Revolver Specific Carry Tips

[twistedneck]

Getting ready to carry the model 629 4" bbl with galco high rider rt. side holster.

What are the biggest differences between carrying a semi auto and a wheel gun?

The DAO w/o safety scares me, is it possible to discharge the pistol when you are in a panic situation grabbing for the gun too wildly?

 

[calaverasslim]

The DAO that you refer to in that 629 has no bearing. I know that there are a number of folk that carry in a high ride, but for me that is too high. More comfortable with regular holster.

The semi, unless you carry loaded, you have to rack the slide. Makes noise and takes time.

I carry my M21 or M22 most of the time and never worry.

 

[loneviking]

Why is your 629 a DAO? Every one of these I"ve seen has a hammer, and is either SA/DA.

If it is a true 629 and SA/DA, you don't need a safety IF you have a good holster that covers the trigger. The Galco High Ride will do that. I would also strongly encourage you to get some snap caps and practice drawing from that holster on a regular basis. Try to find a IDPA or IPSC club near you to practice defensive shooting.

IMHO, a revolver is far safer than a semi-auto. The manual of arms is simpler, it's easier to safe the weapon and you have to be trying pretty hard to do an AD/ND with a revolver.

 

[twistedneck]

loneviking, you are correct, 626-6 4" bbl is SA/DA not DAO. Since the hammer must be manually pulled back to get into SA mode i didn't consider it.. i'm new to these beautiful specimens. I will pick up some snap caps and start doing draw practice.. probably can find some vidoes on it on youtube for a revolver too..

i always followed Tom Cruz's technique in the alley scene from that movie 'Collateral Damage'.. quick pull with opposite hand coming across the body tight so it won't get shot the hell off..

calaverasslim, i usually carry a Beretta 96 locked and loaded in the high holster fashion also - its not comfortable but it does hide a lot better.. oh, in my neighborhood, Southwest Detroit, there is not any time to rack the slide before using! that litte M21 sounds super cool, how do you like it compared to the Keltec knock offs?

I'll look on youtube for some wheel gun specific stuff also. thanks to you both!

 

[Oro]

IMHO, a revolver is far safer than a semi-auto.

I agree, and have switched to carrying revolvers, and occasionally (very), a 629 in a high-ride holster. But it's a 3" and round butt so it's a bit easier than a 4" square (though maybe yours has a round butt if it's a newer production).

Unless you put that finer on the trigger, and stroke that long DA pull, you are not going to have a problem. The other things to be aware of are of course reloading, if you carry extra ammo. Some practice with a speedloader or a speed strip (they just recently came out with a .44 one after many years). Not as intuitive as an auto, but not impractical - you just need some practice.

The 4" 629 is a big gun. Toting it around all the time is annoying - same reason most folks don't conceal carry a Government Model even if they love them. a smaller snubbie in a K or J frame, or a Ruger model, are the more common choices.

Ammo for a .44 is also a consideration. .44mag may be a bit much for the urban streets, but .44 spcl, like a Hornady XTP or Speer Gold Dot, is an awesome defensive around, very similar to the .45 acp. in effectiveness. Similar weight bullets, velocities (edge to the .44 usually), and diameter. A truly great cartridge.

I will pick up some snap caps and start doing draw practice.. probably can find some vidoes on it on youtube for a revolver too..

Snap caps are not necessary for dry firing a S&W. Don't worry about that. But you are wise to bring that up - learning to get a nice long even trigger pull and keep the sights in perfect alignment until the hammer is down takes practice. I sincerely believe only copious amounts of dry firing can do that. Also, 45 minutes reading archived revolver information here will teach you 20 times what you will learn in 2 hours on youtube.

PS - there is a "search" feature on the tool bar of the forum, far right side above the last column. It will search just this forum and you can type things like:

"revolver reload(ing) technique"
"dry firing drills"

etc., etc., and you will find TONS of great discussions going back five or six years.

