Suggestions, advice? I used to have a snub nosed .38 special that I have been kicking myself for years now for getting rid of it.
Printable View
Suggestions, advice? I used to have a snub nosed .38 special that I have been kicking myself for years now for getting rid of it.
Those old .38s were nice. I remember my father buying one back in the 90s. He told me that when the police departments were phasing them out for the semi-automatics, the market price on them dropped. They were easy to grab up.
Last I heard, Smith and Wesson still made a .38 snub nose design.
This is going back to the Revolver VS Semi-Auto thing again. Which really Boils down to personal preference with no right or wrong.
Revolver Pro: Unless you have bad ammo, the thing will fire. If it doesn't fire, you have the simplicity of only having to pull the trigger to cycle to another round.
Revolver Con: Depending on the revolver, you either have 5 or 6 shots. (know some hold a few more, but the purpose of this thread is small and concealable. Not happening with a eight round 44Mag.) It then takes a bit of time to reload another cylinders worth of ammo.
Semi-Auto Pro: Ammo capacity is 7-12 rounds. Up to twice that of a revolver. Quicker reloading is also accomplished through additional, pre-loaded mags.
Semi-Auto Con: Laced with malfunctions. Although, it is my opinion, that semi-autos made by reputable manufactures in the last ten years are just as reliable as revolvers. Semi-Auto malfunctions can almost always be attributed to owner neglect. If you run a box of ammo through it a month and clean it properly, there should be no issues. Also, during much colder temps, an owner should take care that the gun oil they use does not freeze or gel up. The leads to another semi-auto con that they can be a little more high maintenance.
Really, it is personal preference. I chose semi-auto. More bullets, quicker reloading, and a little more maintenance to give me those shots reliably are worth it to me. I do own both though, and on times, why not a .38?
Being you are in Alaska, you also have big creatures to contend with. A revolver would allow you some more potent cartridges for those instances. A snub nose 44 special, perhaps?
Oooo...itys about a concealed small gun...just reading the title gave me a different idea...ok...so its a gun...guns again..
Tokwan, did you mind go into the gutter again?Quote:
Originally Posted by Tokwan
Of course it did. It always happens when he sees the word "small"!!!!! :detective:Quote:
Originally Posted by Adventure Wolf
Just kidding ya, Tok!
I gotta say Ruger LCR. It's just 13 oz empty and very small. The trigger is excellent on it and it's easy to shoot well. It's available in .38 Special, 9mm and .357 Mag. If I read you right then the .38 Special is probably your best bet (and the version I have). Presumably your concerned more about two legged predators if you're looking for something small, and the .38 Special version is 25% lighter than the other two. From a 2" pipe a .357 Mag mostly gives you a lot more blast and recoil for a very small gain in velocity. IMO you need to move up to a 4" barrel or so for it to be worth it. In any event even a .357 Mag would be a bit light for the bigger critters up there.
How small is small to you? *Crosses fingers*
No seriously, S&W Model 66 too big?
Muahahahahahahahahahahaha....Sawyer little thing....
My wife carries the LCR in .38. There is no hammer to get hung on anything if you want to purse carry. The .38 is a proven round and, as Phaedrus said, it's light weight. You can get it with a Crimson Laser, which my wife has. She likes it and is pretty accurate with it.
I don't think you could go wrong with a J Frame S&W. Also as suggested the newer LCR from Ruger is getting good reviews. Colt also made a fine revolver as well, not quite as small as the smith. I would avoid the Rossi/Taurus revolvers. Some are excellent more have issues of some kind. Charter can be spotty as well.
CW
The Rossi/Taurus revolvers that were imported 10+ years ago are the problematic ones. If you get the newer one's that are made in the USA and not imported, you will be fine. JMO.Quote:
Originally Posted by cwlongshot
My smallest CC firearm is a Smith & Wesson shrouded hammer 38/357 mag. Five shot. I like the choice of either 38 for practice or the 357 for greater effectiveness for two legged predators. For serious carry, I load with Speer short bbl hollow points. My second choice would be the Charter Arms Bulldog in 44 Special. The Ruger LCR is a good choice if you prefer a semi auto. My Semi auto CC gun is currently a Smith & Wesson Shield in 9mm.
