Hey all,

With all of the small, hand sized semi-autos out there to choose from these days I wonder how many of you guys and gals in the die hard S&W community have decided to put your beloved J-Frame in the drawer...or relegate it to your wife or girlfreind and now pack one of the many semi-autos made for the purpose of carrying?

With some of the new semis there are some very nice pistols out there. It seems like a new one is being introduced about every month. Just about every major company now makes a really small, compact semi auto designed for ccw use. I'd be lying if I said that I am not considering one. I told myself that the next pistol I bought would be a J frame. I had always wanted one and I wanted something I could put in my pocket to carry on occasion. I still will get a J frame, but all these new choices sure do make it hard to stay focused on getting one.

What do you all think? Have any of you stopped carrying your J and moved to a semi? If so, what are you now carrying and why. If not, why do you stay with the J...or whatever revolver you carry when there are so many so called "better choices" available to you?

Have you moved to the "Dark Side" yet?

Lets hear it.

Thanks all.

Nalajr

Nope, for me its J frame DA revolver reliability or I skip to a proven reliable and effective semi auto the size of a Glock 26/27 if I feel I need more.

Negatory. Still prefer the J frame. Used to carry an I frame, but there's no good .38 S&W loads out there any more.

Have owned several of the new small autos in the past few years, but they'll all been swapped off to the the LGS. Did used to carry Remington 51s along, but started fretting about wearing the finish plumb away, so they've been retired.

I'm happy with my 642. I don't feel any need to switch my style of pocket carry, even though the newer semi-autos hold a couple of more rounds.

Started with pocket carrying a 442. Kept thinking there was something better so I tried an LCP, LC9, and Shield. I'm back to the 442 and have sold the others.

depending on what I am wearing I switch between my 642 and a kahr cm9. the kahr is a little easier to hide with certain summer wear.

When I'm not carrying a Glock 19, I'm carrying my sweet little J. Light, easy to conceal and reliable.

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Mbr; LEAA,KSRA,M.C.League

Nothing like a Dependable, Cop proven J frame. I like the goes bang thing every time, kinda makes me sleep better.

Have both small autos and several J frames. For carry I much prefer the simplicity of design and the ease of carry of my J frames.

I have a chiefs special. Accurate, dependable. Next I bought an LCP. I like it, it weighs an ounce more than my Beretta 21A (22lr). Then I bought a Bodyguard 38 to replace the j thinking this was the ultimate answer.

NO I did not dump the chiefs special. The BG38 is lighter so I rotate between the three. I have had reliability issues with the Beretta and the Sterling I had before that. The LCP has been dependable, but I just like the revolver and the "Restrike" capability along with a fresh round and all I have to do is pull the trigger. Also a 38 +P is more power than a 380 or 22 Lr.

I have had the chiefs special a long time. I feel comfortable with it. If I feel like the revolvers are too big, I grab my officers model 45 for a day. I then go back to the 36 or BG38.

No, I've never been seriously tempted. I've looked at them in the stores but that's about it. They might be great, but I feel comfortable and secure with my J frame. Back in the day it was my model 49. Now it's my 649-2 in .357. I have other Js but my 649 is my go to choice.

Leave behind my J-frame? My pants would ride crooked. Reliable, safe, accurate, light weight - I'll stick with it.

I bounce back and forth between my 642 and Sig P238. I've torture tested the Sig with 250 plus rounds between cleanings twice. Well built piece as after well over 1500 rounds it still shows no real wear. Wish I could more easily conceal my Springfield EMP, because it is the easiest to shoot, most accurate small pistol I've ever fired.

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Virtue,Liberty & Independence

Most older folks have learned through experience, trial, and error that there is nothing more perfect for EDC than the J frame revolver.

There are also quite a few younger (wiser) folks out there who have also come to this inescapable conclusion. JMHO.

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LEX ET ORDO

I split the difference. I carry an LCP in a Bianchi IWB at 3:30 and my M649 appendix carry in a Blackhawk! IWB at the same time. If I've decided that my M19 or one of my Sigs are too big for the day, I go with my J and my LCP at the same time.

Not I. I gel well with my 38spl Airweight. It shoots well, I shoot it well, and it is a pleasure to shoot and carry. It doesn't get better than that.

I have never trusted carrying a loaded and cocked semi-auto....period and I don't think I want to have to rack the slide or cock the hammer (if it has one) before I may need to shoot the gun in a hurry. I have several 1911's and I do shoot them....but I do not carry one cocked-n-locked or for SD.

