A Revolver for Business Casual in a Business Caliber

Status
Not open for further replies.
R

rageofangels

Member
Joined
May 9, 2005
Messages
159
Location
Columbus, IN
Every day that I go to work, I end up carrying. I live and work in a large city that has larger problems than what it should for its size. Currently, I am cycling what I carry between 3 autoloaders. The first is my beloved Sig 2340, which I carry one in the chamber with the hammer down. It has a heavy DA pull and can be fired from this position if necessary. The second firearm I carry is a Glock 22. However, because of concealablity, I do not feel comfortable carrying it with one in the chamber. I think they call this "Israeli" carry. So When I carry this, I have the obvious advantage of having 5 more rounds than the Sig. The last gun I carry, and the least often, is a CZ P-01. It's more of my "safe queen" than anything else. I love shooting it, it is mucho accurate and I love the way it fits but I have not found a proper holster for it. Yet. So I carry it the least.

However, I am getting jaded about carrying an autoloader and trying to spend the 30 minutes I have between class and work every other day eating lunch, setting up the rig, and driving to work downtown.

I am thinking about getting a revolver for the days when I am just too pressed for time for concealing a firearm with a holster when I can just drop a revolver in the pocket and be prepared for any scenerio life will throw my way.

I read an article in the bathroom from one of several back issued gun rags about how Massad Ayoob recommends a DAO handgun for self defense in semi-liberal cities because the lawyer cannot say that the one who fired escalated the situation by "cocking the tool of destruction" and placing "blame" on the person protecting their life. However, I cannot find the article to see what he recommended using. I think it was a Ruger SP101.

So, my real question is... what would you all recommend carrying for pocket-carry? I have exposure to shooting a hammered Ruger SP101 and the lady friend of mine will no longer let me "borrow" her gifted S&W 640-2. I'd like to get something for myself, but these are the two I am constantly being exposed to... is there anything else noteworthy for pocket-sized DAO revolvers?

Caliber is a good question too. .357 has some nice loads and a lot of the newer manufactuers seem to be making specialty loads for snubby .357 that are supposed to achieve maximum performance from such short barrels. Anyone know much about that.

All help is appreciated. Sorry this post was so long! :neener:
 
I swear by my S&W 642. It's perfect for what you're describing and to fill the role as a BUG if you decide you really need to gear up. It's light enough at 15 oz. that I forget about it in a good pocket holster (I use the Desantis Nemesis) and doesn't print at all unless you have to grease up your jeans every morning to get into them.

It produces a bit of a kick even though it only shoots 38 Special. It took me a couple hundred rounds to fire accurately enough to trust my life to it. It's a different animal from a service-sized, heavier pistol. For this reason, I don't think I would want to carry .357 in anything this light or lighter. YMMV, but definitely try .357 before you buy as they are not pleasant out of that light of a gun and difficult (for me) to get fast multiple shots on target. I'm satisfied that the ballistics of a .38 and a speed strip holding six extra rounds will get me through any encounter. Check out the Speer Gold Dot 135 gr +P for details of how good a snubby .38 load can be.

Good luck!

Edit to Add: Since you are specifically looking at pocket carry, you will want to focus on the hammerless models to prevent anything from snagging during your draw.
 
I carry a Taurus 605 Stainless in .357 most days. I'm very pleased with it. It's generally just easier to tote around in the pocket (I have other options as well, but they aren't generally great for quick access). The trigger pull is smoothing out (still pretty heavY), but it's a solid, well-made gun.

It was...educational...to put a box of .357 Magnum through it. Recoil is brisk (read: painful. It was kinda like being hit in the hand with a hammer 50 times). They're potent rounds, but not for recreational shooting. .38+P is supposedly pretty good (and much less painful to shoot).
 
A revolver for Biz Cas Fri, eh? I must recommend a little concealed-hammer snubby, in your choice of .38 or .357 Magnum. Smith & Wesson and Taurus make fine examples. These guns can be fired from the pocket if need be, are light weight, and are no-snag.

Can't help you deal with the office dullard, though.
 
I have just about the heaviest pocket "snubby" there is, a 3" Ruger SP101 357.

I love this gun and trust it with my life. It is my chosen carry weapon for most days I carry. I carry this gun IWB with a Predator Kydex holster at about 8:00 as I am left handed.

This is the lightest gun I would even think of shooting a 357magnum in, though. Federal Hydrashok 158grainers HURT to shoot. Fiocchi and Magtech 158gr JHP's are very controllable and manageable, giving excellent accuracy. I carry either of those two for carry loads, or my own home brew of a very light magnum load with a mid-weight charge of Titegroup and a 158gr JHP. Short-burning powders like Titegroup work very well in snubbies.

