Any suggestions are welcome.

Hi everyone I'm preparing to get my CHL soon and I was wondering if you could help me with my gun selection. I would like to carry a .38 special revolver and I was wondering how you recommend me carry it. I have been thinking on my ankle but that seems like it would have too slow of a reaction time. I live in southeast Texas and I wear wranglers and cowboy boots. I have also been looking at several Model 10 and 15 J-frame smith and wesson pistols because I am a big fan of the older style 60s& 70 s era revolvers but I wanted someone else's knowledgable opinion. Mainly on how to carry a small J-Frame revolver and where to carry it comfortably. Thanks

If you wear boots, I should think that ankle carry would be nearly impossible. Those small J Frames ride nicely on your hip, as will most self defense handguns. With such a small gun, unless you are wearing tight t-shirts and spandex shorts, you should be able to hide it under just about anything.

You are looking for a balance between accessibility, comfort and concealment. Consider you daily activities and lifestyle and it will become readilyapparent what is best for you.

Ankle carry sucks (YMMV). With a J frame you can pocket carry easily. Or IWB and no one would ever know it was there.

My thoughts (in no particular order):

- Perhaps I'm reading it wrong, but the Models 10 & 15 are not J-frames.

- RoadRunner71 is right. I can carry on my ankle with ropers when I'm wearing slacks, but not with jeans. (I carry in an IWB clipped inside the top of the boot.) Jeans are too tight against the boot, which slows the draw WAY down.

- If you're not dead set on a revolver, look into a small 9mm. The Glock 26 is really about the size of a J-frame once you account for the width of the cylinder, and it carries 2x the ammo and a faster round to boot. A S&W Shield or a Walther PPS would be a thinner option, about 1/2-way in between on the ammo capacity.

- If you are dead set on a J-frame, on the belt works well (as previously stated by RR71). Another option is a Mika holster for your front pocket if your pockets are loose enough. I sometimes carry this way with an untucked T-shirt. You obviously have SOMEthing in your pocket, but it's not obviously a gun.

Good luck,
Herk
:cowboy:

I carried a j frame for a long time. For me it was pretty much even between pocket and inside waist band. The longer I carried it the more it went toward IWB. The good thing about IWB is that you can carry a heavier j frame without feeling like your pants are being pulled down by your pocket.

I have several small revolvers, both J frame and Colt Detective Special, and have often carried them on the belt. I prefer either IWB at appendix position or OWB behind the hip. You need a good cover garment either way, such as a shirt or jacket worn outside the pants. Here are two of my favorite holster and gun combinations:

http://i116.photobucket.com/albums/o...olster02-1.jpg

http://i116.photobucket.com/albums/o...tDSholster.jpg

In Texas, I would strongly recommend taking the CHL course with a semiautomatic pistol, otherwise you will only be able to carry a revolver if that is what you use in the class.

I go back and forth between a J Frame 642 and a full size XD. I carry the 642 in my front pocket in a.pocket holster much of the time. It works for me, but it's not for everyone.

While ankle carry is an option, it is not a very good one, especially in jeans and boots. When I'm not working you will find me in Wrangler Boot Cut jeans and Justin Roper boots. Even with the boot cut jeans, getting them up over the top of the boot is not a quick or easy thing to do. Unless your is a seated position at the start, you will need to either kneel or squat to access your gun. I would only consider ankle carry for a back up gun, and even then not highly recommend it.

Pocket carry is also an option. While better than ankle carry, dressed in jeans, it may be difficult to carry off. The back pocket on jeans aren't really large enough to carry a holster gun completely conceal IMO. Front pocket carry is doable, provided you wear them cut full enough in the seat and legs to make access easy. The problem I run into with pocket carry is all the other stuff I am carrying on a daily basis. Between car keys, front pocket wallet, spare change and other misc. items 1 front pocket is difficult to pull off.

Your other choices are inside waist band (IWB) or outside waist band (OWB) carry. You didn't say what kind of shirts you wear. If you wear your shirts tucked in, OWB is pretty much ruled out, except for winter time. It can be done in the summer if you are wearing a shirt untucked. In most cases you will want to wear a tee shirt between you and the gun or a holster with a large enough sweat shield to keep the gun away from the body, and a cover shirt untucked to cover the gun. I know the heat and humidity of SE TX in the summer can be brutal.

IWB carry will probably be the easiest to carry off. Same requirements as with OWB summer carry, the difference is if you get a "tuck able" holster, you are then able to tuck your shirt and the only thing showing is the retention clips, or loops, depending on how the holster is made.

Below is a link to a holster maker to give you some idea of different style holsters.

Tucker Gun Leather | Premium Leather Gun Holsters

Hope the info helps, though I probably just muddied the water more for you.

I would take a Ruger LCR over a j-frame any day.

My j-frame rides either AIWB, or in the pocket.

Sent from my Galaxy S2

If this is to be your only pistol for awhile, I would suggest getting and SP101 or the like.
Get a .357 mag with a 3 in. barrel and run .38+P's in it.
This gives you the flexability to shoot BOTH .357 and .38's.
Ankle carry sucks as a primary carry location unless you are in an extremely covert situation.
You will be able to accomodate a 3 in. revolver on your waist IWB no problem.
My brother carries a S&W mod. 19 2.5in barrel AIWB frequently.

I strongly recommend against ankle carry. Maybe for a backup gun only.

I always prefer belt carry, but that's just me. I have an old S&W j-frame (M36) that I sometimes carry. I use a Lobo OWB with that gun, and because of the small size of the 36, it is easy to conceal under almost any circumstance. The Ruger SP101 was mentioned above and it is a really rugged, built to last weapon. The downsides compared to the j-frames is that it is a bit heavier and thicker and, with mine, the trigger is not as light and smooth (even though I put a lighter mainspring in the Ruger). Regardless, see if you can rent or borrow the models you are interested in and see what feels best to you.

My advice for a "J" frame would be a 640 revolver in either .38, or .357. Even as someone described it an "old model 36" While the model 36 is still in production... I'd recomend an older one (before the lock). Not that I think the lock is a problem... I do think the older guns are of better quality. A Colt detective special would work just as well. Or even a Ruger SP. IMO Any good quality inside the waist holster would be good. Also you might consider a shoulder holster. I dont know many gun owner who owns just one holster. Thats something you may have to experiment with. As another member posted... those ankle holsters arent the best idea... Under any conditions. I'm sure that there are some who use them well... My experience is they are slow on the draw, obvious on the draw, and expose your gun to all kind of abuse, or loss. But thats just my experience.

I only carry Revolvers. For pocket carry I like the 442 or the LCR. For AIWB I will carry a SP101 or a 617 Taurus 7 shot 357. Since I prefer the 357 and I always carry Two Snubs, I usually carry the SP101 with LCR357 as back up. I can use the same speed loaders with 357 for extra ammo. I can carry this combination in any clothing I ware from T-Shirt and shorts to whatever.