Pocket Handgun: Small 9mm Auto or 642 Airweight?

[Glenn E. Meyer]

They are what they are. A last ditch BUG or lazy going to the mail box gun in a probability safe area. On DA STREETZ, in Florida (probably mentioned this before) two old geezers in a restaurant took on a robber with a shotgun with a NAA and a Derringer in 22 mag. Put some rounds in him and he fled. Got the reference somewhere.

One cannot forget, recently, the old geezer waving a PUG at a BLM demonstration sporting ARs. Some internet folks clam that he scared them away but their leaders just talked them to pass him by. One AR guy was racking a round, so if PUG opened up, he was toast. However, his sensible woman companion dragged his warrior butt inside.

Then there was the LEO killed by one while his opponent absorbed 357 magnums into his fat. Well known as I'm sure someone can reference it.

You can hit stuff in the 3 to 7 yard range pretty reliably. Now with a NAA 22S - you can't hit anything at a distance or I can't. I bought it just because, just as I want the Iver Johnson vaporware Sharps replica.

The NAAs keyhole all the time. Never be a primary EDC for me.

[Joe in PNG]

They are what they are. A last ditch BUG or lazy going to the mail box gun in a probability safe area. On DA STREETZ, in Florida (probably mentioned this before) two old geezers in a restaurant took on a robber with a shotgun with a NAA and a Derringer in 22 mag. Put some rounds in him and he fled. Got the reference somewhere.
One cannot forget, recently, the old geezer waving a PUG at a BLM demonstration sporting ARs. Some internet folks clam that he scared them away but their leaders just talked them to pass him by. One AR guy was racking a round, so if PUG opened up, he was toast. However, his sensible woman companion dragged his warrior butt inside.
Then there was the LEO killed by one while his opponent absorbed 357 magnums into his fat. Well known as I'm sure someone can reference it.
You can hit stuff in the 3 to 7 yard range pretty reliably. Now with a NAA 22S - you can't hit anything at a distance or I can't. I bought it just because, just as I want the Iver Johnson vaporware Sharps replica.
The NAAs keyhole all the time. Never be a primary EDC for me.

The NAA is better than nothing, but so's my FN 1906 in .25acp or a Baby Browning. And those are just as easy to tote while being a lot easier to shoot.

Then again, I could get a LCP or S&W Bodyguard .380 in roughly the same size envelope...

[BillSWPA]

The NAA revolvers made a lot more sense before good, tiny .32 pistols became widely available. At least the 1 1/8 inch .22 lr. is smaller than any semiauto, and significantly smaller than some pocket .22 or .25 guns.

They are reliable, unlike some of these tiny semiautos.

They can be carried safely with the hammer lowered into a notch in the cylinder between chambers. Some tiny single action semiautos might not have the same level of safety.

They have surprisingly high intrinsic accuracy, although converting that to practical accuracy is not easy. The boot grips or slip on rubber grip go a long way towards preventing recoil from compromising accuracy.

They still make some sense if one needs the absolute smallest, lightest gun available.


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[CraigS]

If one is confident that 6 rnds are all that will be needed a revolver may be fine. If you think more than 6 might be a good idea go to an idpa match and watch the revolver shooters reload. W/ the special carriers and the gun setup to use moon clips or other reload devices the guys who shoot them a lot can be kind of OK on a reload. But carrying ammo that way in normal life pales in comparison to a spare semi auto mag.

[Glenn E. Meyer]

You are correct. J frames are one or two (at best) opponent guns. When I shoot a revolver at a match, I use HKS speed loaders as that might be in a jacket pocket. I don't modify my guns for moon clips, etc. I'm just getting some practice shooting at targets with what I carry and moving around some. The game score means nothing. Accuracy does though.

Js are for defined circumstance. A belt semi and an extra mag is the reasonable real world carry if you move away from the one mugger at the gas pump. The folks as in the Hackthorn, Wilson possibility vs. probability video have an incredibly unsophisticated view of risk analysis for everyday life.

[Mike Pipes]

I will post pictures when I get home . I have a pair of Rohrbaugh's , 9mm, set up for pocket carry. Pretty slick little guns. I DO NOT carry them in my pockets because housekeeping is not my thing. Pocket lint and general dirt covers the 640s I carry daily and they WORK every time!.......................CYA Mike

[JHC]

You are correct. J frames are one or two (at best) opponent guns. When I shoot a revolver at a match, I use HKS speed loaders as that might be in a jacket pocket. I don't modify my guns for moon clips, etc. I'm just getting some practice shooting at targets with what I carry and moving around some. The game score means nothing. Accuracy does though.

Js are for defined circumstance. A belt semi and an extra mag is the reasonable real world carry if you move away from the one mugger at the gas pump. The folks as in the Hackthorn, Wilson possibility vs. probability video have an incredibly unsophisticated view of risk analysis for everyday life.

Hack isn't that big of a J frame fan. He gives me the impression they were useful to him when he carried one as a back up but not as a primary. Just for the record.

[oldtexan]

......The folks as in the Hackthorn, Wilson possibility vs. probability video have an incredibly unsophisticated view of risk analysis for everyday life.

Mr. Meyer, I've watched most or all the Hack/Bill Wilson Gun Guy videos but couldn't figure out which one you were referencing here. And what is the "unsophisticated view of risk analysis for everyday life" you refer to above? Thanks in advance.

[Tannhauser]

Short answer to be followed up on;

Nothing has drawn as clean from a pocket for me as a internal hammer snub such as the 642 or LCR.

Most of the small semi autos I've tried were nowhere near as reliable as my snubs. I am not the only person to observe this.

One reason many people don't is that they do not commonly draw their carry gun and shoot it in the manner that they were carrying it, ie without unloading the carry ammo and reloading the gun with ball ammo. Fired as they have been carried I note many semi autos have a "one round and a stovepipe" habit.

@Chuck Haggard do you think this stovepipe when "fired as carried" is due to poor performance of carry vs. ball ammo, poor firing grip when drawing from a holster or some combination of both?

I'm curious to see if there's a hole in my pocket carry testing and training I need to fill.

[Chuck Haggard]

@Chuck Haggard do you think this stovepipe when "fired as carried" is due to poor performance of carry vs. ball ammo, poor firing grip when drawing from a holster or some combination of both?

I'm curious to see if there's a hole in my pocket carry testing and training I need to fill.

It appears to be an artifact of the gun not being manipulated or lubed for a period of time. One of my friends noted that if he went more than two weeks without getting rid of the pocket dsut and lubing the gun that he'd regularly get the one round and a stove pipe effect