I wouldn't mind an ultra-lite Taurus 38, though. Don't wanna spend a fortune on a snubby, as they are by nature quick and dirty guns that get beat around as opposed to a target pistol or hunting pistol. I wouldn't buy a smith for that purpose, unless it was a really great price. If you're gonna carry in the pocket, definitely get a bobbed hammer or no hammer.
 
My Favorite

I think a J frame S&W Model 360 in 357Mag with 125 grain HP will do the job. It comes with grips that leave the back of the frame exposed, however, so you need new overmold grips so you can manage the recoil. I put Crimson Trace rubber overmold laser grips on one and was able to manage the gun easily. Without the new grips, I had a sore hand for 20 minutes.

The drawback on the little 12 oz beauty is that it only holds 5 rounds. Speed loaders can make up the difference.

If you would consider another autoloader and try a pocket pistol with less omph, check out the 7.5 oz Kel Tec .380, P3AT. Nice little gun you never would notice is in your pocket. It's the worlds smallest & lightest .380 and extremely affordable. Also, the new Kel Tec 9mm that's supposed to be available in May. It's the worlds smallest & lightest 9.
 
642 all the way.

I'm not sure what your concern about the Glock 22 is, however.

"The second firearm I carry is a Glock 22. However, because of concealablity, I do not feel comfortable carrying it with one in the chamber. I think they call this "Israeli" carry. "

Care to elaborate?
 
I'd recomend any S&W J-frame, the stainless ones are much more fun to shoot and still are not too heavy to tote in a pocket.

Warning: Once you start with the J-frame you will carry your bigger guns less and less until the J is your "always" gun with you 99% of the time
 
You have several fine options...

I have carried about a half-dozen different snubbies in my front pocket. Here's what worked for me:

1 ) My personal experience has been that you must first wear the right kind of trousers. I normally wear pleated-front Docker-style trousers which really helps mask and break up the familiar profile of a revolver. Living in a hot, muggy climate, I also buy pleated-front shorts, so carry in the pocket year-round.

2) A good pocket holster is essential. I have used Uncle mike's and DeSantis soft, flexible, fabric holsters because they are very light, thin, and do a good job of covering the trigger and the revolver profile.

3) Weight is my biggest bugaboo with pocket-carrying a revolver. For me personally, anything more than about 16-20 oz (gun, ammo, and holster) is getting too heavy. You out there who pocket-carry an SP101....whew, that is a fine weapon but man is it heavy.

My Scandium 340SC was too light to shoot even standard pressure .357's through it. (oh the pain) I would stick with a .38 spcl platform; because of new technology, many manufacturers make very effective .38 self defense rounds.

My favorites were the Smith and Wesson Mod 638 Bodyguard and the Taurus M85 Ultralite, both weighing right in there in that magic 16-20 oz total weight. I also successfully toted a smith 340SC and a Taurus Mod 605. Although I have never owned a Smith Mod 642, its popularity is legendary.

I'm currently in the market for another snubby and will probably buy either a Charter Undercover or Off-duty model (cheap and ugly but adequate) which I will carry a lot and shoot little.

Good luck and enjoy your research and quest for the "Best pocket snubby."
 
A S&W Model 642 in .38 Special. With Speer Gold Dots. Tremendous combination.
 
Yet another vote for the S&W 642. A fantastic pocket gun- enough punch to get the job done, small enough to hide well, and the benchmark of reliability. It's what I carry when my 1911 just isn't feasible.

It's a fantastic little gun, and while it isn't cheap, neither is it so expensive so that if you needed to use it for self defense and it would be confiscated by the authorities, another is right around the corner.
 
FullMetalJacket said:
642 all the way.

I'm not sure what your concern about the Glock 22 is, however.

"The second firearm I carry is a Glock 22. However, because of concealablity, I do not feel comfortable carrying it with one in the chamber. I think they call this "Israeli" carry. "

Care to elaborate?
Click to expand...


Absolutely. I do not feel comfortable carrying Israeli carry with one in the chamber because if I need to use the G22 (God, Forbid!), it will take too much time to draw, rack the slide and point to shoot. I've practiced this a bit as per Ayoob recommendations and I can get it to a fluid motion, but not one that is both fast and fluid. If the bad guy has drawn first or made his intentions of harm known, the few seconds of me popping one in the chamber could cost me my life, especially with multiple peoples in an encounter. Does this make more sense?