A striker-fired semi-auto is about the most dangerous thing you can have in your pocket. That J-Frame....will not fire unless you pull the trigger....and that's all you have to do...pull the trigger. The small revolver is the safest and best thing one can have in a purse or a pocket. if you can't get the job done with 5-rounds....you're likely not going to get it done anyway.

IMO, you can't improve on a J frame for pocket carry, why try? It's a 442 no lock for me.

I'm 38 and just started carrying a shield two years ago. Last summer I bought a PC 637. Now I carry that It's perfect. So, I did the opposite

I always carry my 642. When I'm not, I'm carrying my 45c. But, more times than not, it's the 642. Convenient, light and easy to conceal.

I did retire my M60 Chief Special for a M&P 360 .357. I do keep a Taurus PT740 in the rotation so I flip back and forth. Both are easy IWB or pocket carry.

I tried the LCP and a few others but kept going back to my J frame. My recent purchase of the new Glock 42 was a disaster which is on its way back to the factory. When I get it back I don't know if I'll ever trust it.

The times I really needed a gun (LEO days) it was the revolver that was pressed into service. While my tie to the J may be somewhat emotional b/c of my LEO experiences, it will always be my EDC.

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Old Cop
LEO (Ret.)

"... dump my J-frame..?" Are you crazy? A tiny semi-auto might have its place (like in some lady's "boo-dwah") but real men carry a Chief's Special for that final resort when all talking stops and things have gotten serious. JMHO - YMMV

Froggie

When I first started carrying I carried a full size 1911 that was almost 18 years ago. I have tried all the new small autos in 380 and 9mm, and now carry a 637 in my front pocket for the last 2 years and don't think I will ever go back to carrying a auto. My j frame just vanishes in my front pocket!

My model 36 is always with me, I will never dump it. I have carried a Browning hi power and a SW 1911 SC just can never get comfortable with them the J frame is the way to go.

I don't carry all the time, but when I do it's my model 60-12 in .38 special. Just feel more comfortable with it.

Nope, I still carry a J frame.


A J everyday keeps the bad guys away

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On the Oak Savannah

Different guns for different seasons, and different reasons. Sometimes a J-frame is all you can easily hide, other times you dress around the gun you feel is better suited to the situation. My carry guns vary between my 642, my 36-1 3", one of my 64's, other days I feel a 1911 or the Ruger SR-40 is a better idea. Keep saving your nickles, and buying new choices. Nearly every gun is a compromise, you just have to decide whether to compromise in comfort, concealability, ammo capacity or weight. I'm not a fan of cold weather, but it's nice to be able to easily conceal the biggest gun you carry, just because. When I can't hide a 1911 I carry something smaller, but when you're headed into harm's way, a 15-shot 45 is VERY comforting! But no, I'll never retire the J-frames. They have their niche too!

637 with old, small wood grips....in front pocket...... never carry my XDS45 or my Glock 36 although I do love them and they are great...but in real life, the 637 and a front pocket carry is all I really need....

I never really did carry a J frame. I always carried a Semi-auto and dressed around the gun. Back in 90 or 91 I picked-up a Mod. 36 and ankled carried when I had to tuck in my shirt, but it was pretty much always a semi-auto 9 (now .40) on my hip.

Recently I started carrying a back-up gun. At first it was a J frame, but now it's the LCP. Lighter, 3 extra rounds (with grip extender), and it conceals better.

I still love J frames, but for me, it's always been a capacity issue. I'd rather have a 7 or 8 shot pocket .380 or 9, than a 5 shot.

I always recommend a light weight J to those that want to carry but aren't gun people. For those that won't take care of a semi (clean the lint and lubricate regular), the J should work under minor neglected conditions (just keep pulling the trigger til it goes bang).

But at the end of the day, it's doesn't matter what anyone else likes. It's what works for you. The beauty of the hobby is trial and error.

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Watch & Pray

I traded my 642 in on a Kahr 9 it is slightly smaller than the 642, and weighs the same with two more rounds of a more effective cartridge. Great for pocket carry.

Have a few small semi-auto pistols but still prefer my j-frame even with it's limited capacity and I work real hard to stay out of harms way.

I started in the dark side.

