“Glock is still billing the new Glock 42 as a pocket pistol. Its not,” Eric writes at gunmartblog.com “It’s still too long (0.47″ shorter than Glock 26) and still to tall (0.04″ shorter than the Glock 26) to be considered for true pocket pistol use. Yes, a Glock 26 can be pocket carried, but its hardly a practical EDC [Every Day Carry] method. The same will also ring true with the Glock 42. People are going to have to carry it in a traditional holster. What Glock basically did was to produce a Ruger SR380 with a Glock pedigree that will be probably be a little bit better… Whoopideedoo! Its still going to cost $50-$100 more than the Ruger.” So . . . what IS the best pocket pistol? For me, it’s a Ruger LC9 or a Smith & Wesson 642 (hammerless). You?
I love how a guy uses a gun to break a window and it becomes a gun debate. Also how is he the hero when it says another passerby stopped and did CPR, I would say the person who was able to get the children breathing again should really be praised as a hero!
Money spent on “gun buying” could be better spent on teaching children what to if they find a gun. It’s totally naieve to think a curious kid is not going to play with a gun, unless taught that it can hurt or kill someone, it’s not like TV or Movies where people shot show up in another movie or program.
I feel badly for the brother who shot his brother, that’s a kind of guilt one never gets over.
After some tweeking, my LCP is pretty great.
I also really like mi LCR in .38.
LCP for me, as well, with a few tweaks as mentioned above. Night sights really help and can be done with simple glow-in-the-dark nail polish. Huge boost to the barely-there sights on the LCP. I found the Hogue HandAll grip to be a cheap (under ten bucks) upgrade, as well. Gives the gun a little more heft, but man does it improve comfort when shooting. There’s the Sweet Pea trigger for those who really don’t like the existing trigger, but I haven’t gone that route yet. Personally, I got comfortable with the long trigger after several trips to the range. LCP fits comfortably in any pocket. If winter ever ends, it will drop right into the pocket of my cargo shorts, if I need to leave the IWB behind. Love it.
LCP carried in a $20 wallet holster. Can manipulate slide, switch mags and fire–all while in the holster. Holster eliminates “gun outline”.
Not my ultimate concealed carry piece, but my fav for pocket carry. Runner-up is any small hammerless revolver. LCR, 642, etc.
It’s on the front page of Bud’s Guns.
+1 on the hogue grip. Best 999 pennies I ever spent. Added a crimson trace and this little sucker visits a state university with me every day. Great set up!
My S&W 642 in an Uncle Mike’s Sidekick.
Don’t know about “the best,” but that’s what I usually carry, too. In a Remora pocket holster, loaded with the Buffalo Bore version of FBI load.
I wouldn’t mind having something like an LCP or TCP for occasional use. Or maybe a NAA .22 mag. Not in any hurry to buy either, though.
I’d take a compact, in .44 magnum.
I would love a compact in 357 magnum. Why do gun companies not make pistol caliber rifles? They are very scarce because they’re in high demand.
CM9 is pretty good.
I would have to go with a Sig 938. I’m not a fan of the .380 round.
I’m not either, but given the realities of my job, it’s what I can carry. Even my LCR would be too bulky.
I’d rather carry .380 than nothing.
For true pocket carry, the Ruger LCP can’t be beat. I can carry it while wearing a suit without any worry that it’ll print — and it’s not too heavy for the pockets in dress pants.
While I’d rather have something larger, it’s still true that a .380 in the pocket is better than a .45 in the nightstand.
Taurus TCP .380.
+1 Been carrying one for two+ years now. Felt better in my hand than the LCP.
You know, I looked at one of those when I was shopping for a pocket pistol a few years ago and liked a lot about it (last shot hold open, etc) but Taurus’ reputation for unreliability scared me off.
I’m glad to see people having positive experiences with Taurus. They said they were going to improve and it seems they have. Are you listening Marlin?
…although now I want a TCP.
Read this review.
http://www.thetruthaboutguns.com/2013/05/jeremy-s/gun-review-taurus-738-tcp/
The TCP is three best .380 pocket gun on the market, beats the LCP and bodyguard and its also cheaper. I shoot 3-4 mags every range trip and shot 150 rounds it’s first time out before I carried it. At this point it’s got at least 600 through it and it’s been flawless. The trigger is long, but smooth and it manages recoil better than any other micro .380 I’ve handled.
S&W 340pd w/XS Big Dot front sight and CT LG-405 grips in DeSantis Superfly pocket holster.
