Model 36 holster

I've recently acquired a Model 36 Chief's Special 2" barrel from 1960-1961. I plan on using it for concealed carry. What holsters do you guys recommend?

Kevin, we all need a little more info to help. Are you looking for belt holsters (IWB, or OWB)? Or are you trying for something that might pass for pocket carry?

Bianchi is always the best. A vintage one with the steel clip on the back is hard to find but very versatile.

Just my 2 cents.

1. If that 1960 model is in excellent shape----I might not carry it----It just has too much going for it in the collector desirability category.---I would by another to carry and consider a lite weight model with hammer shroud or hammerless.

2. I feel that a belt holster for a small gun is a bit silly----if you can or will carry a gun on belt---get something a bit bigger and with more boolits.

3. The snubbies are just the ticket for pocket carry. The "inside the pocket" holsters are ideal. I suggest Blackhawk brand as the old Uncle Mikes have quality problems and stitching misplacements now that they are made in Indochina. Buy several as they loose a bit of their stiffness and padding over time.

I really don't know if I want a belt holster or a pocket holster. I think I would prefer the belt, but that's part of why I'm asking this question in the first place. This is going to be my first carry so I don't have preference from prior experience. Kinda just feeling people out and getting personal opinions.

Yes the gun is old, but it shows its age. This gun was supposedly a detective's everyday carry for a number of years throughout the 60's and 70's. There is a lot of wear on the wood grips and the blued finish is worn in a couple spots. If the gun was in better condition then I'd probably reconsider using it for a carry.

I usually carry my snubby on my belt. Sometimes it rides in my pocket.

The best CCW holsters I've found are:

OWB - Kramer Leather Horsehide Belt Scabbard, matching belt and ammo dump pouch.

POCKET - DeSantis Nemesis

IWB - The soft suede/clip type is my favorite for IWB carry.

Everyone likes different brands, styles, colors, materials and you will have to give different ones a try and find your own favorites. All I can do (or anyone else for that matter) is tell you what works best for for me. Thats why after years of CCW we all have boxes and drawers full of holsters - LOL!

I like using a Galco, Combat Master holster. It is a pancake style belt holster and is very comfortable. I have one in tan and one in black. Galco has the best ammo pouch IMO also. Arizona Gun Runner's usually has the best prices on Galco leather.

OWB Lobo Enhanced Pancake. Have several in different colors, one with basket weave.

Hank M.

Thanks for the recommendations guys, I'm going to look in to all the ones mentioned before making a purchase

My M36-1 in Bianchi #3 I carried it OD, plainclothes & when I was assigned to drive a tour on the dispatch desk. Remember this holster is 35 years old.

Flagman, did you alter those banana Js yourself? Ive never seen a speedloader cutout before on them, just a lil "football" relief like on K/N targets.

I like the OWB and carry my 36 in a Bianchi #5BH specifically designed for the S&W Chief.

I have used this Galco horsehide pocket holster everyday for years. It shows virtually no wear. I have a number of snubbies that I rotate through, the one in the photo is about the size of your model 36. It is an S&W M&P 340. The same holster fits all of my J frames, which is what your
Model 36 is, as well as Colt detective Special sized handguns, which I sometimes carry. I can recommend it unequivocally.

I have also heard excellent reports about the pocket holster that snubbyfan shows in the above post. He makes them. I think that he is just too modest to say so. You might contact him about making one for you. I have been carrying for forty years or so, and have tried just about everything out there. I'm not an expert on the subject, but there are some disadvantages to pocket carry. It is not as fast to get into action as other methods, and you give up a pocket that you may be used to carrying other stuff in. You may have to experiment a bit to see what works best for you. But you have come to a good place for information... The folks here are very knowledgeable, polite and a source of information no matter how long you've been around.

I'll disagree with one of the posters above and state that a model 36 is a near perfect revolver for IWB carry.

Larger semi-auto pistols with more capacity are the current fad in concealed carry, but they come with some sharp down sides. I've carried Hi Powers, a 3" 1911, a CZ 75 Compact and a few variants of PP and PPK/S as well as their FEG counterparts, pretty much covering most of the bases from full size to compact sized pistols, and a S&W Model 36 or a Model 60 with anywhere from a 1 7/8" to 3" barrel will carry far more comfortably than any semi -auto.



The thing is that a revolver is only thick around the cylinder, where a semi-auto is thicker on average through the entire grip, frame and slide. The edges and corners also tend to be a sharper and less comfortable. It makes the two harder to compare without actually wearing them, as a 2.125" J frame is almost as large if you look at overall length, width and height as a Browning Hi Power, but it is significantly lighter, much less bulky and far more comfortable to carry. And that's really the key trait as a self defense handgun you left home or left in a drawer across the room at home is basically useless. You're far better served by a handgun that you can comfortably wear all day long, to the point you don't notice it, as if you don't notice it, you won't be tempted to take it off.



I'm also not a fan of pocket carry as in general pockets are not well designed to carry the weight of a handgun, even in a well designed pocket holder - and thus the temptation is to go lighter and lighter with the handgun. That also has a sharp downside as lightweight handguns are less pleasant to shoot, particularly with a meaningful self defense round.

I do have a few pocket holsters, but I use them to carry a backup handgun, primarily when I'm with someone who shoots but does not conceal carry. Worst comes to worst, I can hand it off safely inside the holster and let him or her lead the way while I cover our disengagement from the situation.

If you carry inside your waist band, the pistol can be well supported by a good holster and a proper gun belt. Plus, it will be in position to be drawn effectively in almost any situation, and will stay secure when running, etc.

Drawing from a pocket holster can also be a significant problem when sitting down at a table for example, while a handgun in an IWB holster on your hip is still easy to draw and put into use.

