Most single women must throw themselves on the mercy of the counterman at the local gun store to try and figure out what carry gun will work best for them. They may get a real pro, or they may get a punk with "gun-store attitude." However, when your little brother's a gunwriter it's only a matter of picking up the phone.

Gang's all here. Top row, left to right: Para's stout Hawg 9, Springfield's Enhanced Micro Pistol and Kimber's Aegis, all in 9x19mm. Bottom row, left to right: The classic J-frame snubbie in .38, Walther's elegant PPK in .380 and Taurus' six-shot snubbie in .38. The strobing Blackhawk Gladius is a fine accessory for anyone with a concealed permit.

My sister Jennifer wasn't worried about personal safety when her husband died several years ago. She had an S&W K-frame and a 110-pound Akita to keep her and the horses company out on the spread. But the dog went the way of all pets, and one dawn she looked out to see a tweeker-esque pickup in front of her house. By the time the deputy called back to say "The owner's got a record, but he's no threat," she'd decided to go for a concealed carry permit.

"Little Brother, what would you recommend?"

I started calling various reps and arranged for a selection of top-drawer pocket pistols to be shipped to my FFL holder, Pierre Langlois, who owns On Target Enterprise in Kingman, Arizona. Magtech offered some of its nasty hot defensive ammo for the test, and I had some other bullet weights from Federal to check functioning. Testing was conducted on the Mohave Sportsman Range on Historic Route 66.

Jennifer receives instruction from a veteran CCW instructor as the Kimber Aegis locks back. The last round can be seen exiting at left. Fit, finish and function were superb.

Snubbied Up
When Jenni and her good friend Jean arrived, I suggested that, as she was already familiar with a wheelgun, we start with the shrouded J-frame snubbie in .38. It was stainless and equipped with factory-installed Crimson Trace laser grips, allowing for accurate defensive shooting without the gun having to be in front of your face.

It also possessed the exquisitely smooth trigger that has kept S&W famous all these years, as well as the smooth functioning of the cylinder crane and release. All in all, a little jewel of a gun. Pierre tossed in a Taurus six-shot snubbie as a comparison. It was very close, and both Jenni and Jean preferred the option of thumbing back the hammer on the Taurus but conceded that for a CCW piece the shroud on the J-frame was a superior feature.

Left to right: Para's double-stack is shown stoked with Federal's excellent HS2 LE ammo, and the PPK is seen filled with Magtech's wicked defensive .380 loading. Kimber's padded mag is loaded with Federal EFMJs, while the custom-length EMP mag has vicious Magtech 92.6-grain SCHPs. An unusual speedloader for .38 is pictured at top left.

An experienced range hand, Jenni took careful shots at 10 yards and produced a spread-palm group using double action. She was under stage pressure but nothing like the stress of a life-or-death encounter, the exact sort that any CCW situation would be. The Taurus' group was a bit larger with double action but much tighter in single. But the chance to cock and fire a well-aimed round usually only happens in a TV show or movie where a pointed gun heightens the tension of the dialogue.

Reloading was accomplished both with individual rounds and using a rubber-grip speedloader. The loud report of the .38s and harsh recoil produced by tossing heavier projos steered Jenni away from the wheelguns, in spite of the serious advantage of the CT grips.

Grip size is critical when the shooter has small hands. Left to right: Para's Hawg 9, while holding 13 rounds, is porker-stout. Kimber's single-stack was much easier to grip, but the EMP's surgically reduced grip won the day. It was the only one on which Jenni could work the mag release one-handed. Both the Taurus six-shooter and the S&W five-shot had padded grips, but the Crimson Trace grips on the Smith added considerable advantage in low-light conditions. Jenni and her buddy Jean both found the PPK quite comfortable for their smallish hands.

Para Hawg 9
I had previously tested the Hawg 9 and been very impressed with its performance. Designed by late genius Ted Szaabo, it was brought out upon the death of the assault-rifle bill. In the United States, it holds 13+1, but in California, 10+1. Considering the whallop that Magtech packs into its defensive ammo, there's plenty of bad-guy repellent in each round.

Jenni was impressed with the fit, finish and accuracy but couldn't seem to get comfortable with the full grips, even with the projecting magazine base and upswept beavertail. We got about three inches at 10 yards with perfect reliability.