BEST Concealed Carry Revolver

[Tradewind36]

My carry is the Shield but I'm actively searching for a revo for carry, specifically a 3" 60. I've found an older 2" 60 no dash DAO that I'm considering, $500 out the door, but I'm concerned I'll still want a 3" SA/DA. If I can't find a good deal on the 3" 60 I may get the Ruger SP101 in 3".

Absolutely nothing wrong with my Shield but I like the round gun also!

 

[Mike_Fontenot]

My carry is the Shield but I'm actively searching for a revo for carry, specifically a 3" 60.

I've got a S&W60-15Pro 3" .357 stainless J-Frame DA/SA revolver, and I like it a lot. It's a scaled-down version of my newer S&W69 4-1/4" 5-shot L-Frame .44mag ... the relative proportions are about the same, but the 69 is much bigger and heavier. When I got the 60-15Pro .357, I didn't think there was any way I'd ever be able to conceal-carry a S&W .44mag, but the 69 proved me wrong on that. The 69 (along with my 10mm Kimber Eclipse 1911) has supplanted the 60-15Pro for routine carry, but the 60-15Pro COULD perhaps be useful in the future if I ever decide I want to go lighter, with even better concealment that the near-perfect concealment I get with the 69 and the Eclipse (in my homemade under-the-shirt vertical shoulder holster rigs).

 

[Decker]

My go-to carry revolver was a Model 60 with a bobbed hammer (bobbed accidently by dropping on concrete... cleaned it up and really liked it!), but I later went to a 642 specifically for the internal no-snag hammer.

 

[Tradewind36]

My go-to carry revolver was a Model 60 with a bobbed hammer (bobbed accidently by dropping on concrete... cleaned it up and really liked it!), but I later went to a 642 specifically for the internal no-snag hammer.

The 60 no dash I'm looking at has no hammer, thought a previous owner had it shaved off but I understand that some of the early 60's came that way, some for NYPD.

 

[oneminute]

My best S&W carry revolver is a model 49.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk

 

[wrangler5]

My best S&W carry revolver is a model 49

For concealability and versatility it's hard to beat a humpback. SA if you ever want it but no-snag design all the time. If you must carry in a pocket some of the time the 638 is lightweight, but not nearly as much fun to practice with as the steel 49/649s. Personally, I don't pocket carry much at all, so in a belt holster I prefer the steel guns - especially the 649 Magnum model for its even longer, heavier (just slightly) barrel and the longer ejector rod that comes much closer to fully extracting a 38 Special case than the "regular" models. As small-frame 38 Special shooters, I think they're the weapon of choice.

I do have 2" and 3" fixed sight K frames, and CAN conceal them under some of my usual cover garments. (I've been known to use a 3" 65 in IDPA matches, with results that are about equivalent to a 4" Model 10.) But they feel (to me) like a lot more to carry than even a steel J frame, do NOT go in the pockets of any garments that I wear, and I have experienced some hangups with the exposed hammers and some of the lightweight cover that I wear in the summer. So IMHO, K frames are not the "best" for concealed carry.

So for the best concealed carry S&W revolver, if I could have only one, it would be a steel humpback, preferably the magnum model. That said, I'd be quite comfortable with the original 49-no dash I bought decades ago - until I come across a 649-3 (magnum, no lock) at a good price, that is.

 

[BugOutBicyclist]

325 NightGuard .45acp Snub nose on the far right.