Those that Carry a J...Ever Worry that 5 Isn't Enough?

[BB57]

The most important reason to carry an extra magazine with a semi-auto is immediate action when it fails.

Dropping the magazine, clearing the pistol, and then inserting a new magazine is the quickest way to clear some malfunctions and get a semi-auto back in action when the basic tap-rack-bang approach fails.

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That's not a factor in a revolver, where the most common failures are both rare and preventable. Keeping your revolver clean, ensuring the hammer spring is strong enough to prevent light strikes, and ensuring your ammunition doesn't get longer under recoil and jam the cylinder takes care of 99.9% of the potential problems.

 

[keith44spl]

Not wantin to ever get caught with my britches down....

I carry two of whatever I packin'

A few 'experiences' has taught me that....Don't get caught wantin more than ya brought to the dance.

I'm not necessarily any smarter, but I hope I'm wiser
now than in my mis-spent youth.


.

 

[SWIll]

I'm okay with five in a j frame.

 

[Ranger514]

Don't worry. Be happy. A J frame makes good sense when full sized carry isn't practical. I carried one as a back up, but transitioned to a 9mm Sig P290RS because of the extra rounds available. It weighs more than the airweight 442/642 but I like the trade off. Practice with what you carry, because your competence with your handgun is much more important than the model and the number of rounds it carries.

 

[cmort666]

That's not a factor in a revolver, where the most common failures are both rare and preventable. Keeping your revolver clean, ensuring the hammer spring is strong enough to prevent light strikes, and ensuring your ammunition doesn't get longer under recoil and jam the cylinder takes care of 99.9% of the potential problems.

The most common failure I've seen in D/A revolver matches is the ejector rod unwinding because it wasn't properly tightened, tying up the cylinder.

I've seen upwards of five at a time during the first night of a league season.

 

[Absalom]

You can never prepare for every scenario, you can only prepare for whatever works for you in daily life and what's the most likely scenario.

By far the most likely self-defense scenario is having to shoot an assailant center-mass a few times at short distance. A J-frame is just fine for that. And I can actually carry it all the time, even in shorts and a t-shirt.

Of course I could envision a scenario where I'm attacked by a carload of cartel hitmen armed with AK's. In that case, I'd want an AR-15. Or I could envision being charged by an escaped circus elephant, in which case I'd want a .500 Nitro Express double rifle. Or I could be smashed by a jet engine that fell off an airliner. Stuff happens. You can't prepare for everything. And if you go through life worrying about that too much, you're not having much fun and you still die in the end.

 

[BB57]

The most common failure I've seen in D/A revolver matches is the ejector rod unwinding because it wasn't properly tightened, tying up the cylinder.

I've seen upwards of five at a time during the first night of a league season.

The potential for those kinds of teething problems for a new pistol or revolver (or a pistol or revolver that was detail stripped in the off season) is one of the reasons you should actually shoot your revolver a fair bit before putting it into service as a self defense handgun.

You see all kinds of problems in the live fire session of a concealed carry class, where the shooters discover things like their new revolver shaving lead because it's poorly timed.

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Once you get past those issues, the rest of it comes down to proper cleaning and maintenance and due diligence in ammo testing - which is much less demanding than it is for a semi-auto.

One of the things that can cause issues with a reload in a revolver, is a largish piece of grit under the ejector start that prevents the ejector from retracting completely, preventing the cylinder from going back into the frame.

 

[cmort666]

The potential for those kinds of teething problems for a new pistol or revolver (or a pistol or revolver that was detail stripped in the off season) is one of the reasons you should actually shoot your revolver a fair bit before putting it into service as a self defense handgun.

I had that in mind when I took the 3" 65 that I got from CDNN to the range before carrying it.

Part way through, I started getting light hits, with the problem getting worse as I went along.

After some troubleshooting, I figured out that a previous owner had "improved" the trigger pull by cutting off the end of the strain screw and screwing it all the way in. It LOOKED like the screw was properly adjusted, but it could never be properly tightened down. As soon as the screw was replaced with a stock part, the gun was 100% reliable, and has been ever since.

 

[nyeti]

I have bought several beautiful guns lately that required extensive work to undo what home gunsmithing crimes were commited on them. It seems to be a trend that people try to replace skill and work with a trigger worked on by duffers.

This thread has inspired an article on the J frame lifestyle. Should be interesting to see how it goes.

 

[Snallygaster]

Not much to add here as the topic has been well covered, but for me the decision in the summer is between 5 or nothing. I simply have trouble concealing in the summer so I pocket carry. Do I feel under armed? Yes, to an extent, but I understand the limitations of carrying an LCR, and am comfortable that I could deploy it effectively in the role for which it was designed.

 

[Cal44]

I have bought several beautiful guns lately that required extensive work to undo what home gunsmithing crimes were commited on them. It seems to be a trend that people try to replace skill and work with a trigger worked on by duffers.

This thread has inspired an article on the J frame lifestyle. Should be interesting to see how it goes.

I bought a M37 3" from a private party last year. It had a light trigger, probably due to a kitchen table gunsmith job.

The first time I took it to the range, I had failures to fire one or two out of each 5 shots.

A real gun smith replace the main spring, and it worked fine from then on.

