18 Best Pocket Pistols for Serious Concealed Carry

There are times when you have to go big or go home.

But there are other times when going big is not an option, and when it comes to concealed carry, sometimes carrying the smallest pistol you can is the only choice you’ll have.

The good news is that there are a myriad of semi-automatic pistols and revolvers that are so small they can be easily carried in your pocket as you go about your daily life. For any situation where you can’t conceal a larger gun, you can carry any one of these little pocket pistols instead…and in a self-defense situation they could be what saves your life.

Here are the eighteen best pocket pistols for deep concealment:

1 – Baby Browning

The Baby Browning was one of the original pocket pistols as they have come to be defined today. Originally made by Fabrique Nationale from 1931 to 1979, production resumed by the French company MAB until 1983 and then by USA-based Precision Arms (designated as the PSA-25 pistol) to the present day.

The Baby Browning is chambered for the .25 ACP cartridge (also known as 6.35mm), which was designed to help tiny pistols function more reliably than with the .22 LR. It remains a viable option for a .25 Auto pocket pistol today. Capacity is 6+1 rounds.

2 – Beretta Bobcat

Available in .22 LR and .25 ACP, the Beretta Bobcat (or Model 21A) is a double action/single action pistol that is a part of the ‘Tip Up Barrel’ family of Beretta pistols. When the lever on the side of the frame is pushed forward, the barrel on the gun tips up to safely eject the round in the barrel, or to permit you to load in a new round before closing the barrel again.

This means that you can load or unload the gun without ever having to rack the slide, which is ideal for those with arthritis or weak hand strength. The Beretta Bobcat has been produced in several configurations from 1984 to the present. Capacity is 7+1 rounds in either caliber.

3 – Beretta Jetfire

Introduced in 1952, the Jetfire (or Model 950) was Beretta’ first entry in their tip-up family of pocket pistols. The Jetfire is a single action pistol that can hold 8+1 rounds of .25 ACP or 6+1 rounds of .22 Short. In the above photo, you’ll see the tip-up barrel in action where the barrel springs upward when the lever on the side of the frame is pushed forward.

Production of the Jetfire ceased in 2003 in favor of the Bobcat and Tomcat, but they can still be found floating around on the used market for good prices. Early versions of the Jetfire lacked a manual safety, but all versions made after 1968 had a frame-mounted safety installed like you’ll see in the above photo.

4 – Beretta Tomcat

Introduced in 1996, the Tomcat (or Model 3032) is another double action/single action pistol in Beretta’s tip-up barrel family of pistols. The Tomcat is similar to the Bobcat but is slightly larger and wider to accommodate the larger .32 ACP caliber.

One thing worth noting about the Tomcat is that Beretta advises against loading the weapon with .32 ACP cartridges that exceed 130 foot pounds of energy. This is why you’ll want to carefully verify the ammunition you are using before loading it into your Tomcat. Capacity is 7+1 rounds, and like the Bobcat it is available in a myriad of different configurations.

5 – Colt Mustang

The Colt Mustang is a single action only .380 ACP pistol that heavily resembles a pocket-sized 1911 (even though the two guns are actually different in terms of design). The Mustang is a good choice for shooters who favor the 1911 and would prefer a pocket pistol with an identical manual of arms.

The Mustang was produced from 1983 to 1996 until production resumed in 2011. The newer variant of the Mustang is called the Mustang XSP and comes with a polymer frame to reduce weight. Capacity is 6+1 rounds. The Mustang has been widely copied today, including by Kimber, SIG Sauer, and Springfield.

6 – Glock 42

People had been asking for a pocket-sized Glock pistol for years, and Glock finally answered with the .380 ACP G42 in 2014. The G42 is the smallest pistol that Glock produces today, and is an effective choice for those who carry a larger Glock and would prefer a pocket pistol or backup gun with the same manual of arms.

Capacity of the G42 is 6+1 rounds, but there are also many aftermarket magazines available that extend the round count. For example, the Vickers Tactical magazine increases the capacity by 2 rounds, but at the expense of the magazine protruding slightly further under the grip.

7 – Kahr PM9

The Kahr PM9 is one of the smallest 9mm pistols available today. It’s a double action only pistol designed to mimic firing a double-action revolver. The pistol mates a stainless steel slide to a polymer frame with steel inserts on the frames. The budget version of the PM9, the CM9, has polymer inserts.

Kahr recommends a break-in period of at least 200 rounds before carrying the PM9. Capacity is 6+1 rounds, but extended magazines to increase the capacity are also available.

8 – Kel-Tec P-32

The Kel-Tec P-32 is a .32 ACP pocket pistol that was released in 1999. The basic appearance and design of the P-32 went on to inspire several other pocket pistols of the 2000s, including the Ruger LCP.

Capacity of the P-32 is 7+1 rounds, but 8-round and 10-round extended magazines are also available. These extended magazines do make the P-32 slightly less concealable, but also allow you to get a better grasp over the tiny grip.

9 – Kimber Micro-9

The Kimber Micro 9 is a small, single-action only 9mm pistol that was heavily influenced by the Colt Mustang. Released in 2015, the gun was released by Kimber primarily to compete with the SIG Sauer P938, which is very similar. The Micro 9 is available in many configurations, and is a good choice for those who desire a pocket pistol with the manual of arms of a 1911 but also with stopping power greater than the Mustang’s 380 ACP.

