand you will need to practice regularly to master really small pistols with fairly harsh recoil.

But the slightly larger new generation of lite rack 380s, the Walther CCP M2+ 380, Ruger Security 380 and S&W EZ 380 are certainly concealable with a good IWB holster designed for the specific model and will be far easier to learn to manage and shoot than most of the small pocket-able 380s.

[Skippy]

Don't rule out .22LR or .22mag. I've got a Walther PPK/S in .22LR that is a sweet little pocket gun. CCI Velocitors would be a good choice to carry.

_______________
*I'd give right arm to be ambidextrous*

[Rojack79]

I've shot 380 before and love it honestly. I haven't shot 25 or 32 yet. But I'm still considering them over the 380 for a pocket gun set up.

[Rojack79]

Actually thinking about it I'm probably going to go for a Ruger LCP, I shot one at my local gun store and it was able to keep a tight chest sized grouping at 30 meters.

[tarhealcracker]

What JAR in post #2 said. Pocket .380s while quite satisfactory for the purpose are just nuts on recoil. I haven't had a 32 in years but they were the police standard in Europe for generations.

[wild cat mccane]

From everything I've read, Federal DEEP 380 does better at the wanted combination of penetration and expansion than anything 9mm that isn't HST, Gold Dot, Golden Saber, or XTP.


Nothing beats the gen2 (not II) LCP. Everything else is percentage and total closer to the P365 9mm. To show you how much of a diff that is vs the LCP, here is my LCP gen2 and my P365. Doable, but the LCP is a true normal pocket feel. I don't forget about the P365. It's too large.

[Rojack79]

Originally Posted by wild cat mccane

From everything I've read, Federal DEEP 380 does better at the wanted combination of penetration and expansion than anything 9mm that isn't HST, Gold Dot, Golden Saber, or XTP.


Nothing beats the gen2 (not II) LCP. Everything else is percentage and total closer to the P365 9mm. To show you how much of a diff that is vs the LCP, here is my LCP gen2 and my P365. Doable, but the LCP is a true normal pocket feel. I don't forget about the P365. It's too large.

Ahh, yeah I think that's the one I rented at my local gun store to shoot for the day. It was very nice to shoot, and thankfully I didn't have any issues with it. Unlike my SCCY though. That thing shot rather nice, but it was plagued by constant issues. No out of the box gun, that's brand new from the factory should have that many issues with failures to feed. I know it's cheap, but I don't technically consider nearly $300 bucks cheap.

[Bill DeShivs]

I own many .25 and .380 pistols. Many more than most people.
I carry a Keltec P32, .32 acp in my pocket every day. They are one of the thinnest pistols made, are extremely lightweight, have a capacity of 8, and they work well. I'm 5'-6".

[wild cat mccane]

Beretta all but killed the Pico which was even thinner than the P32. If it comes back, I'm giving it a try for sure. Thin and rounded is key in the pocket.

[Nathan]

Look at the CW380.

[tarhealcracker]

I have the Pico. It meets the poster requirements in all but 1 respect. It's recoil is baaaad ass. I quite like it to carry but the trigger reset is strange (like other DAO pistols) and it ain't no range gun

[Carmady]

I thought the Pico's recoil was soft compared to the LCP's. What bugged me the most was the short (about 2 1/16") trigger reach on the Pico. I sold the first one, and tried another when they were on sale, and sold it too. It felt more like a Zippo than a pistol grip.

Ruger's CS, and aftermarket stuff like holsters give the LCP a big advantage.

[MarkCO]

KT discontinued the PF9 in 2022, sadly. Small, thin, light. With the NiB slide, it was probably the best value in a reliable pocket 9mm. It made the .380s obsolete for me.

[wild cat mccane]

My pf9 was garbage...gen2. Before they vanished they were going for more than the ruger copied lc9. The lc9 is like the gen2 lcp to the p3at, way better.

Those are narrow, but too big for me. I see why some like the lc9 though.

[Forte S+W]

I'd recommend a Ruger LCP it's pretty much perfect in terms of small size, weight, concealability, and effectiveness.

It comes in multiple configurations, but I prefer the LCP Custom to the LCPII and MAX variations. However, the LCPII comes chambered in .22LR as well as .380 ACP, so if the recoil of the standard .380 ACP LCP is too much, then you can carry one in .22LR which has substantially less recoil.

