I have carried revolvers and semi autos for years and have had extensive training on both. Started duty work with revolvers and switched to glocks when the times changed. In retirement my edc is usually a j frame. As a shooter I am always looking for something better, so once in a while I have to try the latest polymer fad. This time the Glock 26 gen five in the picture. Shot it in comparison with the three revolvers at the farm range today. A really fun shooting and accurate pistol, with no errors. I read that a lot of folks say the j frames are difficult to shoot accurately and that the recoil is unpleasant. It's just never been so for me but I have been shooting them for over 50 years. At combat distances I shot the j frames and the model 19 just as well as the Glock. So I can't see any real advantage to the 26 for a self defense carry. I convinced myself once again that the j frame is still the best option for me. IMO, they are still the simplest to operate, more reliable, safer, easier to conceal, and just as accurate, at least for me. I suppose in another year or so I will have to convince myself again. "If it ain't broke ........". Had a fun day.
J frame prevails again
- Thread starter sunnyd
- Start date
Register to hide this ad
fredj338
Member
What ammo are you running? I also have extensive exp with both revo & semi & with combat ammo, the g26 is just flat easier to shoot fast accurate. I do enjoy my snubs though, but feel they offer little plus over my g26.
As someone who only carries Glock or S&W J-frames I appreciate where you're coming from. While J frames lack the sexiness of many of the modern semi CCWs, they're still extremely lightweight and reliable. I ccw a Glock 19 in the Fall, Winter, and Spring but in the summertime it's always one of my 442s with the old Chicago load.
S&WsRsweet
Member
My dads experiance was much like your a cop carried a model 10 until the auto became mandatory . Off duty he carried a J concealed and his trusty model 10 close at hand either holstered or in his vehicle if not wearing . He could use either .I carry an aiweught humpback myself it is +p rated and I can hit with it at what would be a true to life private citizen self defense range .My motto us the same as dads when guys would say only 5 shots ? He would say well by the second shot either the fight will be settled or I'll be running so.
MetalMan
Member
I am down to only one semi-auto - a Kimber Ultra Carry Series I.
Everything else are J's or K's.
I, too, am finding that I rely more and more on the J's for EDC (especially this one) and have relegated the others to range duty only.
Everything else are J's or K's.
I, too, am finding that I rely more and more on the J's for EDC (especially this one) and have relegated the others to range duty only.
Attachments
Last edited:
blues7
Member
I split time with both...my J frame around home and walking around area, and my G26 (or 19) once I step foot in a vehicle to head elsewhere.
(I prefer the extra capacity and easier reload for those occasions. I carry a 12 round mag in the G26 in place of the standard 10.)
Win-win. Just my solution. Not saying it's the right one for everyone.
(I prefer the extra capacity and easier reload for those occasions. I carry a 12 round mag in the G26 in place of the standard 10.)
Win-win. Just my solution. Not saying it's the right one for everyone.
I'm in general agreement with most comments so far. I am down to two carry pieces, a 649 sees most duty, and a SIG Ultra 1911 fills in the void on off days. I am not out looking for an opportunity to defend or self defend, and find five shots generally make me very comfortable (along with my ability to place them accurately). J-frames are not for the spray and pray crowd, of which I am not a member.
EMP3
Member
The problem with The Chief, as I see it, is that when I read sunnyd's post, I tend to turn nostalgic, and wanna get my Chief outta my safe, and carry it. It confounds me in a most positive way.
I love The Chief!!!
I love The Chief!!!
I own a fair number of pistols, but aside from those times when a pocket-holstered LCP fits better in a shorter and tighter front jeans pocket, it's typically one of my J-frames that sees pocket holster carry for my retirement CCW needs.
Then again, I'm another older revolver shooter who began my LE days carrying a revolver on & off-duty. This was even though I was (and remain) a longtime 1911 owner/shooter. (I also own a fair assortment of 6-10rd single stack and double stack compacts and subcompacts chambered in 9, .40 & .45, too.)
If it works for some particular person ... it works.
A 5-shot snub can be quite a handy thing. (Still takes some work to develop and maintain DA/DAO revolver skills, though.)