-----

This is pretty much my everyday carry (minus my cell phone), and if it's not dark out the light stays home or in the car.



The holster is a Covert Carry from Wild Bill's Concealment. The offset clip is nice as it keeps the profile much thinner relative to a more conventional leather IWB holster, and it helps hold the butt in snug against your body.

Wild Bill's Concealment also makes the speed loader pouches. They allow you to slide either 2 or 3 rounds over your belt, reducing the profile of the unit on your belt.



Another advantage of a holster with a clip is that the firearm and holster can be removed from your waist belt as a unit, and they can be inserted into your waist belt as a unit, ensuring the trigger stays fully protected during those evolutions.

The Covert Carry also uses two thicknesses of leather around the mouth sandwiching a polymer strip, which will keep the holster open in your waistband after the revolver is removed, enabling you to re-holster it easily and directly if you prefer that approach.

The holster below is a more traditional approach to an IWB holster, but it is much thicker, less comfortable and less concealable. It does however incorporate a double thickness of leather and an insert to keep the mouth open, which is a critical feature to have on a holster that attaches via loops around the belt as removing and inserting it as a unit it is a bit more difficult.





Whether you have a standard J-frame like the Model 36 (bottom), a J-Magnum frame revolver in .38 Special (middle), or a J-Magnum frame revolver in .357 Magnum (top), you'll want to be aware that 1 7/8" and 2 1/8" ballistics are not all that inspiring with standard pressure .38 Special loads. You need a well designed hollow point at .38 Special +P velocities to get an acceptable level of terminal ballistic performance.



A .38 Special +P load in 2" revolver will get you on par with a standard pressure .38 Special load in a 4" revolver. Similarly, the .357 Magnum is not all that efficient in a 2" barrel so you'll want to focus on a load designed for short barrel performance and then plan on around 1200 fps for a 125 gr bullet - about 150-200 fps faster than a .38 + P load in the same barrel length.

On the waist band strong side are weak side cross draw. I vote for a snubbyfan custom.

To the OP: I told you I learn stuff here everyday!!! Thanks, BB57... I like the looks of that Wild Bill's Covert Carry. Never heard of it before, but I can see some of the advantages from your excellent photos. I agree with you on ammo selection, as well. When I carry one of the J frame magnums, as in the above photo, I have both the M&P 340 and the 340 PD, I carry the Speer Gold Dot 135 gr .357 short barrel load. Even in these über light J frames, they are manageable if not a lot of fun, and they expand reliably and penetrate deeply enough to be effective.

Thanks for the info on the holster, I am going to try to find one.

There are a couple of niche holster options as well. Ankle holsters often come up in the context of the Model 36, but you need to bear a couple things in mind.

First, carrying 25-26 oz of loaded Model 36 and holster on your waist belt is not that big a deal. However carrying it on your ankle means carrying a one and a half pound ankle weight all day long.

Second, drawing a revolver from an ankle holster is awkward at best and almost impossible to do while moving to cover - and in a self defense shoot you should be drawing, shooting and moving to cover all at the same time.

In short an ankle holster is a really poor choice except maybe for a backup, and I'd still go with a pocket holster for that as it offers a lot more tactical flexibility.

-----

Small of the back holsters are less popular with revolvers than with semi-auto pistols, but in general you'll want to avoid them completely for a couple reasons. Most importantly it's almost impossible to draw one without sweeping yourself, and under stress, if your finger goes for the trigger a little early, you're going to ventilate your own kidney. And on a day to day basis it's much more difficult to holster and re-holster one, and at best you still can't visually observe it going in the holster so you run a much higher risk of something obstructing the trigger while you're attempting to holster it.

I do admit to having one. I wore it for a about a week before I fully appreciated just how stupid the concept was. I was young and inexperienced at the time...

-----

Shoulder holsters are also a very limited use item, but with a little more practicality than an ankle holster. I have a couple that I will wear with a suit where the cut of the suit makes it easier to conceal a Model 36 or Model 60 under my arm than on my waist, particularly when bending over, etc, where the butt of the pistol may print under the fabric. I'll also wear one from time to time when wearing a vest in some cases where an IWB holster may be more likely to show with that type of cover garment.

However, you need a shoulder holster with tie down straps at least under the handgun to avoid it flopping around if you're running etc.

Galco makes a version of the classic "Jackass" rig, and it works as well now as it did 40 years ago. You'll want to add tie downs at least on the handgun side, and tying both sides to the belt improves stability and security.



The pouches on the strong hand side are designed for either loose rounds or speed strips, and you can fit a speed strip on each side of the pouch.

-----

Which raises the issue of carrying extra ammunition. With a semi-auto you pretty much need a spare magazine in order to efficiently address some types of stoppages. That's not a consideration with a revolver, so it's not a requirement to carry any additional ammo at all.

Study after study has shown that in the vast majority of self defense shoots - even LEO involved self defense shoots, the event is over and done with in 5 rounds or less in 5 seconds or less. In fact, after analyzing 12 years of data on agent involved shoots, the FBI found that 75% of agent involved shoots occurred at 3 yards or less with 3 rounds or less fired.

Still, I like the comfort that some extra rounds provide, particularly in a 5 shot revolver. I prefer to carry them in a speed loader as with practice you can index the rounds and insert them in the cylinder while keeping your eyes on the target, and it uses fewer total movements than a speed strip.

However speed strips have some advantages as they ride well in pockets, they are flat and they fit in pouches like those on the Jackass rig.

Both methods work fine.

Yes, I opened up the relief on the factory targets for full extraction, long ago when i carried on duty.

I kind of prefer Bianchi IWB myself.