Musing, thinking of a CCW wheelgun

[charlie b]

Don't know if they still do or not....back when I had the Taurus 85 they had some nice 'custom' grips. I bought a pair of Rosewood, they were beautiful and small. For concealing they were great. If I wanted to shoot it at the range in an extended session I'd put the rubber grips back on as they were a tad larger.

[armoredman]

The 3 inch tube does allow for a full size ejector rob, for certain. The snub will hang up on ejecting, so I'd better get it done in 5 shots! On the other hand, that bobbed hammer slides out of the pocket like greased lightning, VERY surprised how well it draws from good jeans.
A 3 inch might work better in an IWB rig or a shoulder holster, (wearable in AZ only three months of the year), but still...got that itch...
Edit to add, LAGS, that 3 inch Rossi is your favorite carry revolver, I couldn't take that from you!

[lancem]

If you can find one I really like my Colt Cobra, think it's a 2" barrel, shrouded hammer, aluminum frame, 38 special. Pretty sure by the looks of it mine was a cops backup before I bought it from a store known to cater to the local PD in the 70's. Dead nuts on with the 158 gr FBI load and light enough to forget you have it with you.

[Charlie Horse]

S&W 638.

However....Although it is rated for +P, I would limit the amount of shooting the Airweights get. The bolt hole on mine wore with only wadcutters. S&W replaced the frame - with a used one it looks like. Now that I've got it back it gets carried a lot and shot little.

[oldhenry]

Seldom carry a j frame. Ruger GP100 3" is toted most often. Yes it's heavy but I can hit with it.

I'm with you. A light +P .38 spec. or heaven forbid a .357 in any boolit weight stings my hand & would only be accurate enough for very close encounters. My 3" GP100 in .44 spec. with mild large meplat boolits in 200-225gr. is accurate & a pleasure to shoot. My carry & house load with SAECO #441 boolits (250 gr.) is easy on the hand with 5.0-5.5 of HP-38. The optional small grips work OK & help with concealment.

My wife's #49 is concealable, but is no lightweight.

Above said: my church gun is an OM SR1911 with 124 gr. Gold Dots.

[Rodfac]

I carry a Smith M-60 with a 3" bbl. probably 75% of the time when going concealed to town. The load is Speer's 135 gr Gold Dot in the .38 Spl +P loading. With good stocks on the gun, that load expands well and is entirely manageable for repeat shots from a recoil standpoint. Another plus is the shorter .38 Spl case ejects better than the longer .357.

While the M-60 is a .357, it handles as well as the .38's and still offers the extra punch if you can handle the "heroic" recoil of the heavier loading. Mine is comfortable with "FBI" level loads (158's at ~850-900) for an hour's shooting; and that's no *****-cat loading either.

I prefer the adjustable sights and after almost 60 years of toting Smith's around, I've never damaged any of them...they're not fragile as some would opine. Shooting 158 LSWC's one day and 148 WC the next, they make re-zeroing easy. I also think of mine as a pretty good field gun as the 3" bbl. is plenty accurate out to 25 yds with those good S&W sights. Accuracy runs to ~3" at 25 yds with it as compared to ~2" with my 4" bbl'd Smiths...really not enough to matter when field shooting.

As to the bobbed hammer...not for me, I like the advantage of SA precision fire and I've never, repeat, NEVER had a hammer hang up on a shirt tail or jacket with my OWB method of carry...that's just a training issue & easily mastered.

About my only gripe on any of Smith's J frames is the coiled mainspring just won't allow as good a DA trigger pull as the leaf type on their K,L, & N frames, in my experience. I have close to 2000 rounds through my M-60, and it's smoothed up considerably, but it's still not as nice as my M-66, 18 & 67.

Lastly, I carry OWB and dress around the gun, as you can see below...and a shirt tail or a jacket covers the gun just as easily as a 2" bbl'd piece, I've found. Here's the gun in my usual concealed and open carry position...note that it's possible to tuck the muzzle of the holster into a hip pocket for even better concealment, (a big plus with my 4" bbl'd K frames). OWB works for me as I'm leery of any appendix carry position and only slightly less concerned about IWB. With a revolver, that cylinder bulge does not lend itself to either, while offering a safer, easier re-holster move. YMMv & HTH's, Rod

[Captain O]

I have a "J" frame shrouded-hammer Airweight in .32 H&R Magnum. With its 2" barrel it can "vanish" in either a shoulder holster or IWB. Light, fast, and six shots can be dumped into a bad guy very quickly. This revolver isn't too shabby.

Just my 2 cents worth.

[oscarflytyer]

A Taurus 856 UL 38 SPC. Snubbie 6 shot +P J frame size alloy

So I would not have bought this gun for a carry in and of itself... Traded and awful Ruger 22 wheelie MIL gave to the kids for it (new) straight across. I/we got it specifically for a kayak snake shot defense gun ( I am in AL) as it was alloy and I can carry snake shot.

I have recently found myself carrying it as a regular CCW in the Summer because it is so light and alloy and 6 shot and +P. Plus, the 6 rd Smith K speed loader will work with it. With the 6 rds and the speed loader I do not feel under gunned. Actually feel 'better' with it than I do the 7 shot Ruger LCP 380 + 6x mag. Loaded, in shorts with a thin web belt, I still hardly know its there.