Then again, I'm another older revolver shooter who began my LE days carrying a revolver on & off-duty. This was even though I was (and remain) a longtime 1911 owner/shooter. (I also own a fair assortment of 6-10rd single stack and double stack compacts and subcompacts chambered in 9, .40 & .45, too.)
If it works for some particular person ... it works.
A 5-shot snub can be quite a handy thing. (Still takes some work to develop and maintain DA/DAO revolver skills, though.)
wingriderz
Member
Before retired I pocket carried my 442 many years and long hours. To have been caught in alot of the jobs I had would have been losseing job. So I had to becareful. Now I am retired I carry 40 or 45 IWB bolth in compact models
- Joined
- Apr 4, 2006
- Messages
- 19,827
- Reaction score
- 31,740
I carried a J Frame as my EDC since 1980 - that is up until a few weeks ago when I purchased a 9mm Sig P365. My M60-7 has been a reliable, accurate and comfortable Revolver to carry and I have always trusted my life to it. I carried the best defensive loads I know of which to me is the Buffalo Bore (#20A) 158 grain +P LSWCHP-GC moving out of the 2" barrel at 1025 fps - serious medicine! Coming in at second place is the Speer Gold Dot short Barrel 135 grain +P which has less recoil but also has 165 fps less velocity and 23 grains less bullet weight, so the bullet's energy is a lot less than the BB'S, (BB energy is about 370 ft lbs vs the Gold Dot at about 230 ft lbs).
! will be 65 in a few weeks and I find it more & more hurtful to practice with the J Frame with the BB loads. Even by downgrading to the Speer GD's, recoil gets harder to tolerate as I get older. That means I tend to practice less with it - not a good thing! I still shoot a J Frame quite well, but after experiencing one of my friends Sig P365's at the Range about a month and a half ago, I instantly fell in love the the Micro 9! It weighs less than my M60-7, is slightly smaller, however it holds 11 rounds (10+1) has what I believe to be about half the felt recoil of the J Frame, and has better sights and the latest generation has finally had all the problems the first generation had - solved! I also LOVE shooting it and it's a cinch to clean.
For me this is HUGE since I am NOT a plastic gun guy - and this Sig is the only one I own. I just find it so easy and effortless to shoot (even with Speer Gold Dot Short Barrel +P 124 grain bullets) I can practice with it all day long with no fatigue or pain. Now of course I could have put rubber grips on the M60-7 but that would make it all but impossible to pocket carry - defeating the whole purpose of the small gun. I never cared much for rubber grips.
The M/E of the 124 grain GD's from the Sig P365 is 345 fps. That's pretty darn excellent! So being that I've now fired over 700 rounds from the new Sig with ZERO malfunctions of any kind, I've put my M60-7 back in it's wrapping paper and original box - at least for now. The Sig just had too many pluses for me to ignore any longer and so now it is my new EDC. Unless I start to have a problem with the Sig, I doubt I'd make the J Frame a routine EDC again. That said, for 38 years the Chief's Special served me well and never had any malfunctions. In my heart I know that a Revolver will always be inherently more reliable - although the new 9's have gained HUGE strides! Life is always a trade-off!
! will be 65 in a few weeks and I find it more & more hurtful to practice with the J Frame with the BB loads. Even by downgrading to the Speer GD's, recoil gets harder to tolerate as I get older. That means I tend to practice less with it - not a good thing! I still shoot a J Frame quite well, but after experiencing one of my friends Sig P365's at the Range about a month and a half ago, I instantly fell in love the the Micro 9! It weighs less than my M60-7, is slightly smaller, however it holds 11 rounds (10+1) has what I believe to be about half the felt recoil of the J Frame, and has better sights and the latest generation has finally had all the problems the first generation had - solved! I also LOVE shooting it and it's a cinch to clean.
For me this is HUGE since I am NOT a plastic gun guy - and this Sig is the only one I own. I just find it so easy and effortless to shoot (even with Speer Gold Dot Short Barrel +P 124 grain bullets) I can practice with it all day long with no fatigue or pain. Now of course I could have put rubber grips on the M60-7 but that would make it all but impossible to pocket carry - defeating the whole purpose of the small gun. I never cared much for rubber grips.
