Talk me into / out of p938 for pocket carry

Cap

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I need something to pocket carry (in MA) and leaning towards p938; previous front runner was a pm9. Prefer something 9mm vs .380.
 
I love mine!!! Good size, accurate, OK round (the 9mm vs .380 people will be here soon) and easy to carry.
 
I'm a big guy 6'-1" 280, so IWB is hard for me, especially when it's warm out. The 238 is just a great pocket gun, and the mags are small enough to carry 1 or more spares with no problem. The round is light, but hit anyone with 3 or more of them at close range and they are going to know they have been kissed.
 
I'm a big guy 6'-1" 280, so IWB is hard for me, especially when it's warm out. The 238 is just a great pocket gun, and the mags are small enough to carry 1 or more spares with no problem. The round is light, but hit anyone with 3 or more of them at close range and they are going to know they have been kissed.

I'm also a big guy and find that full size pistols disappear iwb but pocket guns print in my pocket. That being said I'd go kahr or a jframe
 
+1 on the P938. I can't say enough how much I love mine, I have the Scorpion. Very accurate. Trigger leveled out at about 6#'s after a couple hundred rounds and some dry fires. I actually just picked up a P238 today for when I'm wearing lighter clothes, few ounces less and just a bit smaller. Just had to have a matching set! LOL!

Not sure where you are but you are more than welcome to try mine. Can host at SRG or HSA.
 
i just don't like anything with a thumb safety.
maybe i'm weird but i'm pretty sure i will forget to disengage it no matter how much i practice.
 
Have the p938, I'd recommend either that or the PM9. The 938's weight isn't an issue at all, I'd base my decision on if you want to carry cocked n locked or no safeties
 
A friend of mine got one a few weeks ago and took a sd class with it. Loves it! I haven't had a chance to try it yet.


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My opinion, but if I was buying for pocket carry, I'd rather have a striker fired gun like the PM9, even though I plan to buy p938. I just want a smaller, lighter gun for IWB, or appendix carry so the 938 will be perfect for that. I really wouldn't want to carry cocked and locked in my pocket mainly because I don't like an exposed, cocked hammer that can snag on stuff. I didn't mind pocket carry with the BG380 because even though it had a hammer, it was DAO so didn't need to stay "cocked".
 
A small revolver makes a better pocket gun because you can fire it from inside a pocket more than once.
 
Worth reading... http://hunting.about.com/od/guns/l/aast9mmv380a.htm

...In today's market, compact and pocket-size guns available for the 9mm and the 380 have essentially the same range of available features and performance capabilities-in fact, identical pocket-size 9mm and 380 pistol versions are increasingly available from the same manufacturer. You can choose among single-action, double-action, or so-called DAO mechanisms, with the same type of sighting setups and safety-operating mechanisms, and choices of steel, aluminum, or molded-polymer frames for either cartridge. Which means the choice is really between the capabilities of the cartridges, not the guns.

The 9mm Wins Hands Down

So for a short-barreled, concealment-size pocket pistol, all features of the guns being equal, which cartridge choice is best for personal defense, 380 or 9mm? Some have argued that in the very short barrels (in the 3.0- to 3.25-inch range) typically found on small pistols, the apparent ballistic advantage of the longer case 9mm is canceled and the two loads' performances are essentially the same. My own actual side-by-side testing doesn't prove that out. In fact, there really isn't very much of a contest at all. The 9mm wins hands down.

The 9mm Luger cartridge (also known as the 9mm Parabellum, 9mm NATO, and 9x19mm) is actually the oldest of today's mainstream semiautomatic pistol rounds (it was introduced in 1902), but because of its comparatively recent surge to popularity in this country, most American shooters think of it as relatively "modern" in comparison to other popular autoloader cartridges like the 45 ACP (1905). The 380 ACP is nothing other than a short 9mm (its German name, in fact, 9mm Kurtz, literally translates as 9mm Short), and like the 22 Short in relation to the 22 Long Rifle, or even the 38 Special in relation to the 357 Magnum, the shorter cartridge has only a portion of the authority of the longer 9mm.

In Europe the 380 Auto/9mm Short has at various times been an official military cartridge, and it is much favored by police agencies in many nations as a primary duty round. In the US it has always been seen as a minor-power backup load. And, compared to the 9mm, that's where it belongs.

SAAMI industry-standard catalog specifications for the two cartridges rate the 380 at approximately 950 fps velocity and 200 foot-pounds (ft-lbs) energy for JHP bullets in the 90- to 100-grain weight range while the 9mm (which is offered in a much wider range of bullet weights and styles) is specced at 1150 fps and 340 ft-lbs energy with a 115-grain JHP bullet and 990 fps and 320 ft-lbs energy with heavier 147-grain JHP subsonic loads. In raw energy terms alone, then, the 9mm has about a 65 percent advantage. (Standard four-inch ballistic test barrels are employed for the SAAMI ratings for both cartridges.)...
 
Just shot my buddy's sig yesterday. The trigger is heavy! Also, while moving your trigger finger from the safe position to the actuall trigger is difficult. My booger hook always gets stuck on the front of the trigger guard. PM9.
 
I still don't understand how a p238 or p938 doesn't end up with lint all over the firing pin and hammer if it's carried in condition 1?
They are both beautiful guns, don't get my wrong...I just would imagine if I were wearing a p238 or p938 in my pocket, lint would get all gummed up in the groove where the hammer drops onto the firing pin. Then i would worry about reliability. Is this just not an issue? maybe I should switch from cheap pants HAHA.
 
Ended up with a free state pm9 with night sights. Surprised with how accurate it is for such a small gun. [thumbsup]

I think you made a great choice. Did you get the two tone, or all black version? I really want the all black myself, but unfortunately whenever they come up for sale, I'm either low on funds, or they sell in a day, and I can't get to them quick enough. I actually fondled the new M&P version of the Bodyguard (without laser) and it felt really nice and light. I almost grabbed it on the spot, but was hoping to have something in 9mm for my summer EDC. The price is really hard to beat for such a small, light gun though...hmm...
 
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