I have 2 model 36s. I like em and carry one when I walk my dog. However, honestly I find a small semi auto like a Kahr PM9/45 to be overall better

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What Law and Order said. If I was to get a bad primer, etc. with my 342 all I need do is pull the trigger again and a "fresh" ctg. presents itself for sacrifice. At my advanced age I don't need to run the drills of racking the slide to get a new ctg. Might be too late anyway. Keep it simple stupid. Living example of that.

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Bill
Dis B. Leaf

Lightweight, enclosed hammer J frame, pocket carry- for me, it just doesn't get any better! To answer your question, "No, I haven't dumped it" and I don't envision ever dumping it for a mini semi-auto.

I still carry a J-frame. .38+P can do the job. .380 is just weak.

Started with a 36 in the 60's.
Then a 38, Nickel 49, Electroless Nickel 442,
640 (38), 340PD & 351C.
Went from steel to airweight to Scandium,
but came back to the best J ever made.
The 640(38).
A Glock 26 is sometimes used as a 2nd gun to the 640
and sometimes the 640 is the 2nd gun to the 26.
The 26 IS a great gun, but I'm NEVER without the 640.
Both are loaded with Corbon DPX +P's.

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Nope. I have a M638 which is my usual carry.
J frames, and wheelguns in general, are safer and more reliable.
If I want more firepower there is my 1911, which is a very safe and reliable semi auto.

I had 5 autos, I now have 4 revolvers(3 s/w and 1 Taurus).
S/w 625-10 snub
S/w 340pd
S/w 442
Taurus 455 snub
P238 auto
I wouldn't trade off any of these. Believe it or not but the Taurus is excellent quality and one of my favorites. The p238 is my first auto and the one I took my class with so it is staying. I will need it for my renewal also.

I can shoot my J Frame 442 from inside my coat pocket if circumstances demand it. Tell me all about how well that works with a bottom feeder.

I've been picking up used J frames at my LGS. People are trading them for 50 cents on the dollar for credit toward their new wonder pistol. There's some great deals out there. My compact .380 is a 30 year old PPK/S.

Probably some of those guns would have been attractive in my youth. But even after some companies started making guns that I considered safe to carry in a pocket (like Seecamps), I made a decision, perhaps a wrong one, that I wasn't going to carry a gun I couldn't shoot accurately with. That put J frames at the lower limit, although I did once have a Beretta .25 that I shot fairly well.

Anyway, between having Chiefs and such, and dressing a little differently, I found that I could carry a J without a jacket. Now, there is not much motivation to look for a flat gun that works all the time, since the J-frame guns do the job well enough.

More power to anyone who finds a reliable autoloader that shoots a decent cartridge accurately, but I don't need anything better than a J-frame .38 Special just yet.

I carried one of my 3 J frames which are DAO in my pocket for the longest time and were happy to do so. I had my second back surgery last summer and started carrying a Beretta Tomcat as it seemed lighter and an easier carry. I'm still carrying it but will soon switch back to my J frames I think as they're all 38s and a better round than the .32acp in my thinking.
I also feel 5 shots are plenty and if I ever needed more I was doing something wrong or in the wrong place.

I guess it depends on the type of coat you have but I had no problems shooting my Kahr CW9 from my old work jacket pocket. Nothing jammed

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Tried one of the small plastic .380's.
The magazine button on the side would let loose & then the thing was worthless.
M49 now is the main one I CC. KISS is better for me.
Still CC M10-5 3" or one of the .44 Spl.

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Only difference Fool/Mule-ears

I went the opposite too. Dumped a Colt Gov't. .380 for a Chief's Special. I walk about 2 miles every evening and use the Chief as my walking partner. In an IWB holster it rides comfortably and out of sight. I have faith it will go bang the first time and everytime after that. Just couldn't get the Colt to work right so I sold it off and bought the Chief. Nope, no looking back on that one with regrets.

I do have a runt Kahr in 9. Have carried it some, it just don't give me that comforting home cooking feeling Like a 642 does.

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NRA LIFE MEMBER

I will never put my model 60 in storage. I alternate between the m 60, the kahr cw 9, and the glock 36, I like them all.

I love the J Frame, but that little LCP I had was easier to shoot, lighter, flatter, and just incredibly easy to carry. I wouldn't dream of carrying a J frame while I was running, but the LCP stays there just fine.

I would never dump either of my J frames for anything else. I prefer having both. I am also old school and shoot my J frames so much better than the .380's or 9's I have.
I agree that there are good alternatives to a small revolver that carry more concealed.