When considering handguns to be carried concealed, I tend to separate them into degrees of protection offered. The five levels I've come up with are pocket guns, subcompacts, compacts, middleweights and service guns. This article does not pretend to be a comprehensive list of every gun in each class of weapon, only those I consider to be standout designs.

The definitive pocket guns would probably be the North American Arms mini-revolvers. Shown is the .22 Long Rifle model with optional holster-grip and the .22 Magnum version (bottom).

POCKET GUNS
Pocket guns are so called because they're so small and light, they don't even require a holster to carry--just drop them into a pocket, and they disappear. Contemporary pocket guns include the .22 mini-revolvers from North American Arms, tiny .25 autos, the Seecamps and North American Arms Guardian. In this class we might also put two-shot derringers.

When we say "pocket guns," everyone instantly thinks of the exquisitely crafted .22 mini-revolvers from North American Arms. NAA's .22 Short mini-revolver is the smallest repeating handgun on earth. This gun, and the slightly larger .22 Long Rifle version, are so small, they're actually difficult to manipulate without the optional holster-grip, a polymer device into which the gun folds, equipped with a clip to affix to a waistband or pants pocket. Open up the holster-grip and it acts as a handle, making thumbcocking easy. Many NAA buyers prefer the .22 Magnum mini since it offers a bit more power in a gun that's still pocketable. I prefer it because it's just enough larger that it's easy to manipulate without a holster-grip.

Among .25 autos, Beretta's double-action Model 21A Bobcat is on the large side for pocket carry but is still manageable, given a fairly large pocket. It is available in both .25 ACP and .22 Long Rifle. The former cartridge is the superior choice due to its centerfire method of ignition vs. the .22's rimfire system, which is prone to misfires.

The Seecamp LWS-32 and LWS-380, being as they are the size of a smallish .25, are extremely popular among serious gun carriers (though among the cognoscenti such small pieces are almost invariably used as backup to a larger weapon rather than the only gun carried).

From left to right, all shown with a Glock 17 magazine for purposes of size comparison, are Beretta's Model 21A nine-shot .25 ACP, North American Arms' Guardian in .32 ACP, and Kel-Tec's small, flat, inexpensive, polymer-framed sucompact P32.

Seecamps have always had problems with availability. They're made by a small factory, thus production is limited and guns are continuously back-ordered. Many readers have complained about writers recommending a gun "no one else can get." Thus the North American Arms Guardian, readily available and but marginally larger than the Seecamp, has become quite popular. North American Arms actually offers four versions of its small auto. The "small frame" Guardian is chambered in .32 ACP and .25 NAA (a .32 necked down to .25). The "large frame" Guardian is a quarter-inch taller and longer and may be had in .380 ACP and .32 NAA (a .380 necked down to .32).

As a class, pocket guns lack very much power. Only the derringers offer truly serious cartridges if you're willing to put up with a fairly bulky gun, but that comes at the expense of a mere two-shot capacity.

Capacity is limited in all of these guns, and handling qualities are not the greatest. Derringers and the NAA minis with their tiny bird's-head grips are particularly bad in this regard. Mini-revolvers and derringers have a geriatric rate of fire since they require a slow--and fumble-prone under stress--thumbcocking of the hammer for every shot. The .25 autos are comparatively fast and easy to fire. Sights on pocket guns range from microscopic in the case of .25 autos and the NAA .22s and Guardian to totally absent on Seecamps.