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Pocket Pistol Preferences?

5Cent

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Good review input JB, enjoy!

Curious as to your thoughts of the .380 round. I found it hilarious how much it drops after 5yrds. It is definitely a close qtr gun, and while typically the sound of rounds going off will diffuse a situation, I am leaning towards keeping .38spl as the smallest round.
 

jagermeister

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Good review input JB, enjoy!

Curious as to your thoughts of the .380 round. I found it hilarious how much it drops after 5yrds. It is definitely a close qtr gun, and while typically the sound of rounds going off will diffuse a situation, I am leaning towards keeping .38spl as the smallest round.
Ordered some cheap ball ammo last night as well as some Hornady XTP hollow points. After some extensive research, the XTPs looked like a very reliable round. Not the deepest penetrator in its class, but one of the most consistent in both penetration and expansion/retention. I'm curious as to how well it shoots as well, or rather, how well I shoot it. Looking forward to getting this gun. I also spent hours researching holsters last night. I decided to try out a Sticky holster. As small as this gun is, the Sticky will apparently work great in a pocket, but will also give me the versatility to tuck it into my waistband if I feel the need...like in case I need to put something else in that pocket or something. There seemed to be lots of good reviews of the Sticky holsters. We shall see...
 

hickslawns

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Looking forward to the reviews of the gun and holster Jim. I like the write up on different guns you checked out. Informative opinions there.
 

jagermeister

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Took possession of the new "toy" today and couldn't wait to get to the range with it. I must say, so far I am more than pleased with this pistol. For as small as it is, it's accuracy is shocking to say the least. I ran a box of 50 rounds through it (Estate 95 gr FMJ) and ZERO problems... nothing, nada, zilch. No misfires, ftf's, fte's... nothing. So far, here are my thoughts on it: 1) The trigger travel is very long. Much longer than I'm used to. But, it's is an extremely consistent pull, and the break is about as crisp as it gets. It feels like a trigger that could be on some upper-end rifles... no shit. 2) You better hold on tight to this thing. It is not a brutal gun to shoot... in fact, it was a pleasure to shoot it. But it will jump around on you if you're not holding on. You don't have to strangle it, but "firm" to "quite-firm" would be a good grip description I guess. 3) I love the magazine. 6-round mag. Fast and very easy to load. Not bulky, but not cheap... Just a simple, lightweight magazine. 4) Take-down is a bit of a challenge. You have to pull the slide back about 1/3 of the way and line up the pin for the slide release with a recess in the slide, then push the pin out from the strong side of the gun. That's the tough part. It's not that you have to be gorilla-strong to do it... It's just such a small gun that it's awkward to get ahold of just right. Once you get that pin out, it's just pull the trigger and off comes the slide like many others.

Obviously the jury is still out, but so far I really like this one.





First twelve shots on the left, and the following six shots on the right. All from 7 yards. Not bad for a 2.5" barrel. :)

 

jagermeister

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Too soon to form a rock solid opinion, but so far this Sticky holster is just "okay." It works great for IWB, even in athletic shorts or sweatpants. Stays where it should, comfortable, quick and easy. However in loose pockets it doesn't seem to worth a shit. Prints easily and pulls out with the gun 50% of the time or more. You have to make a conscious effort to draw the gun a certain way in order to leave the holster behind... That's likely not going to happen in a moment of life or death. But, it's not exactly designed specifically for pocket-carrying either, so I don't blame the holster.
 

jagermeister

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However in loose pockets it doesn't seem to worth a shit. Prints easily and pulls out with the gun 50% of the time or more. You have to make a conscious effort to draw the gun a certain way in order to leave the holster behind... That's likely not going to happen in a moment of life or death.

Alright, so I'm going to retract the above statement about the Sticky holster. As I've worn it more and the gun has spent more time inside of it, it seems to have "formed" to the gun somewhat, and has become much more effective for pocket carry. As far as printing goes, I'm sure it's not the best option available but it's not terrible. Now that the holster fits the gun better, it is quite easy to "push" the holster away from the gun with a finger as you start your draw from the pocket. I can now consistently make a quick and clean draw from this holster from any position on my body. So far I really like this thing. It's amazing how well it stays put inside the waistband. I'm not sure it'd be just as nice with a larger pistol, but for a sub-compact it's the cat's pajamas.