One big recommendation for a carry hostler (assuming you carry on a belt/shirt untucked: Azula leather holsters. I swear by them. I use them for the Taurus/Beretta 82/K/N/Ruger Redhawk 45. All are pancake heavy molded leather. Awesome quality/fit/retention and the price is def right. Even the BIG Redhawk carries exceptionally well in their holster.

[Jtarm]

Unless going pocket carry, I see no reason not to go with a 3” 6-shot.

I carry a 3” S&W M-64 AIWB.

Starting new, I’d opt for the 3” King Cobra. I don’t care for the bright stainless finish though. Slightly smaller frame than the Smith K.

A less-expensive option is the Taurus 856. Although regarded as cute-rate, the Taurus seems to be gaining popularity among serous revo users.

[FAAFO6]

Rodfac has it pretty much nailed with his choice of the S&W M60 3 inch with the adjustable sights. I prefer the Pachmayr Professional grips which are very concealable yet give (at least for me) a very comfortable grip with good control of heavier loads. I have two of them in .38 Special and one later one in .357 on the Magnum J-Frame. I prefer the earlier models in .38 Special.

[Kosh75287]

The FIRST revolver that comes to mind is the Ruger SP-101 in .357 Magnum. It has J-Frame similar dimensions, and is considerably stronger. If such is made, a STEEL, NOT ALLOY J-Frame S&W in .357 may be a bit more "tuneable", but I doubt that it is nearly as strong. EITHER revolver will be sturdy enough that a load launching a 160 gr. LSWC (or RNFP) at an honest 1000 f/s will not batter it as badly as happened with the earlier J-Frame .38s. I concocted such a load, using .38 Spl brass, Alliant Red Dot propellant, small rifle primers and "just hard enough" cast 160 gr. LSWCs. This load celivered an honest 1000 f/s from a 2" (1.875"?) S&W M60 (closer to 1100 f/s from a 3") and was DEFINITELY a "carry often/shoot only if one must" proposition. When shot in true (K-Frame and larger/stronger) .357 magnum revolvers, this load worked exceedingly well on small game and 4-legged predators (3 coyotes, 1 bobcat). I have next to ZERO doubt, that its effect on "2-legged predators" would be similarly exemplary.

The MAIN caveat that I offer is that shooting magnum-level loads in small revolvers is almost as brutal as the attack that you seek to prevent by carrying/using such a piece in your defense. I once touted the 2.5" S&W J-Frame .357s as the most obnoxious firearms I'd ever shot (even worse, to me, than a 4" S&W M29 with full magnum loads), but a "Magnumized" J-Frame in .38/.357 is arguably worse.
If you want seriously reliable stopping power in a diminutive package, I'D suggest a Ruger SP-101 with the largest, "squishyest" rubber grips (stocks) that concealment allows.

[missionary5155]

There are hundreds of old Colt Police Positive 38 specials in about 70% or less floating about that collectors want nothing to do with.
Guess how easy it is to hack saw a 4" down to 2" or whatever length...
Last one I did maybe took a whole 60 minutes to include file perfectly square the muzzle, round off the edge, re-crown the muzzle and re-solder the front sight.
Granted I have done more than 5 so I have no fears to "hurt something".
We bought numerous ones 20 years back+ when the police were swapping for the wonder 9's.
This one has a "Hip Grip" (hooks to the waist band" and is as fine a companion as I need.

[Cane_man]

Ruger LCR 0.38 Special +P

super light, change the grip to something more low profile and you can conceal it just about anywhere

[FergusonTO35]

Don't overlook late model Charter Arms. Both of my Undercovers have a much better out of the box trigger pull than any S&W, Ruger, or Taurus I've ever had. Charter also offers a steel frame five shot which none of the others do unless you want to spend twice as much. I think the steel frame is the perfect weight for a pocket size snubnose. Heavy enough to hold steady and soak up some of the muzzle jump, light enough to not weigh you down.

[engineer401]

I haven't held one and it's a 38+P but the Taurus 856 Executive has almost all of what you need. https://www.taurususa.com/executiveg...xecutive-grade

[armoredman]

That does look like a good choice to check out, thank you.

[Frank V]

I’ve found it’s not the bbl length that’s difficult to conceal, but the cylinder width, & the configuration of the butt. A round butt gun is easier to conceal than a square butt gun.

[W.R.Buchanan]

What exactly does a "Hillary's Hole" look like? I have never heard of this on a gun? Also since proper Handgun Calibers all start with a .4 I would ask for a 3" 5 shot .44 Special S&W 696,,, Mine has the X Frame Grips which take all the bite out of S&W Revolvers.

Or the Ruger Version of that gun.(GP100/44) 5 shot .44 Special. Also they have a GP100 with 3" bbl. that uses Moon Clips in 10MM/.40 S&W. You could train and plink with .40 S&W and carry 10MM which could be pretty devastating on the battlefield.

Randy

[Bill*B]

It's "old school", but the little M37 S&W, 1 7/8" .38 Special (fully loaded, less than a pound) comes to mind.

[Gray Fox]

I also have one of the 3" 696s, but it was one of the Lew Horton specials with Magna Porting and there were fewer than 700 made. It's in about 95% condition and I don't carry it any more. I recently picked up a 2.75" model 69 .44 mag on the same L frame and it uses the same holsters. I polished the MIM rebound slide and put in a Wollf 14" spring and it's much better than out of the box. I ordered some Rim Rock Bullet 200 grain full WC with a crimp groove and I'm going to try 5.5 of 231 in mag brass and see how they shoot. GF