by crbutler on Fri Oct 03, 2014 11:18 pm
I have a few, and will list what I consider the pros and cons of them. I am not sticking purely with .45's or autos. I will admit I haven't gotten any of the new Kahr or small Ruger guns, as they really haven't impressed me over what I already have. I will admit their price point beats most of these.
Colt Officer's model: (.45 ACP)
Quite accurate for a "little" gun. The slide is somewhat hard to retract due to a pretty heavy recoil spring. This is a bushing gun, and because of this, the front sight on mine has come loose a few times. My major gripe with this gun is that for some reason it consistently shoots 6"+ low. I have used this in IDPA BUG gun matches for a few years, and the only malfunctions I have had with it were using 155 grain LSWC's and not cleaning it for the whole season.
Colt Defender: (.40S&W)
Not as accurate as the officer's (but is capable of hitting a full IPSC target at 50 yards even with me shooting it), but is bushingless and seems a little easier to field strip. I have had problems with it for reliability only with using full size .45 mags which don't eject or insert as well as the defender mag does.
Para Warthog (.45 ACP)
Don't. This pig has been a consistently unreliable pistol for me. I thought a highcap subcompact in .45 would be neat. This is the one that I have had very problem in the book that people talk about with subcompacts and double stack mags. Its really wide, and is not very concealable even if you are weight challenged like me. I would rather haul around a full size 1911, as it prints less.
Glock 29 (10 mm)
This is the one that I am not real happy with, and even so, it works for usual CCW ranges. The issue with it is that the slide is a bit cockeyed- and the selling company refused to do anything and then Glock said it was used... In any case, from the bench it is a 5" gun at 25 yards, it just doesn't go where the sights are. This thing has flash and awe, but its recoil is not that horrible even with full house 10mm loads. It is a little too thick for my tastes, but is functional as a holster gun. It is much more packable than the full size M20.
Glock 27 (.40 S&W)
A bit thick, but much more tolerable as a baby gun than the 29. This is an early gen gun, and the slide is a but hard to pull back. To be honest, I inherited this piece, and would not have gotten the .40 if I had paid for it. It is more regulated sight wise than the 10mm, but not quite as accurate. I think this gun is really not much of a gain as far as concealability over the Glock 22. Its thick, rather long, and the short grip is all you gain out of it. I have a bit of an issue with limp wristing these little glocks, and for some reason the 27 shows it more than the 29.
SIG 230 (.380)
In a word, don't. It is rather big (as in larger than most of the new 9mm sub compacts, and is larger than a PPK) and it is painful to shoot. It is beautifully built, and is reliable with ammo it likes- it is a blowback gun, and it is finicky about ammo.
Beretta 84 (.380)
This gun is basically a reduced version of the M92 service pistol. Its a double stack mag gun. A blowback design, its not too painful to shoot due to the larger grips. Really, this is not a subcompact gun. Accuracy is about on par with a M92, in other words, rather decent. Trigger is typical DA. The slide is difficult to manipulate. Wile it is usable as a belt gun, its too big for even cargo pocket carry. If I want to carry a gun this size, I would go with a commander sized 1911.
Colt Pocketlight Mustang (.380)
This wins the semiauto concealability prize for me. It's light, small enough for easy pocket carry, and while the .380 is not a real defensive round, rule one is ... have a gun. Its not real accurate, the sights are small and somewhat hard to pick up, especially in low light; but it is usable. I wouldn't want to have to shoot a hostage taker with it, but it will put 7 in the center of mass at 10 yards reliably. As a locked breech gun (not blowback) it has by far the least recoil of any .380 I have shot. The down side is that the slide will retract a bit in the holster, and while I have never had an issue with it, I could see where it could cause a problem.
Beretta Tomcat (.32 ACP)
Concealable, functional. Very heavy trigger, which I doubt someone with arthritis or a woman would find controllable in DA. Not real accurate, maybe center of mass at 7 yards. Sights are even worse than the Mustang. It does have a flip up barrel, which is good, as even for me, with sweaty hands I can't reliably work the slide. It would be fine if I invested a bunch of time/money tuning it, but a .32 is not my idea of a defensive cartridge.
Seecamp .32
I don't have one, but shot one once. If I had to get a .32 auto for defensive purposes, this would be it. Trigger isn't too bad, it is minute of mugger at 10 yards, sights are rudimentary, but seemed to work for me. A real slick little gun.
Non Autos:
S&W 698 (.44 SPL)
This is more or less a Fitz special, except I didn't have the trigger guard removed. Accurate, controllable, but a bit heavy when compared to the smaller smiths. Not a real pocket gun.
S&W 329SCi (.44 Mag)
Bear gun. Its really light, and surprisingly accurate, especially if you are using light loads. As its a .44 mag, its a bit big (bigger than the 698) Really a light belt gun more than a pocket gun. If you load up the hot bear rounds (300 grain hard cast) it will hurt to shoot it.
S&W 60 (.357)
IMO the best balance between concealability and power. Mine is every bit as accurate as a full size gun when I put it in a ransom rest, but the rudimentary sights and short distance make it hard to shoot. Full house magnum loads are sharp and painful, but usable in small doses. This has an unshrouded hammer, so I can shoot it single action which really helps for accuracy. In a pocket holster, it can live in your pants pocket without too much difficulty.
S&W 640 (.357)
Shrouded hammer version of the above. A little less accurate due to the loss of the SA shooting option. If you don't maintain your piece regularly, a bit of a better choice for a BUG as it keeps the crud out of the action.
Taurus M85 (.38 Spl)
Essentially the Taurus version of the S&W chief's special. Not anywhere as nice a gun as the smiths- I brought this to prove that snobbery was wrong. Unfortunately I think it is right. Don't get me wrong, the M85 is a functional piece, but its about 2X the group size of the Smith, its fit and finish are no where near as good, and the trigger is fugly. While I would use it to defend myself if I could not afford better, a smith is much nicer.
NAA Mini revolver (.22 RF/ .22 WMR)
This is a very small gun. I always worry about getting something where it shouldn't be with this thing (like at the cylinder gap) About the only use I see for this (other than rule 1) is with shot loads for snakes.