Super Light Carry?

[Jim147]

My back is hurting a bit again.

I carried my XD45 today. It's not a heavy piece but it does weigh me down by the end of the day.

I'm thinking about getting a super light carry piece and keep the heavy stuff in the truck.

(I have a pair of B2's overhead I got a little distracted. Actually the second one was overhead when I heard the first one. Have you ever seen a B1B at high speed ground level.   )

But anyway, I was thinking about an NAA Mini or a little pocket derringer. I know they make some small .380's and 9's these days but I haven't shot any of them.

What are you  carrying that is small?

jim

[Boomhauer]

The NAA mini and those derringers are stupid for general carry, IMHO, and seem to make the most sales to the "Taurus Judge" type crowd as a backup piece.

Go, at a minimum, with one of the little Kel-Tecs or Rugers or similar...Very small, rather light, and still usable.

[zahc]

My PF9 is about as small as I would go with a firearm. It's very carryable and with the right ammo, very reliable. NAA mini revolvers are terrifying and I have trouble even thinking of them as weapons.

[Perd Hapley]

http://www.surefire.com/Flashlights

[RaspberrySurprise]

There are a number of rather small and light .380 or 9mm pocket poppers out there. They will be much much better than a NAA or derringer.

[Jamisjockey]

Kel tec PF9 or P3AT.  Done.

[French G.]

P3AT or one of the ridiculously light Smiths like a 342 or 340. Now just because it says .357 doesn't mean you have to put them in there.

[Jim147]

I'll take a look at the Keltechs and a light stubnose is something that sounds good to me.

I forgot to mention the Rugar LCP just doesn't work in my hands. I've had arthritis since i was about 22.

jim

[MillCreek]

I bought my Taurus TCP (.380) specifically as a lightweight compact carry while I am on the bicycles and motorcycles.

[Zardozimo Oprah Bannedalas]

Beretta 21a.

[230RN]

"like a 342 or 340"

I've got both the AirLite and the AirWeight versions.  The titanium/scandium one is so amazingly light that it feels like an empty water pistol when you pick it up.  No.  Don't fire .357s in that, "even though it says so on the barrel."  I can handle 125gr +Ps in it, or regular .38s with 158 grain bullets, but that's as far as I'll go.

I actually usually carry the steel one, which is slightly heavier, but only because I'm less concerned with the blued finish than with the anodized finish on the scandium one in terms of  regular pocket wear. 

[Monkeyleg]

My brother had one of the first S&W scandium j-frames, and it was a nice little revolver (emphasis on "little"). Five rounds of .38 in a 14.7 ounce package is doing pretty good.

I haven't shot the Kel-Tec's or the LCP or Taurus TCP, so I can only go by others' complaint or observations.

[dogmush]

I have a Sig P238 for pocket carry.  It's been great for me.  Also, of all the pocket .380's I tried it shoots the softest and is the easiest to hit things with.  I still have my NAA in the safe somewhere, but I don't even take it to the range anymore.

[mtnbkr]

I've carried nothing but a S&W 37 (Airweight 38spec) for the past 5 years.  Pocket or belt carry, same gun all the time.

Chris

[280plus]

I swap between a P-32 and a S&W 332 titanium airweight in .32 H&R Mag in my pocket. More terminal energy than a .38 and it's 6 shots. Georgia Arms has good ammo for it. 100 GR ~ 1000 fps. The 332 is no longer available, it is a 432 now. Steel cylinder instead of titanium. A little heavier but ~$200 cheaper.

http://www.smithwessonhandguns.com/item/65746_Smith__Wesson_Hand_Guns_Pistols_SW_432PD_2_32HR_MAG_BL_.aspx

[Fly320s]

My back is hurting a bit again.

I carried my XD45 today. It's not a heavy piece but it does weigh me down by the end of the day.
jim

A gun is supposed to be comforting, not comfortable. - Clint Smith

Do you have a back injury?  if you do, then I can understand wanting a lighter gun, otherwise I recommend you strengthen your back through exercise. If you're as fit as you will ever be, then you need to take a look at how you carry the gun. A proper belt and holster combination can really help.

Finally, have you considered using a smaller XD?  You may be able to use the same equipment you have now, and you won't have to learn a new gun.

[T.O.M.]

For me, light and small means my Smith 642.  Anything smaller I've tried just doesn't work with my hands.  And the pocket autos, well, I worry that Mr. Murphy is going to put a dust bunny or lint ball in the wrong spot and cause a jam, while the closed mechanism of the 642 won't have that issue.  Yeah, I know, odds of that happening are pretty slim, but that's my choice.

[KD5NRH]

1911 barrel and a tack hammer with the face ground to a rounded point.

[Kingcreek]

Kahr PM9 in a Crossbreed MiniTuck holster. So comfortable I can easily forget its there, but then it also helps that I have a permanent 1911 sized divet over my right hip.

[Viking]

Here's a nice, small, light pistol .

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2_mm_Kolibri

[HankB]

My "always" gun is an S&W 340Sc, loaded with 145 grain .357 Silvertips. I put on a set of Crimson Trace grips that covers the backstrap with rubber, so it's merely unpleasant - rather than painful - to shoot. At least for a few cylinders . . . it's not a good choice for an extended range session with .357's.   

I carry it in a pocket holster, and it's very light indeed, without the functioning problems that are endemic around small autos. (A year or two back American Rifleman tested a large selection of, IIRC, .380 autos - all but ONE experienced malfunctions during the testing.)

A good stiff belt and proper holster go a long way towards making a larger gun more comfortable. Galco makes a belt with a leather face and hard rubber backing that won't sag, and the Milt Sparks Versa-Max II is about as comforable as an IWB holster will get; I have one for a 1911, and it works nicely for my BHP.

[CNYCacher]

I met a guy once who claimed to keep a .22 pistol under his shirt using a .22 bore brush attached to a chain around his neck, pushed down the barrel.

I didn't think it was a particularly safe idea, but I'll float it out there.

[Brad Johnson]

Ruger LCP in a DeSantis Pocket Pal.  Perfect for the hip pocket in your jeans or the front pocket of your dress slacks.  It's my American Express card... I don't leave home without it.

Brad

[41magsnub]

I met a guy once who claimed to keep a .22 pistol under his shirt using a .22 bore brush attached to a chain around his neck, pushed down the barrel.

I didn't think it was a particularly safe idea, but I'll float it out there.

lol, I have an image of him drawing by yanking the pistol down then the bore brush on the chain recoils and sticks in his eye!

[AZRedhawk44]

A gun is supposed to be comforting, not comfortable. - Clint Smith

Do you have a back injury?  if you do, then I can understand wanting a lighter gun, otherwise I recommend you strengthen your back through exercise. If you're as fit as you will ever be, then you need to take a look at how you carry the gun. A proper belt and holster combination can really help.

Finally, have you considered using a smaller XD?  You may be able to use the same equipment you have now, and you won't have to learn a new gun.

Win.

XD9sc or XD40sc would be good to consider.

13 rounds of 45acp is heavy.

10 rounds of 9mm is MUCH lighter.  While still being respectable firepower and capable of accepting the longer full-sized magazines from Springfield (16rd) or MecGar (18rd).

But, try the following first:
-Each morning, wake up and do 50 stomach crunches and 20 push-ups.  Next week, make it 75/25.  Then 100/30.  Your core muscles will get stronger and carry will hurt less.
-If you don't have one yet, get a proper bullhide gun belt.  Make sure you're not cinching it tight around your waist.  It should ride on your hips and support the gun, not squeeze into your kidneys.