Over the years I have used different guns for concealed cary, from 1911's to Detective specials, J frames small frame 380's. K frames and the like,I am going to get a CCW permit for Wisconsin as soon as I can. There are many different courses offered here and technically I don't need to take one but I will take the one offered by Shooter's.

My plan is to carry a six shot double action revolver and a second smaller one for carry when it is warmer and I will also use a Walther PPK/S in 380 as a back up.

The main gun will most likely be a 5 inch GP100 and a smaller bobbed Sp101. I would carry my S&W's but they are getting to expensive to replace. So I will shoot them for fun, I have ordered a holster for the GP100 and when I get the SP I will order an IWB for it.

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Stan

I carry my cs9 DAO exclusively. I have 5 other guns. If it hits the fan, muscle memory takes over. Without thinking it will be pointed properly and gripped properly. I do not think I could achieve that if one day, I have a dao semi auto, the next day I have a 1911 or another day a revolver.

Before I retired I only had one gun authorized for off duty a Colt DS. For twenty years I was very familiar with it and used it to qualify. I carry this belief into post retirement, with the CS9.

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Fidelis Ad Mortem

I've settled on 1911s and DA revolvers. I carry a Springfield 1911 on duty with a custom 9mm S&W 360J as back up. Off duty I am carrying a Clark Custom Meltdown Colt 1991A1 Compact (Officers ACP).

I have a number of other 1911s and DA revolvers, they are the platforms I am most experienced and most comfortable with. I also shoot IDPA with 1911s.

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Don't kiss smiling dogs!

We are living in the Golden Age of light/compact handguns! Why in the world would you not take advantage? Why carry guns that your father and grandfather wished they had never had to carry?

I would only take a GP100 hunting. The SP101 use to be my backpacking gun, until the scandium and Ti Smiths came along.

I'll go for an ultralight J-frame for pocket carry, and a Baby Glock IWB...thanks!

I will often carry a Smith 649 when I cannot dress around a larger handgun. Right now that larger handgun is a Ruger Security Six with a 4" barrel. I like the idea of carrying one type of handgun consistently. However, I have so many nice usable CCW that I find that I will often rotate them in. For example last month my large gun was a cz75b. The month before it was an M&P 9. Before I switch guns I will go to the range and practice shooting and drawing to reestablish the muscle memory.

Funny thing is my smaller gun is and has always been a j-frame. Normally an all steel version. The 649 is my favorite j-frame and is the weapon that I carry more than any other.

My hat is off to you folks who find a way to carry two handguns at the same time. I cannot do that. I carry one gun and one reload.

My edc is an XD9sc, 14 rounds and 26 ounces (unloaded). not the lightest or smallest but serviceable and easy for me to conceal in a Tucker Texas Heritage.

MHO is that those of us that carry should carry what we like. I think it should be what I will carry all the time, be able to conceal and that I shoot well.

I have the 686 that I bought new in 1984. It shoots great but I don't carry it. It is heavy and bulky. I could conceal it but I don't want to.

I have several J and K frames that I carry sometimes and I just got an LCP. I think the LCP is amazing.

Ken

Same here!! 3913 and 640ND as my bug. I train with both, and compete with both, even at 52 try to keep that edge sharp!

I've pretty much standardized on S&W J and K frames for carry. I don't have the resources to train with a variety of guns to the point I'd feel comfortable switching between them as carry guns. Revolvers also don't require as many rounds of carry ammo for function testing as semi-autos. Not to mention I tend to shoot DA revolvers better. Even if the guns are different sizes, they still have the same manual-of-arms. I like to keep things simple.

Now, that's not not to say I'll never own any other type of gun, just that right now the S&W DA (or in my case, DAO) revolvers suit me best for carry and self-defense purposes. There may come a time when I decide I need to change my carry gun platform to something else.

And I could always use a good excuse to get a 1911...

