need help with new gun buy???

[Zaydok Allen]

plenty of guys carry .357 snubs, and the LCR sure seems to be a good one.

Yep. Seems good to me too. I still lack a true pocket gun and the LCR seems a good choice. I'd get the .357 version because .357 will always perform better than a 38 out of the same length barrel. I'd sooner buy one in 327 though if it was offered.

sounds as though we're on the same page, 460.

yup

I see realgun's point though.

 

[Confederate]

...how about a Speed Six with a shorter barrel? The round butt grip frame conceals a little better than the Service Six square butts. Note that you will be giving up your adjustable sights with all these guns.

Yeah, I'd find a nice stainless model. They're great guns and you can get
them at a fraction of what they're worth.





These guns don't have the heavy topstraps that the Security-Six does. This
one has a 3-inch barrel. Most have 2.75-inch barrels. With 6-shots, this is
one dandy revolver. If you want an SP-101, get the Pachmayr grips for it!
They can be had at Amazon and they look a lot like these.

 

[Sam1911]

<Ahhhh, a breath of fresh air to blow out the childish bickering. I don't mean to offend, but if you are offended, I was probably talking to you. Now back to your regularly scheduled discussion.>

 

[back40]

the speed six with the 2.75" bbl would be a fine choice, but imho, doesn't offer much enough of a difference over the security six the OP already has.

if the OP wants more concealablity i think the LCR would be a dandy choice. aside from that, perhaps just experiment with different holsters for your 4", or consider a small auto.

 

[Flatbush Harry]

FWIW, I have a bit more than 46 years experience with handguns, dominated by semi-autos. That said, my traditional carry gun, until recently, has been a 4" S&W 686+ in Fall and Winter and a 642 in Spring and Summer, each with a single pocketed speed loader, given differences in seasonal dress and desire not to print what I am carrying. I have recently switched to a Springfield XDsc in .40S&W given its grip size and slide length as well as its caliber. I suspect it will be an all seasons choice with 1 or 2 magazines in belt carriers with extensions for reloads.

Importantly, when I carry, I am more careful about staying out of dangerous areas and avoiding any disagreements or conflicts when in them. The only fights you win are the fights you avoid...and I take that very seriously.

Cheers,

FH

PS- a disproportionate part of my experience is with 1911s, and the grip angle for an SAI XD is virtually the same as a 1911, whereas the grip angle with a Glock is different. I find that I tend to raise Glocks pointing high whereas I point 1911s and SAI XDs right on. YMMV. In any event, I have had zero FTFs and FTEs with XDs and my 1911s. While I have never had a revolver malfunction, I like the speed of reloading with my XDs.

 

[RealGun]

realgun, how many gunfights have you been in?

Why would you ask me that?

what is this rude shock you speak of for those that practice with .38+p and carry .357?

I don't think that is so abstruse. Is this confrontational? Maybe you simply have a different opinion.

i'm not what i would consider recoil sensitive, perhaps realgun is.

I have multiple guns in 44, 41, and 357 Magnum. I tend to shoot the larger guns because they can make the shooting experience reasonable, just like the original guns in those calibers. The couple smaller 357s get reduced load ammo to make them worth shooting.

That is not being averse to recoil but demanding that a gun be fun to shoot, i.e. big enough to handle its caliber. No doubt, experiences and opinions could vary on the dividing lines and perceptions of recoil. If I have too much trouble managing a flinch or my hand is getting too beat up in spite of grip options, then the gun is not for me and goes on the SELL list. So far, I have avoided opting to shoot the lesser of calibers that a gun will shoot. My philosophy is to own and shoot a gun designed for its caliber. Oddities like my SW625 with its w-a-y oversized cylinder window would be an exception as just too satisfying to shoot.

 

[back40]

Why would you ask me that?

i asked simply because you brought up someone in a gunfight being in for a rude shock. i wanted to know if you were speaking from experience. it appears as though you weren't

I don't think that is so abstruse. Is this confrontational? Maybe you simply have a different opinion.

confrontational? why would it be confrontational? again, you made the comment, i simply asked you to explain it. if you were speaking form actual experience, it might be helpful to the discussion.

most people that have, and or carry .357s are quite aware of the difference in recoil between that and the .38. most (at least that i know of) also, practice with .38, yet run a healthy dose of .357 through their carry guns if thats what they intened to use. we weren't really talking about guns that are "fun to shoot" or range guns. the OP asked about carry options, of which i think given he's looking for something more concealable, the LCR would do just fine. you disagree, and that's ok.

