# Best pocket pistol



## bps3040 (Jan 6, 2008)

What do you consider the best pocket carry? I live in Texas and wear shorts mainly, Kel Tec? they seem to be lightest and smallest? Any info appreciated.


----------



## Mike Barham (Mar 30, 2006)

I like the KelTec P3AT. It's the most size-efficient gun I know, small/light/flat and reasonably powerful. Mine is very reliable. I dumped my previous pocket gun, a J-frame S&W revolver, once I got the KelTec.

I can carry a Glock 26 in the front pocket of my cargo pants, but it's a lot of gun, and I'd just as soon carry it on the belt.

I have thought about getting a small 9mm for the pocket, like a Kahr PM9 or a KelTec PF9, but I'll only do that if I go to full-time (rather than occasional) pocket carry. I still have concerns about the PF9's reliability.


----------



## Baldy (Jun 21, 2006)

I am 100% with Mike on this one. The KT-3AT is in my pocket at all times summer or winter. I live in Florida and it's real hot about 9mons out of the year. It jammed a few times when I got it about a year ago. Now it runs perfect with anything I have tried.


----------



## Guest (Jan 19, 2008)

Baldy said:


> I am 100% with Mike on this one. The KT-3AT is in my pocket at all times summer or winter. I live in Florida and it's real hot about 9mons out of the year. It jammed a few times when I got it about a year ago. Now it runs perfect with anything I have tried.


Did use bring about the reliability or did you have it worked on?


----------



## PhilR. (Apr 25, 2007)

bps3040 said:


> What do you consider the best pocket carry?


Overall, there really isn't a "best" for pocket carry. It depends on the size of your pockets, how tight you wear your pants, etc..

Some of the pistols that you will read are commonly carried in the pocket are the S&W J-frames, the Kahr PM's, and the Ket-Tec's. Others to consider are the Seecamps, Rohrbaughs, NAA's, and Beretta tip-up's.

I think the Kel-Tec P3AT provides the most bang for the buck when it comes to small semi-auto's. However, one must keep in mind their limitations, and the general limitations of small handguns in general. If you are an experienced shooter who keeps up with maintenance, then a KT will make a good choice. If however you spend minimal time at the range or on maintenance, a lightweight J-frame would make a better choice.

PhilR.


----------



## series70guy (Jan 16, 2008)

*Kel Tec*

Me my wife and daughter all carry the little .32 loaded up with silver tips. None have ever faild to feed or fire. Each one gets a magazine fired every trip to the range. That way we keep fresh ammo in it and cycle everything.

Tim


----------



## JeffWard (Aug 24, 2007)

I'm really liking my P11. It's new to me, but it's handled almost 200 rounds flawlessly, FMJ and JHP.

It's pocketable. I carry it in the back pocket of jeans, or the thigh pocket of cargos. And with the factory replacement 12 round mag, carries 13 rounds of 9mm.

No need for a back-up mag, compared to 7 out of a Kahr. Or a single-stack PF9 for that matter.


----------



## bps3040 (Jan 6, 2008)

I am thinking Kel Tec...but ,if you research it, it is not very reassuring. They seem to have problems..sometimes the problems go away after you put 200 rounds thru it.(sometimes) Bersa and Taursa have the same issues. My buddy has a Glock 26 he carries in his pocket.. but seems to be to big to me. I wear Khaki dress shorts in the summer.....Any suggestions?


----------



## Maximo (May 26, 2006)

For the past 8 months I have carried a NAA Guardian in .32 as my always with me gun. I have only shot about 200 rounds through it but it hasn't failed yet. It is heavier that a Kel-Tec and about a $100 more but they do hide very well in just about any pocket and they do go bang.


----------



## JohnnyFlake (Jan 30, 2008)

They're not easy to come by, but for seven years now, I have been carrying a Colt Pony Pocketlite .380 in my right front pocket, at all times. I live in Southern Nevada, where it gets awfully dam hot for 3 or 4 months, of the year, and it fits nicely, even when wearing shorts, with no visible shadow or pattern, using a DeSantis GunHide Pocket Holster. 

Johnny


----------



## PhilR. (Apr 25, 2007)

bps3040 said:


> My buddy has a Glock 26 he carries in his pocket.. but seems to be to big to me. I wear Khaki dress shorts in the summer.....Any suggestions?


The suggestions are in the posts above this one. IOW, no new pistols have come out in the two days since your first post asking for suggestions. There might be a new one coming from Ruger, but I haven't seen details, and they aren't on the shelves as of yet.

If you want small and light, then get a Kel-Tec. Clean it well, lube it properly, polish the feed ramp, and then break it in with two to four boxes of FMJ. Yes, there is a very small chance that something will go wrong and you might need to send it back to let them make it right, but as these models fit your requirements perfectly, it might very well be worth your efforts.

My P3AT has functioned perfectly for close to 500 rounds. It is also surprisingly accurate, given it's small size and low cost. I trust it to go bang every time I pull the trigger (if it's loaded), so I carry it quite often.