That being said, as someone who originally carried a .22 Pistol, .380 ACP is a much more reassuring cartridge to carry since it's just more reliable overall being a centerfire cartridge, and the recoil — although stout — just helps you to appreciate just how much more effective it is in an inverse sort of way.

[Rojack79]

Originally Posted by Forte S+W

I'd recommend a Ruger LCP it's pretty much perfect in terms of small size, weight, concealability, and effectiveness.

It comes in multiple configurations, but I prefer the LCP Custom to the LCPII and MAX variations. However, the LCPII comes chambered in .22LR as well as .380 ACP, so if the recoil of the standard .380 ACP LCP is too much, then you can carry one in .22LR which has substantially less recoil.

That being said, as someone who originally carried a .22 Pistol, .380 ACP is a much more reassuring cartridge to carry since it's just more reliable overall being a centerfire cartridge, and the recoil — although stout — just helps you to appreciate just how much more effective it is in an inverse sort of way.

Honestly after firing a .38 Special from a 2 inch barrel the .380 has felt like a dream to shoot out of every gun I've tried that fired it. The LCP I rented at the Gun Range near me was absolutely fantastic, I can shoot a decent grouping of ten shots on target at 30 meters with it so I'm definitely looking into getting one of those.

[Bill DeShivs]

The recoil on a P32 is very easy to handle. The gun is a locked breech action.

[Road_Clam]

Im 5'11 and a thin 160# so summer single layer clothing CC is very challenging for me. I've settled on pocket carry the Kimber Micro 380 in a Desantis Nemesis holster.

[Mike38]

I like my KelTec P32. Pocket carry it daily.

[Drm50]

I don’t think you can do better than bare bones Ruger LCP in 380. The size & weight most
people “ Will Carry”. I’ve had several of them including one with laser. Durable, dependable and accurate enough for the job.

[smee78]

For a Summer pocket carry pistol, I usually carry a NAA Guardian in 32acp, or my Ruger LCP Max 380. The Ruger is lighter and holds more rounds than the stainless NAA but the NAA is such a small package. Good luck finding a pocket gun that works for you, best advice I can off is to go to a well-stocked gun store and wear something you usually wear and ask to "try" out a few small guns to see how well they fill up your pocket and if you car draw with out issues.

[Skans]

For small pocket-carry, I'd go with a Diamondback DB380. I actually carry a DB9, which is the smallest 9mm I can find without getting into something like a Rohrbaugh or Boberg. The DB380 is even smaller and lighter.

[seanc]

I have an LCP II and can recommend it for what it is: light & compact & holds 8 rounds of decent HPs that has functioned 100% with HPs, FMJ and poly coated ammo.

It isn't an all day range gun and it's not a target pistol. I can only shoot it "comfortably" with 1 hand and can keep a fist size group at 8 yards. I don't have large hands, but a 2 handed grip seems like my support hand just gets in the way. Left handed, I can keep all the rounds safely inside a 8x11 sheet of paper at 8 yards, but not rapid fire. The sights are mere decorations. I can find them for the 1st shot, but when rapid firing, it's really just a point shooter. Rapid fire, I can keep all 8 rounds well inside an 8x11 sheet of paper, strong side hand.
{edit to add: I emphasize rapid firing since I consider 380 marginal and if I ever need to use it, I'll definitely want to pull the trigger more than once}

I've handled but not shot the LCP Max and like the feel and especially the sights. If I ever get rid of my LCP, I'll get the Max. I like to see the front sight when pulling the trigger.

25 vs 32 vs 380 to me, comes down to: What gun + ammo is going to do what I want?
I wouldn't have ever bought a 380 until I saw what Precision Ammo's XTP did in independent testing out of a short barrel. It won't give me what my 9mm or 45ACP will, but for something that'll conceal anywhere, it's worth having.
There are lots of great 25's and 32's (I'm a fan of Beretta's), but for self defense, I ascribe to the "carry the biggest in the smallest format" that'll still get the job done.

Ammo Quest's testing of 380 ammo in short barrel guns:
https://youtu.be/wOwCXXpEP50

[4V50 Gary]

My choice in order of preference for .25 ACP

1) Beretta Jetfire (is that name right)
2) Baby Browning
3) Colt

My second choice (32 acp)

1) SeeCamp (those mythical guns I've never seen in a gunstore)
2) modern Ruger
3) Beretta Bobcat (the newer version and not the original)