Have, carry and like the K-LCR.....This one handles the .357, but is normally loaded with .38's........speed loader has the .357's.
.357 will handle most anything I would have to use it on around here...but I do understand the Alaska connection.....so yeah .44 mag, although kinda hard to conceal.
Quote:
Originally Posted by OP
You meant the LCP?
When these. discussions start, the suggestions seem to start small....and ended up getting bigger, and bigger, why is that?
Yea this would be for two legged predator only, not worried about game for this one. Small and very concealable is on the top of the list here.
LCR or LCP or the S&W version.......Both handy and "tuck-y"
I have a few, I even have a Taurus. I like the revolvers, but don't carry one much anylonger.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4...psc52c4150.jpg 351 22WMR
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4...psr9uroao0.jpg Ruger SPEED SIX 357 Mag
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4...ps5f6d637b.jpg S&W 651 22 WMR
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4...psf3369a36.jpg S&W 638
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4...ps5a5eea87.jpg S&W 63
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4...s/263909a4.jpg H&R 922
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4...ps9d40ee4b.jpg Taurus 941 22WMR
CW
I have a smith 638. I'd mightily appreciate it if someone knows of a speedloader that works over the cylinder catch...
Other than that, it's small and extremely lightweight.
Sometime ago the company I work for took on several construction projects down in the Maxton-Laurinburg Area of North Carolina. That area is well known to be rough. It is an area of former textile and furniture mill towns where the mills have all been outsourced to India, China and other areas where people will work for five cents a day. The area has a high crime rate. I'm a 230 pound farm boy, but you won't see me walking some of those areas at night, especially alone.
I invested in a Fraser-25. I bought it used, and it was probably older then I was. Thank god I never had to use it.
Some of the other guys on site made fun of my "little pea shooter", but it isn't a bad gun. I've put about 500 rounds through it and it never jammed, and still carry it when I'm working out in Durham.
A Ruger LCP is perhaps the smallest gun there is that I would be comfortable with. The Beretta Pico is a little tiny bit smaller but it has no track record yet having been released just this month. I suppose one of the little Minx/Jetfire .22/.25's with the tip-up barrel would be even tinier but personally I put the .380 at the lower limit unless we're talking pure back up gun. To be honest I'd rather carry a .38 Special or 9mm The Ruger LCR is just slightly lighter than a Smith 642 and has a bit better trigger. Probably wouldn't make much difference at bad breath distance but it's more fun to shoot to me which means you'll practice with it more. Lots of good options out there but the Ruger LCR is the smallest gun that I ever CCW.
Now that it's cold enough that I'm always bundled up though I carry an HK P30S.
Yea it has to be concealable in office casual lol.
Even though it's winter how do you guys manage large weapons when you go inside a restaurant or other place where you normally take off your coat? I live in an open or conceal state but some of you can't even print. How do you handle that with the big guns?
I'm not comfortable carrying open in public places only because I don't want bad guys to know I carry.
1st - do you have a "smallest caliber" in mind that you want to carry?
Another option for you is the Ruger LC9 or LC380 (NOT LCP380). They are a little larger than the LCP, but not much. Very pleasant to shoot because you can actually hold on to them. I find it easy to conceal by using an in the waist band holster where only the handle is shown parallel to my belt. To hide the handle, I simply put my shirt or jacket over it. In an office setting, I usually will wear a suit jacket over it or I will blouse my dress shirt a bit. Never had any issues.
A lady that I work with, she uses what she calls a "gun rack". I don't know if that is the actual name or not. It is a special holster the attaches to bras.
I have the LC9 and if you get the 9rd extended magazine it fills like a full sized gun in the hand. Or you can stick with the regular 7 round magazine and choose with the flat-butt or the pinky extension.Quote:
Originally Posted by natertot
Not my pictures.
