By Caleb Daniels

The 21st century concealed-carry landscape neglects the pocket gun. Even when it is acknowledged, it is often done in mockery. However, the appreciation of compact concealed-carry handguns, in smaller cartridges, isn’t something to deride. When utilized correctly, these compact pistols make a great asset for self-defense. 

The pocket pistol has fallen out of favorite in recent decades for a number of reasons. These include popularity of accessories, such as lights and CCW optics, and focus on larger capacity magazines. Many consider smaller calibers with six to eight rounds to inadequate. Pair all this with modern clothing, and a pocket gun can’t even make it into the top half of a trouser pocket without printing. 

The Colt 1903 Pocket Hammerless was a true pocket pistol in its day, and it looked great with the clothing of the early 20th century. However, fashion and technology have mostly rendered these pistols moot. Not many people want to carry pocket guns. This doesn’t change, though, that pocket guns can still be excellent tools for defense. 

Pocket Guns Work in Extreme Temps 

Common methods of concealed-carry have a limitation in the colder months of the year. When the wind chill goes sub-zero cover garments, like heavy coats and sweaters, begin impeding access to a firearm. 

It fairly easy to train around clearing around lighter layers, such as a sweater or open jacket. However, when winter’s bite forces peacoats to be button, access to defensive tools can be reduced if not eliminated. That’s when a compact handgun in a coat pocket can be a welcome companion. 

On the other end of the spectrum, pocket guns also work well in the heat. In Magnum PI approved shorts and unstructured tee, a compact pistol can be a great friend. It easily replacing a larger firearm that may print or be horribly uncomfortable in the heat of the year. 

The pocket gun is great for the first rule of carrying a gun; always carry a gun. This, of course, brings up the final point of contention surrounding pocket guns, reliability. Some of these pistols have issues with defensive ammunition. At the same time, the reduced size makes muzzle flip and accuracy a concern. 

The right gun in the right caliber can be a brilliant daily companion. However, folks should probably stay away from the old “Saturday Night Specials.” Many of these are the reasons why many avoid pocket guns. They were underpowered and unreliable. But they were affordable. Here are a few pocket guns to consider, available on GunBroker. 

Walther PPK

Chambered originally for 7.65mm or .32 ACP, this classic pistol of pop culture is an incredibly safe and reliable handgun. Carl Walther and his team brought this to market in the early 1930s to resolve many of the concerns faced by early striker-fired pistols. 

This concern resulted in the first double/single action semi-automatic pistol, the PPK. The slide mounted safety operates as both a decocker and manual safety, giving the user active and passive safeties. When hunting for a PPK, there are a few things to consider. First, the .32 ACP is incredibly soft shooting in the direct blowback pistol. The early post-war pistol command a higher price point as these examples predating the 1968 GCA were used in the James Bond film franchise. 

Thankfully, Walther has recently brought the .32 ACP PPK back onto the market, making it available at more reasonable prices. These new pistols also integrate a feature brought on by Smith & Wesson during their time licensing the pistol — an extended beavertail. Those with thicker hands will appreciate this feature. Many may prefer these over earlier guns or those produced by InterArms, which sport a much shorter beavertail. The PPK is also available in .380. 

Ruger LCP

The PPK might be the most famous pocket gun, but the Ruger LCP is probably the most popular, at least not too long ago. Ruger introduced this little .380 ACP almost 20 years ago. In fact, this pistol pretty much started the .380 war, which led to the micro 9 war and is absolutely one of the reasons for so many compact and subcompact pistols on the market. 

The LCP has been overshadowed by pistols with larger capacity and more features. Those pistols, however, also happen to be larger size, meaning they’re a bit large for the pocket. The small size and light weight of the LCP make it an excellent handgun for deep cover. This is especially true with loaded with good self-defense ammo, such as Hornady’s Critical Defense or Federal’s Hydra-Shok Deep. It might only have a seven round capacity, but this gun can hide almost anywhere. 

Beretta Tomcat

The Beretta Tomcat is another popular semi-auto pistol that happens to be chambered in .32 ACP. The Tomcat is small, fairly light and very easy to load, as it features a tip-up barrel. This barrel allows users to load the chamber without having to pull back the slide. It allows unloading to be just as easy. 

This DA/SA pistol carries seven rounds in total and features a simple blowback action. This makes it quite reliable. However, it also increases recoil. The .32 ACP round is fairly manageable, luckily. It comes with an ergonomical manual safety and it can be carried in double-action mode or with the hammer back and the safety on for single action. Either way, it’s a gun that easily fits in the pocket. 

Taurus 856

Accurate, reliable and affordable. Those three of the most important factors in a handgun, particularly one that is carried for self-defense. The Taurus 856 brings that in droves and it makes one heck of a pocket gun. 

Taurus make the 856 in a variety of version to fit most people’s needs. These include both hammer and hammerless versions, as well as matte black and stainless. It even has an ultralight model, all chambered in one of the most popular calibers, .38 Spl. 

While any 856 makes a great pocket gun, because it will easily fit in a pocket, the hammerless offers snag-free draw, along with the potential to fire from the pocket. And the 856 offers 20 percent more ammo, as it carries six rounds instead of usual five of many concealed-carry revolvers. 

Smith & Wesson Model 36

No pocket guns article could possibly be complete without mentioning the master of the pocket revolver, the Model 36. While many point to the Centennial Airweight – 442/642 series as great examples of compact fighting guns, there’s something to be said about having the weight of a standard 36 in the hand. This is especially true if you intend to become comfortable with shooting the pistol. 

Far too many purchase Airweight pistols and immediately balk at the recoil and muzzle flip, refusing to train with their defensive tool. For the marginal difference in weight, perhaps give both a try. They are so common that finding one in a friend’s collection or local rental fleet should be fairly easy. Decide for yourself what makes the most sense. At the end of the day, it’ll rise more than a larger pistol like the Model 10, but can still be a fun shooter. The Smith & Wesson double action pull is unrivaled. In addition, the double-action-only versions of these revolvers make for excellent snag-free concealment.

Related Article: Ruger LCP II Review

Tags: Beretta, compact pistols, pocket pistols, Ruger, Smith & Wesson, Taurus, Walther