I love shooting my SP, but truth be told, it's a bit heavy for 5 rounds...I would much rather carry a polymer 9mm like my P2000...almost 3 times the capacity, an inch more barrel, and still about 4 ounces lighter unloaded...when I'm limited to 5 rounds, it's the j-frame airweight for me...

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Thirty characters. Exactly...

I chose the gun I did because I liked it and I can shoot well with it, I don't really like lightweight guns and the new crop of blocky plastic guns tend to annoy me.

I know that when i pull the trigger it will go off no magazine problems no feeding problems and it is in a caliber I trust.

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Stan

I have a bit of an over kill with a 629 classic 6.5 but I hit the woods a lot so I dont have to swap guns or worry about other ammo. I think in the future I will be getting an SP101 or a model 60 s&w. I want the 357 or higher caliber but the ccc (conceal carry canon) I carry now is kinda bulky, hasnt made me too uncomfortable yet though. Its tolerable. I would recommend that if you dont have a need for a big gun go for smaller revolver like the Model 60 or sp101.

Ain't it the truth! I like to try new guns, shoot them and carry them. Never the less, I keep coming back to my 3913 as the ideal carry piece. Its nice and flat, fits my hand and the combination of 9mm with 8+1 capacity makes it more than adequate for any situation I am likely to encounter.

Out
West

My revolvers may be an antiquated design but I am going to carry them until something better is invented. To me "jam" is made out of fruit and you eat it with biscuits. "Stove pipe" is a round piece of metal pipe that hooks a stove to the chimney. Larry

In Texas if you qualify with a Semi Auto, then you can carry a Revolver or Semi Auto, but If you qualify with a Revolver, you're limited to carrying only a Revolver.

My wife, daughters and son in laws all qualified with a Browning HP, so now they carry what they want.

Rule 303

Not to highjack the thread but what does the qualifying require the person to do that makes the SA more of a challenge than the revolver? Or so I assume by the fact that a semi includes revolver but the revolver does not include semi. Ive been able to shoot a semi much more accurately and reload faster than revolver and I have more experience with a revolver.

i've carried everything made at one time or another. nowadays its my old 3 in j frame in a remora.

Same test for both. The state is just assuming that if you can handle the reloading of a semi (you're only allowed one mag and load about 5 at a time) plus deal with fail to feeds or jams, a revolver is a no brainer.

What exactly is the "Golden Age" of compact carry guns? Do you mean something like the Kimber Solo that is engineered to function only with a handful of very expensive factory loaded ammunition? If this is considered progress, I'll stay back in the Stone Age of carry guns. Revolvers only for me for serious use.

Dave Sinko

'Nuff said.

My carry combinations are 1911s and DA revolvers (sorry for the lint on the pre-36):

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NRA Certified Instructor

Out of the dozens of slick well designed compact light reliable autos out there, if a list of one is all you could come up with....well then I think you are taking an extremely narrow view!

As far as revolvers....in urban areas an ultralight J-frame is the absolute ultimate pocket pistol (but it's not a primary, it's backing up a Baby Glock). Out in the wilds a revolver is all I have ever carried, but still I want a nice light compact one when possible, not a heavy slab of steel (although a slab of steel is a necessity in grizzly country). My hiking/backpacking guns are a M&P340 in the lowlands where there are no bears (but there are large cats), and a 329NG in the mountains which is big time black bear country.

I've gone through HK's, Glocks, and 1911's, and have found that a Smith and Wesson J or K frame simply points the best, for me, with my grip. All the Semi-Auto pistols were inherently accurate enough. All of them were super reliable, and gave me no trouble. All held plenty of rounds and were fast to reload.
For me, the wheelguns point naturally with no effort to line up the sights on target. No searching for the front sight, no hestitation. That "eyes closed, on target" pointability seems to me to be a very important feature of a carry gun. I keep telling myself that I don't need 31 rounds of 9mm on my person.
I am partial to model 640's, 442's and 2" 64's.

