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MPA Protector  is reminiscent of the Seecamp and NAA Guardian. Chambered in .32 ACP and .380 ACP, it is quite literally the “mouse that roars.”

These little pocket rockets do the job in tight quarters, just what you want in a back-up gun.

By Dave Workman

WHATEVER ELSE A SMALL “pocket pistol” does, it certainly fulfills the first requirement of a gunfight, and there are so many documented cases of compact handguns making the difference between life and death that it is foolish to argue that so-called “mouse guns” are worthless as self-defense tools.

We’ve seen some dandy diminutive handguns over the years. The Seecamp and somewhat identical Guardian in .32 ACP and .380 ACP are fine examples, as are the Kel Tec models and Ruger’s LCP, all of which I’ve fired at one time or another and found to be reliable and fully capable of ruining some dirtball’s whole day in an emergency. It is no wonder why so many of my law enforcement pals and quite a few armed citizens carry these guns as backups to their primary sidearms.

Two years ago, Sig Sauer raised the curtain on a new single-action .380-caliber pistol that I found to be surprisingly accurate for a gun of its size. The little gem is known as the P238, and it reminded me of the old Colt Mustang, which was also a sweet little pocket rocket. And who can turn thumbs down on a Walther PPK?

Kahr has also made some terrific little handguns in 9mm, which convinced us all that just because a pistol is a runt in the size department does not mean it cannot pack a punch.

And that brings us around to a couple of new introductions that we find, well, intriguing. Watch how the public receives these guns.

First up is the Sig Sauer P290, a sub-compact 9mm that measures only 5.5 inches in length and is 3.9 inches high. It’s what I would call a “hip pocket” pistol because it will tuck right in there. The barrel measures 2.9 inches, and it comes with SIGLITE tritium night sights on a 4.3-inch sight radius. They are dovetailed front and rear.

The polymer frame is a flat black with a textured surface around the grip area, and the slide is finished in either black Nitron or stainless. One thing about the P290 that separates it from other small pistols is that it can be customized with aluminum, wood or polymer grip plates that can be engraved with the owner’s initials. The double-action only trigger has a nine-pound pull.

Where the Sig is chambered for 9mm, the new MasterPiece Arms Protector models are chambered in .32 ACP and .380 ACP. Made in the United States and machined from solid 4140 steel, with slides made from 4140 or stainless steel rather than castings, these little pistols are built to be tough as nails.

They are reminiscent of the Seecamp and Guardian in size and profile, measuring a scant 0.820-inch wide, 4.37 inches long and 3.2 inches high. Both versions also have 2.25-inch barrels. They are available in either black or stainless finish. They will ride unnoticed in the front pocket of your slacks or casual trousers, or even a pair of jeans. Ditto the pocket of a sport jacket or vest.

Why is small important? Alas, we still live in a society populated not only by intelligent pro-gun citizens, but by wimps for whom the mere sight of a firearm is enough to cause nervous jitters. Just see how they react to a group of Open Carry activists at a Starbucks. In certain social settings, invisibility is quite literally a blessing “in disguise.”

Let’s be candid. None of these handguns should ever be considered for precision target work beyond the width of a table or at least a small room, but that’s not what they were designed for and everybody knows it.

On the other hand, it has been my pleasant discovery that several of them turn in very good accuracy out to at least 25 yards, and even beyond. I once used my vintage Model 70 Beretta in .32 ACP to shoot at, and repeatedly hit a man-size stump at better than 100 yards across a canyon one afternoon many years ago, and I’ve had very good results with the little Sig Sauer P238 and Ruger’s aforementioned LCP.

However, these little handguns and the small pistols that came before them, all the way back to the Remington double-barrel Derringer, and even the small single-shot percussion pistols carried by women, gamblers and others, were built for close confrontations. If you’re ever in a tight situation where the outcome may be in question, there is no doubt you will feel better if you have one of these when something bigger is not available.

Naturally, when one is preparing to go in harm’s way, it is prudent to carry the biggest handgun — or a rifle or shotgun — you can capably handle. For those times when violence erupts without warning, which is how it usually happens, if you can’t have a big gun, better to have a small one rather than no gun at all, right?

Sig Sauer’s new P290 and the new Protector Series from MasterPiece Arms fill that requirement.

New!