Hi folks, thinking about getting a nice pocket pistol... How about these.... Kel Tec P3AT,
Ruger LCP .380 or Beretta Tomcat .32??? Also, thoughts on .380 vs. .32 cal?

How about the Kel-Tec P-40

I have a Beretta Tomcat in 32 ACP. I get good accuracy out of it, and it is comfortable to fire. I am happy with its quality. It has the worst trigger of any firearm I own: long, rough creep. With some ammunition, it often stovepipes the last round in the magazine. Beretta discourages use of ammunition with heavier (71 grain) bullets. It is not as compact and concealable as many other options in that caliber.

380 is obviously much more potent than 32. Also, I am of the belief that the design and size of the 32 make it inherently less likely to feed reliably.

I am considering a move to a Ruger LCP. It is much lighter and more compact than the Tomcat. One less round in the magazine, but the more powerful cartridge. The only thing that worries me is the eight pound trigger.

"Little" 380s pound my hand...so I shoot a Firestorm(Bersa) in 32 acp that holds 10 rounds. It's recoil is light so I can keep on target really well, putting my shots in a nice pattern on the attackers vitals. I wouldn't rule out the 32.

get the kel tec .380 . use corbon dpx 80 grn.. or winchester flatnosed 95 grn..
either puts you in the category of well armed.. of couse nothing makes up for not hitting what you shoot at..i have a friend who is older but use to compete successfully.. he uses his 22 lr pocket revolver .. ive seen him pull and put 2 in chest and one in the head ... child play for him..
its not his favorite carry but shot placement makes it alright for him..in a confrontation with him it wouldn t matter if i was carrying an 44 magnum,,id still be just as dead..
a pt22 taurus has a very similar double action as the .380 p3at.. almost like shooting the same gun..
first practice until you are confident with the pt22..[lot cheaper] then go kel tec p3at.. the quick shok 22 rnd in the taurus is one of the nastiess rds ive seen..
tears heck out of a lotto tissue as it separates and will do a thru on a a bible sized phone book ..
that way after , you go with the p3at as main carry,, you got a great little back up..
at least thats what worked for me and i didnt spend near as much as if id practiced w .380
to start with .. the pt 22 holds good value if you keep it clean so you just got and investment..good luck..
ps. i do have a 9 mm with 147 hydroshoks in the truck..if i lose the first battle and am still able to run:)

I appreciate the input.... Have looked into trying to get the Ruger LCP .380, but must be in short supply... I was told check back in 3 months by one place.... Just happened to mention my search to a friend and he said he has a Colt Mustang .380 circa 1982 he would be willing to sell for $200.... How about that one?

I have the kel tec and I can put about two 20 down rang before it beats me up too bad but i do have big hands. my friend have small hands and he like it. I am goning change to something bigger. hope that helps

How about one of the small frame Smiths or Taurus's Ultra-light's. 38 special and they just disappear in a front jeans pocket. At around 15 ounces and no safety's, magazines or any slide racking it's ready to go. It's safe hot with a round under the hammer.

This is what I'm carrying and my old shooting partner carries a Taurus Millennium. As you can see there's lots of buttons and stuff on the semi-auto. My gun is a trigger pull away from being in action. This is a case where simpler is usually better. I can count four buttons on the side of the semi.

http://i136.photobucket.com/albums/q172/faucettb/Preditor%20masters/100_7553.jpg (http://www.gunsandammomag.com/gun_columns/notes/0709/index1.html)

Here's my little snubby in an Uncle Mikes pocket holster. No imprint and you don't wear out a pocket. When you pull the revolver the holster stays in your pocket.

http://i136.photobucket.com/albums/q172/faucettb/Preditor%20masters/Taurus38specialwpocketholster.jpg

I carry Speer 125 grain Gold Dots in it and an extra speed loader in the other pocket with my pocket knife. Nothing against auto's.

My 2 cents.

joe i didn t like the handle of my keltec either .. so i just made it comfortable by padding the grip. now ive got a handful and it makes accuracy go up big time..plus its soft which surprises me as to comfort..if you got the .380,, what you looking for ,for it..

