I have several large caliber handguns but seem to resort to my S&W airweight (.38 special) for carry because it is light and still packs a punch.  However, I still can't seem to get the desire up to find a way to carry it in the summer so I typically don't.  That sucks.  Maybe a small caliber pocket gun would be better then nothing???  I know I know, figure out how to carry it... but realistically it always comes back to its a pain in the a$$!  A couple of my friends used to have Baretta .32.  Are they good?  Have any other suggestions and why?  Thanks in advance.

Jamie

I also looked for something to carry in a summer environment in the southern U.S.  The solution for me was a S&W 3913 and a Milt Sparks VersaMax 2 holster.  It has been an excellent combination, and I now wear it constantly when not in the house.  Very effectively conceals the handguns, and also does a fair job of protection it from sweaty skin.  

Nice gun.  I already have a S&W 4013TSW which I really like but still to big for what I want for summer carry.

Jamie

The Beretta is nice and well built. Alittle too thick in the grip for my likings. I have a KelTec 32. Love it. Light, thin, and pretty accurate for a pocket gun. Drawback, dont like the sights. I might try painting them with some of that glow in the dark stuff.

I say you got the right gun already. Although mine is a bit lighter. I have the AirLite Ti 342PD that I carry in the summer. It's so light that it is a pocket gun... and you can actually fire it from a pocket. Most autos will jam up if you fire it inside your pocket.

Kel Tec P-32.

Honestly, I can't shoot the really small pocket guns very well. They have crappy or non-existent sights and a very small frame.
I can carry a G27 all year round using these three types of rigs:
1. Alessi ankle rig
2. Belly band (forget the maker)
3. IWB kydex

Plus I don't have to worry about rust (gotta love them Glocks.) You should look into alternative carry methods prior to going to a caliber that small. I can think of lots of defensive situations that I would not want to be shooting a .32 or a .25.
But hey, better to have a .32 than nothing.
Just my .02

I have no problems concealing my full size 1911 no matter what the weather is.  Its nice an thin and coceals very well.

My wife has a Kahr K9 that would make a great pocket gun.

i carry a glock 29 with a safariland paddle holster with no problem. i just make sure i wear a big enough shirt. used to carry a smith 640 also with no problem

OK, your right I do like my revolver but am still interested in something like a .32.  If I keep with the Model 642 airweight, does anyone have a link or suggestion for an ankle holster for it?  Most I see in person are for small revolvers with a hammer but mine has none.  Can you get an ankle holster for this hammerless revolver?  Also, I tend to wear regular blue jeans not slacks.  Will they conceal this gun?

Jamie

WallyJJ,

I carry a P-220 in .38 Super when I'm carrying heavy and a Walther PP (not PPK) in .32 when carrying light.

I have spent a lot of time and money in the past 3 years on finding a solution to the summer carry problem.  Hopefully I have finally gotten it right.  First lets be clear on the application.  I want a pistol that can be concealed when wearing shorts and a t-shirt.  That pretty much limits you to a pocket pistol.

To date I have the following guns that will fit in my pocket:

1 Kahr P-9 9mm (big for even my pockets)
1 Kahr P-40 Covert (shorter grip length but still big)
1 Colt Mustang Pocketlite .380 (My personal favorite but I don't want to lose it)
1 North American Arms Guardian .380 (My most recent and untried purchase)
1 Taurus snubby .357 (heavy, wide, blued wouldn't carry well in your pocket)

I just bought the North American Arms Guardian .380 yesterday and hope to shoot it tomorrow.  Of all of these guns the Colt is my favorite, but it isn't easy to find one and they are as pricey as the $ 411.00 I paid for the NAA.

If $ 232.00 sounds more to your liking and you can find someone to recommend them, the KelTec .32 is very small and lightweight.  I haven't shot one, and don't know if I would buy one.

I figure that this is the gun I am most likely to have when I need it and the money I spent will be for a gun I can carry for 10 years at least.  At $ 40.00 per year that isn't much to spend.  

I really like the Uncle Mike's inside the pocket holsters for my pocket guns.  It is cheap at $ 11.00 and stays in your pocket where it belongs much better than any leather rig I have used.

Seecamp .32
Colt Pony .380
Both DAO, no safety to monkey with.  Both can be carried anywhere.  No sights on the Seecamp, but it's made for use inside 15 yards & works fine without sights.  The Beretta .32 is as big as the Colt .380 and they had ALOT of problems initially (I assume they got the bugs worked out?).

Seecamp is reported to be coming out with a .380, but so far only a prototype has been seen.

