Pocket Carry

[owejia]

Looking at a Walther .380 ppk/s in ss for pocket carry.Give me the good, bad or ugly about it.Thanks

[ReloaderFred]

I had a blue one and finally sold it. It was too big to fit in my pocket, and too heavy, even with a good belt.

These days I carry a Sig P238 .380 in the back pocket of my jeans, with a thick piece of leather the same size as my pocket between the gun and the outside of my pants to hide the outline. I also carry a folded handkerchief between the leather and the outside to further hide the outline. Nobody has spotted it yet that I know of.

I also only buy Duluth Trading Co. jeans, since they're rugged and have ample pockets. They're cheaper than a good holster, too...........

Hope this helps.

Fred

[monadnock#5]

I have a SIG P238 that I've used for pocket carry. Excellent concealability and very comfortable. Where it all breaks down is trying to draw while seated. If seated and your first indication that something is wrong is when you hear "NOBODY MOVE", ........ My advice is to look at IWB holsters.

[Groo]

Groo here
For pocket, one of the single stack autos or airweight j franes.
Like Keltec ruger sw shield, or in my case a robaugh r9s.

[Jupiter7]

Only gun I ever really liked in my pocket was my little Seecamp 32. Just didn't like feeding it prior to my casting and reloading days.

[Petrol & Powder]

The Walther PPK/S is a good pistol and I've had a few of them. I no longer recommend the .380 auto due to the availability of very small 9mm pistols these days but there's nothing wrong with the PPK. They are well made, albeit a bit more complex than a Sig Sauer P230 or P232 which I consider to be the main competition in that class. Both guns shoot extremely well and represent what can be accomplished with good design and materials. The PPK has a 1911 style magazine release button but it is located very high on the frame. For a pocket pistol I would rather have a heel magazine release to increase the security of the magazine. In a small pocket pistol - It is far better to have 1 loaded magazine securely in the gun than to have the ability to change mags quickly.
As for the safety on a PPK, that's up to you but there are two possible carry modes: hammer down, safety on OR hammer down safety off. The gun has a inertia type firing pin and is safe to carry with the hammer down and the safety off. The double action trigger allows for a fairly fast first shot. Whatever you decide, practice with it in that mode exclusively.
As for pocket carry of a small semi-auto with an exposed hammer.....that might pose some difficulties. The PPK is a great little gun but I'm not sure it lends itself to pocket carry. There's a hammer, fairly sharp rear sight, magazine release button, safety lever and some sharp edges. It can be done but it wouldn't be my first choice.
I think a hammerless 38 special subnose, like a S&W Model 640 or 642 is a GREAT gun for pocket carry, in a pocket holster; but anything with a hammer on it is trouble waiting to happen during a draw from the pocket.
The Walther PPK and PPK/S pistols are proven designs. They are basically Swiss watches that go bang. Like most German firearms, they work pretty damn well. (The only things the Germans like more than beer are guns & cars and they do all three well ! ) The PPK is a simple blowback design and utilizes a fixed barrel. They are very accurate and dependable pistols. All of mine would cycle with any decent ball ammo and most hollow points.
If the criteria is pocket carry, I would strongly suggest a hammerless revolver instead. if you're just looking for a concealable pistol and you're not wedded to the Walther, I'd look at one of the 9mm pistols in the same size.

[Finster101]

The Walther is a nice pistol but as said above a little too heavy for pocket carry to me. A keltec is way less money and weight. You also don't mind them getting beat up and worn a little being inexpensive. I have carried one for about 6 years now and it goes bang every time.

[Petrol & Powder]

The Walther is a nice pistol but as said above a little too heavy for pocket carry to me. A keltec is way less money and weight. You also don't mind them getting beat up and worn a little being inexpensive. I have carried one for about 6 years now and it goes bang every time.

/\ Very good point. Real carry guns get beat up.

Another option is the Kahr MK9 (heavy but works very well ) or the PM9 (a little lighter), both are 9mm pistols that are almost the same size as a PPK and have good track records.

[Markbo]

For pocket carry I chose a KelTec P11. 9mm power (my personal minimum) & 11 rounds. Carried in an Uncle Mikes no.4 nylon pocket holster it disappears. FWIW this holster is 100% reliable. An expensive pretty all leather holster came out with the gun on it about 1/3 of the time. Not good. This cheap nylon holster never does.