 

[Mister X]

I see many people who feel 5 is too low capacity, but then opt for a 6 or 7 round micro-auto preferring it thinking it's easier to carry more rounds (extra magazines/reloads) and the gun is faster to reload, but I would want the rounds on board(in the gun) or go with more reliable CQ platform(the revolver). Not all that much difference between 5 vs 6/7 rounds to me, especially if I feel one is clearly superior to the other for my needs.

The idea that you'll somehow have time to clear a semi-auto malfunction in a public defense scenario is wishful thinking at best. If you are shooting someone(ethically/legally in self-defense), it means your life is in immediate danger(usually by an armed assailant). A failure would therefore likely result in death or serious injury, because if there is time to tap-rack-bang, there is probably time to flee/escape(you shouldn't be shooting) and avoidance is always the best option when possible. The same goes for the idea of reloading. Theoretically, there could be time and I'm sure it has happened during some oddball anomaly case, but for the armed civilian, it just isn't very probable.

 

[petepeterson]

I see many people who feel 5 is too low capacity, but then opt for a 6 or 7 round micro-auto preferring it thinking it's easier to carry more rounds (extra magazines/reloads) and the gun is faster to reload, but I would want the rounds on board(in the gun) or go with more reliable CQ platform(the revolver). Not all that much difference between 5 vs 6/7 rounds to me, especially if I feel one is clearly superior to the other for my needs.

The idea that you'll somehow have time to clear a semi-auto malfunction in a public defense scenario is wishful thinking at best. If you are shooting someone(ethically/legally in self-defense), it means your life is in immediate danger(usually by an armed assailant). A failure would therefore likely result in death or serious injury, because if there is time to tap-rack-bang, there is probably time to flee/escape(you shouldn't be shooting) and avoidance is always the best option when possible. The same goes for the idea of reloading. Theoretically, there could be time and I'm sure it has happened during some oddball anomaly case, but for the armed civilian, it just isn't very probable.

That's my way of thinking. My reload is to ensure I don't have an empty gun while I'm waiting for the police. I can run a good distance in the time it takes me to reload. I prefer the "Tom Sizemore reload" from Saving Private Ryan. Throw the gun, then your keys, shoes, etc. at your attacker!

 

[Engine 21]

I think this subject has been covered with good information and opinions discussed. I am of the opinion that the J frame does what it is intended, if properly maintained and is easily concealable. That said, in the summer my carry is a model 38. Winter - a model 36. Am I under some capacity deficit - I don't think so. Sometimes more isn't better - it's just more. I'm good with what I carry. Some guys could have a Quad - Fifty and still be worried about capacity.

 

[CajunBass]

It's five more than I've ever needed before.

 

[Absalom]

I thought of a friend of mine whose story nicely illustrates the dilemma. He moved out of state some years ago, so I don't see him as often as I'd like any more.

He has always been one of those 1911 aficionados who think that, really, people could have just stopped inventing new stuff after John Moses Browning. I think his current favorite is a tricked-out Kimber. He has a nifty carry rig with mag pouches, practices whenever he gets a chance, and some time way back he even paid big bucks to attend Thunder Ranch or Gunsite or one of those places. Just like me, he's getting a bit old, but if he'd walk into a gunfight, even with multiple opponents, carrying that outfit he'd be READY.

The problem? Real life. He runs a successful plumbing contractor business, now in one of the sunny Southwestern states, and like all successful small businessmen he's pretty much on the job 24/7. So he spends most of his days in slacks and a polo shirt on worksites with customers climbing on things, crawling under things, wiggling behind things and such. 95% of his life, carrying that lovely gun rig of his is simply not feasible. As he admitted to me somewhat sheepishly, his CCW these days consists mostly of a 2"-barreled Model 15 wrapped in a t-shirt stuffed under the seat of his truck.

I think a lot of people end up settling on a nice compact J-frame tucked into an inconspicuous IWB holster for very practical reasons.

 

[Fastbolt]

Well, as a firearms instructor I've seen my fair share of guys who were demonstrably better skilled and mentally prepared when carrying their 5 or 6-shot revolvers (or diminutive pistols), than many other guys who were toting around the latest & greatest full-size, hi-cap wondergun and extra extended length magazines.

The coolness of equipment doesn't automatically translate into better abilities, knowledge and mindset.

 

[Lobster Picnic]

I'm a proponent of going as small as needed to fill the "have a gun" requirement. That Model 15 under the truck seat might seem awfully far away if your friend ever needs it. A J-frame in the pocket, or a little Seecamp .32, or even a NAA mini revolver will always be better than the K-frame left in the truck.

 

[Kframerbluvr]

I usually carry a full size belt gun (Glock 22, 5" 1911 or 4" .38). However, I managed to strain my back today working in the yard. The Glock 22 came off and went into the safe. This gave my back some relief. 442 comes out of safe with two speed strips and a 2x2x2 ammo pouch. Maybe not as effective, but at least I have something to defend myself with until my back unkinks itself.
I wish S&W would make a lightweight 3" fixed sight K-frame .38+P revolver without the Hillary hole. I would buy two on the spot..

 

[Shorty 45 MK2]

I wish S&W would make a lightweight 3" fixed sight K-frame .38+P revolver without the Hillary hole. I would buy two on the spot..

Where do I sign!?