 

[twistedneck]

Thanks Oro, glad to hear you carry the 3" 44 and its at least somewhat 'sane'..

its a 629-6 new 2008 production from S&W, and it does have the round butt hogues.

I plan on carrying full power for now, at least until i figure out i hate the recoil! i've done a lot of shooting with the J frame 357 mag, and those buzz the heck out of my hand, hope the 44 isn't quite as bad with Hornady 225g FTX loads - those are well priced and medium load, i think.. 1410fps muzzle.

I did read here that Harry Calahan told fellow officers he used a 'light special' in his 44 because it helped him stay on target. I hope that's not the case!

And regarding the too powerful issue, these new bullets are so high tech, don' they just turn into pancakes and not over penetrate? if i'm worried about misses, the 44 is not a flat shooter like a 9mm i dont think so that wouldn't be much worse.. 'much'.. i sense i'm wrong.

did research here b4 hand and the 44mag is about the maxium you can carry and control - i wanted the 454, but settle for the 44 for that reason to begin with, hence my itch to carry the full power loads. my old 96 seems so plain and non interesting now that i have this 629. its like the old cars in the hertz tv ads that get left behind..

 

[heron]

Don't forget speedloaders . . . I just got a few Safariland Comp II's, and I like them. I'd have gotten the Comp I's, but they no longer offer them for my gun (Ruger GP 100).

 

[Sam1911]

Don't forget speedloaders . . . I just got a few Safariland Comp II's, and I like them. I'd have gotten the Comp I's, but they no longer offer them for my gun (Ruger GP 100).

First off, I carry my 4" 629 fairly regularly. In fact, I'm carrying it in the attached picture along with three speed-loaders. For real concealment with it I use a kydex "Mirage" IWB holster from Hoffner's that is very comfortable, and rides high and tight. The front of the cylinder rides right on top of the belt. It does help to be a little on the tall side, or your draw might be a little awkward, but you can practice to get around that.

I wear the "Instructor" belt from Wilderness Tactical and it is plenty stiff enough to carry the gun. I can wear that rig all day without any discomfort at all.

Regarding speed-loaders. Skip the drama and just get the HKS 29 version. Safariland only makes their Comp1 version for the 29/629 -- no CompIIs or CompIIIs. The Comp 1s are the suckiest thing that ever sucketh. They are difficult to load, very difficult to use smoothly, usually release unevenly -- which leaves four in the gun and two still stuck in the loader -- and, perversely, they drop rounds out while you're carrying them! But that's when they're new. If you make a go of it and they (quickly) start to wear out, they get WORSE!

It is a crying shame that Safariland would still sell such a pile of dog crap and put their name on it. Utterly horrid.

More reading: http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=409728
Or, for my take on making humor out of it: http://www.thehighroad.org/showpost.php?p=5007250&postcount=24

-Sam

 

[loneviking]

BTW, if you are new to running wheelguns, I highly recommend that you buy Bill Jordans' 'No Second Place Winner'. Very good pics of his draw technique and Bill was very fast! Also, lots of good, general info on using revolvers from a time when revolvers were what the LEO's carried. Bill Jordan designed the S&W model 19.

 

[Kind of Blued]

I couldn't tell from your post whether you were open-carrying or carrying concealed, but either way, if that Galco doesn't do it for you, don't give up, for carrying an N-frame is too cool to give up on.

The guys over at the S&W forum seem to absolutely love a couple holster makers. These are a mix of IWB and OWB, and the Simply Ruggeds are "adaptable". So if you end up wanting to try something else, give these a try:

CABO Holsters ("Carry a Big One" )
Simply Rugged Holsters (They have an IWB option too)
and believe it or not, Comp-Tac's C-Tac can be had for the N-frame.

Here's a fella who likes the C-Tac a lot.

 

[loneviking]

I also like and use the holsters from Rob Leahy at SimplyRugged.com. I have three of 'em and they are the most comfortable, well designed belt holsters for revolvers that I've found.