 

[TUBBY1]

I have a sp101 in 3" and love it . My favorite 357 for sure. Like to shoot it more than my gp161, but for carry I would sway you to the lcr. 10 oz difference is a lot at the end of the day. 38+p or 357 , will work but only if your carrying. The easier it is to bring along, the more likely you will. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

 

[RealGun]

Why would you ask me that?

i asked simply because you brought up someone in a gunfight being in for a rude shock. i wanted to know if you were speaking from experience. it appears as though you weren't

You have parsed the word "gunfight" and made far too much of it. Anyone who knows the first thing about guns would know intuitively that avoiding practicing with magnums, yet carrying them, could cause the violence of a magnum to be severely distracting to say the least, if needing to use the gun. Whether one has experience is irrelevant, unless determined to discredit an opposing opinion with a strawman.

You keep inserting the little digs presuming I lack experience, or suggesting I may be averse to recoil. Personal stuff like that will get you called out.

 

[oldcelt]

Sometimes I believe too much talk of recoil. Example, I shoot light loads in everything for plinking and practice but when hunting I load them hot and never notice the recoil very much including magnum shotguns.

 

[back40]

You keep inserting the little digs presuming I lack experience, or suggesting I may be averse to recoil. Personal stuff like that will get you called out.

little digs? personal stuff? i merely asked you to clarify your comment and to verify if you were speaking from personal experience. nothing more. that's how things work. when you start making recommendations for or against certain platforms, and bring up how a certain practice will lead to a rude awakening should one find themselves in a gunfight, people will wonder of your actual experience. others may choose to either toss what you have to say with a grain of salt or actually listen to someone who's been there and done that. if that's not ok with you, perhaps public forums are not for you. it's really nothing personal, unless you make it so.

besides, being averse to recoil isn't something to be ashamed of. some people just don't care for it, and don't shoot heavy calibers well. nothing wrong with that. the flip side is...some people handle full house .357 from a snubby revolver just fine. therefor, a statement like ".357 is a lousy carry caliber unless in a large gun" just don't make any sense.

The OP apparently shoots .357 quite well, and the LCR will allow him quite a bit more on the concealablity front. you're actually the first person i've heard complain about the lcr in .357.

here's a review...http://www.thetruthaboutguns.com/2011/09/ryan-finn/gun-review-ruger-lcr-357-revolver/

notice the part about

While there’s no doubt the LCR dishes out some stout recoil, it’s not the curse word-inducing sensation created by other manufacturers’ lightweight magnum snubbies. I made it through the whole cylinder without wanting to switch to .38 special loads and turn in my Man Card.

One-hundred-fifty rounds later I’d run out of .357 ammo. I switched over to the .38 special, where recoil was practically nonexistent.

 

[RealGun]

The OP apparently shoots .357 quite well, and the LCR will allow him quite a bit more on the concealablity front. you're actually the first person i've heard complain about the lcr in .357.

Logical flaw here, because the OP shoots a gun with appropriate size and weight for the caliber. The LCR is a 38 pretending to be a 357 or begging for Short Barrel type loads.

 

[back40]

appropriate size and weight for the caliber. The LCR is a 38 pretending to be a 357 or begging for Short Barrel type loads

nothing more than one man's opinion...of which many would take issue with. thanks for keeping it on topic.

 

[RealGun]

i merely asked you to clarify your comment and to verify if you were speaking from personal experience. nothing more. that's how things work. when you start making recommendations for or against certain platforms, and bring up how a certain practice will lead to a rude awakening should one find themselves in a gunfight, people will wonder of your actual experience. others may choose to either toss what you have to say with a grain of salt or actually listen to someone who's been there and done that.

That is the strawman you implied originally with your question about whether I had been in a gunfight. I saw you coming and sought to verify your intent. It is a false premise that I was "making recommendations". Everything one reads here is an opinion or hearsay.

If someone doesn't think a person might be surprised if they practiced with mild loads and had to use full power carry loads, that person is just being argumentative, ignoring his common sense as an experienced shooter.

 

[Sam1911]

If someone doesn't think a person might be surprised if they practiced with mild loads and had to use full power carry loads, that person is just being argumentative.

Personally I don't put much stock in the idea from studying what people seem to notice, feel, or react to in the intense stress of a gun fight. Most folks can't tell how many shots they fired, don't register the noise, don't feel the recoil. Heck the same thing happens a lot with the much milder stress of "buck fever" when hunting. The old timers always say "you'll never feel the kick when there's a deer in your sights." And that's ten fold more true for lethal force situations.

