New pocket spoon, way lighter!

[vonsmog]

My SS AMT Backup is just too heavy to carry all the time, and with spring just around the corner, I wanted something way lighter. Now that I plan on carrying more often the 1lb, 6oz. of the AMT Backup loaded is just too much. If I don't have a belt on, my pants have quite the sag! Not a pretty picture, or very comfortable. So I picked up this Ruger LCP which only weighs 12oz. in the holster and 7 rounds in it. I don't even feel it in my pocket, unlike the AMT. This will be my new carry gun, and I am quite confident in the 380 AUTO. So what are you guys stuffing in your pockets?

[Tobra]

I think you can get a magazine extension that gives you a little more grip on the Ruger.

[flatbutt]

Wow , someone who can carry in NY. Rather a rare bird.

[Tobra]

Upstate is like a different country that NYC

[fintstone]

I like that combo. I am looking for the appropriate pocket gun myself. Was thinking about an M&P Bodyguard 380 and interested if anyone else carries one. I have never carried anything that small and also looking for suggestions for a holster.

[911boost]

I always have a belt on, so it’s either an XDM is 45 or my compact Kimber. Both in a Milt Sparks IWB.

Like you, every time I leave the house now..,

[Evans, Marv]

I carry this when hiking. Decided to do that after a lady was killed locally by a mountain lion where I hiked years back. It's wildly inaccurate beyond about ten feet but makes a lot of noise and uses .22 LR. I bought it around 1980 for $85 and don't know if they're even for sale now. Weighs in at 5.2 oz. and 6.5 oz. with holster. Not for big game, but noisy and still dangerous at close range.

[Rot 911]

I’ve been carrying that Ruger LCP since they came out. The perfect carry gun. And like you said, it’s so light that you really don’t even notice it’s in your pocket.

[Chocaholic]

Ruger here as well...but the EC9 (9mm). Fixed sight. For EDC I can’t imagine a better spoon.

[sc_rufctr]

Originally Posted by Evans, Marv

I carry this when hiking. Decided to do that after a lady was killed locally by a mountain lion where I hiked years back. It's wildly inaccurate beyond about ten feet but makes a lot of noise and uses .22 LR. I bought it around 1980 for $85 and don't know if they're even for sale now. Weighs in at 5.2 oz. and 6.5 oz. with holster. Not for big game, but noisy and still dangerous at close range.

...

That's a whole lot better than "*a hand with some skin on it". (*Richard Prior)

[Jeff Higgins]

I'm firmly in the "something is better than nothing" camp. A daily carry gun has to be something that one will, well, carry every day. Size matters. Too big just gets left home too often, that's a fact of life in this game.

I can see the appeal of the LCP and other such "micro" compacts. Certainly something almost anyone can carry every day. I get that. But, to me, there is a practical "lower limit" at which I believe we start to sacrifice enough effectiveness to start rendering ourselves effectively unarmed.

Calibers like the .380 are somewhat "underpowered" even in full size pistols with 4"-5" barrels. The reduced barrel lengths of the "micro" pistols further compromises their effectiveness. Not just a little, either, with their muzzle energies reduced by as much as half from these short barrels. Not having much to offer to begin with, that could prove to be significant if one ever really needs it.

I would encourage self defenders to spend some time watching John Correia's Active Self Protection channel on Youtube. It has opened my eyes regarding a lot of aspects of protecting one's self and loved ones with a firearm. One of the more astonishing things I noticed over the years is just how much punishment a determined attacker, especially one on drugs, can absorb and still keep fighting - and inflicting harm upon his victim(s). My hours spent viewing the real life footage on his channel have changed my views on defensive firearms.

Caliber and capacity. The bigger the better, the more the better. I'm getting away from revolvers, except out in the woods. I'm sticking with calibers that start with a "4". In many of the defensive encounters he analyzes, an underpowered, low capacity micro gun would prove to be absolutely useless. So, while having it on you is a plus, it needs to be effective as well. These little guns simply are not.

[Porchdog]

Depends on how I'm dressed.

S&W 638 or .40 S&W Shield.

I haven't found anything smaller that I'm confident shooting, I prefer to hit what i shoot at.

I have only ever used either on animals. .40 is as effective as I expect. .38 Speer short-barrel 135 grain loads make the .38 more effective than I had expected.

I do carry bigger guns when I'm heading to cities or other ****ty areas. You just need to dress for the occasion and/or deal with a little discomfort.

No question, shooting nuisance or problem "varmits" isn't statistically valid testing. I'll say this - some rounds leave those critters running. Others stop them in their tracks.

Contrary to Jeff - I still prefer revolvers. My revolvers are old friends and they put that first shot on target pretty much by reflex. The autos are Ok, but the only ones that are really instinctive are the big, heavy old ones.