Attachment 10398
Attachment 10397
Attachment 10399
Yep, .22. I really just need something small.Quote:
Originally Posted by crashdive123
How about this: http://www.beretta.com/en-us/21-a-bobcat/
If you would be satisfied with a 22 caliber, there is the North American Arms five shot derringer in 22 Mag. I just traded off the one I had for the S&W Shield 9mm. The 22 WMR was a joy to shoot. No recoil, very accurate at seven yards, Using Hornady Critical Defense 22 WMR ammo. I traded it off because I had difficulty gripping it in a comfortable way that actually let me pull the trigger.
That's my back up to the LCP.....a leather sheath for a sharpening stone makes a good pocket holster.Quote:
Originally Posted by Old Professor
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y139/hunter63/mag.jpg
I recently purchased a Taurus TCP http://www.taurususa.com/gun-selecto...cfm?series=738Quote:
Originally Posted by 1stimestar
Good price ($289) and fits the bill of small and concealable. I carry mine in my pocket with a small pocket holster. It is intended for close up use (I would say 20 feet or less). It is very comfortable in the hand and shoots well. I've put about 600 rounds through it so far and have not had a single issue.
Speaking just for myself I generally wear a zip up fleece (unzipped) when it's cool. It's not nearly warm enough to be a coat when it's cold but I will wear it under a coat. Inside at a restaurant or whatever I take off my jacket but leave on my fleece since I just have a T-shirt under it. When I do this I'll have my T-shirt tucked in so I can quickly and easily sweep the fleece back and draw. If there's some chance I'll take off the fleece I leave my T-shirt untucked; not quite as fast but a baggy tee will hide a gun pretty well, too.Quote:
Originally Posted by Rick
So far I've never gotten a strange look (that I can attribute to someone seeing my gun at least!).
Are you wanting the .22 for defense?
I'm glad you have success with it. I had two of them, hated them both. Stove pipes, double feeds, fail to feeds were occurring pretty much during every mag. New mags, used mags, Taurus mags, Pro mags.... It didn't matter. Probably tried about 15 types of ammo too. It was also so small I had to readjust after 2 or 3 shots, if I could get that many off in a row. I also hated the disassembly on those things. Have to have a tool to pop out that side pin and it was a pain to get it to go back in. The other issue I had was I got a pocket holster for it and could carry it in a way that it looked like a wallet. But every time I sat down or leaned against something, the mag release would get bumped on it. I hated checking every 5 minutes to ensure the mag was still seated.Quote:
Originally Posted by crashdive123
I got rid of them both, made a few $$ off of them at a show. I Like a lot of Taurus stuff, the TCP is not one of them.
Taurus is coming out with a new concealed carry pistol that is... er... interesting. Wonder how it would feel in hand.
http://www.taurususa.com/whats-new-the-curve.cfm
I'm already against it because it has a laser and a flashlight built into it. I don't do laser because statistically, those that rely on them don't shoot as many shots or sometimes don't even shoot at all. What happens is, people are in a high stress situation with an adrenaline dump. This causes the body, especially arms and hands, to shake. When the body shakes, the laser shakes and people second guess themselves on pulling the trigger because they don't think the shot will be just right. On the other hand, when you change your concerns to putting bullets at least towards the attacker, even if you don't hit them, they will start to turn and run.
Reason I don't like flashlights on guns is you can't point the flashlight at something without pointing the gun at it too. Rather have the light in my other hand and be able to separate the two points of aim at will.
I know Hunter also posted the .22Mag revolver. Those are neat little guns, but I also refuse to carry something without a trigger guard for obvious reasons.
This are just my preferences. Your opinion can be different.
I respect your decision, just want to point out this is a SINGLE ACTION revolver, it dosent need a trigger guard, it cannot fire unless you cock the hammer. ;)Quote:
Originally Posted by natertot
Its a daily companion for me too.. For most of the last 20+ years. ;)
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4...ps1w3kfon7.jpg
CW
Carried with the hammer locked in the "in between groove".....hammer has to be pulled back all the way to index and put in firing position....
Trust it more than the auto w/ no safety
I carry autos with no safety, but I keep the trigger guard covered.