In all fairness, Ruger isn’t calling it a new gun, the flyer says “new calibers.”
Just looks to easy to dump the mag by accident. I’ll pass.
LCP– I just forget it’s there. It’s been flawless.
S&W Bodyguard .380 in a DeSantis Pocket Shot holster.
I too, love the Bodyguard .380. We own a 642 and it’s a good firearm. I just prefer the advantages of the ergonomics and a couple more rounds. The low recoil is also a plus.
I must admit, after reading the article about the “Rabbi”, I am considering adding an ankle holster. Perhaps I’ll start carrying the Airweight too…
Got one for my wife as a Christmas gift. Just ordered a replacement trigger bar, trigger and springs from Galloway Precision. Nice little firearm, but I’m not crazy about the trigger.
Lots of people dun the thing for its trigger and recoil, but while I see plenty of room for improvement I don’t have problems with it. Even my mother handles the Bodyguard well, and she’s an arthritic septuagenarian who’s had surgery for trigger finger…IN her trigger finger. Capacity-wise, I keep two spare mags for it, since they’re small enough themselves.
Admittedly, if I know I’ll be outside my home or vehicular armories for any length of time, I carry something around my waist that shoots copious amounts of lead in calibers of 9mm or higher. But we are talking pocket guns here.
Get some! Get some!
The post at gunmartblog.com seems to be by a person named Eric, not Rob Pincus.
Beretta Nano in a desantis nemesis. although, i’m sure the pico is nice too.
…Eh. I have small hands and I have no problem hitting the magazine release on the right side. I did have a Norgon ambi catch for the left side on my issued M4, but there were more than a few times when I held it close to my gear and had it eject the magazine (bumping up against other magazines on my vest, oh the irony). On my M4gery, I ended up putting another Norgon ambi catch, and I put on a Tactical Link EBAL (does the same thing as the Magpul BAL) and it acts as a fence to prevent it from being dropped in the same manner.
-Vu
SP101 with a 2.25″ barrel, bobbed hammer, Meprolight
Tru-Dot sight and a Jim Badger boot grip.
The G26 is a pocket gun for the tactical pants and tactical vest folks, but for a Levi’s and t-shirt guy, like myself, the LCP is best pocket gun.
That being said, I very rarely find myself in a situation where I can’t accommodate, at least, a subcompact pistol on my waist.
plasma rifle in a 40 watt range
Just what you see, pal.
P238, with Precision One hollow points (thank YOU shooting the bull .380 shoot off).
I… just don’t really believe in pocket pistols myself. The closet thing to that would be my CZ-82. Or my modified .38 S&W snub nosed Webley. Both fit well in a pocket.
The Ruger LCP is the one I most often carry (in a Desantis SuperFly holster). I added a LaserMax laser to it, which has proven to be a really nice addition but added hardly any bulk at all. I also sometimes pocket carry my S&W M&P Shield, but the Shield is just large enough and heavy enough that pocket carry only works with certain pants, whereas the LCP can be carried effortlessly in the pocket of any pants, which is why, even though larger pistols like the Shield are certainly easier to shoot, the LCP gets my vote as best pocket pistol.
For accuracy, my Kahr P380 in a DeSantis holster. As an up-close-and-personal backup backup, my Seecamp LS380 in a Strong pocket holster.
Oh well, Seacamp, la-te-da!
I am still partial to my Dad’s WW2 bring back Walther PPK. HE CARIED IT FOR 40 years and when he died in 85 I switched from a revolver and have carried it ever since. Dad was very very big on accuracy and practice practice practice. The ammo shortage has cut way down on the 25 rounds a week practice in the basement range but I still go through about 500 rounds a year with the little thing. Nothing like the thousands of rounds of 45 colt I shoot in practice and compitition for SASS but a Colt SAA is tough to conceal other than in winter time.
Total confidence in every aspect of the little PPK from carrying with one cambered and safety on to accurate double tap when the first shot is double action and the rest are single is vital with a small caliber, and I am well aware of the compromise but given where I live concealment is paramount for me.
Dad never had to use it in a situation and I hope I never do either but in all the thousands of rounds that have gone through it I am not aware of any stoppages and Dad never mentioned any from the years when I was too young to notice.
Kahr PM 9/40.
Smallest 9/40 you can carry. Smaller than many (most?) 380s.
Glock 43, Practical/Tactical, full size frame, double stack mag in .25 ACP.
bodyguard 380.
Disappointed with Glock, this is what happens to a company when the creator is in a legal battle with his wife, everything goes downhill.
