Good pocket carry

[340PD]

I pocket carry a S&W 340PD Airlite with Crimson Trace laser grips. It's a .357Magnum but you can shoot .38s through for practice or carry if you prefer less recoil. And, with full house .357 Magnum loads it does recoil big time. I have very large hands so it's what I'd consider brutal but manageable. I got the laser sites as an added an option and I find the dot very easy and quick to pick up in anything but broad daylight outdoors. One of the reasons I got the laser grips was in case I had to fire from a position where I wasn't able to use the iron sites. Say from just out of the pocket or something (firing from the hip perhaps). Not that I would ever want to do that in practice unless I absolutely had no choice. At least the option is there.

[sgruenhagen44]

First, barrel length has nothing to do with accuracy, provided it is long enough for the bullet to accelerate to the velocity needed for the rifling to impart enough spin on the bullet for it to be gyroscopically stabilized. A shorter barrel results in a loss of velocity, which effects the terminal ballistics of the round when it hits the target.

Second, a laser is useful in situations where you are unable to use any other targeting mechanism, such as in confined spaces where you cannot get a proper sight picture, military applications where night vision is being used, or as a training aid. Using a laser as the primary targeting mechanism on a carry gun is a poor idea. The reason is that it takes longer to chase down and reacquire the dot that it does to properly realign iron sights or point shoot. The idea that a laser is a good targeting mechanism on a handgun is an urban myth for all but a few extremely rare circumstances.

In my highly prejudiced and biased opinion, the Sig P938 is about the best pocket gun you can get. While its a little larger than the LCP and friends, it's a 9mm rather than .380, shoots more accurately, is more controllable, has real night sights, and you can put a few hundred rounds through it without excessively fatiguing your hand. Plus it's a Sig! Whether your going to carry it in a pocket or in the waistband, a Remora holster works really well.

You now are $0.02 richer, don't spend it all at once

I would have to disagree. I have a ruger SRH and a ruger SRH alaskan. I would not feel comfortable shooting the Alaskan at 100 yards from a bench at a deer. But that's just me. I don't see very many guys shooting guns with less than 6" for hunting but that is just me. And yes i know he is not planning on using it for hunting but just the same. Typically everyone will shoot a larger framed gun better. If this was not true then you would see a lot smaller guns in competition.

[jshuberg]

I didn't say frame size doesn't have anything to do with accuracy, I said barrel length doesn't. A firearm with a smaller barrel will shoot a bullet slower, but just as accurately as a longer barrel, everything else being the same.

It's an urban legend that a longer barrel equals greater accuracy. It doesn't, it equals greater velocity. Frame size and ergonomics do play a role in the person who's holding the pistol being able to aim and follow through properly, as well as minimizing their arc of movement. That's why I recommended the P938, its a little bigger than the LCP and friends, but that slight increase in size gives you significantly better ergonomics and controllability, real sights, a slide that locks back on an empty mag, etc.

A longer barrel with a higher muzzle velocity will also result in better terminal ballistics and longer range, which are the real advantages of longer barrels, not accuracy.

[tman]

I didn't say frame size doesn't have anything to do with accuracy, I said barrel length doesn't. A firearm with a smaller barrel will shoot a bullet slower, but just as accurately as a longer barrel, everything else being the same.

It's an urban legend that a longer barrel equals greater accuracy. It doesn't, it equals greater velocity. Frame size and ergonomics do play a role in the person who's holding the pistol being able to aim and follow through properly, as well as minimizing their arc of movement. That's why I recommended the P938, its a little bigger than the LCP and friends, but that slight increase in size gives you significantly better ergonomics and controllability, real sights, a slide that locks back on an empty mag, etc.

A longer barrel with a higher muzzle velocity will also result in better terminal ballistics and longer range, which are the real advantages of longer barrels, not accuracy.

Splitting hairs.

You won't be shooting from a bench rest, so, as a practical matter, barrel length makes a BIG difference. Sight radius, and all that..

[jshuberg]

Splitting hairs.

You're right, especially when talking about compact pistols that aren't designed for accuracy in the first place. At the same time though, trying to dispel a commonly held misunderstanding isn't a bad thing. Pointing out the devil in the details and all that....

[sgruenhagen44]

in my book forgiveness=accuracy if you see what i'm saying

[Holland&Holland]

Didn't Jerry Micheluk make a 200 yard hit with a S&W J frame upside down? Just saying, it is the indian not the arrow.