BUFF
SWCA Member, Absent Comrade
One thing to keep in mind is this: the smaller the maker builds his semiautomatic, the less reliable it tends to be. Parts are smaller. Controls are smaller. Less dirt and/or grit will cause stoppages. Being small, the shooters' hands can get in the way of moving parts, especially the slide, if he/she is in a hurry,and tie things up. Small revolvers aren't as subject to dirt or other stuff grinding things to a halt.
American Rifleman did a multiple gun test with 6 or 8 new .380's a few months ago. None of them worked well enough for the tester to rely on.
I find that if, for whatever reason, I need a SMALL handgun with me, it will be a revolver, a Model 642 in particular, which I have carried for the last 20 years. Before that, it was a Model 60. If I can get away with something bigger, it will probably be an aluminum frame Colt Commander. In my situation (build, size, manner of dress) I find that weight matters as much for concealment as does size. And, these guns are proven to be reliable.
The only really little semiautomatic pistol I have felt good enough about to trust is a Seecamp .32 ACP. Solid stainless steel, double action only, no safeties or slide stops to get stuck in place from dirt or sweat. Mine has been reliable through about 100 rounds, which isn't enough, but when I carry it, it is a second or even a third gun.
No, I don't carry 3 guns when I am off duty, just one or two, which fits in with a citizen carrying a CCW's circumstances. It is not hard to carry the M-642 revolver and the Seecamp pistol at the same time, when small guns are needed. When I can carry the Colt off duty, it is far more likey to be paired with the Seecamp than with the 642.
Before I was allowed to carry a semi for work, I found great comfort in the middle-sized Magnum revolvers, specifically a 3 inch Model 66. Excellent compromise between size, capacity and power, in a very reliable package.
I think that the midsized (K frame S&W or D frame Colt or Ruger Security/Speed/Service Six) revolvers with good .357 Mag or very good .38 Plus-P ammo would fill the "bigger gun" role for most of us, but so would the mid-sized semiautos like the Colt Commanders, the Model 39 series, the smaller Glocks. I think a CCWer should find a good medium size handtgun he/she likes and can shoot well and carry consistently, and not worry if it is a revolver or semiauto. For most of us, guns of those size are usually the upper end of what we can carry discreetly.
If you want to go smaller, I really think a small double action revolver is the way to go. The little autos seem to be prone to frequent stoppages in the real world, and the cartridges they carry, .25, .32 and .380 ACP all fall quite a ways short of the power of a good Plus-P .38 Special.
I admire those amongst us whose climate, build, lifestyles and clothing choices allow them to carry the really bigger guns, the 1911 Governments, the L and N frame revolvers, the Browning High Powers, the big stuff, as not only is it easier to make a larger mechanical device work reliably, the bigger cartridges are more likely to stop the fight or attack than are the smaller rounds in the smaller guns.
American Rifleman did a multiple gun test with 6 or 8 new .380's a few months ago. None of them worked well enough for the tester to rely on.
I find that if, for whatever reason, I need a SMALL handgun with me, it will be a revolver, a Model 642 in particular, which I have carried for the last 20 years. Before that, it was a Model 60. If I can get away with something bigger, it will probably be an aluminum frame Colt Commander. In my situation (build, size, manner of dress) I find that weight matters as much for concealment as does size. And, these guns are proven to be reliable.
The only really little semiautomatic pistol I have felt good enough about to trust is a Seecamp .32 ACP. Solid stainless steel, double action only, no safeties or slide stops to get stuck in place from dirt or sweat. Mine has been reliable through about 100 rounds, which isn't enough, but when I carry it, it is a second or even a third gun.
No, I don't carry 3 guns when I am off duty, just one or two, which fits in with a citizen carrying a CCW's circumstances. It is not hard to carry the M-642 revolver and the Seecamp pistol at the same time, when small guns are needed. When I can carry the Colt off duty, it is far more likey to be paired with the Seecamp than with the 642.
Before I was allowed to carry a semi for work, I found great comfort in the middle-sized Magnum revolvers, specifically a 3 inch Model 66. Excellent compromise between size, capacity and power, in a very reliable package.
I think that the midsized (K frame S&W or D frame Colt or Ruger Security/Speed/Service Six) revolvers with good .357 Mag or very good .38 Plus-P ammo would fill the "bigger gun" role for most of us, but so would the mid-sized semiautos like the Colt Commanders, the Model 39 series, the smaller Glocks. I think a CCWer should find a good medium size handtgun he/she likes and can shoot well and carry consistently, and not worry if it is a revolver or semiauto. For most of us, guns of those size are usually the upper end of what we can carry discreetly.
If you want to go smaller, I really think a small double action revolver is the way to go. The little autos seem to be prone to frequent stoppages in the real world, and the cartridges they carry, .25, .32 and .380 ACP all fall quite a ways short of the power of a good Plus-P .38 Special.
I admire those amongst us whose climate, build, lifestyles and clothing choices allow them to carry the really bigger guns, the 1911 Governments, the L and N frame revolvers, the Browning High Powers, the big stuff, as not only is it easier to make a larger mechanical device work reliably, the bigger cartridges are more likely to stop the fight or attack than are the smaller rounds in the smaller guns.