The latest Glock should have been a G26/G27 slide on top of a G19/G23 frame. Basically a snub G23. Easier to conceal, still high capacity, still plenty of grip to grab.
KelTec and Ruger have the 380 market cornered anyway, so this was just a wasted effort by Glock.
“…..The vast majority of Americans support these critical measures, which would protect our children and our communities without infringing on anyone’s Second Amendment rights..”
The last poll I saw on this guys approval rating was like 80%+ against so there’s no weight to his ‘vast majority’ claim….
-rh
jetfire. not bobcat
I can’t help but think that the glock (bah) 42 is going go make the Plaxico Burris thing a daily occurrence.
ruger, easy. everyone and their dog has a suppressed 15-22.
suppressed 77/44, not so much…
LCP or Kimber Solo. But neither is as comforting as a 1911 on your hip.
Make mine the .357. The short barreled model 19 was a great revolver.
LC9 works great for me, the .380s are often so small that I have a hard time getting a grip on them. I know, train more and I could get used to it. I have the added disadvantage of only getting support at work for 9mm, .40, and .45, though, so it’s not worth the effort for me.
My biggest gripe with the LC9 is that the safety is stiff. I like to leave it off, but sometimes it gets bumped on in my pocket. Trigger that heavy doesn’t need an external safety on a revolver, this should be no different.
I carry a S&W 637 Wyatt Deep Cover in my front pants pocket.
One thing that I saw is that the mirror could come down while trying to retreive firearm causing a discharge, The mirror should stay up on its own power. Magnet release also seems to have a problem activating near the end of video. Just c=some thoughts
Love my 5 inch .44 mag. Went plinking Thursday. Had a hankering to go big. I’m a big S&W revolver fan. Just wish I could afford their PC stuff.
Ruger LC9? Crap. Ruger LCP? Crap. Cheap (not in a good way), horrible triggers. Why people continue to buy these two guns with so so many better choices on the market amazes me. Also surprising is how many people claim to LOVE these guns. Obviously exposure to other quality pocket guns has been extremely limited. Kahr P380, Bodyguard 380, Smith 340PD, Taurus TCP, I could go on and on, all are so far above LCP’s and LC9’s it is almost a joke. Want the best? Rohrbaugh R9S for maximum concealability and power. Want something cheap that works? Taurus TCP. Want the best cheap 9mm that is still comfortable to shoot all day? How about a Shield for $420? How about and XDS? Admittedly newer LCP’s do have improved reset, but still absolute CRAP. And yes, I speak from experience. I own and have shot and have sold all of the guns mentioned above. My choice of carry guns? Depending on weather and clothing. Rohrbaugh R9S, Shield 9mm, HK P7M8, Smith 340PD, Sig 938, Bodyguard 380, NAA Pug. Now that is a list.
The fence designed around the magazine release button was to prevent soldiers and Marines from accidently bumping the mag release and dropping the magazine during combat. This extended mag release just resurfaces that problem. I can’t see any good use in combat but for zombie hunting it should fit in just nicely.
Kudos for looking more carefully into this bold report. Reports such as this, that shift skillfully and deceptively between raw occurrences and percentages and leaving out crucial information required to interpret such statistics can sound compelling to those who do not know how to look beyond the numbers.
Another highly misleading aspect of the report is the failure to take into consideration the number of hours of risk exposure entailed in the various activities under comparison. Take for example car travel vs. hunting. The number of hours spent driving per year is 584 hours for the average adult. The number of days spent hunting per hunter is 17.6. Even if a hunter is in the field 10 hours per hunting day, the average driver’s exposure to driving hazards will be three times greater than the average hunter’s exposure to hunting hazards. The same approach can be taken to better understand the well-worn drowning deaths in swimming pools comparison.
best for us is the Sig P238. my wife has small hands, and it fits her better than anything else. Better to have something that she’s actually comfortable with training with, than something that’s not, and never practiced.
A blog post asking “what’s the best”, and not a single joke about crushing your enemies, seeing them driven before you, and hearing the lamenations of their women?
What is wrong with you people?
I don’t like any of these things that change the full controls of the AR15. If I, for whatever reason, need to pick up an AR15 that isn’t mine I would much rather be proficient in the controls found on 90% of the rifles than something different and end up fumbling because I practiced with things that normally dont come on AR15s.
