Need a Tiny Gun... Thoughts on best choices?

Soooo… I’m not a tiny-gun kinda gal, I love my fat double-stacks, even in the compact models. I don’t currently own a true subcompact, something tiny. Something ankle-carry-able. Something truly pocket gun.

BUT… since I’m teaching I think I should probably have one in the stable. Suggestions on what I should be looking at? Semi-auto please, not going with the Derringer belly-gun :wink:

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My wifes Walther PK380 is about that size…

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Seecamp, available in .32 and .25, is really tiny.

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151913c40a29bae5ca3389dc0740e8c0

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LCP, Sig P238, or an enclosed hammer revolver. I know you said semi-auto, but, with the time invested to master a small double action revolver, guns like the LCR, and Smith 642/442 are hard to beat for the ankle/pocket gun segment.

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Advantages of being a bigger guy: My SR9c is a pocket gun. :grin:

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Word to the fellow Sasquatch among us. I can almost pocket carry my M&P 45C.

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@Zee - is the Glock 43 small enough to meet your qualifications?

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I’ve got a P238 that is small - Ruger has a couple of tiny ones too. Are you looking to shoot it and carry it or as a demo? That may change my recommendations.

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Nancy and I both like her Beretta Tomcat with the Underwood Xtream Defender 55 grn.
I carry it when I need to be very discrete.

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Another vote for 43. Great ankle carry. As much as I hate single stacks it fits my hands with the hogue grip

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So help me out @Zee is this to provide students with smaller hands an option in your classes or is this for carry when the “normal” carry would be obtrusive? For teaching purposes I have always had good success and reviews with the Ruger MKII or III or IV for grip and such, but they are not any more concealable than my 1911. Lots of ity bitty guns for carry from Kel-Tech or Kahr that seem pretty robust but are wayyyy too small for me to use (I’ve got meat hooks for hands)

That said I have had a .357 Magnum Derringer (Snake Eyes) for decades that has filled the bill when all others wouldn’t fit. That said it kicks like catching a swung 2X2 and puts out enough flame to cook a hot dog at 2’ in one shot. EXTREMELY effective last ditch gun but that is a camp fire story. I’m thinking about developing a wood grip for it that will hang on my belt/pants and act as an IWB non holster.

Cheers,

Craig6

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First off… you guys ROCK!! :smiley:

@RocketPak - :rofl: but actually… that’s what a G43 looks like when @spence or @Nathan or @45IPAC or a couple of the other Sasquatchier folks carry it :smiley: :joy:

@Craig6 This is primarily as a teaching tool…

  1. I may have tiny-handed students
  2. I may need to convince some students that having a tiny gun is NOT their best option (or conversely, they may find out that it is)
  3. If I’m going to demo ankle carry as part of a class, I need something suitable. Useful for the “how many guns am I concealing?” game.
  4. It probably wouldn’t hurt me to extend my skills into this area, even though its not my preferred size of gun

I don’t expect to personally carry it as a BUG long term, but … likely I’ll do so in an ankle holster, at least for a while, so that as a teacher I have something useful to say about it. Who knows, maybe I’ll learn something I don’t expect.

I have been known to pocket carry the Glock G19 on occasion, so I know it can be done. In a pinch, I can wear my big cargo pants and pocket-carry the G19 for demo purposes, but that’s not really giving me the “tiny gun” experience I’d want for my students.

On the Glock G43… I think that, small as that is, it may be too big for me to effectively conceal as an ankle carry, so that’d be the upper limit on size.

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On the tiny revolvers… my hubby has a 5-shot derringer .22 that I absolutely hate shooting. HATE. I never feel like I have any kind of a grip on it at all, no matter what I do. So those are out, because I hate shooting them.
I haven’t looked at other tiny revolvers, sooo… maybe I shouldn’t take them off the table. But for now, I’m still thinking semi-auto.

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@Zee
Sig 938. Best sights I’ve seen on a subcompact, and it shoots really smoothly. I have had one for a couple of years–I traded up from a 238 (same size, .380 vs. 9–PLEASE), and I just bought my wife a 938 for Christmas.
It’s amazingly accurate and easy to shoot. Sticky holster ankle rig is awesome.
She has a Kimber micro 9, virtually the same gun, just not as accurate and not as good sights as the Sig.
The Kimber’s for sale…LOL

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If your point is to illustrate the issues with small, lightweight firearms, you might consider a S&W airweight. The great thing about it, is that for a proficient shooter, it is a great addition to the stable. A couple rounds of 38+P in that thing (stock grips) and I put it way down on my list.

I heard that the Seecamp in 380ACP is a beast to shoot. However, it might not be the best if you ever find yourself in need of a tiny firearm.

I’ll add that I heard that the Keltec PF9 has some kick. It would be relatively inexpensive, and, again, might come in handy for something small if you needed it.

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Noisy Cricket. See your local MiB station for details.

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If that’s is the goal, get a Smith 340 PD, and shoot full house .357 mag out of it. I don’t even want to do that.

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that’s my favorite one! :smiley: everyone seems to be out of stock though… :thinking:

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@RocketPak, instead of playing the worlds smallest violin shoot the worlds tiniest gun :rofl: :joy: :rofl:

@Zee, what cal? You prefer 9mm right?

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