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Mouseguns

2K views 36 replies 25 participants last post by  Savvy Jack 
#1 ·
Ive been looking at mouseguns lately. More for my wife and ease of carry, but also for BUG or deep concealment for me. Im not crazy about the .380 round but you get what you get with these small guns.

Ive narrowed it down to 3

Ruger LCP
Diamondback
Micro Desert Eagle

opinions?
 
#2 ·
I think your terminology is off.
A "mousegun" is something in a really tiny caliber, like .22, .25, or .32.
The .380 round is considerably bigger and badder.
Although some of those .380 pistols are the size of many .22s and .25s.
 
#3 ·
#4 ·
I think you'll discover that a small .380 is harder to shoot than you would expect. They tend to have a strong recoil and are hard to hold if you have large hands.

That being said, they are great for concealment!
 
#6 ·
Thank you for correcting my terminology. But that's not what I was asking. I was asking if anyone had any specific, real world experience with the above mentioned firearms. Or maybe I implied if there was a better firearm that I omitted from my list. :righton:
 
#7 ·
I have a Ruger LCP. It is very easy to conceal. It is also hard to shoot accurately. I consider it a "get off me gun" as in I messed up and let the bad guy get 2 or 3 feet away from me so I pull this out of my pocket and put one in their gut so I can get away.
I have a friend who had a Diamomdback. The key word - had. He couldn't get rid of it fast enough. :wink:
 
#9 ·
jklotz said:
Have you looked at a Sig P238? It's a little pricey, but shoots better than the others by far from what I understand.
+1 on the Sig P238.

Don't forget to look at the Kel Tec PF9 and the Kahr PM9, as well as a good .38 snubbie.

For your wife, I would definitely rent or borrow any of the above and let her shoot it before buying. As stated earlier, some of the micro compacts are hard to shoot and can be very dis-pleasurable. It will NEED to be something that she will practice with enough to stay proficient with and if it hurts her to shoot it, she won't.
 
#10 ·
robfromga said:
But that's not what I was asking. I was asking if anyone had any specific, real world experience with the above mentioned firearms.
I chose the LCP, is what I said. After Ruger got my early gun sorted out, it resides in my pocket daily. It's not fun to shoot. I can hit a 4 - 6" group at ten feet. It is not a target gun where you would go to the range and run hundreds of rounds.

It is what it is... It goes bang with a fairly big noise. 9mm X 17 is not a major caliber, but it is useful and that barrel does look big when you stare down it. It hides. It shoots. It's not a gun I want to go shooting with my buds with on a Sunday afternoon!



 
#11 ·
The Math Teacher said:
I have a Ruger LCP. It is very easy to conceal. It is also hard to shoot accurately. I consider it a "get off me gun" as in I messed up and let the bad guy get 2 or 3 feet away from me so I pull this out of my pocket and put one in their gut so I can get away.
I have a friend who had a Diamomdback. The key word - had. He couldn't get rid of it fast enough. :wink:
what was wrong with the Diamondback?

Thanks Adam5 and match :righton:

We've crossed revolvers off the list, because the look lame :sly: Im bouncing back between the Diamondback and the LCP. Reliability has to be there. Thats why I wanted her to have a 357 snubbie, but no dice. She's adored with our HK45 but has no chance to conceal it.
 
#13 ·
I have read about many issues with Diamondbacks jamming and guns having to go back for repairs. I have heard the same thing about Taurus pistols, but the ones that I have owned ran fine, so research on your own before making a decision.


I used to pocket carry a Sig P238 and had full faith in its ability to protect me. It was nice to have a pocket gun with a decent SA trigger and real sights. It was also actually fun to shoot and practice with.
 
#14 ·
I carried my ruger LCP for the first time in public yesterday (just got my GWL yesterday). It's a cute little thing, and it packs a little punch =D
 
#16 ·
robfromga said:
We've crossed revolvers off the list, because the look lame :sly: .....
My S&W 642 would be my first choice. They are not "lame"... There's something to be said looking at the business end of one with hollowpoints in every hole!

 
#18 ·
I agree with Match on a revolver. I carry an SP101 and it disappears in an IWB holster. If I were going pocket carry, the 642 would at least be considered, and not dismissed because of the "lame" look. Of course ladies wear uncomfortable shoes because the comfortable ones look "lame." Just tell her who is going to see it anyway, the person who does get to see it isn't going to tell anyone. :shattered:
 
#21 ·
The PM9 would be a great choice, they're really not much bigger than the LCP or diamondback. but if you are going to chose between those two I would go with the LCP. We have an LCP as a rental gun at Patrick's and I have never yet seen it malfunction. I know there were some issues with them when they first came out but they seem fine now. I was actually considering buying a diamonback as they have a nice feel to them, but the reviews are very mixed on them. A lot of people seem to have FTF and FTE malfunctions with them. I have never shot one so I can't say for sure, but I can vouch for the LCP as being a pretty nice gun.
 