The article wasn’t written by Rob Pincus unless he’s using a pseudonym and has devolved on a basic maturity level. It says “Eric” on the Gunmartblog…
My carry gun preference is the PF9. I’ve modified mine quite a bit with new sights, Talon grip, Laserlyte side laser, etc. It’s been 100% reliable. I can’t say the same about my M&P Shield. Right now it’s sitting in my safe waiting to go back to S&W. The slide/guide rod/barrel is catching or binding on something. Can’t cycle the gun by hand, it won’t chamber a round, and I can’t get the slide off to field strip it.
I used to pocket carry an XD 40 subcompact, so I am going to say that is the best pocket gun.
No I’m not kidding.
Seems like the G42 would fit in a pocket just fine. I have been carrying a Bersa Thunder 380 combat in my pocket since Christmas. It fits just fine, and is bigger than the listed dimensions of the G42.
Probably a rookie question…why have an un-fluted cylinder?
It’s real easy for an anti-gunner to say “I support the 2A” when they think that “well-regulated” in the context of the 2A means to enact laws restricting the use and kind of arms. Of course WE, who understand that that is NOT the context of what “well-regulated” means with regard to the 2A will continue to guard against those that wish to limit the 2A.
He is a pro-restriction elitist that doesn’t have the first clue of what the 2A is about.
Not overwhelmed.
It’s bigger and heavier than my TCP .380.
Well, looks like a Glock brand Glock… Ugly. I don’t understand why a .380 version would have to be this big.
I dont get this singlestack 9mm trend. If you want something compact get a Ruger LCP, Makarov; PPK etc. If you want something subcompact get a CZ, G19, XDM etc.
Why take the worst aspects of the two into one, small capacity being the most important one. Protip if you want a thinner gun is to get/make thinner grips and rounding out the backstrap (with a file or a machinist friend).
Notice how they “soft focused” the pistol when he swept the camera operator ?
I don’t understand the purpose of this. Dropping the mag is probably the single most ergonomic part of the AR platform as is: when I stretch out my index finger, its tip ends up precisely on the mag release button, at just the right angle to push it convincingly. At the same time, it’s far enough that I won’t accidentally push it while fumbling around. What problem are they trying to solve?
You know… the Glock 42 probably isn’t going to be a bad gun. But I still don’t see how it’s worth all the hoop-la.
Saw on the news about 2-3 nights ago that a 3rd APD officer discharged a shotgun into a parking lot. (immediately after reading this article)
Apparently their policy is to dry fire the shotgun………
I agree…why would I wan’t something LARGER than a shield, with a worse trigger and in a “less powerful” caliber?
I would get the following single stack 9MM’s before the Glock 42
Remington R51
M&P Shield
LC9
XDS
The only hope this gun has of “catching on” would be if they can get some PD’s to list this as the only “approved” off duty weapons. Some PD’s , like the NYPD will list several guns specifically that may be carried by an Officer while off duty.
Option A:Help the criminals by storing their guns.
Consequence: negative government attention in a country so monitored that you’re probably screwed anyways.
Option B:comply with the law and risk the day to day safety of your family.
Consequence: you anger the criminals near you, and the government cannot save you.
When the law ceases to be about right and wrong-as it does in disarmament happy societies-, ethics occasionally demand unorthodox choices.In the case of the UK, I’d argue the moral high ground does not lie with the government.
I’m not sure I understand the video title. I didn’t see any victims.
I don’t either. At one point they were victims-in-potentia. But for mostly brain-dead socio-cons like those on that YouTube channel (TYT), everyone is (or should be in their twisted little imaginations) already a victim.
First of all, don’t think of yourself as the victim. The guy with the gun is the victim. If you’re not willing to drink his blood, don’t start.
Yup
I still have no idea why people are whining so much about the caliber. As far as I’ve seen .380 is perfectly capable of perferating baddies.
It’s all about tradeoffs. This gun isn’t trying to be anyone else’s gun, which is nice, and I think the size will be of benefit. It’s the .380 LOTS of people have been asking for and it IS the smallest glock to date. There’s lots to like if people will give the gun a chance methinks. Though maybe it’s crap. Guess we won’t know until someone HAS ACTUALLY USED ONE. :p
My curiousity is piqued! Though Who knows if I’ll bother or not. My budget is small, so the number of guns I’ll be getting ever is low, haha.
Has it even been 100% confirmed the 42 is a. 380? Outside of that post from last week that only looks mostly convincing but could be fakd?
I’d still love to have one of those double stack 9X21’s from Europe.
I think this will make a decent pocket gun with the same trigger I’m used to in my 17, 27 and 20.