I appreciate the input.... Have looked into trying to get the Ruger LCP .380, but must be in short supply... I was told check back in 3 months by one place.... Just happened to mention my search to a friend and he said he has a Colt Mustang .380 circa 1982 he would be willing to sell for $200.... How about that one?

BUY IT! Mustangs around here run about $600 at the shows. You can sell it and buy your choice of small handgun.

BUY IT! Mustangs around here run about $600 at the shows. You can sell it and buy your choice of small handgun.

Wow! $600!! He said he hasn't used it in years.... carried it in a briefcase when he was in business..... He is going to e-mail me some photos this weekend..... Sounds like he just doesn't want it any longer.... Hope he isn't out pricing it at pawn shops or gun stores! He may want more come Monday.... Lets hope not! George

I lucked into a Ruger LCP. My gun dealer had gotten one in the day before, and I jumped on it. Finally was able to get out and shoot it this past Wednesday. I thought it shot pretty well for the type of pistol that it is. Accuracy was pretty good. I fed it a couple of different types of ammo, and it gobbled them all up without any problems. So far I'm happy with this pistol. :D

Kel-Tec 3AT: If you can find one, from what I've heard, you'll either get something that will be great right out of the box, or something that will take many hours of work to get it even halfway decent. There doesn't seem to be a middle ground.

Ruger LCP: Look on Gun Broker. You're not likely to find one within the next year otherwise, because they are so backordered. Because it's brand new, there's little being said from people with experience with it. I've handled one, and it really does look to be the Kel-Tec P3AT with higher quality.

With the possible exception of snubbies, all "pocket guns" are going to be hard to come by at dealers. They just sell so fast.

I carry a North American Arms Guardian in .380. While it hasn't been trouble free, I'm reasonably confident with it. However, the lint issue, even with a holster has been making me toss around the idea of replacing it with a little snubbie.

I can hardly wait until Monday! Talked with the guy today... still intends to sell me the Mustang!! I will keep asking about the Ruger LCP... Comments have been similiar to the Kel Tec P3AT just nicer fit and finish.... I was quoted $329, but expect that will change...

How about one of the small frame Smiths or Taurus's Ultra-light's. 38 special and they just disappear in a front jeans pocket. At around 15 ounces and no safety's, magazines or any slide racking it's ready to go. It's safe hot with a round under the hammer.

This is what I'm carrying and my old shooting partner carries a Taurus Millennium. As you can see there's lots of buttons and stuff on the semi-auto. My gun is a trigger pull away from being in action. This is a case where simpler is usually better. I can count four buttons on the side of the semi.

http://i136.photobucket.com/albums/q172/faucettb/Preditor%20masters/100_7553.jpg (http://www.gunsandammomag.com/gun_columns/notes/0709/index1.html)

Here's my little snubby in an Uncle Mikes pocket holster. No imprint and you don't wear out a pocket. When you pull the revolver the holster stays in your pocket.

http://i136.photobucket.com/albums/q172/faucettb/Preditor%20masters/Taurus38specialwpocketholster.jpg

I carry Speer 125 grain Gold Dots in it and an extra speed loader in the other pocket with my pocket knife. Nothing against auto's.

My 2 cents.

I will look into these! Hadn't thought about the small frame .38... If you read my comment about the Colt Mustang my friend brought it to me yesterday! He hasn't used it in 10 years or so. I am going to take it to a smith tomorrow to let him look it over... looks great to me, just dirty form sitting around in a drawer at his home.... $200 is all he wants!

I appreciate the input.... Have looked into trying to get the Ruger LCP .380, but must be in short supply... I was told check back in 3 months by one place.... Just happened to mention my search to a friend and he said he has a Colt Mustang .380 circa 1982 he would be willing to sell for $200.... How about that one?

Look at Gunbroker.com. A quick search shows that $200 is a Heck of a good deal.

I am beginning to realize just how good a deal. I called a local dealer/pawn shop and he said it should sell for at least $499 since I don't have the original box... I may have to spend $50 to get it back into tip top shape, but is well worth it... I think its a done deal!