Need advice on 2 pistols....

[smokey30725]

I am in the process of deciding on a couple of handguns. One will be an ultralight gun for ccw and mainly pocket carry. The other would be some sort of 22 pistol for range use and woods carry. I was thinking along the lines of an airweight revolver for ccw and a ruger auto for plinking. What would you guys get? These will be keepers, not something to trade off, so I want to make good choices.

 

[dev_null]

Can't speak to the ccw revolver, but either the Ruger or the Browning Buckmark make good choices for your .22 pistol.

 

[Shadow 7D]

Little gun + decent round = lots of recoil and not fun to shoot
think about it, find you options, if you are going to get a .22 auto, might you want to keep the same manual of arms for your carry piece, you can get a Kahr or KT PF9 or P11 for about the same as a buckmark.

Or, you can get a airweight .357 and learn what pain is (and they wonder why women don't want to shoot those 'cute little purse' guns...)

 

[smokey30725]

I shot a few cylinders of full house 357s from a friends smith and wesson 340pd and will admit the recoil was pretty stout but was able to keep them mostly center of mass at close range. The plus side to it was the way it could disappear in a pocket.

 

[Vern Humphrey]

I would not want an ultra light CCW revolver -- one of two things will happen, either you will shoot it and find it so unpleasant that you won't practice with it (and thereby set yourself up to lose an armed confrontation) or you will practice with it and develop flinching and jerking -- and thereby set yourself up to lose an armed confrontation.

My occasional carry revolver is a Colt Detective Special in .38 Special -- just about ideal in terms of weight, bulk, power and shootability.

But if I didn't have the DS and wanted a light, easy-to-carry handgun, I'd go with something like the Kahr, as mentioned above.

 

[smokey30725]

I have to admit that the price tag on the 340pd was nearly as painful as the recoil.

 

[Nomad]

If it was me I'd get a S&W J frame in 357 and then carry 38+P ammo in it. You can always use 357 if for some reason you need it. Also if you reload you can reload some slightly more powerful than 38+P. For a 22 I would go with the Ruger 22/45 semi-auto.

Another CCW option is a Kahr PM 9 or PM 40.

 

[NOLAEMT]

S&W 642 in 38special +p

and a ruger mkIII bull barrel 5.5" stainless.

At least if it was my money.

 

[Byrd666]

I am in the process of getting a Kel-Tec P3AT as a pocket pistol. Another couple choices are the Smith Bodyguard, semi auto or revolver, a Ruger LCR or LCP or LC9. A Kel-Tec p-11 or PF-9. Though the 9mils are a bit larger. Taurus 738 or 740. Diamondback DB380. Kahr also makes a pocket type pistol, the names just elude me at the moment.

The Ruger SR22 intrigues me as well as the Walther P22. From what a buddy of mine has said, the Walther is a kick ass little shootin' machine. And his wife loves it.

Just my 2 cents.

 

[2wheels]

I wouldn't bother with a .357 unless you reeeaally enjoy the abuse, a .38 is plenty of firepower for a pocket revolver. The S&W 442 or 642 are classic choices, there's also the Ruger LCR or S&W Bodyguard .38. They're all affordable and proven revolvers. I've got a 442 that has never given me any trouble.

For the .22, get a Ruger.

 

[316SS]

I have a Kahr PM9 for concealed carry and a Ruger MKII with a 5.5" bull barrel. The recoil on the Kahr is easily manageable with +P ammo, and I love the Ruger but if you intend to field carry the .22 I might consider a Ruger Single Six or SP-101. I'm a fan of .357 but it is not easy to shoot well from a featherweight revolver.

 

[MICHAEL T]

Pocket pistol My self KelTec PF-9 9mm or P3AT in 380 . A 38spl. J frame I carry a old model 49 in a Don Hume pocket holster. I don't find the weight of a steel frame a problem I find the recoil of the LTW weight more a problem

 

[theicemanmpls]

I wouldn't bother with a .357 unless you reeeaally enjoy the abuse, a .38 is plenty of firepower for a pocket revolver. The S&W 442 or 642 are classic choices, there's also the Ruger LCR or S&W Bodyguard .38. They're all affordable and proven revolvers. I've got a 442 that has never given me any trouble.

For the .22, get a Ruger.

+one+
the buckmark is a good .22 also.

 

[glock45]

When I'm not carrying the .45, I carry the pocket sized .380 Ruger LCP. Not much for sights on the little thing, but it is very accurate. I have hit a jug before at 85 yards after a few misses. Still a good personal defense gun and is very affordable too.

 

[ms6852]

I carry the 642 airweight . This gun is not accurate at all. Be prepared to practice, practice,practice, and then more practice. The recoil is brutal with +p's rounds. I bought the crimson trace grips which allows for your pinky to rest on the grip. The laser will be good in the evening not to good in a sunny day.

As for the 22 buckmark or ruger will do. Personal choice here both are accurate pistols.

 

[JohnhenrySTL]

I love to shoot my 442. I carry it and think it shoots awsome for what it is. I dont run alot if +p through it, but I can barely tell the difference when I do. Its very fun at an indoor range. My first day I shot it, I could put ten in a row in the head part of the target at 15 yards. Its not a range gun, but I love mine.

 

[BCRider]

I can't help you much on the CCW side but I've got an off beat suggestion for a .22 trail gun. A S&W 422.

It's lighter and slimmer than anything suggested so far. And in the hands of most shooters it's equally as accurate as anything else. For a gun which will be expected to spend much of a hike sitting unnoticed and uncomplaining on your hip I truthfully can't think of any which would be better.

I've shot a pretty wide variety of my own and other folk's .22's. The 422 is as good in all areas other than it does have a little more recoil due to the light weight. This results in a slight disadvantage when I use it in matches where speed is a factor. But for a trail gun it would make up for this by sitting on your hip so lightly that you can all but forget you're carrying it. And with a slim holster it wouldn't bulge from your side any worse than a wallet bulge in your back pocket.

Construction is to a large extent alloy. But it's real steel where it counts. The barrel is steel of course and the slide is steel. A steel deck plate and steel guide rod support the slide for a low wear long lived design.

If it sounds like it has some of the features you're looking for look around and see if you can find one to at least hold or maybe to try.

 

[critter]

Look at the Ruger LCR as well as the Ruger LCP for ccw. Both are good options-I have one and my wife the other.

 

[Remllez]

I gotta agree with Critter on the LCR.....38 or .357 if you prefer a little more heft. The triggers are a thing of beauty, best out of box I've seen in a stock revolver. As for a .22 all the above mentioned are great choices Ruger now sells a LCR in .22 that would make a fine companion piece to the EDC.

 

[Coyote3855]

Pocket guns in order of preference for me: Kahr .380, Keltec P3AT, Ruger LCP.

.22 Ruger 22/45 or Buckmark. Have both. Good guns.

 

[bannockburn]

For CCW/Pocket Carry:

1) KelTec P3AT
2) S&W Model 638

For Range/Plinking/Woods Carry

1) Ruger MK.II Model 512 Bull Barrel
2) Browning Buckmark Practical URX

 

[olafhardtB]

I have spent a lot of my 67 years in persuit of the perfect 22 handgun and the s&w 317 kit gun is the closest I have found. For carry I don't think I could beat my s&w 637 and they have similar actions. Teach your self on a j frame 22 and a j frame 38 seems familiar. You can buy those j's in steel or alloyand find them used. They can be pricey and they can be addictive and some people don't like them but I do.