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Its time for a new summer carry pocket rocket

A

arentol

New member
Joined
Apr 10, 2009
Messages
383
Location
Kent, Washington, USA
I have a Kel-tec P-32 for pocket carry. It has never given me issues yet. I would seriously consider it or the P3AT. They are great if you take a little time to read up on them at the Ktog forum and do the simple "fluff and buff" described there.

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Michigander

Michigander

Regular Member
Joined
Aug 24, 2007
Messages
4,818
Location
Mulligan's Valley
No such gun exists that I'm aware of. If Glock ever set up shop in the US and started making 380 single stacks the size of Kahr's, complete with their standard features scaled down, I'd buy at least 2. But they don't seem to want to, nor does anyone else make such a product.

For what it's worth, the mouse gun chart may help you. https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B22...i00NTJkLWE0MGMtZmEwNGFlMWE3ZDlm/edit?hl=en_US
 
S

Sgt. Kabukiman N.Y.P.D.

Regular Member
Joined
Nov 22, 2010
Messages
154
Location
Fairfield County, CT
MarksmanCentral said:
So it is time again to think about summer carry. I have recently sold my Kahr CM9 and am now looking for a replacement. Problem is I want something smaller still. The CM9 was just a shade too big to carry in all my pants. I suppose that means dropping to a .380:uhoh: I have no experience with these guys so I'm here to pick your brains! I am hesitant to pick up another Kahr due to not really liking the CM9 as much as I wanted. The main issue was the nosediving problem I had if the first round was chambered by hand. I want something that will work as close to a Glock as possible. (yup im one of those) Do you guys have any thoughts that I should keep in mind during the search? I have seen some pretty bad jamming sessions at the range out of the Keltec mouse poppers and I would wager the Ruger version would be similar but I don't know? Not a big fan of the .380 in general but to get small enough to pocket carry it seems like that is about my only option:(
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There doesn't seem to be many offerings smaller than the Kahr (PM/CW, etc..) in 9mm does there? I hear you on the nosedive problem, the angle of how the cartridge lies in the mag versus the feed ramp is pretty steep (I have a PM9). I've never personally experienced issues with "sling shotting" my PM9, but I'm aware it can be an issue - plus it's not recommended by the manufacturer. If I'm carrying the Kahr, I do so knowing I may have only 1 magazine or less to respond with if (heaven forbid) I have to use it. Needless to say, I don't carry it much (usually I carry a G19 or G30sf IWB) and practice plenty of malfunction drills with it just in case.

I don't have a lot of time on them, but I've fired a Ruger LCP on a couple of occasions. I'm not a huge fan of .380 either (I certainly wouldn't want to be shot with one however) but it's a cool little gun. My only real beef with it is the stock sights are sort of lacking, but at the distances it was built for they are okay. If only Ruger had used decent sights like Kahr....Oh well, slap a crimson trace laser sight on it and you have a pretty decent little package. Go try one out and see what you think...It's better than carrying nothing if you absolutely can't stand to carry anything larger.
 
DamonK

DamonK

Regular Member
Joined
Mar 23, 2012
Messages
585
Location
Ft. Lewis, WA
Take a look at the SIG P938. It's basically their version of the colt mustang, but in 9mm. It pretty much rocks. Goes bang every time and you don't have to go down to the 380. And it's smaller than the nano.

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DamonK

DamonK

Regular Member
Joined
Mar 23, 2012
Messages
585
Location
Ft. Lewis, WA
MarksmanCentral said:
So I went to my local shop today and picked up a new LCP. I was going to hold out for a Kahr but it would have been a wait and they couldn't tell me any idea of how long. I am proud to announce that after 100 rounds of blazer brass (thank god they had some hid in the back) I have had absolutely no failures to report. I am happy with my decision. For those of you interested I thought I would post my experiences with the Ruger vs the Kahr cm9 as far as function. I now feel that the Ruger is a slightly better gun (never thought I would say that):cool:

Kahr cm9:

plastic guide rails. this made the gun feel stiff and a bit gritty until I hit them with some light sandpaper. They still didn't feel smooth even after 250 rounds and were still shedding bits of plastic into the frame when fired.

The milling of the slide was angular and had several sharp corners that have cut groves in my leather holster and the ejection port had a point on it that snagged on my pockets if I didn't draw smoothly. (this may not be an issue on the P or PM versions as they are supposed to have more intricate milling)

Trigger was great and very smooth. It was almost perfect but you did need to be sure to let it out completely for the reset because it was somewhat hard to feel the click and I have short stroked it several times.

The tension on the magazine was excessively high. The friction between the rounds would cause the next round in the mag to be dragged up and out and cause the ever popular nosedive issue that these are famous for. I also notice that the brass would be scratched deeply in some cases as it was chambered and the chambering was not as smooth as I would have liked.

So long as the gun was loaded correctly it was reliable and a good shooter. Accuracy was as good as my G19.

Ruger LCP:

Metal guide rails. Very smooth operation with no gritty feeling or hang points. The slide is a perfect fit to the frame on mine and you can really tell a difference when compared side by side to the plastic kahr.

There are no sharp corners anywhere to be found. Drawing is easy and despite its small size it feels solid in hand.

Trigger is not as smooth as the kahr but is no heavier and has a definite click when it resets (there are actually two clicks and I had to train myself to ignore the first)

Mag tension is standard and all rounds feed smoothly with no visible damage to the brass at all.

Accuracy was less than the kahr but still acceptable for this type of firearm. I held all rounds on a 10in circle at about 15yds firing rapidly.

Sights are not great but they are usable at the range. The gun points well enough that in a defensive situation I don't feel that they would be a handicap at all.

The manual says in bright red letters to not use +p ammo in the LCP. This is a bit of a bummer to me but I can see why. The barrel is very thin. It seems that they could have made it thicker but chose not to. I don't think +p would make a significant difference out of a mouse gun anyway.
Click to expand...

You do realize that the p938 is smaller than the ruger right? And much more reliable than either of the two that you're looking at.

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N

Nascar24Glock

Regular Member
Joined
Jun 29, 2011
Messages
252
Location
Johnson City, TN
MarksmanCentral said:
For size, weight, and feature considerations I have pretty much narrowed it down to either the new Kahr cw380 or a p3at. I am just not that into having external safeties or the added weight of a aluminum frame. So I guess it comes down to real sights and $100 or crappy sights. I figure both will need a good tweaking.
Click to expand...

My usual pocket pistol is a Sig Sauer P238 (.380 auto). Yes, it does have an external safety. But, the good news is that it is simply a switch safety and not something like a grip safety. You can always leave it switched off if you're worried about fumbling with it during a high stress situation.

Sometimes however, I will carry my Glock 27 in my pocket on the occasions I'm not openly carrying it. So, if you want one that "works like a Glock," then get a Glock (27 if you want .40 cal; 26 if you want 9mm)!
 
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