It’s the middle of August, and every morning, I wake up and groan. It’s almost 90 degrees before the sun is fully up. Humidity is high, and by lunchtime, I’m losing buckets of sweat. I’ve downsized my concealed carry profile a bit to increase comfort. However, I didn’t want to decrease my ability to defend myself. With that in mind, I have a number of pocket pistols suited for this task, and I wanted to share my top five favorite summer carry guns.
The Top 5 Summer Carry Guns
Lots of these guns can be pocket-carried, but you’re not stuck with pocket-carry. Regardless of how you carry the smaller profile of these guns, they are easy to carry in lighter clothes and are easier to carry without breaking concealment. Smaller guns have smaller holsters, and smaller holsters enhance concealment and comfort in the summer heat. Let’s look at my five favorite summer carry guns without any more jawing.
Beretta 30X
The new Beretta 30X fixed almost every complaint I have with the original Tomcat. We get easy-to-see sights, a much-improved trigger, double the durability, and it even comes with two mags instead of one. The Beretta 30X might be a deep concealment gun, but you’ll want to show it off. It’s a sweet-looking pistol. We have the standard all-black, the two-tone, and a stainless model. Two of the guns have nice wood grips, and the other keeps it simple with black plastic.
The 30X fires the .32 ACP round and holds eight in the magazine, plus an additional round in the chamber. The gun’s tip-up barrel system makes it easy to load a round directly in the chamber. The sights make these guns easy to shoot accurately but be prepared for an odd POI/POA if you get the suppressor height sight model.
The downsides include the magazine being wider and longer than necessary, the fatwood grips not helping concealment, and the 8-round magazine extending past the pistol grip. This creates a bigger-than-necessary gun for summer carry.
Bodyguard 2.0
I hate pocket 380s, and I hated the original Bodyguard. I was shocked when I handled the new Bodyguard 2.0. S&W created a remarkable pocket .380 that doesn’t suck. They did this by making the gun slightly longer. This reduces recoil through the short recoil system, which decreases recoil. The slightly longer grip also improves control by a larger margin.
The magazine goes in the micro compact direction and gives us 10 or 12 rounds of .380 ACP. S&W ensured the weapon would remain remarkably small and thin but still pack a punch. It’s truly impressive that they could create something so perfectly pocket-sized that it holds ten rounds of ammo. The little things are done just right, with great sights, good ergonomics, and a fairly accurate pistol.
The biggest complaint I have is the pain the slide causes. I mean literal pain as it bites into my meaty mitts. Slide bite is a big issue, and after a few mags, I’m done shooting the Bodyguard 2.0. Still, for a defensive encounter, I don’t care about slide bite as much as I care about capacity, and for summer carry, you can’t get more rounds in your pocket than the Bodyguard 2.0.
S&W 432 UC
The S&W 432 UC is the first iron-sighted revolver I’ve ever felt confident about. Mostly because it actually has iron sights. It is not just a front sight and trench but a real dove-tailed rear sight to match the big XS front sight. This makes aiming and shooting a breeze. The gun’s trigger and excellent grips also play a huge role in allowing me to ring steel at 25 yards with ease.
The 432 chambers the much underrated .32 H&R Magnum. The .32 H&R Magnum hits hard and has great penetration and expansion with JHPs. The cartridge has very mild recoil, and the slightly smaller diameter allows you to carry one extra round in the cylinder. At 16 ounces, the gun doesn’t weigh you down, and it’s well-suited for pocket carry.
The downsides are twofold, and both are related to price and availability. These are Lipsey’s exclusives and cost about 750 dollars. They are tough to find and a little expensive, and so is the .32 H&R Magnum round.
LCP 2 (in 22LR)
The LCP 2 in .380 ACP is a recoil wreck to your hand. However, if you take that same platform and make it a direct blowback .22LR, it’s an impressive and capable gun. Capacity goes up to ten rounds, and the gun is super easy to shoot. Recoil? Yeah, there is hardly any. This is my wife’s favorite summer carry gun and one she can tote while wearing anything.
The .22LR round requires you to be ammo-picky, and you should pick a round like the Federal Punch or the CCI Velocitors. These heavy hitters will penetrate really well and get deep enough to matter. A set of proper sights across the top makes the gun easy to shoot, but I’d top them off with a little fingernail polish to brighten things up.
The LCP 2 is an affordable little gun, but for some reason, it actually costs more than the .380 version. Probably because the demand for the .22LR version is higher. The main downside is the rimfire caliber, which is not as reliable as centerfire ammo. If you carry this gun, test your carry ammo extensively.
KelTec P32
My pet P32 doesn’t get the love it deserves. It’s been in production since 1999 and might be the lightest, thinnest centerfire gun on the market. At 6.6 ounces, it can disappear on your person. It’s the lightest gun on this list by far. The little gun holds seven rounds of .32 ACP and uses a short recoil system.
This results in hardly any recoil. It’s a really pleasant shooting gun that’s also quite reliable. You’ll need to stick with FMJs, but if you do that, you’ll have a gun with capable penetration. The little P32 has a DAO trigger, but it’s surprisingly smooth, especially for a KelTec.
These can be tough to get, and the sights suck. It’s less like proper sights and more like the general suggestion of sights. The P32 can be a great carry gun, but be realistic with your accuracy and speed expectations.
Summer Carry Perfection
Summer sucks. Well, for me, it does. I despise the heat. Luckily, I can still pack some heat in my thinner, lighter clothes without resorting to the fanny pack. These guns allow me to leave armed and still be comfortable.
