- In a decent caliber (I'd like at least 380 ACP or 38 special, although something is better than nothing, I guess)
- Able to land hits at 3-5 yards (a backup pistol will be used up close) fast
- Able to land hits at 7 yards with a bit more time
But one factor stands out that is not usually mentioned: "A pistol is too small if you don't respect it anymore." For some reason, people think its ok to toss a pocket pistol loose into a pocket without a holster or anything. This seems like a terrible idea unless you're keeping a paw on it at all times (for example, walking to your car in a dark parking garage). You have no idea where the muzzle is pointed or what may be getting inside the trigger guard.
People who would never toss a cocked and locked 1911 or a 44 magnum bear gun into a pocket loose (I hope) for some reason consider doing just that with a little holdout gun. I don't understand it.
I carry a Kel-Tec PF9 in my front pocket (with holster, of course) every day. Have for the last 18 months. In the Texas heat (it got to 102° today and it's not even the end of May), it's hard (at least for me) to want to wear any more cover garments than absolutely necessary. But The PF9 doesn't leave me feeling underpowered either. A good compromise, I think.
ReplyDeleteAs we're moving south soon, we may be in the market for sub-sub compact pistols as well. It is really easy to make a full size service pistol disappear up here in Alaska (even in the summer I often wear a fleece) but probably not so much down south. We'll see how hard it is to cover up the S&W M&P compacts.
ReplyDeleteBut, like you, I'd have a pocket holster. I can't imagine tossing a firearm into a pocket with nothing to keep it stationary (muzzle control) and securing the trigger guard.
Chris,
ReplyDeleteActually, the cocked and locked 1911 is one of the safer options for holsterless or "just throw it in a (big) pocket" carry, not that I recommend it or do it often.
Unlike the "pull and play" triggers of most modern striker-fired autos, which -have- to have the trigger covered as the trigger (and any little levers on it) comprises the only safety, the 1911 has multiple redundent safeties which require epic amounts of bad luck to disable unintentionally, and without actual human intervention, simultaneously.
You can yank on a 1911 trigger hard enough to break it and still not fire the gun as long as the grip safety isn't simultaneously depressed.
Even if that happens somehow (which requires pressure in opposite directions, something not found in empty pockets or tucked "Mexican style" into a waistband), the thumb safety, which has a plunger spring and detent holding it in place, would also have to be wiped off during the time the grip safety was deactivated and the trigger pulled.
Admittedly none of this is something you want to leave to chance, but considering one of the chief complaints against the "old" 1911 design is that it has -too many- safeties for use as a defensive handgun by the lesser trained, I find it ironic when it gets lumped in with fundamentally "less safe" guns when it comes to method of carry.
=)
I guess I should have said, "a 1911 in condition 1, a glock with one in the chamber, or a 44 bear revolver..." I didn't mean to discriminate against the 1911 in comparison to other autoloaders; I happen to prefer the tupperware guns but I also appreciate a nice 1911!
ReplyDeleteIt is worth pointing out that not all 1911s have the grip safety, and it is sometimes removed as custom work, too. Even with a grip safety I wouldn't trust it loose in a pocket, just like I wouldn't trust a Springfield XD (a polymer gun with a grip safety 1911-style) loose in a pocket; it violates safety rules and seems to be bad tactics, as well.
My broader point is that for some reason, most people wouldn't just toss a full size handgun into a pocket loose but they think about doing just that with a little mousegun. I certainly don't think it should be illegal to do so, but just because something is legal doesn't mean it is a good idea.