[Petrol & Powder]

About 20 years ago when someone was looking for a small semi-auto pistol for concealed carry I would recommend the PPK, PPK/S or Sig P230 (with a slight favor towards the SIG). However, with the advent of small, reliable 9mm pistols in the same size/weight class as most .380 autos, I no longer recommend the .380 auto cartridge. If you have one and are proficient with it, they are great pistols, but I wouldn't go out and get one now in light of what is currently available.
A light weight, hammerless 38 Special J-frame holds fewer rounds but is still my choice for that "reserve parachute" type of gun.

[TCLouis]

Have you considered a LCP or TCP for pocket carry?

Light at about 11 ounces, put one in a DeSanis Fabric or "Simply Rugged" Leather pocket holster and you have something small enough to always have with you.

The big ol 1911, GP100, 686 back in the safe offers one absolutely no protection. Some carry thes every day too, so it can be done.

The LC9 is a possibility for just slightly greater frame size.

[John Allen]

I have a ruger lcp it is a great pocket gun. I have one of the pocket inserts so it is always facing the right direction.

[Garyshome]

Ruger LCP!

[FergusonTO35]

How about Glock 42? About the same size as a PPK, more lightweight, and cheaper.

[Low Budget Shooter]

The bad: it is heavy for pocket carry; there are all kinds of decent options much lighter. LBS

[Petrol & Powder]

The Good: It's a very well made stainless steel pistol. It's durable, safe, reliable and an accurate shooting pistol with decent sights. It is a well proven design.
The Bad: It's relatively heavy for its size, not well suited for pocket carry due to the exposed hammer and sharp edges. The button mag release may result in the magazine becoming unseated when carried in a pocket. The PPK/S is built on the larger PP frame and is therefore more difficult to conceal than the PPK.
The Ugly: They are relatively expensive. There are 9mm pistols available on today's market that are the same size or smaller and often lighter weight. There are 9mm pistols now available with simpler operating systems.

I've owned a few Walther PPK and PPK/S pistols and they are great guns. I've never owned /shot one that I was unhappy with in any way. There are just way more options these days that didn't exist 20+ years ago. The energy available from a 115 to 124 grain 9mm bullet fired from a 9mm x 19mm cartridge is significantly greater than anything available from a 90-105 gr 9mm x 17mm cartridge. With the current crop of small, locked breach, lightweight 9mm Lugar pistols on the market, I would be reluctant to select a .380 auto.

[OuchHot!]

I have/do carry one in pocket carry. I would never carry one without a pocket holster. With the pocket holster, I don't find the exposed hammer an issue. I, like the other responders, find it way too heavy. It wags around in a large pocket like an anchor. The walther is old school and not quite so tolerant of alternatives to round nosed bullets. Make sure that your combat load works 100%. I have never had the mag release trip on mine. I have a Kahr pm40 now and might drop use of the walther as a result.

[Airman Basic]

LCR for me

[Larry in MT]

I DO remember carrying mine in the deep pocket of a leather coat -- but it's not an ideal pocket carry. I used a Bianchi shoulder holster most of the time. My PPK/S was 100% reliable and fairly accurate. At that time (early 80s) I used WW Silvertips in it.

[MtGun44]

Very heavy for what it is, and also, since it is a blowback design,
the recoil is amazingly snappy for a heavy .380. The more modern designs
are locked breech, softer recoil and MUCH lighter designs - better
for pocket carry.

IMO, the PPK/s is too big and heavy for pocket carry for most people.

I very often have a Kel-Tec P3AT in a pocket, far lighter - which will
increase the recoil - but because it is a locked breech gun, the recoil
is similar to the PPK/S - which literally weighs almost 3 times as much.
(8.3 oz vs 22.4 oz, both unloaded).

Bill

[FergusonTO35]

Those of you with the LCP: how far does it fling the brass? I'm thinking about getting one.

[wbranger]

My LCP throws brass about six feet. Been carrying it for years in a Blackhawk pocket holster that I modified to carry a second magazine. It is a great summer gun, fits in just about any pocket, is reliable and surprisingly accurate.

[fourarmed]

I have tried several things, and the only one comfortable enough that I forget I have it is a Smith 642 with Crimson Trace grips in a DeSantis pocket holster.

[FergusonTO35]

Six feet is not bad at all. Thats the only thing I dont like about my Kel-Tec P32, it flings brass into the next county. I've been thinking about getting one or the Kel Tec P3AT. I have this nice $20.00 Lee mold so I better spend several hundred on gun/mags/parts to go with it!!