The M/E of the 124 grain GD's from the Sig P365 is 345 fps. That's pretty darn excellent! So being that I've now fired over 700 rounds from the new Sig with ZERO malfunctions of any kind, I've put my M60-7 back in it's wrapping paper and original box - at least for now. The Sig just had too many pluses for me to ignore any longer and so now it is my new EDC. Unless I start to have a problem with the Sig, I doubt I'd make the J Frame a routine EDC again. That said, for 38 years the Chief's Special served me well and never had any malfunctions. In my heart I know that a Revolver will always be inherently more reliable - although the new 9's have gained HUGE strides! Life is always a trade-off!
Lol. I have my cake and eat it too. 9mm or J frame? Why decide? I carry a 940.
shouldazagged
Absent Comrade
I've been perfectly happy with a pocket-carried J-frame for the last twenty years. That's more true than ever as my hands have been progressively trashed with arthritis. I have great trouble racking a slide, and easily could be prone to limp-wristing an automatic under extreme duress. No worries about that with the DAO J-frame.
I think a lot of people don't realize how easy it is to lose your positive grip in a scuffle with someone.
Glocks, J-frames and Apple Pie.
When the Glock 26 made its debut, I knew I had to have one. Well, I purchased it and used it for about 12 years without so much as a hiccup. Then I did a stupid thing: I laid it atop my Glock 19 and soon realized that they were so close in size, there actually was little or no convenience advantage of carrying the Model 26 over the Model 19 so I sold the 26 without regret. The Model 19 is the better of the two should the scatological debris interface with the oscillating ventilator.
I own one J-frame. Its a great gun and I know that its strictly for personal defense. I sure don't want to attempt to resolve a robbery-in-progress with one against an unknown number of assailants.
When the Glock 26 made its debut, I knew I had to have one. Well, I purchased it and used it for about 12 years without so much as a hiccup. Then I did a stupid thing: I laid it atop my Glock 19 and soon realized that they were so close in size, there actually was little or no convenience advantage of carrying the Model 26 over the Model 19 so I sold the 26 without regret. The Model 19 is the better of the two should the scatological debris interface with the oscillating ventilator.
I own one J-frame. Its a great gun and I know that its strictly for personal defense. I sure don't want to attempt to resolve a robbery-in-progress with one against an unknown number of assailants.
max503
Member
If I posted a pic it would look much like the op's, just replace the Glock with a Colt Pocketlite.
Agree
I have had the same observation with the G27 vs. G23. I had two G27's at different times and tried to like them. Especially with a pinky extension or +1 mag extension there is really no substantial difference in the size. If I could carry a G27, I could also easily carry a 23. So, I only have 23's now.
Back to the J-frame, I have carried a 642 for about ten years. And, I was also a revolver trained LEO back in the day. Often through my career I have carried some kind of J-frame as a back up whether my primary weapon was a revolver or semi-auto. Recently, I have semi-retired my 642 and am carrying a G43 to see if it grows on me. The pros are added capacity, slimmer profile and quicker reloads. But, it is not as "organically" shaped as a 642 and is not as easy to conceal AIWB due to the 43's sharper contours. When warmer weather rolls back around I'll probably go back to the 642.
I have had the same observation with the G27 vs. G23. I had two G27's at different times and tried to like them. Especially with a pinky extension or +1 mag extension there is really no substantial difference in the size. If I could carry a G27, I could also easily carry a 23. So, I only have 23's now.
Back to the J-frame, I have carried a 642 for about ten years. And, I was also a revolver trained LEO back in the day. Often through my career I have carried some kind of J-frame as a back up whether my primary weapon was a revolver or semi-auto. Recently, I have semi-retired my 642 and am carrying a G43 to see if it grows on me. The pros are added capacity, slimmer profile and quicker reloads. But, it is not as "organically" shaped as a 642 and is not as easy to conceal AIWB due to the 43's sharper contours. When warmer weather rolls back around I'll probably go back to the 642.
My only J-frame is a Model 640-1. When I need something small, very easy to conceal, maybe pocket carry, the Model 640-1 fits the bill perfectly. My regular carry is a Model 6946. It's advantages are a larger grip, higher capacity, and faster reloads, but it is bigger and heavier than the Model 640-1.
It's a lot less work if the J-frame you're carrying is all steel. I carried a 642 for years but carrying a 649 is just as easy and the 649 is so so so much easier to shoot and to shoot well!
Similar threads