Are you outdoors in bear country all the time? I could certainly see carrying an SP101 day in and day out, but never a heavy slab of steel like the GP100, much less a 5" barrel. You are new to this...so I will wager that within a short time you will be rethinking what you carry!

why would you come to a s&w forum and be surprised that people like revolvers here. lol.

Straight razor and a pair of brass knuckles.

What, S&W doesn't make any compact autos???

For me this was never about autos vs revolvers. I love revolvers, and lost count of all that I own, long long ago. In hindsight, I should have left off the word 'auto'.

But...it IS about dragging a huge long heavy piece of steel around all day long, when there are so many other options, both revolver and auto. The OP will change his mind, soon enough I reckon!

ah! didnt even think about the jamming thing. cool, thanks for clearing that up.

When I first started out in 1979, I carried a large variation of different guns, both Auto's and revolvers. After about 5 years I settled on two. 90% of the time I carry a Chief's Special M60-7, and the other 10% is a 3" M65. The Chief's is stoked with Buffalo Bore 158 grain +P LSWCHP and the M65 is loaded with BB 158 grain SJHP .357's unless I venture into the woods and then I carry it with BB 180 grain hard cast SWC .357's.

Chief38

I agree with the carrying a heavy slab of steel. I had to become a magician to figure out how to carry my gun around. At first try it was uncomfortable and i had to work around it a bit. I did figure it out and its not uncomfortable at all. Just have to do a lot more customization to clothes, holster, belt, and car compartments to carry it comfortably. Reason I carry a huge sledge hammer is 1) im a student with not enough money for another gun. 2) wanted a gun that worked for hunting, personal defense, and bears. 3) and I love the gun. if none of those apply I would get a smaller gun.Will next time I get some income. To each his own though. Do what makes you happy and what you can figure out.

No way I could tote a 5" GP100 in this weather, but an SP101 wouldn't be bad. It's only an ounce heavier than my 908 and about the same overall dimensions, just a bit thicker. If I were to go with a .357 I'd want more weight than less.

Power to weight ratio tips in favor of the 340sc for pocket carry. 11.9oz of pure power in a J-frame stoked with .357 medium velocity 125gr Remingtons works for me. If cooler weather prevails a semi auto like a Sig P245 or a Lightweight Officer's ACP would be the gun of the day.

In warmer weather I'll tote a j frame IWB or pocket carry, when colder weather rolls around I occasionally carry a j or k frame OWB.

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"Shall not be infringed"

Realistically....most of us will (thankfully!) never never ever have to fire our gun. So I say, might as well be as comfortable as possible, seeing you are toting around something that you will probably never have to use.

This morning I flipped through one of the handgun magazines while grocery shopping. There was a writeup of about a half dozen sub-compact autos. I skipped all the fluff and went right to the end, considering the end is where you always find a word or two about reliability. The writer actually admitted that every one of them choked during testing!

Editors claim that cover pieces on revolvers don't sell magazines. That's because revolvers are reliable and readers resent having to be reminded about it.

Dave Sinko

I just replaced the Kahr with a Glock 23, but my 642 is always with me.

I don't know about you, but personally the weight of my full sized 1911 fully loaded is perfect on my hip. I wouldn't want an ultralight handgun, I like knowing my gun is there. Same as my keys, wallet, and cellphone. I know their exact weight, I know when they're there and when they're not.

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Just the opinion of a kid

well in winter and sometines in the summer i pack my pre 27 3.5in if you look under the hand ejectors i now pack this lil i frame 38s&w with ivory grips that was a N.Y.P.D. back up gun figured id like a lil pocket gun for when i get old little or no kick and i wouldnt want to get shot with it 5 times really fast love the height of the 3.5 27 but just trying to think ahead to older years. and wanting to keep my old pants up

With the GP100 you'll have to get used to walking with you're pants around the ankles carry.
I won't carry anything more than a Jframe, anything else is just too uncomfortable for me.

