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You dont understand the purpose of the pocket pistol due to your LE and Mill experience.
It is not a combat weapon. It is a last line of defense after running away fails weapon. It is a weapon that the casual visual search wont find. The OP understands exactly what he wants. Id be willing to bet his PI experience makes him a much better judge of what he needs for self defense than most Americans. I lived there too. I know exactly what it is like.
It is my preference to carry without a round in the chamber. Our wall of shame at the range is full of people who shot themselves in the leg or butt. The vast majority were either LE or Millitary by the way. Neither title, rank or badge make you a professional. Being Professional makes you a Professional. It is something you earn. Not some title someone gives you.
I win a good 75% of the ccw shoots I go to with my little P3AT. Unchambered and in my pocket.
I do understand the purpose of a pocket gun and I stand by my post. In all my years in the military no one in my unit ever had a negligent discharge. The two people I knew in LE that had negligent discharges were really not suited for LE and neither lasted very long. I carry my LCP in the summer, when concealability is an issue. If you use it as a last ditch weapon, your stress will be so high you're probably going to forget to rack the slide, assuming you have both hands free while in a bad situation.
If you're going to rationalize yourself carrying with an empty chamber due to the stupidity of others, than you must not have a lot of confidence in yourself to properly handle your pistol in a time of crisis, or any other time, for that matter. And if that's the case, then carry empty. The public will hopefully be safer, but you won't. But I will say this. I was an intended victim at zero dark thirty one recent morning. I immediately grabbed my Glock 23 and confronted two thugs trying to break in just a few feet away from me. Since I always have one in the chamber, all I had to do was confront the thugs, and they immediately bolted. Which was a smart move, as I was fully prepared to engage. Stuff happens real fast and you'd better be ready for it, because there are no time outs in real life.
So far I am considering a Keltec or Ruger .380 for everyday carry. I do have a North American 22 magnum but consider that to be an extra gun rather than a carry gun.
You already have a North American .22 magnum. Have you considered the North American Guardian (.32 or .380)?
Anybody on the thread have experience with the Guardian?
You already have a North American .22 magnum. Have you considered the North American Guardian (.32 or .380)?
Anybody on the thread have experience with the Guardian?
I took one of each to the range years ago and I feel that the Ruger or Keltec are better choices, I have shot the Ruger in 9mm but not the .380 or 32.
If my 22 mag was not single action then I would trust it more for a tiny carry, I already bought a larger grip for it on ebay and carry it as a second gun when I go somewhere that I feel I would need it or when I cannot carry my Glock but I feel very under protected with it.
Would you give some information on how you felt the Ruger and Keltec to be better than the NA Guardian, please?
Both were lighter and shot great, I found it easier to quickly align the sites on the Ruger and the Keltec, otherwise the NA would not kick as much since it weighed more. For me a pocket gun has to be light as possible, the .380 NA was too heavy for my liking but YMMV.
There is no single answer to your question. Depends on how much, if any, you want to give on ammo power in stepping down from 9X19, or not. Then, as you go to smaller gats still in 9mm, if you made that choice, the smaller the gun, the fewer rounds it holds (duh) and the more critical a firm grip is to getting reliable function. Some may be picky about ammo. Springfield has a very small 9 on the market, but, even the owner's manual to it describes how you have to grip firmly to get reliable function, has a list of (currently produced) ammo that is recommended and not recommended, and recommends replacement of the recoil spring every X rounds (I think it's 500 or 1000). This pistol is one of the smallest and thinnest 9's you can get, but, the manufacturer clearly states that it's "not your father's 9mm" so to speak.
You could go on down to a .32 ACP in a Seecamp. Although, again, it won't function on just any ammo. And it's only a .32. But it is small, and from what I have read, it's quite reliable if you feed it what Seecamp recommends. They are expensive and last I checked there is a waiting list.
You could go on down in size to a Bond Arms derringer, AFIK totally reliable for 2 shots, you could have it in .45 ACP and be much smaller than your current 9. But, just two shots. You could carry two derringers I guess for 4 shots. But these things are very slow to reload. Almost as bad as a muzzle-loader.
Smaller, shorter pistols are harder to shoot accurately. Shorter sight radius. And they tend to be really LOUD, and a lot of muzzle flash, although you can buy specifically loaded ammo that helps counteract this in popular for snubby calibers like .38 Special, 9mm, maybe .32 ACP.
Spend some time on the range and see what works for you, is all I can suggest really.
well said mitch. OP read this post over and over again, excellent advice here. i have a taurus tcp in .380 that is small enough to carry concealed rather nicely. but i give up two rounds, and a smaller caliber (6 vs 8 rounds, and .380acp vs .45ac) compared to my EAA witness compact.
i have looked at the bond arms line up, and i like what i see there, even though they are all two shot guns. the calibers though range from .22LR to .410 shot shells, and .45 colt, depending on what barrel you choose. and the nice thing is the barrels are interchangeable, so you can get the gun you like, and then just buy the barrels you want.
Would you give some information on how you felt the Ruger and Keltec to be better than the NA Guardian, please?
I have a Guardian and a Ruger LCP. The Guardian has a vicious recoil and I can only shoot about 50 to 100 rounds before my hand hurts. And I'm a pretty big guy with big hands. I'll take the Ruger any day.
I have a Guardian and a Ruger LCP. The Guardian has a vicious recoil and I can only shoot about 50 to 100 rounds before my hand hurts. And I'm a pretty big guy with big hands. I'll take the Ruger any day.
All I can say to that, is that little guns are not made for shooting a lot, they are made for carrying.
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