Advice for Pocket Pistol

[308nato]

My daughter is looking for a pocket pistol and we need the pros & cons
on the Baretta Tomcat and a Keltec as far as reliablity goes.
Thanks for any help and advice.

 

[baboon]

Seecamp!

 

[xaiver56]

I own a Berretta Tomcat in .32 auto and I carry it every now and again for pocket carry. The Tomcat is a good gun but requires a bit of practice to aim correctly. Also the slide is a bit stiff if you do not have the hammer back, I say this because my wife hates to pull back the slide. In my opinion the smaller the gun, the harder to aim effectively, but if you put in the practice a Tomcat is a great gun. I have not had a single problem with FTF or FTE...

 

[308nato]

Seecamp dont think I have seen one before,pretty good?

 

[308nato]

Xaiver56 thanks for the info,my daughter dont like doing the slide ether.

 

[hoytinak]

The Seecamp in the best pocket pistol in .32 or .380 (if you can afford the .380 at about $800-1000 ) IMO. Once I got my Seecamp .32 the Tomcat went into the safe and the only time it came out was when I gave it to my sister to carry. The Tomcat does have a little bigger grip than the Seecamp (which some prefer) but I think the Tomcat was just to heavy and bulky over the Seecamp to keep it.

Can't talk on the Kel-Tec's as the only one I've owned was teh PF9 and I sold it because it was too big for me to pocket. I do however have the Ruger LCP which gets more carry tiime than anything due to it's light weight, size and .380 (compared to my .32 Seecamp).

 

[baboon]

Seecamp dont think I have seen one before,pretty good?

IMHO the best you can get! Hell it's your daughter!

 

[Texas Patriot]

I've got a KelTec P3AT and carry it almost every day. I have a generation 1 model and have had no malfunctions of any kind. Some of the gen 1 models had some ftf or fte problems which I understand are mostly non existant in the gen 2 model.
I recommend this for anyone, but I would seriously look at Ruger's new .380. It is almost identical to the Kel Tec in appearance and size, but it does have a slide hold open lever which the KelTec does not have. This feature may or may not be a good idea. I have found that the less stuff on a gun, the better it is for pocket carry. If you carry in a holster, it may not matter. But a snag is the last thing you need to have if you have to draw quickly in an emergency situation.

 

[308nato]

Thanks for all the replies and will start looking into all the good sugestions.

 

[Texas1911]

Denis, was your daughter the gal that was helping you at the event?

Either way, I'd suggest Ruger LCP as an option too.

 

[MrsFosforos]

I don't have a keltec, so can't weigh in to how they shoot or their reliablity.

I do have a seecamp and a tomcat and right up front - neither are FUN to shoot. They both kick like a mule and the recoil can be painful. I added a handall jr sleeve to the tomcat and a finger extension to the seecamp to help absorb some of the recoil.

Of the two, the seecamp has the harshest recoil but it is significantly smaller so it is the easiest to conceal.

The biggest advantage to the tomcat is the tip up barrel which makes it the easiest to load.

The tomcat does not have a mag safety, but the seecamp does. However, the tomcat has an external thumb safety and the seecamp does not.

The trigger pull on both is signifcantly heavy.

There are more options available than there used to be, but the seecamp is more picky about ammo you can buy for it than the tomcat.

I've shoot a few hundred rounds through both without any mechanical problems. I've not had to use either company's customer service. Both have performed without a hitch.

One other pocket pistol you might consider is a Rohrbaugh 9mm. It is almost as small as these .32's and has the advantage of being a 9mm. It isn't any harder to shoot than the .32s but does have a bigger price tag.

With all that said, my daughter has shot them all and disliked them both immensely. She wouldn't carry any of them.

 

[308nato]

Texas1911, yes that was my daughter and she also just bought an AR
from TalonArms last friday and maybe tommorow we will go site it in.

Mrs. Fosforos , thanks for the info on those pistols I will pass it on to my daughter as she is checking on a few others also.

Also saw the thread from C&A'sDad about small pistol advice.

 

[mac79912]

Have you ever considered a snub .38?

 

[308nato]

Well my daughter went to afew places today a checked out a few
of the guns suggested and decided on the keltec .32.
Its lighter than her cell phone and they put on a clip that goes on the outside of the pocket and holds it like she was looking for.
She likes the way it fits in her hand and we will be going to Shiloh thur to
put a few down range to break it in.

Thanks to everyone for all the great suggestions.