A custom Pony lightweight is my constant companion in Arizona where it's summer year-round.

Another vote for Keltec P-32.  I love mine, not my favorite handgun, but my constant companion.  Remember the rules of gunfighting
1)  Bring a gun, preferebly at least two.
The Keltec allows me to always follow rule number 1. no matter what my attire.  Its more accurate than I expected and I have never had a ftf.  Since the action is a locked breach design as opposed to blowback these things are incredibly small.  Just don't get the pimp blue or pink version :)

NAA Guardian- .32 is notably smaller and lighter than the .380.  Your call on which you would prefer.

NAA Minirevolvers- kind of creeping up on the edge of useless with someof them, but I would prefer one over the majority of .25's in the world.

Casull Minirevolver- a little DAO design with a folding trigger.  Never saw or handled one, but they are supposedly available.

Keltec P-32- if you get a good one they are servicable little guns.  Keltec's quality contro is spotty though.  Be prepeared to send it back to the factory a time or two and do some "fluff 'n buff" with your dremel tool (you do have a Dremel , don't you?).

Kahr- nice guns.  Expensive.  Have been some problems with the polymer framed ones, I hear.

Keltec 9mm- light.  Cheap.  Reasonably small.  Keltec doesn't seem to have the QC problems with the 9 that they do their other models.

S&W Aluminum or Scandium framed snubbies- boycott issues aside, some of these are astoundingly light.  Due to the cylinder, they are a tad thick through the middle, but you can shove one in the pocket of a pair of cargo shorts and not feel overburdened.  Less likely to malf from pocket lint or other debris than an autoloader if carried w/o a pocket holster, too.

I love my KelTec 32 and wouldn't take for it. I've run 3 boxes of assorted through it without a bobble. I sold my Tomcat to buy the KelTec, the Tomcat was nice, and a very well made pocket gun, just too fat and heavy for my pocket. The KelTec also fires from a locked breach and doesn't feel like as much recoil as the Tomcat. Also, since the Tomcat fires from an unlocked breach, part of what holds the slide forward, is the same spring that tensions the trigger (read hefty trigger pull wieght) . The KelTec has a much lighter and smoother DA triggerpull. My final gripe on the Tomcat was that the mag release button stuck out far enough and was light enough that when carying in a back pocket, the weight of my big b--t would release the clip. It didn't pop all the way out, just about a 1/4 inch or so (scarry if needed!!). Handle both before buying either.  ed

Quoted: www.usgalco.com/default.aspI have concealed a S& W model 36 under jeans. The holster I have is a DeSantis, I think. It does slide down sometimes, so maybe the sissy garter thing is a good idea.

I carry my S&W 640 (a hammerless revolver) in a Galco ankle holster all the time as my backup weapon.  That "sissy garter thing" is a good idea (though it does look pretty silly).  I once came up on an multi-car accident that ended up helping out the cops until the fire department arrived.  I was wearing a pair of straight legged jeans and after all that running around, it never shifted or rode down on me.  Not one cop noticed (if they did, no one said anything).

I'd vote for the Kel-tec P32.  With a little fine tuning (polish feed ramp, replace recoil springs) it should run like a champ.

No other gun I've come across carries so well.  I feel like I could carry 3 or 4 at a time, no problem.  Sure, other guns will FIT in your pocket, but this one will HIDE in your pocket.  Plus you can stick your hand in your pocket and assume a firing grip without anyone catching on.

With ammo from RBCD.net or Cor-Bon and a lot of practice, it should do the job.

Couple that with a small folder like a Spyderco and you're pretty well armed.

FWIW, I saw an ankle holster in a recent gun mag in the new products section from ...Safariland? I believe...I'll look for it and post for sure when I find it again.  Anyway...it has a brace strap that goes down and clips on your shoe, rigid strap, that pushes up on the holster, instead of pulling up like a garter.  might be a good setup if you carry in an ankle holster alot with something on the heavy side like a steel frame snubbie or model 27 glock.  Also, from what I've read, but not from experience, the Alessi is supposed to be the hot setup for ankle holsters.

Glock 27. Kahr MK40.

Either is not much bigger than a .380 but packs much more power.

I have personal experience with Glock's so I'll limit the rest of my comments to that particular gun. Some nice features include:

Glock's larger magazines fit the 27.
Accurate enough for the kind of distances you'd ever need to employ this kind of firearm.
A good selection of accessories (holsters, magazine extentions, etc) available for glocks.

