I am new to the ccw world and im am wondering if anyone has an opinion on carrying a 5 shot snub nose revolver as a primary carry. Currently I am carrying it as a back up but its more comfortable to carry as a primary. I just think a 5 shot might not do the job.
I am a great shot with it as well as all guns (not the best shot out there) but, I always qualify expert will all weapons in the military
All day, every day. S&W 642 with 135gr +p Speer Gold Dot short barrel rounds. Pocket carry in either a Mika or Nemesis pocket holster. Usually as a primary, sometimes as a BUG.
I am not sure which is my main or backup when I carry two, but I often only carry my S&W 442. If more firepower is desired I usually bring another gun, and ammo, but I definitely do not feel under-gunned in most situations with my J frame. Got it in my slacks right now at a wedding.
This. I have carried the 442 for years in a variety of pocket holsters, with speed strips for reloads. If you feel you need something bigger, than carry something bigger. My other carry is a Kimber Ultra CDP II.
I have a .38 spl I use zombie max cheap hollow points but I love hornady its ether them or federal can't find any double tap I heard about them on the forum I watched some youtube videos about them and I just think they'll be good for my .45 acp don't even know if they have any for .38 spl do yall know of any better ammo?
Buffalo Bore also makes +P loads if your gun will run +P. I have been very pleased with these. The web site doesn't say it, although I think they used to, that the 125 grain hollowpoint are Speer Gold Dots. I know they sure do appear to be from what I have seen comparing pictures of expanded Buffalo Bore and gold dots.
Heres a picture of a few I shot into water jugs:
I can feel the difference in the load when I shoot these compared to practice ammo, so I really do believe them when they say they get the maximum performance from their loads.
As far as a snub nose for a primary, if you carry a speedloader or speed strip and use common sense I think a 5 shot revolver is fine as a primary. I am use mine when I have to wear a tucked dress shirt because it conceals better than my glock.
I carry an LCR loaded with hornady critical defense and 2 speed strips for summertime and if I don't feel like carrying my .45.. Number 1 rule is to have a gun and a snubbie barely registers as there.
I love my J frame 642. +P Gold Dots as a carry load with 2 speed strips. I received my min snap Side Guard yesterday. I am set now! I have other choices but this set up is my favorite.
I love my 360PD. I do not ever feel undergunned, but like many people, I'm sure, I sometimes feel more comfortable with a larger gun. But as of now, I carry my five-shot revolver 90% of the time. It's too light, too comfortable, and conceals too easy.
S&W 642 + speed strip works for me. I am comfortable carrying and confident if need be to use. M Asoob recommends only using 5 rounds (they hold 6) in speed strip to give a better grip on reloading. I think he is correct as stress will be great. To be honest I really don't need a gun, I just like that I can carry. I am a law abiding citizen. I carry so that I will have a chance if needed. I obey no firearms signs and no carry zones. The criminals do not. If they choose to work outside of those confines we will be evenly armed. Provided my government will allow me to defend myself.
...haven't carried J frame as primary...but I would with confidence...but only if my backup was another of the same...3" preferred over 2"
...I'm adding an SP101 to my 649...together they would work where I had to go coatless with shirttail in...the snub will do what you tell it to...
I love my J-frames but I am going to go against the grain here. When flash mobs and multi-perp crimes began to rise, I questioned whether 5 rounds with a slow (compared to an autoloader for me) reload was my best carry option. I concluded that it was not.
The J-frames carry like a dream and hide easily. That having been said, if I am attacked by an angry mob of more than 5, I may be SOL. That presumes that you have 5 wonder bullets that always find the "1 shot stops the threat" mark.
Also, because I carry at home and don't want to be bothered with changing holsters and gear when I come into the house, and because multi-perp home invasions are not unheard of, I want more firepower on hand. I switched to a G30 for my primary EDC. It has 11 rounds on board with an additional 10 or 13 on tap if I need them - depending on which back up mag I am carrying. Just my $0.02, YMMV.
Do you live in the ghetto, on the edge of the ghetto, in the suburbs, or out in the country, or do you have to head towards town to go hunting?
If you are usually in a relatively low risk area/situation, (relatively) being the operative word), then I wouldn't see much problem. I have my 442 loaded with 135gr +p Speer Gold Dot short barrel and a speed strip when riding the mower, or in the summer sometimes, but I usually still find myself with my M&P .357sig when going out, and I live in a very rural area..
IfI were going to a banquet/reception/wedding I would most likely take the wheelgun.
I live in the burbs, but there are frequently shootings and occassionally home invasions within 2 blocks in 3 of the 4 directions. The cop shop is 3 blocks in the 1 direction that does not have issues - go figure. It is not uncommon to have the sheriff's helicopter up looking for someone on or near our street. That is just where I live. I arm up accordingly.
