Small handgun

[RevDevil]

I use to carry that as a backup gun on patrol..... loved how it carried in the pocket, but HATED how it shoots. I sold that and decided to use my finger nails as backup weapon instead.

LOL nice!

 

[Les Snyder]

if you are an experienced revolver shooter... SW 442 or 642 with 125grain Federal .38spl NyClads for a pocket revolver....SW M13 or M65 (3inch heavy barrel round butt) for IWB
if you are an experienced autoloader shooter....KelTec or Ruger LCP for pocket auto
if you want to participate in action shooting competition to improve your gun handling skills... Glock 19 with Trijicon night sights

 

[Slider817]

I would check out the Sig P238, I had very bad experiences with most .380ACP until I shot this one, so small, yet amazingly easy to shoot quickly and accurately, plus you can get them in so many cool looking configurations, plus many of them come with free Tritium Night sights, so you asve on having to buy them later if you want night sights.

 

[powernoodle]

After carrying concealed for probably 15 years, I have migrated solely to pocket carry. Its just more comfortable, and you don't have to dress around the gun, and you never have to worry about it popping out from under your shirt or cover garment.

My pocket carry rotation includes a .380 Ruger LCP (in my pocket now), the 9mm Kahr PM9, 9mm Kel-tec PF-9, S&W 442 .38, and Ruger SP-101 .357 magnum. Each has their pros and their cons, especially as it relates to easy of carry and effectiveness of cartridge. I generally go for one of the 9mm pistols, as its a nice balance of ease of carry vs. firepower. And it is vastly easier to get a Kahr PM9 on target vs. the little Ruger LCP, which is about the size of a cassette tape.

S&W 442.

Kel-tec PF9.

PF9.

Ruger SP-101.

Ruger LCP.

Kahr PM9.

See Nutnfancy's excellent youtube reviews on the Kahr, Keltec and Ruger LCP.

Edit: I can't hit squat with the LCP outside of maybe 8 feet. Its tiny and has no real sights. If I ever have to use it at longer distances, I cracking off some rounds and then running. But it works up close and personal. Its one of those trade-offs again - easy of carry vs. firepower.

 

[Chris Pierce]

In my experience muzzle blast does effect your night vision. I forgot about Kahr. A friend of mine has a stainless 40 S&W. It it's a very very nice little pistol. Very smooth and feels great in hand, in my hand anyway. It feels like a high quality pistol, if that's something that's important to you. A lot of the plastic pistols don't feel so nice IMO.
If your going to go with a revolver, another thing to consider is that if you're going to shoot fast (in a self defense situation) a lot of the time you will want to shoot double action. And a lot of people have problems with that. It takes some practice to get used to. I've been shooting revolvers for 12 years and I'm still working on shooting double action quickly and accurately.

Have you decided on a caliber? I shoot 40S&W in my full sized pistols mainly because that's what I started shooting when I was a teenager and decided to stick with one caliber for convenience. So if I were to buy another pocket pistol I'd probably pick on up in 40, BUT I believe that 9mm would be a better choice due to larger capacity magazines and lower felt recoil. I don't want this to turn into a 45 vs 9 vs 40 vs 357 debate, but I believe that the 9mm is plenty powerful enough. The Europeans have been killing each other with it for over 100 years.

 

[BoxANT]

I like my Kahr fine, but I think it may be over your price limit.

The Kahr CM9 is the economy model (~$400), but I hear is still very good. I'm a big Ruger fan boy, but if I was in the market for a pocket 9 it would most likely be the CM9.

I have an SP101 which I love, but it is a little brick, and in light weight clothing would get hard to CC (especially if you're like me and don't wear baggy shirts).

 

[ASBOB]

Has anybody tried the Kimber Solo yet?

 

[cro91]

.357 performance depends on the velocity, so I would skip it in a short barrel small frame revolver. Prefer to carry full size 1911 loaded with any 230gr. hollow point, shorter ones have tendency to be picky with ammo which affect reliability. If you are specifically looking into a "smaller" caliber, I would recommend you to try any S&W J-frame that fit you, loaded with any USA brand .38spc. 158gr. LSWCHP. It is a very soft shooting combination, but still very effective. If you think that you need more,"presence", try it with same load in +P configuration. There is plenty of those for less then $500.
.38 auto, or .380 use to be a "defensive" call. but people today have a tendency to be bigger, and bigger,...and use more, and more drugs, so I would not rely on incapacitating a bad guy with .380. Smallest auto would be a Makarov in 9mm Makarov( Also called 9mm Russian). Handgun is same size as Walther PPK, but has edge over .380 due to a more potent round. When I comes to ammo choice for 9mm Mak. I prefer FMJ, for their penetration. Also Hollow points are available from Speer( gold dot). You can probably have two of those for $500
These are just suggestions, try different handguns and find one that fit you, and point naturally for you. If you do not planning on keeping it for long time, you may want to pay attention to resale value. Rugers, and Kahrs do not keep their resale value as high as S&W. Makarov will gain in the value with the time, as supply is going down.

 

[Infi-del]

Good point on the night sites, it makes perfect sense. I do work evenings on occassion. Thanks for that.

OOOhh, that looks just about perfect Whiskey, I am definitely leaning towards this one now.

Here is a photo of my MK9. The steel frame really makes a big difference in recoil. I first owned a Kel-Tec P3AT and hated it. Bought a Kel-Tec PF-9... it was ok but hot ammo caused it to beat itself to death. Bought a Kahr PM-9... it was super nice but was snappy due to the polymer frame. Then I got this... and there was a huge difference in my shooting speed due to the polite recoil. I've been shooting for 20 years so I'm not a newbie. This is one of the nicest shooting and polite to handle pocket rockets I've ever owned. Only compact 9mm I like better is my Glock 26... but this is WAAAAAAY more concealable and does the trick just fine. And as far as night sights Vs laser... lasers work both ways... remember that.