#22 ·
To me, a true mousegun is one that literally disappears into a front or rear pocket, even if wearing tight jeans, one that you don't even know is there until you need it. Size and DEEP concealment, in a caliber that is regarded as being at least minimally effective (which for me means .380ACP) are my primary concerns in this category. In my book, the guns you mentioned originally qualify, as does the Keltec P3AT, the Taurus TCP and the Kahr P380.

To me, with the exception of the Rohrbaugh R9, I have not found anything in 9mm Luger I would classify as a true "mousegun". Yes, the PM9 can work as a pocket carry 9mm. But compared to the others it is no mousegun. I find I always know the PM9 is there, both in size and weight, when pocket carried. Neither is the Keltec PF9 really a mousegun in my book, although it comes close. To me, however it is still too big and heavy for true mousegun-like concealment.

I've owned a first generation P3AT and I now own the Ruger LCP. I liked the P3AT but like the LCP even better. I find the LCP to be more polished and refined, and I have found the reliability to be better than the first gen P3AT that I had. I carry the LCP on-duty as a second backup weapon (#3 handgun). I can't justify the astronomical price of the Rohrbaugh R9, and the Diamondback is not an option for me as it is not an approved manufacturer by our department (neither is Keltec for that matter).

I'll agree, the LCP is not the most pleasant gun to shoot, it does take some getting used to, and the sights are nothing to write about. But it has been reliable and a good shooter for me. I have to dispel the notion that the little LCP is inherently inaccurate just because it is a tiny pistol. Each year I have to qualify on a 50 round course with it, and each year I do so all the way out to 15 yards with ease. Last year just for grins, I tried my hand at 25 yard paper black silhouette targets with the Ruger LCP and Sellier & Belliot ammo. Guess what? All seven rounds in the torso at 25 yards, firing timed and two handed from behind cover. I'll take that level of accuracy from my "Noisy Cricket" at that distance! While I would never recommend the LCP for these longer ranges as a matter of routine, I mention it here simply to indicate that it can be much more accurate than it is sometimes made out to be. For the fit and finish of the LCP, the price paid and the fact that you have the support of Sturm Ruger behind it if you need it, I don't think you can go wrong with the little LCP. I opted for the satin stainless version which I find deals with hot and sweaty pockets during summer carry better than the blued.

That being said, a final comment on revolvers. While I really like my little LCP, IMHO none of these mouseguns are in the same category with regard to reliability and performance as a J-frame revolver. My J-frame S&W 642 is not a mousegun by any means, holds only 5 rounds and will never compete with the LCP in terms of weight and size. And that is OK, I bought them each for carry under different circumstances and each fulfill their role nicely. But I honestly believe I will witness icicles hanging in Hades before I see a jam or misfire with that 642, and the performance of the Speer +P Gold Dots or the Remington R38S12 "FBI Load" is superior to what I have seen coming from any .380 ACP round thus far.
 
#23 ·
Rob:

I don't have any experience with the ultra-small .380 pistols.
I have owned other (bigger) .380 guns, and I think the caliber is good for deep concealment carry.

My mousegun / pocket pistol for the last 6 years or so has been the Kel-Tec P32. It's basically the same size as the .380 versions by KelTec and Ruger. It is very easy to carry. Light and flat.

Some people don't like how long the trigger pull is. It's like a DA revolver. But even people who don't really "like" the trigger pull can still make the gun fire, every time, and they hit the target (man-sized target, with hits in the chest area from 10 feet away).

The sights on the KelTecs are terrible. But really, you should not need sights to hit an attacker at 10 or 15 feet.
Any farther than that and you'll wish you had real sights like the little SIG has.
 
#25 ·
SongDogSniper said:
..... and does take some getting used to, and the sights are nothing to write about......
This helped me immeasurably with the minimalist sights on the LCP. Before I actually had something upon which to settle and focus upon a target, I could not hit anything with it.



Of course, I was actually going blind at the time! (Fixed now.) I have done the same to my 642, and my 36, and my......

I have a Sterling Mouse gun in .22LR that has only aridge down the back of the slide for "sights".

 
#26 ·
My vote is for the LCP.
 
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