All posts tagged Pocket guns

Being the first to buy a new gun?

Kahr MagazinesFactory magazines9mm MagazinesWe’ve seen a lot of recalls in this industry and it’s almost always a gun that just came out, and 6 months later you find out their is a magazine spring issue, extractor issue, or the barrels just don’t cut it and there has to be a Generation 2 or a slightly improved version.   I remember learning this lesson years ago on a firing range when someone in the NYPD was telling me all of his friends were getting Kahr pistols because it had a consistent trigger pull like Glocks did so it was a very nice off duty firearm.  Back then, the Kahr was kind of king of the small 9mm concealed carry crowd because it was very well built and seemed to have a good track record except for one thing, the early production firearms had issues with the trigger pins coming out.

Now that just about everyone and their dog is putting out a .380 handgun, watch and see how many recalls you see this year, or how many guns won’t be around in 2yrs.   One thing for sure is that there isn’t going to be a shortage of getting Kahr Magazines if you end up choosing that design.  Check out all of the gun holster options for Kahr and you’ll see how popular of a gun it is.   Single stack magazines for 9mm, 40 S&W and 45acp are available.  I’ve personally shot a lot of these guns and although I don’t own any, it’s definitely a product line that I would suggest to someone due to parts and availability.

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And the most popular concealed carry firearm

According to all of our holster requests are hands down Kahr firearms.  I don’t have a ton of experience with these firearms, but I will say that they are the smallest 9mm handgun that I would ever consider carrying.  I find them to be a little too harsh to shoot for that size, but depending on the on the circumstances I would not feel under gunned with one of these.   I actually first found out about the Kahr firearms from a retired Law Enforcement Official that work in the NYPD for 3 years.   He was the first person I ever met that actually carried two firearms, and  one was a Kahr PM9.

The .380 is a buzz, but every time I look at the ballistics of the firearm, I just cringe.   If I’m going to carry a gun, the 38 Special is the smallest caliber I will carry, but the Kahr PM9 and some spare Kahr Magazines fill my pockets.   I have several friends that pocket carry these firearms and 6 or 7 rounds of 9mm and a spare magazine is not minimal.  Maintenance on the firearms is not different than any other,  it is always wise to keep up with your recoil spring replacement and magazine rotation.

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Pocket holsters, are they necessary?

The answer to all of your CCW questions should  be “does it work for you?”    Some people can carry full size Beretta 92FS in their pockets and if  you think I’m joking I’m not.   People forget that just as our pants sizes are different, so are the dimensions of the pockets of various types of tactical clothing.   I’ve known a few people that have carried things like Desert Eagle 44 magnums as CCW guns, but one was legit and the other was a nut case.   One of the guys that carried that gun was also in a gun accident that ended up on the local news because he was showing it to someone outside of a bar and ended up shooting himself in the leg.

Pocket holsters are really pocket protectors.   Most pocket guns will point down even if they move around in a pocket, but not always.   Don Hume holsters are very good in the pocket gun arena.  They will keep your gun in place and help keep pocket lint off of the mechanical parts.   I still have to wipe off my guns every month even if I don’t shoot them and in the summer they get cleaned once a month due to the potential sweat build up.

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NAA Guardian, pocket gun options

Many of my shooting buddies have been CCW for 1-2 decades longer than I have.    I have watched the evolution of weapons they have carried over the years and they have all ended up carrying guns and calibers that I would never have wanted to carry before.   In my opinion it was always about how much damage the bullet could do, followed by reliability, and finally durability.   I was always turned off by some of the pocket semi-autos that I cam across because the recoil tended to be pretty nasty.   I am not afraid of shooting 50 BMG rifles, but I don’t like shooting too much recoil in a handgun.   I know an individual that actually has developed nerve damage from shooting too many heavy handguns and if it hurts after I shoot it, I don’t want to carry it as a CCW gun.

My first adventure into CCW was with a friend that had 20yrs more experience than I did.   He showed me he had evolved to the NAA guardian .380 pistol and that in his opinion, it was the only gun he could carry at work with any level of comfort.  My only issue with some pocket guns is that they are so small that I can’t feel them, and I like to know I can feel the gun on me at all times.   The real issue I have noticed with NAA Guardians is that you have to really pay attention to the round counts you have put through your gun and how many you put through your NAA Guardian gun magazines and rotate out the springs before you have any issues.   The NAA Guardian is strictly a CCW gun and will handle some of the hotter loads for the .380 compared to some of the Kel-Tec counterparts.   I was fortunate enough to test out some of the Rohrbaugh R9 pistols next to the NAA Guardian and the only thing the R9 had over the NAA Guardian was the trigger pull.

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Tactical clothing and gun holsters

I recently took a swing by several big gun shops and picked up a few products from tactical clothing companies that I was unfamiliar with.   I do think that many of the top tactical clothing companies are much better than the stuff that was being made years ago.   Clothing manufacturing has gotten better in many regards.   I have several BDU pants from Army Navy stores, but I just can’t stand wearing them anymore.   The hand pockets are too small and the BDU pockets are too flimsy.    If I want BDU pants,  The Eotac Style 201 Pants are the way to go.   If I want to wear denim jeans, I’m going to go with one of the tactical jeans from 5.11, Woolrich Elite or Eotac.

One thing I didn’t like about the 5.11 jeans was that the hand pockets were not any larger than my regular jeans which completely eliminates the possibility of pocket carry.   I had a j-frame 38 Special in the pocket and the handle was showing.   I find this to be a real short coming even though the internal pockets that can stow guns or magazines.   I find these pants to be concealed carry friendly to some degree, but they really were missing some features.   I don’t like the fact that there isn’t spot in the right side at about 3 o’clock that would be gun holsters for most right handed individuals.   Even though I think some of the 205 jeans are a little over designed with the rear pockets, I think pocket carry is really important for CCW wearers and the 5.11 jeans isn’t for that.  The 5.11 jeans can hold your wallet or money, but that’s about it.

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Pocket guns with firepower

Kahr firearms has made some real grounds in the CCW world.  Whenever I talk to some of my shooting buddies about what type of gun I should consider carrying it always ends up being J-Frames, Kahr and then something else.   I never really jumped on the pocket semi-auto bandwagon, but I would have to say that many of my friends have had very good experieneces with Kahr firearms.   My only real interest in buying there products would be one of the M1 Carbines from Auto-Ordnance but I’m not sure if that really counts.    The Sig 239 has turned out to be my primary small semi-auto but I have to admit that even though it fits in a pocket, it is still too heavy to carry there.

Kahr firearms come in the popular .380 caliber, 9mm, 40 S&W and the potent 45acp.  I think the idea of a pocket 45acp is a good idea, but I highly suggest you do some reasearch into how often you will need to replace recoil springs.  Many small semi-autos need more lubrication and spring maintenance and this will play a major factory in gun magazine and recoil spring reliability.  The smaller the gun, the more you will have to be concerned about limp wristing, also.   Kahr magazines are in the $30 price range, but I would seriously consider keeping atleast 3 of them for each gun you own.

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