I carry an AirWeight Bodyguard quite a bit in town, but in the country I carry a 40+ oz. 44 Special plus 12 extra rounds of ammo and get along just fine. A stiff belt helps a lot.

Just gave up my Ruger SP101 snub that I carried IWB.

Started carrying a S&W 66 snub, using either a Galco Speed Scabbard (OWB) or a brand new Tucker Texas Heritage (IWB)

The longer grip frame of the 66 makes it somewhat harder to conceal, but should be fine in Fall/Winter/Spring here in Vermont.

In the spring, I will get a 340 M&P for IWB and ankle and appendix and pocket carry!

I like my K and L frame wheelguns just fine, but I most often find myself with a Stainless J frame, Model 640 no dash.

Here's what I carry. I've shown the first photo several times before. A Model 60 with bobbed hammer, 2" Model 15 and a 3" Model 65. Plus a 2" Model 64 I just found.

They are all steel guns. That makes them a lot more comfortable to practice with.

The Model 60 is not as lightweight as an airweight but still okay for front pocket carry.

Main thing is I'll never have to think about the manual of arms if I ever have to use one of these revolvers. Plus the wife knows the drill too.

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Love those Bodyguards

My first carry piece was a Md#37. Over the years I have carried various others and I always come back to the revolver.
My current carry sidearms, S&W 36, Glock 27 and a .380 LCP.
The Smith usualy goes first and is always ready. The Glock 27 is my favorite auto to carry and the .380 is when nothing else fits.

Regards,
LnL

Here are my 3 primary carry pieces. My BG380 was my primary carry piece until I fell in love with stainless .357 revolvers. Since then, I've thought about selling the BG380. But that little thing is great when I need to carry super light. My 66-5 is my favorite shooter of the 3, but I don't yet have the right holster for it. Maybe I'll have to get myself something nice for Christmas. So my 60-9 is now my primary carry piece. I have it mated with a Remora no clip IWB and love it. I also have a Remora for my BG380 and I am impressed with both.

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Glock 26, J Frames and Spydercos. Everyday.

I like my Snub Revolvers Best for carry. I carry Two at all times plus reloads for both, pepper spray, flashlight, multi tool, cell phone, wallet money clip, and keys. The Snubs I rotate as Carry Guns are 617 Taurus, Sp101 Ruger, LCR357 Ruger, 442 S&W, and Bobbed 37 S&W. I have a Glock 26 but I like the Revolvers better.

GP 100s are a heavy gun, for those that don't shoot Rugers, they are like a sturdy L frame 686. For the .357 mag - when actually using magnum ammo, that's a good thing. Makes them a lot more controllable and they'll run on full power ammo that would eventually kill a K frame.

But... A Model 65 3" RB might eliminate the need to have two guns in the carry rotation. It splits the difference. A decent used one shouldn't run much more to replace than a new Ruger, might be less, I haven't priced Rugers lately.

The older Six Series Rugers would also split the difference. Used to run about 350 to 400 for a used snub one, that may have gone up, may have gone down. Still will last a long while, maybe forever with full power ammo. And they are a bit more compact than the GP and seem to balance better (and hold one more round than the SPs). I had a snub one for a while. It was loud, but fairly controllable. It would also fit, if memory serves, in holsters meant for 3" K frames.

I love the 638 Bodyguard. I had a 49 in nickle many years ago and regret selling it to a friend.

As far as accuracy. Practice makes perfect...

I do this once a month drill. It pays off.

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I carried many 1911's almost exclusively for about 35 years as an UnderSheriff and Chief of Police. I still love my 1911's but now that I am retired from LE I find myself carrying a J frame all the time out of convenience and portability. I currently carry an M&P 340 with speed stripes and a speedloader but worry that I should be carrying something with more rounds etc. I feel that at this point in my life I will probably get into something up close and personal and that my 340 with SB Gold Dots in .38 will most likely take care of the problem. Still evaluating carry issues. I am thinking of an LCP for summer carry but would rather have something with more zip than a .380.

Tom