Model 10 2-inch or Model 36 for concealed carry

David LaPell

David LaPell

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I am on the hunt for a warm weather concealed carry gun, and I am thinking about either an M36 (or variant there of) or an Model 10 2-inch barrel or worse case I know of a beater Model 15 2-inch. I had a Detective Special and had no issues concealing that gun in a pocket holster. I think with the right smaller K frame grips if I could get away with the same with that size gun. I wear slacks with really deep pockets, and they are a little baggy but not too bad that the Colt Detective Special stayed upright but did not print or stuck out.
 
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I use a Model 64 2 incher with a bobbed hammer spur. I carry it in my pocket with a Desantis pocket holster during hot weather. I like having the extra round over a J frame's five shots, and it's easier to shoot fast and accurately
 
Of those guns I would do the M36.

Have you considered a new 642 no lock? I carried a 36 for a while didn't like the exposed hammer. Carried a Kel Tec for a while, enough said there is was a piece of junk. I found a new 642 no lock recently, and my search for a small carry piece is over. This is a fantastic gun, and won't cost much more than an original 36 in decent shape.
 
I'm rather partial to the J frame for pocket carry myself, and am usually found with a model 60 in my pocket. But if you can get away with the bigger and heavier K frame, by all means do it! They have much better sights and a smoother action! Ya know you could try locating a model 12 for said job. Dale
 
With the right pants, size may not be an issue, but weight may be marginal. I have carried a 2" M15 with Safariland/Rogers grips (slimmer than Magnas, but longer) in my right front pocket in a Don Hume JIT slide simply used as a pocket holster. It works. The size is not an issue, but my belt certainly has to be fastened properly. Your Dick Special may be similar in size, but it is lighter. Strangely enough, I have not yet had any problem with the adjustable sights, and I do prefer the higher sights. However, if you feel comfortable with a 10, go for it.
 
A photo of a Taurus #82 & #85 to compare frame sizes, which would compare to S&W J & K frames. For a pocket gun I would choose the smaller piece. For a belt gun I would get a 3" K frame over a 2" or a J frame. I sold a RB, 2" #10 and replaced it with a RB, HB, 3" #64 and have never regretted it.

taurus21.jpg
 
I have a 2" Model 10 with Hideout grips on it I like very much and carry often. It is too heavy for a pocket gun though. If you get a Model 36 you will have to bob the hammer for pocket carry so you might as well just get a 642. I carry a 640 in my pocket all day everyday and it doesn't bother me but nowadays everyone wants Airweights.

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Model 10
 
To me a model 37 is much more comfortable in the pocket than a m36.

However the hidden star of pocket carry smith is the ~2" model 12. Same size and capacity of a model 10, close to a model 37 in weight. If you can fit a model 10 in your pocket, get a 12 you will be less lopsided.

It may be too big for some in the pocket, but it seems like less than a m36 when carried IWB.
 
Airweights (the aluminum frame variants of the Model 36 and Model 10) are truly the way to go for pocket carry, etc.

Thus, look for a Model 37 vs. a Model 36, and/or a Model 12 vs. the steel framed Model 10. In the Colt line, look for a Cobra or Agent (aluminum frames) vs. their steel framed brother the Detective Special

That all being said, an Airweight J frame is the way to go. There will simply be times when an J frame Airweight will be the only thing light and small enough to conceal . . . and having a .38 Special that's actually ON you when you need it trumps a heavy gun you made the mistake of leaving behind you if trouble suddenly comes.

Thus, an Airweight J frame (hammerless, ala 442, 642; hammered Model 37 or an Airweight Bodyguard would be your best bet.

That's what I've done . . . and in my safe I have 2 1/2" and 3" K frame .357 Magnums, a Model 10, a Model 36 AND a Colt Agent . . . but the little Airweight (mine's a Model 37) is ALWAYS on me. A more perfect, accurate, dependable pocket rocket has never been made. Get a pocket holster too! <$20 will get ya an Uncle Mike's #3, and < $25 will get ya a DeSantis Nemesis. Better concealment, better on the finish, etc., and they hold the revolver in the proper position too for a fast, smooth draw.
 
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I've got a 66 2.5. Although it is very concealable, I couldn't pull off pocket carry with it. I can carry it in the summer under an untucked t shirt with no problem. For pocket carry I use my 442. Much smaller and lighter.
 
TNDave said:
I have a 2" Model 10 with Hideout grips on it I like very much and carry often. It is too heavy for a pocket gun though. If you get a Model 36 you will have to bob the hammer for pocket carry so you might as well just get a 642. I carry a 640 in my pocket all day everyday and it doesn't bother me but nowadays everyone wants Airweights.

100001.jpg

Model 10
Click to expand...

I like it. I'm going to have to look for a cheap worn Model 12, bob the hammer, put a T-grip on it and call it good.
 
I have both and the 2-inch Model 10 has emerged as the preferred carry revolver for me. It hides as readily as the J-Frame in many applications and is easier to shoot well.
 
The two inch j-frame, either standard or airweight, is the absolute "most perfectest" concealment handgun made. Any smaller and it would be too hard to control. Any larger, say k-frame size, and it would be too bulky and too heavy. I carry standard weight Models 60 & 36 in my right front pants pocket, sometimes in a holster, sometimes not. Pocket carry, with or without a holster, is Hell on the finish, even the stainless gun. That is when you have to decide that it is a tool to be used, not a piece of art to be admired.

I have tried to carry 1911s, 4" k-frames, 2" k-frames, and even 3" j-frames, but absolutely nothing is as practical as the 2" j-frame. One of mine has the hammer bobbed. Two are rb and one sb. I really don't notice a whole lot of difference in the various configurations. Five rounds of BB+p158 grain in the cylinder, and five more on a speed strip, is probably going to be sufficient. Actually, I have been known to carry two j-frames with a speed strip. I agree with my fellow Georgian Tom that the airweight is probably better. It just happens that my guns are all standard weight, and they have proven to be very "carry-able", so I have stuck with them.
 
Since you are looking for a gun to carry in warm weather I'd strongly recommend a stainless gun. For a steel K-Frame a M64, in the J-Frame there's the M60 or as several have opined, an Airweight Centennial. I have a M340PD in my pocket as I type this, but there's a M642 upstairs that costs about half as much and is almost as light. For pocket carry I would stay away from blued guns.
 
Personally I don't like to go bigger or heavier than a Colt D frame for pocket carry...so I'd vote for a M36, or better yet, a Bodyguard.

- regards
 
I want to second the new 642. That they are making it minus the lock is nothing but a bonus. I'm going to get one as soon as I find one.
 
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