[911boost]

I like what Jeff said….

[Por_sha911]

Originally Posted by Jeff Higgins

I'm firmly in the "something is better than nothing" camp. A daily carry gun has to be something that one will, well, carry every day. Size matters. Too big just gets left home too often, that's a fact of life in this game.

I agree with the above statement. I also agree that .380 is not strong enough for my EDC.

That said, there are times where deep concealment is needed and the LCP II is perfect for me. It is a close range (3-7 and maybe 7-10 yards) 'get off me' pistol.

To the OP: If you are going to rely on the LCP, invest in the LCP 22. Exact same size and layout (except the 22 has a manual safety which I never use). This way you can get in a ton of practice at the price of .22LR instead of .380 which are costlier than 9mm. A pistol that small takes some practice to get a reasonable grouping and using the .22LR canl also help newer shooters get over the flinch.

[Jeff Higgins]

Originally Posted by Porchdog

Contrary to Jeff - I still prefer revolvers. My revolvers are old friends and they put that first shot on target pretty much by reflex. The autos are Ok, but the only ones that are really instinctive are the big, heavy old ones.

Oh, believe me, your sentiments regarding revolvers are not "contrary" to mine in the least. I very, very much prefer them over any autoloader. I will often be found carrying one of my Colt Single Action Armies in .45 Colt, as a matter of fact. As my "CCW" gun. Five shots... And believe me, I can hit anything I need to at what Col. Cooper used to call "social" distances, without any really conscious thought. I've hunted with them, taking a broad variety of big game. They are like an extension of my hand.

But... watching real world self defensive encounters on Mr. Correia's channel has me rethinking all of this. Revolvers simply do not hold enough ammo. Even double actions are simply too slow to reload, Jerry Mickulek notwithstanding. We have better weapons available today. Not necessarily more powerful, but we don't need that for "social" work. We do need a certain minimum power level, but more than anything else, we need capacity and ease of reloading. All romance, nostalgia, and familiarity aside, I've made the decision to "modernize" - I'm going with the thoroughly modern 1911 platform... oh, wait minute... Well, I guess - it's "only" 111 years old...

[Skytrooper]

Originally Posted by flatbutt

Wow , someone who can carry in NY. Rather a rare bird.

Not so rare, really. It is a world different from NYC. I can carry concealed or open, my choice. Nothing keeps the hounds at bay better than the sight of a 1911.

[masraum]

Originally Posted by fintstone

I like that combo. I am looking for the appropriate pocket gun myself. Was thinking about an M&P Bodyguard 380 and interested if anyone else carries one. I have never carried anything that small and also looking for suggestions for a holster.

M&P9 shield.
Crossbreed is a good company with good products and good service.
https://www.crossbreedholsters.com/supertuck-iwb-holster.html
They do make more compact holster products as well.

[Tim Hancock]

After trying both many years ago my wife and I both pocket carry the Taurus TCP Vs the Ruger LCP. Basically the same size, but the TCP trigger is a bit "nicer", TCP has last shot hold open and TCP has ever so slightly larger "sights". Much easier to toss in pocket or purse than my Glock 34 or some of our other handguns. We keep them loaded with Hornady Hollow points. Carry in pocket sleeve holster with one in the chamber ready to fire.

[Ctopher]

I’ve been carrying the same Ruger LCP for many years now. Great little pocket gun, suggest getting some XTP rounds for it.



CTopher

[Jeff Higgins]

So, how many of you have actually had the opportunity to kill anything with a handgun? I'm obviously not talking humans (at least I hope none of you have been unfortunate enough to have had to do that), so how about game animals? More specifically, game animals about the size of us?

I have. I've lost track of how many. I've used a revolver off and on over 40 years of hunting. I've had the opportunity to observe the reaction of animals hit by a variety of handgun loads and, as a result, have formed some strong opinions. I've "autopsied" all of them in an effort to recover bullets so I can determine how they performed. I've formed some strong opinions from that as well.

And, well, my opinion formed from all of that is that none of these little pocket guns, nor the calibers in which they are chambered, are worthy of my consideration as defensive arms. The may very well be "great little pocket..." somethings, but certainly not guns. No burden whatsoever to carry, but likewise no real threat to anyone you might feel the need to shoot with it.

There is a lower limit. All of these are not just a bit below mine, they are substantially below what I'll accept when it comes to defending myself or my family. If I feel the need to be armed (which where I live is really quite seldom, which I admit may be a very bad approach in and of itself), I will make allowances regarding how I dress so as to accommodate a worthwhile, effective defensive arm.

Would any hunter even attempt to kill an average size whitetail with one of these?