 

[Deanimator]

What are the biggest differences between carrying a semi auto and a wheel gun?

Thickness. I frequently carry a 3" Model 65 IWB. It's significantly thicker than anything else I carry.

The DAO w/o safety scares me, is it possible to discharge the pistol when you are in a panic situation grabbing for the gun too wildly?

Your finger shouldn't be touching the trigger AT LEAST until you're lining up on your target.

I find stories of people "accidentally" shooting revolvers double action implausible, AT BEST. A Chicago cop shot a guy in the face with a Ruger SP101. He claimed it was an accident. As far as I'm concerned, he might as well have claimed that he was in a flying saucer with bigfoot when it happened. Double action in a revolver light enough for you to "accidentally" activate is likely to be unreliable enough to give you a lot of light hits.

Maintain proper trigger discipline, and you should have no problems at all. If you have questions about technique, get Massad Ayoob's "Combat Handgunnery", or even better, actual training.

 

[twistedneck]

This thread was a big wake up call. I just watched Chris Gordans drawing video on youtube, and now i realize my galco high ride is pointing forward. how the bleep am i supposed to use that sweet back and forth hammer cock draw Chris talks about with that!

typical i buy to quick w/o researching. maybe there is a way to use the forward cant quick. not sure if you are supposed to pull the hammer back with a DA during the draw like you are with a western type SA.
But i can see where speed drawing may cause a mistake and accidental discharge, he talks about keeping the finger stiff and outside the trigger, but its going to talke a lot of practice to get right.

didn't get to buy Ayoub's book yet. i see a lot of people carry 3" instead of 4" too. oh i carry concealed only, a lot of camping and hiking. and a few trips to the urban warzone that is Detroit when i have too. oh that cabo holster looks perfect..

 

[Sam1911]

I just watched Chris Gordans drawing video on youtube, and now i realize my galco high ride is pointing forward. how the bleep am i supposed to use that sweet back and forth hammer cock draw Chris talks about with that!

Not sure who Chris Gordan is. Couldn't find his vids.

Most concealed carry holsters are going to have a forward cant. Makes for easier concealment and a faster draw.

There is no reason to cock a DA revolver on the draw. That's largely defeating the safety value intrinsic in having a long, heavier trigger stroke in DA. (On most DA/SA revolvers, the SA pull is VERY light -- great for hunting or plinking, perhaps not optimal for a gunfight.) And, it's one more fine motor skill to screw up while you're trying to get that gun out of the holster and on target.

Learn to control the DA trigger properly and you'll have no use for SA, most of the time.

Practice, practice, practice.

If you really want to learn something about revolver shooting from on-line videos, learn from the very best: http://www.myoutdoortv.com/pdk/web/smith.html?feedPID=00zG15zm84msK0GbWemanhJ0KNWQYqM4


-Sam

 

[loneviking]

typical i buy to quick w/o researching. maybe there is a way to use the forward cant quick. not sure if you are supposed to pull the hammer back with a DA during the draw like you are with a western type SA.
But i can see where speed drawing may cause a mistake and accidental discharge, he talks about keeping the finger stiff and outside the trigger, but its going to talke a lot of practice to get right.

A forward cant works well using the type of draw Bill Jordan taught. Simply put, your draw hand makes a circle from your belt, down and past the side of your holster, then up and scoops the revolver out without ever stopping. The pictures in Bill Jordans' book shows how it's done.

What you have to look for in a holster is that the trigger is covered, but that the very back of the trigger guard is still open so that you can quickly get your hand into position on the grip. When you are drawing, the middle/ring/pinky fingers are slightly curled and the index/trigger finger stays straight.

Rob Leahys 'simply rugged' holsters are cut to allow for a very fast grab while still protecting the trigger. The holsters you see the fast draw/single action guys use are special rigs that you don't want to use for everyday carry.