Help me choose "Pocket Pistol"

**mic** · 17-02-2023, 14:59

Originally Posted by janfred

Do these pistols have firing pin blocks?

S&W Bodyguard, G42, G43 yes.
Almost all other oldish pocket pistols, no.

Firing pin blocks is a relatively new addition to firearms. The Beretta 950 was designed in 1952 and the Baby Browning in 1931. I have personally had a copy of the Baby Browning, made by Bernardelli, Itally, go full auto on me on the range without me touching the trigger.

**afrikanerbloed** · 17-02-2023, 18:41

Looked at a Ruger lcp for the same reason as you.
Bought a G43
I wear shorts everyday,works as a pocket pistol for me.

**oafpatroll** · 17-02-2023, 19:37

Something along the lines of a KelTec P32 would be a more modern interpretation of the kinds of pistol in GP100s list. Things like G43s, Bodyguards and so on are on the small side but dwarf a real mouse gun. As much as I'd like a really tiny hideout gun I prefer the idea, in safrica especially, of having something with a bit more punch and rather making whatever dress accommodations are required to carry it.

**A-R** · 17-02-2023, 21:07

Originally Posted by oafpatroll

Something along the lines of a KelTec P32 would be a more modern interpretation of the kinds of pistol in GP100s list. Things like G43s, Bodyguards and so on are on the small side but dwarf a real mouse gun. As much as I'd like a really tiny hideout gun I prefer the idea, in safrica especially, of having something with a bit more punch and rather making whatever dress accommodations are required to carry it.

Sadly KelTec seems to be plagued by QC issues. Great concept, but not reputed to be reliable.

**Adoons** · 17-02-2023, 21:14

My Mom carries a STAR CK Starlet, 25 ACP. Never misfired or jammed over many years. Pleasant to shoot. Accurate enough. Horrible sights. Carried one up and on half cock. Yes, we know, cocked and locked is the better option for those single action pistols as half cock might have it to shoot when falling, but cocked and locked not to her liking. So she can rather have it on her in her preferred carry condition than leaving it in the safe. The half cock breaking and then shooting with such a tiny light pistol in any case seems very unlikely to me. If I can find one in good condition I would buy it. I am actually considering it to carry in an ankle or thigh holster at night while sleeping. But then maybe a Hellcat or G43 would be better with the same discomfort levels. But it is just an idea rolling around in my mind.

**A-R** · 17-02-2023, 21:23

Originally Posted by Adoons

My Mom carries a STAR CK Starlet, 25 ACP. Never misfired or jammed over many years. Pleasant to shoot. Accurate enough. Horrible sights. Carried one up and on half cock. Yes, we know, cocked and locked is the better option for those single action pistols as half cock might have it to shoot when falling, but cocked and locked not to her liking. So she can rather have it on her in her preferred carry condition than leaving it in the safe. The half cock breaking and then shooting with such a tiny light pistol in any case seems very unlikely to me. If I can find one in good condition I would buy it. I am actually considering it to carry in an ankle or thigh holster at night while sleeping. But then maybe a Hellcat or G43 would be better with the same discomfort levels. But it is just an idea rolling around in my mind.

The Starlet may be tiny and light, but so is the half-cock notch. The purpose of a half-cock notch is to catch the hammer in the event of it slipping from under your thumb while cocking it. It was never intended to be carried that way.

The "full cock notch" is much sturdier and the angle of the hammer when fully cocked exerts much less impact on the sear notch when dropped. That's why it was made with a safety catch on the LH side.

DA pistols with FPB safties were invented for a good reason.

**Brendank** · 17-02-2023, 23:49

Glock 42 or better yet, Glock 43.
Your minimum caliber should always be 9x19 IMHO.

**BBCT** · 19-02-2023, 00:11

My 2c worth:

About 40 years ago a used to occasionally carry an Astra .25ACP in an ankle holster (before I owned anything else). After that my situation changed and I also learned some stuff.

These days, if I absolutely HAD to carry a .25ACP for SD I would carry a Baby Browning just because I dig Brownings. I think that the calibre is so marginal for SD that the make or model of gun firing it is irrelevant.

I think a .22 pistol of the same size would be a better bet due to availability and cost of ammo, and I reckon a soft lead .22 bullet will do more harm to an attacker than a FMJ .25ACP bullet. Hollow point .25ACP bullets might be better, but such ammo is even more difficult to come by (and expensive) than FMJs. Like everything in life, you get what you pay for and the poorly stored half box of Eley or SP ammo that your grandfather left you in his will 40 years ago is going to be less reliable than modern hollow point high velocity .22LR ammo from a reputable manufacturer (same as for any other calibre, come to think of it).

Personally I'm not a fan of the NAA mini .22 revolvers but I know somebody that to this day believes he would be dead if he hadn't had one in his shirt pocket when he was attacked a few decades back. If it works for you, that's cool. They are difficult to shoot but very easy to have with you all the time.

You're not going to notice how good or bad the trigger pull is when you're being attacked. ;-)

I'm quite a believer in .32 ACP because for me it is a way more suitable SD calibre than .25 or .22, and the firearms are still small enough to be concealable (although they are bigger than .25ACP pistols). I'm thinking Beretta 80-series, Walther PPK, Browning M1910, Star or Llama depending on budget. A lot of pistols in .32ACP have siblings the same size in 9mmK, just with 1 or 2 rounds less magazine capacity. Glock 42 is a modern option in 9mmK.

When dealing with small guns I would prefer a striker fired pistol for SD (eg Browning 1910) because they are sleeker, so can be more easily carried in and drawn from a pocket than something with a hammer.

Having said all of the above, as per BrendanK, something the size of a Glock 43 (even though I'm not a Glock fanboy) in 9mmP makes the most sense to me.

Try this website for size comparisons between many different firearms. https://www.handgunhero.com/compare/...3-vs-glock-g42

**MSW2** · 19-02-2023, 13:00

The thing that worries me about a 22 and sd is misfires. I have had various makes of 22 ammo, cheap an expensive, misfire out of the box. In different weapons that are normally reliable. Second strike on a different part of the rim sorted it. Which will be kind of difficult to do in a sd situation.
If someone wants to go the 22 route a revolver will probably be better. Just a next trigger pull vs clearing a malfunction.

**oafpatroll** · 19-02-2023, 19:34

.22 ignition in my bolt gun that leaves wicked firing pin indents isn't sufficient for me to trust the calibre for carry. That rifle and my recently acquired 22 pistol have probably accounted for 95% of the ignition related misfires I have experienced in the last 10 years.