PhilR.


----------



## PhilR. (Apr 25, 2007)

Just looked at the Ruger website, and they now have information on their new pocket pistol. If you are willing to wait for six to twelve months, then it might be worth the wait (unless you don't mind buying the initial production of a new model). Time will tell if they are as reliable as my KT. I would be surprised if they aren't....

PhilR.


----------



## benzuncle (Aug 29, 2007)

For me, the NAA 380 with Golden Sabers is my daily carry piece. I don't subscribe to the "its too heavy" philosophy. A 380 in a small, light frame is more gun to handle than a 45 in many instances. It snaps off smartly. I prefer that added heft when firing. As with any clothing you purchase, how it is to be used and where it is to be worn is a consideration. Women have been doing that for centuries guys. It's our turn now.


----------



## Brian (May 28, 2007)

Wow . . . Am I the only one who loves a .380 ACP PPK? I just slip it in my pocket and go! 

I actually have a stainless Interarms PPK, and a blue PPK/S, both of which are very reliable and pretty darned accurate.


----------



## Black Metal (Jan 16, 2008)

My wife carrys the Bersa .380cc she loves it. Ftf 3 times in the first 100 rounds now she has about 1200 trhough it and it hasn't experienced ftf since.


----------



## milquetoast (Nov 25, 2006)

Kel-Tec owns the pocket auto market. Great design. Low maintenance, reliable, good ergonomics. Gotta give them credit.


----------



## Mike Barham (Mar 30, 2006)

TerryP said:


> Did use bring about the reliability or did you have it worked on?


I can't speak for *Baldy*, but my P3AT ran perfectly right out of the box. It has never malfunctioned in my hands, though I understand the wife recently had the P3AT malfunction at a shoot. Forum member *Old Padawan* was on hand at the time, and he diagnosed a severe lack of lubrication on the gun. So the P3AT, like almost all guns, needs a little lube to run well.


----------



## submoa (Dec 16, 2007)

I've always wondered about pocket carry.

Do you guys use a holster such as High Noon's Pocket Grabber, or do you just stuff the gun in the pocket and not worry about printing or lint?


----------



## PhilR. (Apr 25, 2007)

Brian said:


> Wow . . . Am I the only one who loves a .380 ACP PPK? I just slip it in my pocket and go!
> 
> I actually have a stainless Interarms PPK, and a blue PPK/S, both of which are very reliable and pretty darned accurate.


No - you're not! I love my stainless PPK/s. It fits the hand perfectly, is 100% reliable, and evidently as accurate as yours. I haven't carried it concealed, and it sure wouldn't fit in *my* pockets. However, a local custom holster guy is making a holster for me, and I've set aside 14 rounds of Cor-Bon for it if I ever do decide to carry it.

I actually love mine so much, that I keep it sitting on my desk top instead of in the safe, so that I can fondle it whenever I want (I'm looking at it as I type this). Kinda weird, I know......

PhilR.


----------



## Mike Barham (Mar 30, 2006)

submoa said:


> Do you guys use a holster such as High Noon's Pocket Grabber, or do you just stuff the gun in the pocket and not worry about printing or lint?


I use Galco's Pocket Protector. A pocket gun should be in a pocket holster for both safety and printing reasons. Not too worried about lint, since I seem to store most of mine in my navel according to my wife, but I suppose it is a minor concern.



> I actually love [my PPK] so much, that I keep it sitting on my desk top instead of in the safe, so that I can fondle it whenever I want (I'm looking at it as I type this). Kinda weird, I know......


_"If the shooter does not cherish his weapon and feel sensual pleasure in handling it, it is unlikely that he will ever make it perform as efficiently as it can."_ -Jeff Cooper


----------



## milquetoast (Nov 25, 2006)

submoa said:


> I've always wondered about pocket carry.
> 
> Do you guys use a holster such as High Noon's Pocket Grabber, or do you just stuff the gun in the pocket and not worry about printing or lint?


Kel-Tec .32. DeSantis Nemesis for pocket carry. Belt clip for IWB.


----------



## camper (Feb 17, 2007)

I like the NAA 380 Guardian as well. After I got the Guardian, my Colt Mustang went back into the safe.


----------



## hideit (Oct 3, 2007)

get the keltec 3at or if you don't want that caliber then the 32acp -
or if you really think that the Ruger LCP is going to solve the perceived reliability issued of keltec wait till late march or april
i read that is when they are going to start shipping
milquetoast is right keltec owns the pocket market right now and probably has for 2-3 years - guess that is why Ruger decided to get into that market


----------



## SingleAction (Feb 1, 2008)

KelTec P3AT, is the way to go when you're wearing summer clothes in the Northeast, and I can't carry my Colt Defender 3".45acp. Better to have a very still capable .380acp 10 oz pocket rocket, then nothing at all!


----------



## DevilsJohnson (Oct 21, 2007)

I have a SW380 that I carry around when it's warm out.


----------

