Need Help Finding a Carry Wheelgun

[symr00]

Hi folks, I'm looking for a snubby to carry off duty. My only requirements are that I want to carry it IWB in front appendix style with Barami grips, it has to have a concealed or interal hammer and chambered in a reliable man-stopping round. I see the S&W 642 is very popular but I have seen the video at the academy of a police officer shooting a BG with the .38 and it did little to stop him and it cost the officer his life. Are the +p loads any better than the .38 special defense loads were years ago? I'm thinking something in .357 may be better served for self defense. I was almost settled on a Ruger SP101 but found out Barami does not make the grips for them. Does anyone have any suggestions?

[DefensiveCarry.com]

[gunmetal]

See the following site for a wealth of related information that will also answer your specific questions:

http://www.hipowersandhandguns.com/OtherHandguns.htm

I'm not familiar with Barami grips, but take a look at the Taurus CIA 650 and 651 and see if they meet your needs. Or, a S&W 640 Centennial.

[farmerj]

Myself I am looking at the Taurus 605 in .357.

For a concealed hammer, DAO, the 650

[RSSZ]

Yeah,like farmerj stated in the above. Don't overlook the little Taurus'. Especially the under 15 ouncers. They are allot cheaper than the S&W's and I truly believe that they are an all around better value. Nothing wrong with the small Smith's either.

Consider this. You can hit the BG once with a .357Mag. outta a snubby(especially the very light ones). You can hit 'em twice with a .38special non +P.I'm sure that this statement over simplifies it but it's something to consider.

Basically,if I were you, I'd want range time with both the special and the mag. -------

[AKsrule]

I frequently carry my Taurus model 651SS (.357mag.)



It weighs 25 ounces , so its not unpleasant with Full .357 loads

The Holster is a cheap light synthetic IWB , But it is MUCH
BETTER at retaining a weapon than a gimmicky grip.

[gunjunky]

I often carry a sp101 in .357. I like the steel frame it handles recoil better and you dont really notice the extra wieght. If recoil is still a concern you still didnt go wrong buying the 357 cause you can always load .38's

[SubNine]

My Taurus 617 is my "grab and go" gun when, I'm in a hurry, as I usually keep it next to my bed. It's easy to conceal even without a holster, and very reliable.

[PgSqlQuery]

(As I've said before) My wife carries a 605 Taurus .357.... GREAT little gun! :)

It's our first, and will likely be our only wheelie (Unless we hit the lotto), but, we love it :)

I often steal it (it's her carry piece), and use it as a BUG at work...

IMO, it's more comfortable, and conceals better than my little T380 (my usual primary carry)

[srfl]

symr00...welcome to the forum.

Wow....lots of Taurus fans here! Cool.

I have a Taurus 905 CH 9mm revolver which is a mini-thumper. In recoil, this "J" frame, five-shot 9mm feels like I'm firing a .357 Magnum load out of my S&W 65 or Dan Wesson M15 with a two-inch barrel. It's a good gun that has not given me any problems in 350 or so rounds.

As far as an effective caliber....I agree with RSSZ's premise: a .38 Spl +P load can be fired with a bit more control than a .357 Magnum load out of a snubbie. All sorts of rounds from assorted calibers have failed to stop their intended target. I vaguely remember a Massad Ayoob article describing a female CA police officer or sheriff's deputy taking a .357 Magnum round in the chest (nicked her heart), but she managed to return fire and kill her attacker.....miraculously, she survived.

That said, pick what you can control and are accurate with and train with it....snubbies aren't the easiest guns in the world to shoot. Although the top shooter in my Lethal Force Institute I class I took in 1996 beat people firing custom 1911's, BHP's (mine), Glocks, etc....with a S&W snubbie in .38 Spl.

[symr00]

Thanks for the suggestions guys. I have actually been looking at the Taurus 650 and 651. I have never heard of the 617 until Spyderdude mentioned his. I like the isea of 7rds. It looks like Taurus has discontinued it according to their website.

[RSSZ]

symr00, I have shot one of the Taurus "seven shooterz". To me you give up a bit of concealability for the extra rd.

For me,a carry revo would be either a 5 shot magnum or a 5 shot special.

Another consideration for you might be a 5 shot 9mm. A 9mm coming outta a 2" or under bbl will put out as much power as a .38 Special. Sometimes even the +P loading. Also there are some excellent loads for the 9's out there. Take a look around. ---------

[pogo2]

If I were in your situation, I'd get the S&W model 640, which is an all stainless, 5 shot .357 magnum with internal hammer weighing 25 ounces.
S&W model 640
It will be a lot easier to shoot .357s from a 25 ounce steel revolver than a 12 ounce scandium revolver, and I believe Barami makes their grips to fit this model. For IWB carry, I think the physical dimensions of the gun are more important than the weight (because a good belt will easily support the weight), and the 640 with a narrow 5 shot cylinder is pretty easy to tuck in the waistband.

[artz]

When Taurus came out with the 85 ultra-lite in ss some years back. I grabbed it and never felt like I was undergunned.
An excellent value...

[czman2006]

I have both the Taurus Ultralite .38 and the Ruger SP-101 .357, which has CT lasergrips installed. You just can't go wrong with either one. Taurus is the best value IMHO but don't discount the S&W's, either.

[VTLO910]

I've toyed with the notion as well about a nice light wheel gun too... Taurus's are priced decently, BUT, I have ran into several friends who have them and don't like them... Most of them tell me to get a S&W instead...

you can carry the lightweight frames the same as the ones a bit heavier... One of the the main complaints I heard about in the .38/.357 revolvers is that the percieved recoil sucks, they tend to shoot it a few times at the range then move onto other guns...

If your gonna use it for carry, then you need to put more then a few rounds through it...

as such I would consider a regular weight frame to assist on the percieved recoil issue...

I think I would either go with a S&W or a Ruger...

S&W seems to be built on TIGHT tolorences, wheras the Ruger is not...

Kinda like comparing a M16 (Tight), to a AK-47 (Not Tight)... In the end you know the AK will shoot after you pull it from the swamp.

Just my view... Not hating on Taurus owners... Many a Taurus's have perfomed flawlessly and there are many Owners out there...