Do to back and hip problems I've had to go to OWB carry. One of the few guns I have an OWB holster for is a 2" .38 snubby. It has become my EDC for now. I keep her loaded with .38 +P Hydra Shok and don't feel under gunned. If I were going into a sustained fire fight, I would, but the average CC shooting is 2 or 3 rounds fired, I believe.
The 5 shot snub has been getting the job done for decades. Of the dozens of carry guns I have, 4 are snubnose revolvers. My S&W 442 gets a TON of carry time. The Airweight snub is the most versatile carry piece out there. Tons of various loads to choose from, dozens of grips to find what works for you, and a ton of holsters for most any carry application (IWB, OWB, pants pocket, coat pocket, SOB, ankle, shoulder). I would never feel underprotected with any of my snubbie revolvers. There are times I carry 2 snubs, or carry one as a secondary access for my weak hand to something else, but there are plenty of occasions I carry one as my primary or only weapon. Get a couple speed loaders and practice and you can reload a snub from last shot to next shot in virtually the same time as reloading a bottom feeder.
Honestly your worse nightmare would be an out of battery, fail to feed, stove pipe, double feed, weak load with a pistol at 3-4 foot range with a couple of bad guys cornering you in a stairway, hallway etc. And I think the revolver is just a hair faster to draw and defend and 357 makes a lot of sense at those ranges but harder to control at 30 feet for example, in which case you could probably avoid the situation in the first place. I can't say which is better because I like a 20 round 9mm with 147gr hollow points too. I just think the revolver in most situations will serve you better but the problem that kills a revolver is skill. You really have to shoot one about 5000 times before you begin to feel like the accuracy is strapped to a steel rail. Once that feeling begins you dont even need sights to slaughter a 4" circle at 15 feet endlessly without missing. I practice with my LCR22 (22LR) but carry a 357, I also use 38+P ammo every now and then. I carry one or two speed loaders depending on the area. If I plan on close quarters situations I can draw from concealment hitting 2-3 head targets under 1.25-1.5 seconds consistently. I cannot quite do that with my pistol. Something about these little snubbies is lightening fast. And I think they carry wonderfully in many configs. Unfortunately you see people selling revolvers in ads saying "only fired 200 times" and I just laugh. They might as well just bought a knife. The key to these is dry fire practice and thousands of practice draws until perfected. You will have a level of confidence that is hard to beat. My wife hits 10-15 yard steels like clockwork now, and the long shots dont even seem that hard. The natural aim of a revolver is superb. Here are just a few very short videos of my practices, and believe me there are people much much better than I am. When I shoot revolver my frame of mind, method of shooting, counting rounds is completely different than pistol.
People should carry the pistol that they are comfortable with. Remember a bad gun is better than nothing. Just the shock that you are armed will help. I carry a Taurus pt145. I like it. It's dependable. I dont have alot of money and it was pretty cheap. It has always went bang whe I pull the triger.
One thing I have noticed with revolver shooters is a lot of 'em always shoot single action that is cock the hammer for every shot so that's where the hammerless snubbys really shine, one has to shoot double action.
The only thing about wheel guns that make me uneasy is reloading. I have found speedloaders to be bulky & awkward to carry. Yeah speed strips are easy to carry but I can't reload fast with 'em maybe I just need to practice more.
I do rarely carry a snub & when I don't feel unarmed just under reloaded.
A Jframe is almost always with me but it alternates between primary and secondary carry. In the winter it usually resides in a coat pocket and is the primary since my P7 is buried under my coat where it would be slow to get to. When I get where I'm going and take off my coat it becomes a secondary weapon as my P7 is now easily accessible.
When the weather warms up the JFrame takes on secondary duties and I normally wear it weakside OWB in a Don Hume J.I.T. slide .
I am looking to purchase a second Jframe for carry in my weak side coat pocket in the winter as I also like having a weapon available to that hand.
Jframes are nice but I hate the idea of having to reload before I'm done.
I posted earlier about my carry choice of the 642 with Gold Dots. I might add that I also carry one or two speed strip reloads with the Gold Dots. When at the range, I do all my reloads from the speed strips for practice, practice, practice. I carry 5, not 6 rounds in the speed strips for easier manipulation. Many carry 4 rounds (2+2 separated by two holes in the speed strip, sacrificing one round for increased speed of the reload). I've done it that way as well, and it is much quicker. When I carry my reloads that way, I always carry two speed strips. For range work, I always work in one handed shooting with each hand just to keep relatively sharp with it.
Many others carry 158gr +p LWSCHP, the other gold standard from the Gold Dots. I've done that, but always carry the Gold Dots in the speed strips because they don't get dinged up in the pocket like the LSWCHP, and are easier to get into the cylinder under stress reloads.
S&W Mod 60 gets the most carry time by me. To me a revolver is just easy to carry. One day I am going to carry the wife's 642 just to see what the light weight is like. When traveling or going to an area that I suspect might be a little rough I carry a G22.
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