Do you carry a revolver for CCW? Which one?

[MetalMan]

For the last couple of years, mostly carrying this Model 60ND either in a Milt Sparks VMII (built for my Model 60-15) or in a Mika Pocket Holster.

 

[geoff40]

I still think, for us average types, a J frame is really about as good as it gets. I don’t feel the slightest bit under-armed with one at all.

 

[Housepuss]

I carry either a Centennial, from 1952, or a Model 49. Never really felt a need for anything more.

 

[Kinman]

Currently I am carrying a 24-3 Lew Horton Special for most occasions. I've got a shelf on my *** that can hide a .45 Government Model in a wife beater, a buddy I had in the army said it was what they referred to as a "Coon ***" down in Louisiana. According to my wife my son has the same affliction, it fits on his 6'8" frame and although I'm only 6'3" its allowed me to get away with carrying full square butt revolvers in the small of my back. I used to carry a Browning Hi Power everywhere I went and never got into any problems, also a Model 39 Smith. I would forget about the little Smith and once dropped it into the toilet when I squatted in a rest top while on a bike ride. Anymore, if I'm carrying on me it is the 24-3, unless I'm going downtown, then I usually pack a little Schmeisser .25 auto. If I'm carrying in a shooting bag its either the 24-3 or a cut down Brazilian model of 1917. All my personal carry pieces are sighted in to point of aim at 10 yds.

 

[wrangler5]

I have some 38 and 357 J frames, but a few years ago discovered the joys of 32 caliber guns. So I mostly carry a 632 these days, in a Lobo Enhanced Pancake. The Buffalo Bore 100g H&R Mag rounds deliver a bit more energy than 158g LSWCHP +P 38 Specials out of 2" barrels - they kick about the same, too, but I get an extra round in the 32.

That said, when I took a recent driving trip around the West I carried a S&W 9mm Shield. I was in mostly gun friendly states, but J frame carry guns in 32 anything are so hard to find these days that I didn't want to take a chance on having one confiscated because of some misunderstanding of a local law on my part. I can replace a Shield in 24 hours for a few hundred bucks, but have no idea how long it would take to find another 632. (And the Shield is my IDPA gun these days, so I'm very familiar with it.)

 

[maxwell]

M38 airweight with a Tyler T grip and Federal Nyclads.

 

[Bumpus13]

Normally these days, it’s been my Model 36:

Sometimes on my belt in a DeSantis Mini Scabbard, other days (like today) in my pocket in a Mika Pocket holster.

 

[Art Doc]

In the 11 years since I responded to this post my answer has completely changed. With my acquisition of a compact 9mm I have abandoned the revolver for good. Too many advantages to the semi-auto to consider carrying a revolver.

 

[Rustyt1953]

In the 11 years since I responded to this post my answer has completely changed. With my acquisition of a compact 9mm I have abandoned the revolver for good. Too many advantages to the semi-auto to consider carrying a revolver.

Welcome to my world, Franklin.

 

[ladder13]

In the 11 years since I responded to this post my answer has completely changed. With my acquisition of a compact 9mm I have abandoned the revolver for good. Too many advantages to the semi-auto to consider carrying a revolver.

Used to tote a 38-3, now a Sig P365. Went from 5 to 12+1.

 

[Art Doc]

Say what you will about revolvers but they just ride and carry nice, they carry naturally on the body and that's why people still like them. What else is as safe and reliable, can pack as much punch and carry as well in a pocket then a J-Frame? A Sig P365 with a light striker trigger pull and no external safeties you say? Maybe if you are 6'4" and aren't concerned in the least bit about having a negligent discharge then that might be a better pocket gun for you, it ain't for me.

The snub-nose revolver is the only type of handgun I've been able to carry comfortably every day, every season and in any carry configuration, IWB/OWB or in the pocket and still pack a decent punch. I can carry one at around 3:30 or 4 O'clock on my body and can still sit in a car seat or a chair and not have it bother me too much the way a compact semi-auto does. I can even carry two J-Frames fairly comfortably on occasion. The way a revolver is shaped and the shape of it's holster just conforms to my body better. I've discovered that a semi-auto which appears to be roughly the same size as a J-Frame will not carry as easily in a pocket due to it's shape and anyone who says they do probably has never spent very much time carrying and living with a J-Frame.

