Ruger LCP vs. Ruger LCR vs. Beretta Bobcat

I'm looking to get a very small pocket pistol as a back up/deep concealment piece and I'm trying to decide between these 3. Here is my dillema:

1) LCP:
+: Very thin, very lightweight, cheap, decent capacity, decent size round for close SD.
-: 380 ammo expensive and hard to find, gotta kick a lot in this small package, no safeties, jamming possiblities in such a tiny frame for a semi-auto

2) LCR:
+: Reliablity of revolver, good round for SD and relatively easy to find, 357 version is coming soon
-: Slightly too big for a true pocket gun, small capacity, kind of expensive

3) Beretta Bobcat:
+: Beretta's design, all steel, cheap and plentyful ammo, tip-up barrel, DA/SA trigger, manual safety
-: Very light round, a little too heavy for a pocket gun, multiple reliability problems reported.

Please give me your opinion on the choice above, especially if you have had any personal experience with these guns. Also, if you have something else to suggest, feel free to do so, just keep in mind these 3 things:

- Need to keep price under $500
- Only true pocket pistols - no subcompacts like Glock or SA XD (already have a subcompact XD - great gun, but too big for intended purpose)
- No Kel-Tec - i know they are good guns, but this is a personal preference

Slightly confused. How can you have a Ruger LCP on your list and say no Kel-Tec's, Thats like having a Kimber on a list of handguns and saying no 1911's. The LCP is a nice P380 clone, The LCR and all lightweight .38 revolvers are a little on the large side for true pocket pistols. The Beretta, I assume in .22 since you mention plentiful ammo availability has a really poor weight to size to caliber ratio. Also since you mention a manual safety being a plus which almost no pocket pistol has I think your best bet is a Sig-Sauer P238. Sig bought the rights and machining from Colt, it is a rebranded Colt Mustang with a slide molded in the classic Sig style. It is hard to find at the moment and the prices have risen slightly since they were introduced but I would start looking, and maybe contact Sig and see what they are doing production wise. http://www.sigsauer.com/Products/ShowCatalogProduct.aspx?categoryid=67

P238

Above poster is correct. The p238 is my pocket piece. It is the new standard for pocket 380's, usurping the long standing ppk/s.

Obviously they are much more expensive than an LCP.

If you get an LCP, you will need mag plates with pinky extenders and a trigger shoe.

Why you have a personal preference against the Kel-Tec, being 100% american made, american parts, american materials is a little confusing.

Perhaps a Kahr 380?

The bobcat is completely obsolete and has no place in a self defense capacity.

If you have to choose from your list, I recommend the LCP. btw 380, while expensive, is available now. LCR in 357 would be a good coat pocket in winter gun, as a revolver won't jam when fired inside your pocket.

The LCR may be smaller than you think. I have LCR and LCP I prefer autoloaders so the LCP gets more use but the LCR does disappear in a pocket. .38 Spl.+P might be the best of the loads for your choices but you only get 5 rounds and not a huge power jump from .380ACP. For me 7 rounds (6+1) beats 5 and .380/.38 beats anything smaller. There are darn few places that my .45 can't be carried though.

Chaingun81 said:

2) LCR:
-: Slightly too big for a true pocket gun,

Click to expand...

Those were my initial thoughts exactly. However, as my little Taurus TCP is back in Miami being fixed, I'm carrying my wife's LCR in my front pocket. I have a pair of Wranglers Riggs jeans with 13" front pockets, the LCR simply disappears in them. While wearing other brands of jeans/cargo pants, the LCR is completely covered in the pocket, however, anyone standing beside or behind me can see the bottom of the grip. I just wear an oversized shirt that hangs below the pocket opening. For a frame of reference, I'm 6' and 200lbs.

simmonsjoe said:

Above poster is correct. The p238 is my pocket piece. It is the new standard for pocket 380's, usurping the long standing ppk/s.

Obviously they are much more expensive than an LCP.

If you get an LCP, you will need mag plates with pinky extenders and a trigger shoe.

Why you have a personal preference against the Kel-Tec, being 100% american made, american parts, american materials is a little confusing.

Perhaps a Kahr 380?

The bobcat is completely obsolete and has no place in a self defense capacity.

If you have to choose from your list, I recommend the LCP. btw 380, while expensive, is available now. LCR in 357 would be a good coat pocket in winter gun, as a revolver won't jam when fired inside your pocket.

Click to expand...

I know that LCP is a clone of Kel-Tec, Kel-Tec just looks cheap to me and LCP doesn't - as I said personal preference, nothing about quality.

How much is P238 nowadays? It also seems a bit bigger than the LCP, but correct me if I'm wrong. And how much is the Kahr?

Oh yeah, what's a trigger shoe and what do I need it for?

Trigger shoe

Chaingun81 said:

I know that LCP is a clone of Kel-Tec, Kel-Tec just looks cheap to me and LCP doesn't - as I said personal preference, nothing about quality.

How much is P238 nowadays? It also seems a bit bigger than the LCP, but correct me if I'm wrong. And how much is the Kahr?

Oh yeah, what's a trigger shoe and what do I need it for?

Click to expand...

The trigger is narrow and has a very long travel, this causes many people's fingers to get pinched between the trigger and frame. A trigger shoe is a wider trigger that just clamps on over your existing trigger. The p238 is ever so slightly larger. Almost indistinguishably so, size wise. Big difference is weight though, noticeably heavier. It was worth it to me, I traded my P3AT in on it.

As for prices, no offense man but that is research you can do for yourself

I've shot a Ruger LCR in .38 and liked it. but like everyone has said it's a bit chunky for a pocket gun. the Sig P238 is a great looking gun and has a pretty comfortable feel. the Kahr P380 is also looking like a good option to me, but I am partial to striker fired pistols. one thing I really like about the Sig and Kahr is that they both have a proper set of sights. that is a must when you have a mag full of trial lawyers in your pocket.

Chaingun81 said:

SNIP Oh yeah, what's a trigger shoe and what do I need it for?

Click to expand...

A trigger shoe, as mentioned above, is a face plate for the trigger. It has little tiny allen screws that clamp it to the trigger.

It is good for shooting a hole in your leg or a$$ if you are not attentive. Double-triple check to make absolutely sure the trigger shoe is not wider than the trigger guard. I saw a KelTec P3AT trigger shoe, sold by KelTec, that was wider than the trigger guard. Holstering the gun, or jamming it in a pocket would almost guarantee an ND.

I have this vague recollection that the instructions that come with the KelTec trigger shoe expressly warn about this. I don't think the trigger shoes are really intended for carry. I guess it depends on which gun, which manufacturer, which trigger and which shoe.

you need to read this.

http://concealedcarryforum.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=9342