Help me decide on an ultra compact summer carry / winter BUG

[87th PVI]

Looking for an ultra concealable little carry piece for summer carry / winter BUG. Need some experienced advice / input from owners of these guns.

Ruger LCP

Kel Tek P-380 or P-32

Beretta Tomcat

Kahr P380




I like the Rugers I have now, but haven't found an LCP to actually hold & check out in person yet. Also it doesn't seem to come in stainless, & I like stainless... I like USA made (Arizona ~McCain state~ for the LCP) & don't mind paying a little more for same quality when comparing a USA made gun to a foreign made gun. I will go with foreign if the quality is better though. One thing I don't like about the Ruger LCP is that one needs a screwdriver (or other pry tool) for disassembly to clean. No tool disassembly is a big plus in my book. I didn't really find any bad reports for this gun... it seems that people who have them like them.


Kel Tek again seemingly no stainless... Made in FL (Jeb Bush territory ~ lovin the republican guns LOL) not sure yet about take down & need for tools. Held a P-380 today & felt ok except the trigger guard seemed small to me, but I'm thinking I'll possibly have this with all models in this group. I've read several reports of jams but the majority of reports I've read were people who liked theirs.

Beretta Tomcat Not a USA company (I think the Tomcat is made in Accomack MD though... not sure, but even so I'm not a fan of MD... However I did but a Benelli Legacy shotgun due to their exceptional record of quality in that department) Not sure yet about take down procedure w/ this model. I have seen many reports of this gun's frame cracking and jams reported. I spoke with a gun shop employee today about it and he said that the older ones had that problem but the newer ones are made better now, and also he attributes those problems to people running ammo through it that was too powerful for the gun. It's made for straight .32, not reloads or +P. I looked at a stainless one a few days ago & it was a nice gun, good looking & felt good in the hand for a small gun. I liked the pop up bbl design too but some reports say that is what causes many of the jams for this model, and the release for the bbl to pop up seemed awkward & stiff...Also not a good design for quick reloading. It's more expensive than the two above and I'm nervous about the reported problems I've read regardless of whether they are making them stronger now, and (as one who currently CC's a .45 ACP or a .357 Mag ~ no problem as long as it stays cold) the .32 round seems a bit tiny & under powered to me for a defensive carry gun (caliber issue also goes for the Kel Tek P-32)

Not that a .380 is much better but they don't seem to make anything this small in anything other than .22, .25, .32, .380

Kahr P380 reviews say it can handle +P rounds. Easy take down without any tools (seems to be just like my Ruger P345 for take down procedure which is a plus) Made in USA (But Mass did go Dem in '04 & '08 BOOOO HISSSS!) Smaller than an LCP & Kel Tek, but like 3 times the price. Is it really worth that much more $ ??????


I've also looked at the .38 Cobra Derrringer & the .45/410 Cobra but I want more than two rounds.

Input appreciated...Thanks in advance!

[gunga]

+1 for the kel tec p3at .380

It's my primary carry most of the year... uncle mike's pocket holster... no printing, no pinching, no problems.

[Shawn.L]

have you looked at the kel-tec PF-9 ???

I like stainless... I like USA made

have you looked at a Seecamp ?

[gf45acp]

Kel-tec p3at, have 2.
Available with a hard chrome slide if you like.
I use PowRBall in them, and Desantis Nemisis pocket holster.

http://www.kel-tec-cnc.com/images/do...atv2manual.pdf

[D*Compound]

my votes for the LCP.........great compact !!!

[Sandcut]

I can speak personally for the P3AT. I love it. It's in my left hip pocket as I type. I got it used. It had a problem feeding, which is probably why it was traded in. I first swapped out the magazine and that helped a little. After looking in to it further, I polished the feed ramp w/ some red rouge and some Q-tips. It took a little longer than w/ a dremel tool, but I didn't want to over-do it and damage the gun. This worked like a charm! I haven't had it misfeed yet.

I have friends who have the LCP and the Tomcat. The guy w/ the Tomcat seems happy. He hasn't shot it much but likes it for CC. The guy w/ the LCP had a KelTec, sold it and bought an LCP (which, IMO, is the same gun) and had to send it in to Ruger to have them buff the feed ramp 'cuz it wasn't feeding properly. Once it was returned from the factory, it didn't have a misfeed in approx. 400 rounds.

As for the Cobra in .38, I believe that one of my next purchases will be just that. The satin finish they have is pretty sharp looking. I do have a couple problems with the .22 mag derringer that I have. It would be really nice if they reversed the direction of the safety. You have to push it from right to left to disengage it, which requires you to adjust your grip and use your index finger. The safety on the Bond arms derringers are more to my liking. You can use your thumb which is more natural. Also, my .22 mag has a tendency for the shells to expand after firing and they stick more than the little extractor will handle. It's a nice little goofing around gun, though. However, it will be heavy. The derringer w/ 2 shots will be as heavy if not heavier than the KelTec w/ 6 + 1 and really isn't any smaller.

If you're looking for the best bang for the buck in a mouse gun, my recommendation is w/ the KelTec. Hope this helped some.

Good luck with it.

[87th PVI]

WOW didn't expect this many replies so quickly! Thanks and keep em coming!

How do I add a poll to this thread? That would be interesting to see which one would get the most votes, & I could add the Seecamp & PF 9 (no I hadn't looked at them yet but I did look at a used Jennings that was .25 ACP and a used Beretta 7.62 which I didn't like much other than it was kind of nice looking ~ black gun with white grips) I think a friend had a Jennings in .380 that he wasn't all that happy with overall.

[Shawn.L]

WOW didn't expect this many replies so quickly! Thanks and keep em coming!

How do I add a poll to this thread? That would be interesting to see which one would get the most votes, & I could add the Seecamp & PF 9 (no I hadn't looked at them yet but I did look at a used Jennings that was .25 ACP and a used Beretta 7.62 which I didn't like much other than it was kind of nice looking ~ black gun with white grips) I think a friend had a Jennings in .380 that he wasn't all that happy with overall.

Seecamp will out class (and out weight) the other choices, you can get them in 380 as well as 32 but they are pricey, esp the 380 model.

The PF-9 is cheap, slim, light, reliable (the one we had and all theones i have seen or heard of at least), and...... ITS A 9MM.

of course if you had money to burn.......
https://www.budsgunshop.com/catalog/...s_id/411535060

[87th PVI]

Purrrrrrdy, but for $1399.00 it had better do more while in my pants than just sit in the holster! At least vibrate or something LOL!

[Defleshed]

Seecamp will out class (and out weight) the other choices, you can get them in 380 as well as 32 but they are pricey, esp the 380 model.

The PF-9 is cheap, slim, light, reliable (the one we had and all theones i have seen or heard of at least), and...... ITS A 9MM.

of course if you had money to burn.......
https://www.budsgunshop.com/catalog/...s_id/411535060

+1 on the PF9... I have a holster that breaks up the outline of the gun in my pants pocket... single stack slim mag, really lightweight, cute grip, fits in any pocket (coat pocket also). I think mine cost ballpark 250. oh and it's a 9mm (primary reason why i bought it - i didnt own a 9mm at the time).

Here i went and took two pics. Dollar bill alignment for reference.