I wont carry the Glock 22 the same way that I carry my Sig or a Revolver because the trigger is much lighter on my G22 than either my Sig or the 640-2I have experience with.

I am not saying that it is not safe, but what I am saying is that I do not feel safe enough to carry this way yet. The G22 trigger pull is probably around 4.5 pounds, the 640-2 is probably around 11 and the Sig with DA is probably around 8.
 
Smith & wesson 340 sc....It's all 'bout business.

hammerless=clean draw from pocket/no snags
.357=:what:
Scandium/titanium=no rust
ultra-lightweight=it's ALWAYS with me!

I couldn't be happier with mine.
 
I'd carry my Taurus M85UL or any good alloy/titanium/scandium in other words light weight .38 revolver with .38+P loads of your choice. A steel gun, especially one of the .357s, is heavy and can make a coat lopsided. When you take the coat off in a restaurant it'll be one side heavy, too. Lighter the better and of course for pocket carry either a bobbed or hammerless/shrouded hammer design is preferable. My preference, again. I'm really not keen on light weight .357s or .357s with less than 3" barrels.
 
I've got the 340 PD in scandium and titanium too. I love it. I put on Pachmayr grips, and it helps a bunch with the recoil from the .357. However, it hurts concealability, so I'm going back to the original Hogues and am just carrying .38 special +p.
 
If you've got the cash, the 340pd is the king of this game, no question about it. If you don't have the cash, a new or used 642. The 340 would let you decide whether the rather massive punishment of the .357 is worth it to you. Most end up with .38; but the three ounces between these guns do make some difference in the pocket, and you can always revisit the issue if you've got the .357-capable gun.

These are not fun guns to shoot, either one of them. You're not buying it for fun, though, are you? Get the light hammerless revo, and put smooth wood grips on it (Craig Spegel's are the absolute best for S&W hammerless J-frames), and learn to shoot it (get a shooting glove if need be to make it at least endurable). When you can point-shoot a pocket wheelgun within 10 feet, and use sights with reasonable accuracy out to 10 yards, you've got the realistic bases of CCW covered.
 
ChristopherG said:
These are not fun guns to shoot, either one of them. You're not buying it for fun, though, are you?
Click to expand...

Nope. I'm getting it for functionality. However, I do have a lot of fun shooting the S&W 640-2 with wadcutters. ;)

Although it is hard to aim without any real sights.

Maybe eventually I'll get a red dot for it.
 
BTW, most rigs for the Glock 19 will fit the CZ PO1 well, if you need something right now, or if you want to wait for excellent custom leather, HBE Specialty Leatherworks makes the best custom CZ leather running.

As for wheelies, I pocket carried a Taurus 85CH for a short while with no issues.
 
642

I have a SP101 2.25" 357 with CT grips that I carried for about 2 years.
For my birthday back in November I bought myself a S&W 642-2. I have
not carried the SP101 since. I don't really ever expect to carry it again.
I just really like the 642.

Mike
 
rageofangels said:
The 642 is a .38 special, right?
Click to expand...

Yup. While many like to fit a .357Mag in a snub, I am not convinced that the extra recoil, weight, and cost provides any more benefit than a .38spl +P. But that's personal preference
 
Many folks like the 642, but the best of the breed is the 340PD, IMNSHO.

I have a number of these little J-frame revolvers, including the 642 and a couple 340PDs, and you can definitely tell the difference in weight with pocket carry.
They all work well enough and are quite comfortable to shoot with just about any .38 Special +P defensive load you might choose, though the .357 Magnum loads are no fun at all to shoot, and are also less accurate than the better .38 Special loads, at least in my hands.

Too bad the 340PDs all come with "the lock", but there you have it. You can still find 642s and a number of other older J-frames, both new and used, without "the lock", if that's important to you. Cosmetically, I find it unappealing, but it doesn't seem to have any negative functional consequences, internet lore to the contrary.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

M
  • Locked
Business-casual conceal-carry with a snubnose?
2
Replies
44
Views
4K
Onward Allusion
O
W
  • Locked
Please help, looking to conceal a Ruger SP101 w/ 3" barrel in business casual dress.
Replies
7
Views
1K
barnett
B
C
  • Locked
Best ways to CCW in business-casual office environment?
Replies
19
Views
2K
gregwalter
G
C
  • Locked
Ruger SP101 vs S&W M60LS
Replies
13
Views
1K
ClemY
C
J
  • Locked
Which Taurus 38 Revolver
Replies
11
Views
2K
Mikeo
M
Back
Top