Pocket guns - they might be praised or cursed, daily carried or a "safe queen", but what self-respecting "gun nut" doesn't have at least one in their collection? I own several myself, most of the Smith & Wesson "J" Frame variety. For several years they were all that I used when I carried in public. A steel frame S&W M649 being my main carry gun from 1997 to 2003. That little .38 Bodyguard traveled nearly everywhere with me and it still sees occasional use right up to today. Despite having better carry guns I still know how useful a good pocket gun can be. Pocket guns have a lot going for them, ease of concealment being one big factor. Their small size and (generally) light weight also make carrying them all day long a minor chore. But ultimately it is the convenience of the pocket gun that has to be its greatest asset. When your little gun isn't much of a burden on you it is much more likely to be taken when you leave the house. And that's the best thing the pocket gun has going for it, since it's much more likely to go with you, it is much more likely to be there when you need it. How many better self-defense handguns get left at home because they're too much a burden?
But you do trade off the convenience of the pocket gun for other important considerations. Generally, they are much harder to shoot well and to make consistent hits with, more practice is definitely needed. The lighter weight guns can actually be painful to shoot (causing you to practice much less with them) and many pocket guns are in less effective "mouse gun" calibers. But whatever else good or bad that might be said about little pocket guns the most important thing you can say is that they are much more likely to be there when you really need them, and that's probably the most important thing that you could ever say...
No comments:
Post a Comment