And yes, I've experimented with so-called pocket 9mm's and all of them were either too big for pocket carry and/or were too snappy for me to control well. Even the Glock 42 which is .380acp was too big for me to pocket carry easily, it would print like crazy in jeans and even in loose cargo pants the sights would always snag or the DeSantis Nemesis pocket holster would come out every time with the gun. I've never had a DeSantis Nemesis come out of a pocket like that with any of my smaller .380's I've carried but I couldn't make it work for the G42 no matter how many times I tried breaking it in, it was just the wrong shape and size. All this on top of it's light striker trigger pull and no external safeties which I never felt comfortable about in a pocket. Needless to say I got rid of the G42 and it was back to the old J-Frame for me. Shame on Glock and other companies like Ruger with their awful LCP II who market these things as safe pocket pistols when they are really not.

I know there are some decent small .380 pocket pistols like the LCP, Bodyguard and Kahr P380 but if you were honest would you really feel more confident with one of these finicky, cheap little pistols over a J-Frame? I don't, that's why mine only seldom come out when I need extremely discreet carry, like wearing dress clothes or some other reason.

It's not all about ammo capacity, rate and ease of fire or faster reloads for me, it's about how well I can live with the gun every day and whether I feel totally safe and confident in it and nothing I've tried so far does that for me quite like a revolver.

Carry what you like. I never told anybody whay they should do, only me.

I don't find a revolver more comfortable. You do, that's fine. But a J frame 38 is thicker than a 9mm auto so bulges a little more in the pocket.

I agree there's no "Pocket 9." I said compact 9mm. I have a 380 thast rides in my pocket quite well.

I see no safety issues with modern auto pistols.

Would I prefer a 380 over a J frame? Yes. That's why I carry one. A good 380 load is not far behind a 38 Special from a 2" barrel and mine carries 7 rounds compared to 5 in a J frame.

Again, I don't presume to tell anyone what gun to carry. But you seem to be arguing against semi-auto pistols and I don't buy that argument. I know what makes most sense for me.

 

[ShivasIrons]

I have carried Some flavor of J frame the vast majority of the time. They are so comfortable to me and so familiar. I have several other semi autos that I could carry, but don't. I keep my wits about me and live in a pretty low threat environment, so if I can't solve my problem with five rounds of 38 it is probably not my day. I do think that whatever you choose to carry, it is most important to carry all the time. A J frame on you beats a 1911 at home 100% of the time.

 

[shep854]

Actually, small semiautos (aka 'mouse guns') have been marketed as pocket pistols for as long as they have existed, and predate the J-frame by several decade. The critical factor is a holster that protects the trigger and stays in the pocket when the gun is drawn.
Thinking about it, even an external holster is a form of pocket, just specialized for the purpose of carrying a handgun.

 

[zzclancy]

S&W 21-4

As I've posted before my constant companion. S&W model 21-4 with the lock delete, bobbed hammer and grips off eBay from a Night Guard. Just got my new Cross Draw holster from Kramer and a gun belt from Bigfoot Gun Belts. Best Leather Gun Belts for Open and Concealed Carry | Bigfoot Gun Belts
I'm really impressed with the belt. I've never had a "gun belt".

 

[zzclancy]

No, not the dark side.

Welcome to my world, Franklin.

Say it isn't so. Not the dark side. Just kidding. Frankly carry whatever you shoot the best.

I was a 1911 guy for most of my life. With age and health I've turned to the revolver. I like the simplicity. Everything changed after I had both shoulders done.

 

[smoothshooter]

.380 Bodyguard almost every day.
Swap out with Taurus PT-.22 occaisionally.

Right-front pants pocket in a Ruger .380 LCP pocket holster that fits both guns perfectly.
Once in a great while a Charter Arms Bulldog .44 Special in a small fanny pack that does not really look like a fanny pack or a gun carrier.

 

[DB404]

It depends on which neck of the woods I'm in; the northwest + Alaska, M29-2 4", cross draw or 1911 10mm in same spot. Always a 60-10 3" .357 tucked away in back. In more populated areas, a BHP MK III with aftermarket 15 round mags, with 124 gr Gold Dot +P. Arthritis in my left hand makes it a bit harder than it used to be to do quick and sure revolver speed loads.

 

[pigbike]

I always carry a semi auto. Either a S&W bodyguard .380 in my pocket or a Glock 43 on my belt. Might buy a Sig P365 next.

 

[kevin in nh]

I have carried everyday for the last 45 years and carried just about everything from 22s to 45s but for the last 15 years its been a Kahr PM909 w/115 gr +P+ gold dots. When I carried a revolver it was a model 38 or 42 sometimes both or a pair of model 38s I recently picked up 2 Colt Cobras, an Agent and Detective Special and both came with the factory shrouds.

 

[78bagger]

Am I the only one that carries a 442?