Originally Posted by
Rex G
For this petite officer, two things come to mind: Belt pouch holster, and G42. Tex Shoemaker used to make leather belt pouches, somewhat like squared-off handcuff cases, that exactly accommodated the AMT Back-Up, and would accept some other decent small pistols. The Safepacker, from The Wilderness, is nylon, and is in production, in sizes down to Colt Mustang.he Safepacker can be worn on a belt, slung by a strap, or hand-carried like a clutch purse.
Plenty of people have posted that the G42 is a gentle-recoiling .380 pistol, much more comfortable than the various Kel-tec-ish beasties. (The similar Ruger is in this group of beasties.) For reference, I helped my wife run break-in/function-test rounds through her Kel-tec 32, during which time we both grew to hate the thing; it squirmed during the trigger stroke, shifted position during recoil, and, after a number of shots, hurt. It has sat on a shelf, unused, for years now. Thinking the P3AT's grip frame was wider, I bought one, sight unseen, when they were difficult to find, only to find it was the same size, so I sold it, unfired. Our Seecamp LWS-32 pistols are gentle, in comparison, but I m not so sure about depending upon a sightless pistol, beyond nasal-spray range, especially as it points low in my hands.
For my use, well, a PPK/s or J-snub would be my idea of minimally OK, for sighted fire. A PPK is beyond the point of diminishing returns, being too punishing to use for training, at least when chambered for .380 ACP. It is not that .380 in a PPK kicks too hard, but that slide bite starts immediately, whereas the PPK/s bites me less, plus, the PPK/s has a larger gripping area, so remains stable during the trigger stroke, whereas the PPK wants to squirm during the DA pull.
I have made enough shooting calls to know that .380 ACP can be quite effective, at least at close range, with face-to-face opponents. Obviously, obese or muscular opponents would likely require face shots, so anyone depending upon tiny guns.