(Not that I necessarily recommend carrying a very different [strike]load[/strike] anything than what you normally shoot, but I think the concern here is misplaced.)

Not trying to be argumentative. Just telling the truth.

 

[back40]

They are both lousy as 357, unless you're a big guy with a grip of iron. You'll back off to 38 Special, so you might as well buy a nice 38 Special or something heavier to handle the 357

realgun, your above quoted post sure sounds like recommendation. based on opinion yes, but a recommendation just the same.

as sam1911 pointed out, auditory exclusion, adrenaline, etc, all combine when under such a high stress event. if one practices even semi regularly with .357, it should be a non issue if the need for use ever presented itself. your posts indicate that you believe that since practicing with .357 isn't enjoyable (to you at least), most won't do it, and therefor won't be prepared for the increase in effect. my experience with shooting .357 (and those that ive spoen with) leads me to a different conclusion.

If someone doesn't think a person might be surprised if they practiced with mild loads and had to use full power carry loads, that person is just being argumentative, ignoring his common sense as an experienced shooter.

also not argumentative. but the above is simply YOUR opinion/experience. it seems to be argumentative, or ignoring your common sense as a shooter to discount the fact that others have very different experiences with shooting heavy calibers than yours.

 

[AFDavis11]

If you plan on carrying in a pocket I'd go with the LCR. If you plan on carrying on the belt, consider the 101.

I personally would purchase a 101, and plan to very soon.

I think a light .357 mag in an SP101 would be kind of fun to shoot. But, would probably carry as powerful a .38 as I could find (unless I'm in the woods).

 

[RealGun]

Then I guess none of us need to practice with carry loads, trusting our adrenaline in a shooting situation to cover the fact that the gun is producing a lot more recoil than with which we are accustomed. Are we all being silly just to argue?

 

[RealGun]

Quote:

They are both lousy as 357, unless you're a big guy with a grip of iron. You'll back off to 38 Special, so you might as well buy a nice 38 Special or something heavier to handle the 357

realgun, your above quoted post sure sounds like recommendation. based on opinion yes, but a recommendation just the same.

It's not a recommendation. Read more carefully, it only provides a reasoning to consider. Your inference does not trump what I actually wrote.

Yes, there is the presumption that a smaller to average person will take some punishment from the guns in question and opt for something lighter in ammo, as has been mentioned s-o-o many times on this and other revolver forums by many people.

 

[back40]

actually if you read my earlier posts, you'll see that i spoke to praticing with carry loads on a somewhat regular basis.

what's silly is suggesting that a snub in .357 is a lousy choice, or that buying one for the extra versatility of having the option of .357 isn't worth it.

haha, call it what you like. "so you might as well buy" is a recommendation (webster says...a suggestion about what should be done/a suggestion or proposal as to the best course of action).

 

[back40]

alas, we're drifting off track again.

bottom line being. you don't like .357 in anything but a full size revolver for carry. my position is that .357 is just fine in the LCR.

people's abilities and control of different handguns varies greatly. it's not absurd to think that someone other than yourself would do just fine with a .357 snub.

 

[Sam1911]

Then I guess none of us need to practice with carry loads, trusting our adrenaline in a shooting situation to cover the fact that the gun is producing a lot more recoil than with which we are accustomed.

"Reductio ad absurdum" That's a latin phrase that means "you debate like a sophomore."

Actually, no, it just means that you take the basic question at hand and then blow it way out of proportion to be something that no one claimed true. The point being to suggest that if your silly example isn't true then the point under debate must not be true either. It is a logical fallacy. In other words, a debate tactic that fails because it is flawed. (And transparent.)

Are we all being silly just to argue?

It seems like it.

 

[RealGun]

Guess we need a poll about how many people own a small 357 but found it acceptable only shooting 38 Special. They are not statistically significant but at least more interesting than arguing about whose opinion is valid or not.

 

[RealGun]

Then I guess none of us need to practice with carry loads, trusting our adrenaline in a shooting situation to cover the fact that the gun is producing a lot more recoil than with which we are accustomed.

"Reductio ad absurdum" That's a latin phrase that means "you debate like a sophomore."

Well, calling me a sophomore is ad hominem. That is not the actual definition.

My statement merely highlights how absurd the notion is that one will not notice the difference in full up carry ammo versus practice ammo , if forced to use it. I have no trouble agreeing that one can work through it, but initially it is bound to be stunning. That's my opinion, and I am sticking to it.

 

[RealGun]

haha, call it what you like. "so you might as well buy" is a recommendation

Out of context.