Standard capacity on the Micro 9 is 6+1 rounds, but 7+1 and 8+1 extended round magazines are also available. The Micro 9 in the above photo has an extended 7-round magazine.

10 – NAA Guardian

The North American Arms Guardian is a compact 9mm pistol that was originally released in 1997. It was available in the proprietary .25 NAA and .32 NAA cartridges, but both have since been discontinued. It is now available in the more popular .32 ACP and .380 ACP calibers, and has a 6+1 capacity in each. The gun in the above photo is a .32 ACP Guardian; the .380 ACP version is slightly larger.

The Guardian is built from stainless steel, which makes it heftier then more modern pocket pistols that are built on polymer frames. This helps to reduce the snappiness that many pocket pistols in the .32 and especially the .380 calibers are known for.

11 – Ruger LCP/LCP II

The Ruger LCP (Lightweight Compact Pistol) is a pocket-sized .380 ACP pistol that was released in 2008. It was an instant success for Ruger and designed to compete with the Kel-Tec and similar pocket pistols that were already on the market. Capacity is 6+1 rounds but an extended 7+1 capacity magazine is available from the factory as well.

In 2016, Ruger updated the LCP with the LCP II, which featured improved ergonomics and a much lighter trigger pull, which was one of the only complaints with the original LCP pistol. Like the original LCP, capacity of the LCP II is 6+1 rounds as well,

12 – Ruger LCP Max

In 2021, Ruger unveiled a new pocket pistol in the form of the LCP Max. The LCP Max is similar to the LCP II but has a wider grip to hold a double stacked magazine. It has a capacity of 10+1 rounds with the standard magazine, which is impressive for any pocket .380 pistol.

The LCP Max also came with many improvements over the standard LCP II as well, including an upgraded feed ramp and extractor, a reversible magazine release, deeper slide serrations to make it easier to rack the slide, and Tritium night sights.

13 – Ruger LCR

The Ruger LCR, or Lightweight Compact Revolver, was released in 2009. Designed to compete with the Smith & Wesson J-Frame revolvers, the LCR is built on a polymer frame with stainless steel used for the barrel and cylinder. The LCR is available in several different calibers, including .22 LR, .22 Magnum, .38 Special, .357 Magnum, 9mm Parabellum, and .327 Federal Magnum. Capacity varies from 5 to 8 rounds depending on the caliber.

In 2013, Ruger released the LCRx variant, which comes with an exposed hammer so the gun can be manually cocked into single action. Ruger also produces a variant with a 3-inch barrel and a longer grip, which is easier to control but at the expense of being somewhat more difficult to conceal than the standard snubnose model.

14 – SIG Sauer P238

The P238 is SIG Sauer’s answer to the Colt Mustang. Released in 2009, it’s a .380 ACP pistol that closely mimics the manual of arms of the 1911. As a metal framed pistol, the P238 is slightly heavier than competing pocket pistols from Kel-Tec or Ruger, which helps to reduce recoil.

Standard capacity of the P238 is 6+1 rounds, but the capacity is increased to 7+1 rounds with an extended magazine.

15 – SIG Sauer P938

Introduced in 2011, the SIG Sauer P938 is a larger version of the P238, chambered for the 9mm Parabellum round. The P938 competes directly with the Kimber Micro 9. The gun in the above photo is an example of a P938 from SIG Sauer’s Legion series, which has distinctive Legion-style grips and comes with access to certain gear merchandise from buying a SIG Legion-pistol.

Standard capacity of the P938 is 6+1 rounds, but an extended magazine increases capacity to 7+1 rounds. SIG Sauer also produces a .22 LR version that has a 10+1 round capacity.

16 – Smith & Wesson 442/642

The Smith & Wesson 442 and 642 revolvers are 5-shot snubnose revolvers from S&W’s compact J-Frame line of revolvers. The hammers of these revolvers are shrouded over by the frame, which helps to reduce the chances of snagging when drawing the gun from a pocket or holster.

The 442 variant is built on a black aluminum frame with a blued carbon cylinder, whereas the 642 model is built on a silver aluminum frame with a stainless steel cylinder. Otherwise, the two guns are identical. Additionally, both the 442 and 642 are available without the addition of a safety lock, which most other Smith & Wesson revolvers produced since the late 1990s come with.

17 – Smith & Wesson Bodyguard

Released in 2011, the Bodyguard in .380 ACP was Smith & Wesson’s answer to the Ruger LCP. The Bodyguard is a double action only semi-automatic pistol with a 6+1 capacity, and the gun is available with or without a manual frame-mounted safety like you’ll see on the example in the above photo.

Certain models of the Bodyguard come with a Crimson Trace laser integrated into the frame right under the barrel.

18 – Smith & Wesson M&P340

The Smith & Wesson Model 340PD is a lightweight J-Frame snub-nosed revolver chambered for the .357 Magnum, which means that it can also chamber and fire .38 Special. It’s a good choice for those who were considering getting a 442 or 642 but would rather get a ‘hammerless’ J-Frame that has greater stopping power and versatility.

Like the 442 and 642, the Model 340PD is available with or without an internal safety lock. The above example has a lock, which you’ll see right above the cylinder release.