In my experience Meprolight makes the brightest night sights I've ever used. I've owned probably all of them. Trijicon, Ameriglo, Tru-Glo, Big Dot 24/7, Novak, Heinie, and PT. Meprolights have been brighter than all of them. Plus... except for Meprolight... I think all other night sight companies get their tritium lamps from trijicon... so you're pretty much getting a trijicon lamp in their sight. The white circles (which are great in the day time) on the Meprolights won't wear off like some other brands that are painted on. Meprolight uses little white tubes to encase their lamp assemblies. Now that's just my opinion and my experience. Yours may be different. But I have Meps on just about every gun I own, with the exception of my 1911's which have Novaks... and the Meps are brighter than them.

I need bright night sights because my night vision sucks. And on that one occasion I am in the dark and couldn't see regular sights and the bad guy happens to step into the light where I can identify him... I like bright night sights.

 

[Infi-del]

Of course this is what I choose to carry most of the time...

 

[jsrice]

I cant wait to see the solo next to the sig 290 coming.

 

[hung-solo]

I just bought a Kahr CM9. It's a really nice and small "Pocket" 9mm. It holds 6+1 and I'm here to say, it's one of the best shooting guns I have ever owned and I've had hundreds!!!

My wife just shot it this week and she claimed it as "hers"!! Now i need to get another.

Just great and within your budget! WAAAAAY better than the Ruger LC9 and LCP's I had.... much easier to conceal than my Glocks..... just a great gun and extremely easier to shoot well than a J Frame S&W.

i have heard and read many good things about this gun

 

[RevDevil]

Of course this is what I choose to carry most of the time...

See now, that is just plain ol' badass right there. No doubt at all about it., 100% Grade A Inspected Awesomeness. My budget cannot do that level of awesome this time around. Unless I sell some knives. Hmm.... I like the Springfield Armory Loaded or the Range Officer, that will be a thread for another day...

 

[dttomcat]

no longer working for some reason.

 

[CWL]

I have a P229 in .40SW/.357Sig (I have both barrels), and while it is a great pistol, it is definitely a full sized pistol. I wouldn't consider it easy to CC, especially when the OP is asking for a "small" handgun.

 

[230grains]

My two most carried small handguns are a Kahr Cw9 in 9mm and a SW model 642. I carry the Kahr IWB in the 642 in a pocket holster. If i had to pick one I'd go with the 642. My normal carry gun is a 1911, but sometimes it's just a lot easier to slip the 642 in my pocket.

 

[Stelth]

I have a lot of experience with many pistols (Browning Hi-power, Sig 226, Beretta 92, Kahr K9, S&W 469 etc.)but I like my Glock 26 best. It's a great EDC pistol. It shoots better than any full sized 9mm I've ever shot but it's small enough to be concealable. Mine has functioned flawlessly right out of the box and after hundreds of rounds I've never had a problem.

 

[Mongo]

RevDevil... whatever you do, make sure you can shoot whatever you intend to buy first. Made a world of difference for me... I was sold on the Kahr 9mm's until i put a box of ammo through one. I kept hitting the mag release button no matter how I held it. This of course makes the gun go out of battery... not something you want to have happen when it counts. I settled on the Sig P238 after shooting it. Yeah, it's .380acp.... but I can put a whole mag into the 10 ring at 25 feet in fairly rapid fire. I'm fairly certain I can mess up someone's day with 7 rounds of .380acp in their face and/or chest. Came with night sights too. Also has familiar controls to my usually preferred 1911 set up.

I also shot many of the previously mentioned guns, and had some surprising changes of opinions. SHOOT FIRST before you commit, then practice practice practice once you do get your choice.

 

[eccvets]

you should check out naa mini gun. the smaller ones will hook on to a belt buckle they sell which is the ultimate in hiding in plain sight. Their awesome guns, very high quality, and so small that your more likely to have one on you when you need it. not a bullseye shooter but it will hit some one at 100 feet at least!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oFyQEISE__Y&feature=results_main&playnext=1&list=PL47EF4901829FB05C

 

[trevytrev]

I mostly carry a S&W 442 in an Uncle Mikes holster in my front pocket. It's lightweight, hammerless, super concealable, ultra dependable and low maintenance. I have shot the .357 version and it's too much for the airweight frame, extremely hard on the hand and a high riser. I prefer a revolver for a pocket gun due to the dependability and low maintenance with pocket lint, it goes bang when you pull the trigger. I would be paranoid that my semi-auto would jam due to lint so I would be constantly cleaning and oiling the firearm, too much to worry about but that's just me. I waist carry a 9mm Beretta Px4 Storm Subcompact when I'm not carrying the S&W. It's a SA/DA gun, which I prefer in my carry semi-autos, and is a joy to shoot but I caution that it's a tad on the thick side and is a bit less concealable than a lot of other subcompacts. I've shot a Keltec pf-9 and I didn't care for it much, it rocked my hand and jumped considerably on me. It's not a whole lot of fun to shoot but man it's easily concealed in your pocket or in your waist band with the waistband clip mounted on the gun.

Also, you mentioned the Springfield Arms 1911 loaded, I just got one a few weeks ago and I love it! You won't be disappointed in that firearm, very nice.



Lots of options out there, good luck bro!