Krav Maga? I prefer to use Smith & Wesson.
While I am underwhelmed and in fact disappointed by the size, I would like to point out that the G42 is NOT, in fact, larger than the Shield. Each and every listed dimension is smaller than the Shield.
But it sure isn’t much smaller!
Second thing: for what it is worth, at least they did use the additional size to add some barrel length. The G42 has a 3.25″ barrel, as compared to the LCP’s 2.75″, so that additional half inch of barrel should result in a noticeable velocity increase over the tiny pocket pistol.
But still nothing compared to a real 9mm like the Shield or 938 or cm9 etc.
A GLOCK the size of the TCP? Shut up and take my money! Unfortunately that’s not what this is. Call me when the 9mm version is ready.
Truly depends on the pocket? Are we talking slacks or jeans on a man or shorts on my petite wife? There is no way a Bodyguard is fitting in some of the front pockets of some of my wife’s shorts, and if she is wearing a form fitting top and sandles that rules out hip/appendix/ankle carry or in essence you are open carrying at that point. A big purse on a woman in sandles screams please take me because I can’t chase you down. So either she goes unarmed, or she has to wear clothing that is more bulky than she wants in the summer. The NA .22mag Black Widow isn’t the most powerful round by any stretch and certainly won’t have the knock down power of a 1911, but if you have ever shot one especially with Gold Dot self-defense ammo, you can understand how it is a very good option. With a little practice she was able to get a group in the torso/kill box at 21 feet (not to bad with a revolver and no rear sight and a very short barrel). And if the person attacking is withing a few feet, if the round doesn’t stop them the fireball out the end of the barrel will burn their eyebrows off.
If i wanted a larger than normal .380 I’d get a Beretta 84. 12+1 rounds of .380. All metal gun – low recoil. Its a Beretta and actually looks good!
Nick: I would be interested in an AR vs SCAR 16s comparison now that you have sent the SCAR back to FN.
What he was wearing was scary, too? The caller, along with the dispatcher and the ‘investigating’ officer, seem to forget that there is no such thing as the fashion police…
It’s so easy for callers to just make stuff up… And they often do. “He was talking loudly to himself.” Or, like so many other people who are ‘talking loudly to themselves,’ he might have a bluetooth earpiece and be talking to someone on the phone.
I wear an old surplus “camo” jacket because it was cheap and keeps me really damn warm. What next? “Oh, and he’s a white guy, you know those white guys are crazy…” Didn’t we deal with that kind of crap a few decades ago and move on?
Same old prejudice, different object(s). Democrats haven’t changed a bit.
Well mostly good news in this digest, minus the DC re-registration. The same is happening in NY, incidentally, where handgun permits now have to be recertified 9or something) every 5 years. And if that doesn’t happen for any reason? Sorry, you no longer have a right to own that gun… that you own. Not sure if the same is happening with “Assault Weapons.”
This guy is a anti gun enabler. We already have ‘common sense’ gun control laws Dick
You make no sense?!?! You say the Glock 42 is too big for pocket carry yet then you say the Ruger LC9 is your favorite?!?! The LC9 is larger. I used to carry the LCP and when the LC9 came out I tried to fit it in my pocket and couldnt cause of the 7+1 made it too big. But the G42 fits in my pocket pants fine. Width and height is to me the biggest in fitting in a pants pocket comfotably. Going from the LCP to the G42 is like night and day difference. I hated that trigger, and non existant sights. I have the G42 in the super fly but about to get the clamshell recluse for it. Also I feel with this G42 i can make the shot if lord forbid I ever have to. With the LCP i never felt 100% with that I could. The other gun i almost got was the Kahr CM9 or kahr 380 but i like the simplicity of Glocks and this fits my jeans and khakis just fine. And the main thing when the time comes I CAN MAKE THE SHOT with this little baby.
I like my SCCY, although it is heavy and fat. It fits well when I wear cargo pants or painter pants. I like having 10+1 and 9mm is a fine defensive load. Especially when it’s loaded with
http://www.lehighdefense.com/index.php/shop/ammunition/maximum-expansion
For me the new Ruger LC9S. Has to be one of the smoothest trigger pulls I have ever felt. I ignore the manual saftey. I have many different brands of semi auto pistols. I would put this striker LC9S at the top of the list as far as striker fired . Pick one up and feel for your self !
Everything I here from gun smith’s is they’re junk. Excessive head space, oversized
chambers, poor triggers, .357 barrels. I wanted but now I’m thinking about a 627 and
shoot .38 S&W short.