Carrying concealed can also be difficult. Not all clothing is conducive to hiding clothing, and in some states, it is illegal to allow the outline of a gun to “print through” your clothing, even though you have a concealed carry permit. In addition, your tactical advantage can be given away by a visible gun, letting bad guys know you’re carrying.
There are two fundamental ways of dealing with this problem. One is to wear baggy clothes that conceal a weapon’s outline and the other is to carry a smaller weapon. While the first alternative is always more favorable, there are some situations under which it is not realistic. It’s difficult to wear a suit coat to conceal a weapon when it’s 100° F outside and women’s clothing, which typically fits snugly, doesn’t leave a lot of space to conceal a lot of things, let alone the bulk of a gun.
That’s why some people turn to holding a handgun in their pocket, a weapon that’s small enough to hide in their pocket. For a number of years, when I first started using one of these, I carried it. A number of years ago, I upgraded to something bigger, but I still got that gun. Because of the clothes I wear, I carry it at times when carrying my usual carrying gun is impractical.
Using a Pocket Gun
You need to understand what these weapons really are before purchasing any pocket gun. The majority of them are smaller caliber weapons, and all of them have short barrels. In other terms, even though they are not revolvers, they specifically qualify under the old definition of being “snub nose”.
There’s a great line from one of the books by W.E.B. Griffin, where an experienced cop provides a novice with guidance. After telling him to go to the shooting range with his snub nose some day, so he could see how hard it was to hit anything with it, he said, “if you can’t hit them in the head, throwing it, you can’t hit them shooting it either.” That’s a crucial truth that must be held in mind when using any pocket gun.
In other words, this isn’t the gun you’re going to use to kill someone in a restaurant 30 feet away. You’re better off catching it for your Glock. Instead, pocket guns are “belly guns,” meaning that when your belly to belly with your opponent, they’re the most powerful. Rather than directed fire, when you shoot instinctively, they are the weapons used, possibly with the gun kept at waist level; maybe even with the muzzle in contact with his abdomen.
You’re not going to use this pistol for a real shootout either. In that scenario, about the only way you might use it is for suppressive shooting. That’s obviously not something you want to do, because someone can still be hit by those badly fired bullets, even though they’re not the right individual.
Finally, expect a lot more kicks from a pocket gun than a bigger weapon can give you. The small size and lightweight make it much worse for the recoil than heavier handguns. There’s a risk it’ll drop out of your hand if you don’t have a good grip on it, not something you want to do in the range, let alone when you have to use the gun.
With that said, here are my picks for the best.
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Ruger LCP
I just had to start the list with the Ruger LCP because it’s my own pocket pistol. However, it’s not just that I own one; perhaps the most common pocket pistol on the market is the LCP.
It is also one of the smallest and lightest pistols around, which is critical for a pocket pistol.
Although the .380 ACP for a self-defense round is not an ideal caliber, it is effective in the short range.
The newer LCP II eliminates the one real complaint that I had against this pistol, by improving on the sights. Hardly more than an indentation in the back of the slide, with a slight protrusion in the front, were the original sights. The sights are fully adjustable on the LCP II. But at the same time, when pulling it out of your pocket, the sights are not high enough to land on something.
Specifications:
- Caliber: .380 ACP
- Capacity: 6+1
- Barrel Length: 2.75 inches
- Overall Length: 5.17 inches
- Weight: 9.6 oz.
Bond Arms BullPup9
If I were on the market for an LCP replacement, I would have taken a close look at Bond Arms’ BullPup9, overlooking its price. This is one of the few pistols on the market with bullpups.
While that may not seem like much of a difference, when you compare this pistol’s overall length and barrel length to the others on this list, it is.
In fact, it is a touch shorter than the LCP, while having a 0.6 inch longer barrel.
In addition to its looks, the other nice thing about this pistol is that it is 9 mm, giving it a lot more penetrating power than its .380 ACP cousins on this list. They managed to increase the magazine capacity even with that, giving it 7 in the magazine and one in the throat.
Specifications:
- Caliber: 9mm
- Capacity: 7+1
- Barrel Length: 3.35 inches
- Overall Length: 3.1 inches
- Weight: 17.5 oz.
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Colt 380 Mustang
As a pocket weapon at 5.5 inches, the Colt 380 Mustang is approaching a point where it is marginal. I still consider it one of the best pocket pistols around, though.
This lightweight little pistol offers the same basic design for 1911 enthusiasts, making the switchover incredibly simple to produce. I found it incredibly easy to use, perhaps because I learned to shoot in the army back in 1911 when our nation’s army was on its side.
A polymer frame comes with this scaled-down version of the venerable 1911, reducing the weight that is necessary for a pocket pistol. This is not, however, a .45 calibre, like the 1911 one. But I’m not going to hold it against it. The .380 ACP is an appropriate option for a pocket weapon.
Specifications:
- Caliber: .380 ACP
- Capacity: 6+1
- Barrel Length: 2.75 inches
- Overall Length: 5.5 inches
- Weight: 12.5 oz.
Heizer Defense PKO-45
I had to put on the list the Heizer Security PKO-45, as it is a .45. As far as I’m concerned, being a .45 enthusiast, there’s no better round of self-protection on the market.
When they were dealing with Moro tribesman assaulting them while hopping up on opium, it was built as the regular Army sidearm round.
I always felt that if I was going to be attacked by a criminal, there was a fair chance that they would be on drugs, so I’m carrying a .45.
But this is a very special .45, the only one to be called a pocket pistol that is small enough. It’s the shortest gun on our list at 5 inches long. It also has a unique shape, allowing the barrel to stay fixed, where the guide rod is above the barrel. The company claims that this results in less recoil and I wonder if it will also make the weapon more precise. It’s a lot heavier on our list than the other handguns, which should help with the recoil; but it’s a .45, so it should be expected to do that.
Specifications:
- Caliber: .45 ACP
- Capacity: 5+1
- Barrel Length: 2.75 inches
- Overall Length: 5 inches
- Weight: 28.8 oz. with empty 5-round magazine
Taurus Curve
The Taurus Curve is the most distinctive firearm on this list by far. It’s a pocket gun that’s just meant to be a pocket gun and nothing else.
They tossed out the rule book when the folks at Taurus built this weapon and started to think about what a pocket pistol ought to be.
The design, which is curved, is the most distinctive aspect of this weapon. It takes some time for most shooters to get used to it. But that smooth, almost aerodynamic shape makes drawing and holstering the gun very convenient, perhaps the biggest challenge for users of any pocket pistol. To suit your body, it is actually curved and has a clip to attach it to your pocket, waistband or belt. The curve is thus one of the most concealable weapons around.
I complained about the sights on my LCP earlier; well, this one has no iron sights whatsoever. What it does have is a line on the back of the slide etched and painted white to help you aim, should you need it. The true gunsight, however, is a laser sight and a tactical light, both built into the gun’s front. That’s even easier for the near range instinctive shooting it’s intended for.
Specifications:
- Caliber: .380 ACP
- Capacity: 6+1
- Barrel Length 2.7 inches
- Overall Length: 5.2 inches
- Weight: 10.2 ounces unloaded
A pocket gun is a worthy addition for anyone’s collection. Although they’re not likely to become the main gun in anyone’s cabinet, there are moments when it can be handy to have one. They can not only be hidden where other weapons can’t; but for those occasions when you may feel the situation warrants it, all of them make a decent backup item.
