Voted the S&W here also as the stated reasons are the same ones I share.

 

Hoss I carry the Glock 27 with a belt clip. But here in VA. the Commonwealth state C/C lows are funny you cant carry in a Church or restaurants that serve beer/alcohol. But some DO I have carried the 9mm Kel Tex for a back up weapon.

 

Take a look at these guys first.
http://www.kahr.com/front.html

The "Micro" 9

 

For being "close up and personnal" I carry a Beretta 25 loaded with hydroshocks. It will pop off seven quick shots at close range and will do more damage then you would expect for a small caliber. I wouldn't want to use it at over 10 feet, but for the car wash, quick trip into the 7-11, etc, it's handy and not detectable.

A word about Beretta. A lot of small caliber semi's (and I've had a few) have a problem with jamming. Not the Baretta. I have fired this little sucker rapid fire as fast as you can pull the trigger and change the clip, and it has NEVER jammed.

 

Be carefull out there.

We live in an anti-gun world.

More to come on that.........................

 

if one is in Georgia be careful. if i read the law rite even with permit weapon has to be in holster on ones person.

 

Solution:

 

nice. nuff said

 

I'll second that remark. Ol' man has a Bobcat (.22 LR) and it's one of the best plinkin' guns I've ever used. Probably going to pick one up soon so the lad has something to shoot when I go to the range.

 

Geez....you guys don't listen very well.

Okay...let's see who's first:

Bearkiller, I agree that they're all three "little pop-pistols", concealed carry is all about compromise. To get it to hide in a pocket, which is my goal here, it has to be small enough to fit in my pocket without being noticable. To be small enough to do that, it pretty much has to be one of the smaller caliber and lower capacity handguns. I'd love to fit my Glock 22, or better yet, my Remington 870, in my front pocket, but unfortunately they won't fit.

Gerry, good comments on the whole pocket lint problem. That thought hadn't really occurred to me.

DmaxEter, no go on the derringer. I'm not interested in a 1 or 2 shot handgun regardless of caliber.

I PASS GAS, Little Hoss #2 may indeed inherit the gun I buy some day, but he's not quite old enough to squeeze the trigger just yet.

Miles PH, as much as I'd love to get the Glock 27 to compliment my Glock 22, the subcompact Glocks are really too big for pocket carry. Regarding your belt clip, I think you should reconsider that...especially if you carry the gun chambered like you should. A Glock needs to have it's trigger protected by a holster with a trigger guard. I'd hate for you to shoot your yourself.

Shovelhead, when I initially started the search for a pocket gun the Kahr PM9 was at the top of my list. However, from what I've read on the gun forums they seem to be having some QC issues right now and many people suggested avoiding them. Not only that, but I think they are WAY overpriced. I don't consider the Kahr to be nearly as good of a firearm as the Glock and yet the PM9 is $100-$150 more than a Glock.

Crobtex, while I do subscribe to the theory that ANY gun is better than NO gun, I just can't make myself go any smaller than a .380 for self defense. Even with the .380 I'd feel under-gunned, but it's still better than a bigger gun sitting in the safe.

Geico, don't get me started on the politics of the anti-gunners.

Right now I'm leaning strongly towards the S&W 638, but I still have to shoot these guns before I decide for sure.

 

If you are considering the P-11 then why not a G26 or G33. They aren't much bigger.

For the rest of the readers: It is not legal to pack in a church for TX CCW holders.

 

They're not much longer or taller, but they are thicker which makes them print more. I've tried pocket carrying a G27 (same size as G26 and G33) and it just doesn't work.

Fortunately, that isn't true. It is perfectly legal to carry in church as long as you haven't been given "effective notice" under PC 30.06. At one time carrying in a place of worship was prohibited, but that law has been changed. The same applies to hospitals, nursing homes and a few other places that used to be prohibited.

I welcome you to try and prove me wrong.

 

Times are tough when the guys carrying the offering plates have to do it armed

I can see Hoss now, Thank you sir for that $5.00 donation...but don't you think $20.00 is more appropriate? (Hoss slides the butt of his gun out so the guy can see it)

 

I guess that I am going to go against the grain here and recommend the Kel-tec P3AT (.380). I own both the Kel-Tec P3AT and the P11 9mm. Despite what "people" say about them, they are both very reliable guns as long as you get them broken in (500 rounds minimum) and keep them fairly clean. The P3AT is small and the .380 with +P rounds still packs a descent punch. It is accurate out to about 10 yards. Last year, Kel-tec released the second generation of the P3AT and improved on the first design. I was introduced to the Kel-tec's by a friend of mine that is a police officer. Several in his department carry Kel-tec's as back up weapons or off duty weapons. Check out www.ktog.org for more info on this gun.

I have nothing against revolvers, but the P3AT is nice and small and fits very nice in both your front pocket and your back pocket alike. I just think that most revolvers are too bulky for pocket carry. I just don't care much for the cylinder sticking into my rear. There is a ton of good pocket holsters out there for the P3AT also. Are you going to win a fire fight in a bank with the P3AT? No, not likely. But it will get you out of most jams, none the less.

I know that Smith and Wesson has changed hands since then, but I still haven't forgave them yet for giving into the Clinton administration and volunteering to bend over the table. I know, I need to get over that.