I've found that with the regular magazine, it's a little small for my hands. But a guy at the range showed me a neat trick that really works: Instead of squeezing the trigger with my index finger, I use my middle finger. My index finger is, for lack of a better word, "indexed" along the frame. That means only my ring finger & pinky are around the grip. In quick fire practice, instead of aiming, I let my index finger point at the target. It surprised the hell out of me but it's accurate enough for close range shooting.

As they say the right tool for the right job...also, what you can carry will depend on your body (do you have a huge gut roll to hide a 1911 under) and what you are wearing.

I have an NAA .32 and .380. I have been very pleased with the reliability from both.  The 380 is a bit on the heavy side for a pocket gun, but you can carry it better than any other 380 I know of.  The 32 with a little pocket holser just disapears... you could carry it wearing anything larger than a Speedo.

I would of course prefer a 45, but that aint the question asked.  As I have heard said, "Its the gun I carry when Im not carrying a gun."

Good luck.

I went and shot my North American Arms Guardian .380 today.  I put over 75 rounds of FMJ through the gun without any hitches.  I then shot hollow point ammo and I did have some feeding difficulty with one box of Federal HydraShock Home Defense ammo so I won't be using them.  PMC Starfire, Corbon, Remington Gold Saber and FMJ all went without a hitch.  Accuracy could be obtained if you took the time to aim, but at 15 yards, or less, it wastes too much time.  

If you restrict your minimum caliber to .380 and want a pocket gun, I would think this would be a good choice. If you want to go to a smaller calibe such as the .32 auto, then the Kel-Tec seems to be a cheaper route that might work.  

I love my kel-tec. Hubby and friends tease me but I like it, and it's blue! Go with the kel-tec.

Kel-tec P32

Good chnce a fluff and buff will be needed - light primer strikes.  But after fixing that issue, not a hiccup one.  And it is small and oh so light.  I usually hate mini pistols, but this one feels good in my hands.  Concealable in swim trunks with the optional "clip" that serves as a holster.  Neat little pistol.

Tate

Quoted: Glock 27. Kahr MK40. I've found that with the regular magazine, it's a little small for my hands. But a guy at the range showed me a neat trick that really works: Instead of squeezing the trigger with my index finger, I use my middle finger. My index finger is, for lack of a better word, "indexed" along the frame. That means only my ring finger & pinky are around the grip. In quick fire practice, instead of aiming, I let my index finger point at the target. It surprised the hell out of me but it's accurate enough for close range shooting.

I would also recommend the mini-glocks, i carry a 26 (9mm), but i like the 27 also.

the firing grip that you speak of was, interestingly enough, developed by the germans in world war two as a close combat/point aim technique...

ahhh, the stuff you learn from your dad in grade school!

Quoted: I would also recommend the mini-glocks

I like Glocks as much as the next guy, I carry a 32 and have owned a 17, 19, 20, 21, 22, 26, 31, and 33.

BUT, I think the baby glocks are just too big for a deep-concealment gun.  The double-stack mags just blow it.

I have yet to find an ankle holster that is comfortable for extended carry with a Kel-tec P32, so I can't believe that a baby glock would cut it in an ankle holster.  Pocket carry is out of the question, and the baby glocks are even a little too big for thunderwear, so what does that leave you with, off-body carry or a belt holster?  You might as well carry a G17...

If you need a REAL caliber (not .32 ACP) then consider the Kahrs.

What we really need is a P-32 chambered for a hotter round.  How about .32 Super?  Stronger brass, faster powder, beefed up springs...  Sort of like the wildcat on GoldenLoki without having to rechamber.  It might be uncomfortable to shoot, but I would take comfort in the fact that it would put a bigger hole in a badguy.

Quoted: Quoted: I would also recommend the mini-glocks I like Glocks as much as the next guy, I carry a 32 and have owned a 17, 19, 20, 21, 22, 26, 31, and 33. BUT, I think the baby glocks are just too big for a deep-concealment gun.  The double-stack mags just blow it. I have yet to find an ankle holster that is comfortable for extended carry with a Kel-tec P32, so I can't believe that a baby glock would cut it in an ankle holster.  Pocket carry is out of the question, and the baby glocks are even a little too big for thunderwear, so what does that leave you with, off-body carry or a belt holster?  You might as well carry a G17... If you need a REAL caliber (not .32 ACP) then consider the Kahrs. What we really need is a P-32 chambered for a hotter round.  How about .32 Super?  Stronger brass, faster powder, beefed up springs...  Sort of like the wildcat on GoldenLoki without having to rechamber.  It might be uncomfortable to shoot, but I would take comfort in the fact that it would put a bigger hole in a badguy.

Hank, try the Alessi ankle rig for a baby Glock. It works well, no complaints here.