recomended .38 or .357 for ccw

[dawei]

What would your recomendations be for a .38 or .357 to be used for CCW? Please also recomend maximum barrel length and best mode of Concealed carry for a revolver. I currently carry a 1911 but am looking into other types of carry weapons.
Thanks
Matt

Carrying a gun for CCW isn't meant to be comfortable; rather COMFORTING. Having read the whole thread here I would recommend a K Frame S&W. A 3" barrel would better serve for CCW; especially if you carry IWB. Try to find a Mdl 10, 64, or 65. A fixed sight draws better than adj sights for CCW.

If you already carry a Mdl 64 at work how well does that serve you? More importantly how well do you shoot it?

 

[Marshall]

What would your recomendations be for a .38 or .357 to be used for CCW?

.357 S&W J Frame of your choice or a Ruger SP 101. I like the M-60 357 but many like it's DAO sister, I like to have the choice and with a proper fitting holster the hammer is covered anyway. To each their own.

please also recomend maximum barrel length.

3" barrel maximum though I know some folks carry 4" K-Frames all day long. 2'ish inched is my personal favorite.

and best mode of Concealed carry for a revolver.

An inside the waistband holster of your choice, there's more than you can count.

I picked an inexpensive ($14.00) seude leather holster with a strong clip, it molds itself after carrying a while. I changed grips to the smaller Pachmayr Compact Pro's.

A good fitting OWB holster is an option also.

 

[eagle45]

I have a Taurus 851 BUL, 38+p that weighs only 17 oz and is great for pocket carry. It has a 2" barrel and is very easy to carry and shoot. Accurate also.

I also have a Taurus M85, an older one that is 38 special (not +p) that works well in a belt holster.

For 357, a Taurus 617, another snubbie with a 2" barrel is a 7 shot that carries well in a belt holster. It is the heaviest of the four at 28 oz.

My latest snubbie is a Ruger SP 101 with a 2 1/4" barrel. It is a .357 also and weighs 25 oz. I find it a little too heavy for pocket carry, but it works well on a belt. I have a Don Hume JIT slide holster that will carry all of these but the 617, and for it I have a small paddle holster. You can find a lot of recomendations on this forum for the 3" SP 101 as well.

One holster I really like is the elastic band type from Holstersrus.com. It fits around the chest, and the carry is much like a shoulder holster. I've used it with everything from snubbies to 1911s. I had a friend at the range one day describe a different way of using it. He wears it under a flannel shirt, down low just above the belt line and carries the weapon strong side. I've tried it too and it works great, I really like it around the house.

 

[Marko Kloos]

I've carried a lotta buncha guns in the last ten years, as my gun store will attest, but there is no gun that gives me that warm and fuzzies like my S&W Model 10 with the three-inch heavy barrel.

The .38 Special K-frames are the ideal CCW guns, at least in my opinion. I love the J-frames as well, but I don't pocket-carry, and the K-frame is just as easy to tote on the belt as a J. I used to carry the Magnum K-frames, namely the M65 3", but then I realized that I only ever carried it with .38 +P loads anyway. (I bet if you polled the Magnum K-frame users, you'll find that a majority don't use Magnums for carry duty.)

I figured I could save myself the "Magnum premium", and the hassle with the .38 Special-in-a-.357 deposit rings in the chambers, and just go .38-only.

There's simply no other gun that offers the same combination of shootability, durability, trigger quality, concealability, pointability and reliability like a three-inch K-frame.

 

[Smurfslayer]

Pikers & posers... all...

One of these fine firearms is what you need:
http://www.bighammer.net/images/600_500_size2.JPG

Ok, seriously, the one on the bottom is a S&W 327PC, 20.5 ounces empty, 8 shots and it's a breeze to shoot ( much to my chagrin, I was hoping for something that recoiled much worse ). A true "ugly duckling" of the revolver world but chambered in the right caliber and possessing a true swan like capacity and quality The trigger pull is _very_good and it's surprisingly accurate for that short, funny looking thing that's supposed to be a barrel...

It's wide as an N frame, but not that hard to conceal. Certainly not compared to the 1911. Why get a poser gun ???

 

[JJpdxpinkpistols]

What would your recomendations be for a .38 or .357 to be used for CCW?
please also recomend maximum barrel length and best mode of Concealed carry for a revolver.

I have a Taurus M851 SH (rounded hammer) with a 2" bbl. Handles .38sp +P no problem for the first 200 rounds or so...after that, my hand gets sore.

The added width of the .357 makes it sub-optimal for concealment, IMO, and frankly, I don't wanna be shooting .357 out of a 2" gun. Not enough velocity and accuracy isn't what a snubbie is about.

As for mode of concealed carry: find a nice, comfy pocket holster, an OWB holster and then look for an IWB. And get a STURDY belt. I recommend the following:
Azrael for the Pocket holster ($40?)
Fobus makes a pretty reliable OWB paddle (excellent for around the house, and quick trips to the grocery) ($25)
haven't found an IWB yet I like
Beltman for the belt.

Then pick up a pack of bianchi quickstrips for the ammo, and you are good to go.

 

[Dr.Rob]

I like the Colt Detective Special 2 inch or Colt Magnum Carry... the thing is most OWB holsters for a revolver take up twice as much belt space as my Galco G-Slide I bought for my 1911's and BHP clone.

 

[sm]

Marko's post
+1

Btw are those 125gr STHP Marko's ?

Now I will add it depends on the person's needs at times, for instance is this Revolver for primary or BUG? How to be carried under what type of enviornment?

Most folks will shoot a K frame with a 2" bbl better than a J frame. Same holds true with a Detective spl. I still sometimes carry my 1928 Detective Special with standard pressure 158 gr LSWC - because I want to and I can.

J frames IMO are not for new shooters or less expereinced revolver shooters. One has to dedicate themselves to training and learning the gun. I like the OLDer model 36, 37, 60, 42s and brain fade on the model with no exposed hammer.

Still, a 3" model 10 or 64 is really hard to beat.

More 'pointability' and the full extraction of cylinders are two of the first things folks notice on the 3" K frames.

 

[msb45]

+1 for the K frame

I own a M65 in 3", a M66 in 2.5", and M686 in 2.5".

The M65" has great pointability and will carry well. The 3" is just easier for me to sight in on. The other two guns work well also. I also have a 4" M686 that is great too, but it's much easier to pack the M65. Like the 1911 if you can conceal the grip the barrel is no big deal.

 

[Marko Kloos]

Btw are those 125gr STHP Marko's ?

Yup. The cylinder is loaded with good old 158-grain LSWCHP +P, but all my "pocket reloads" are stoked with Silvertips. Nickel-plated cases and aluminum-washed lead mean no tarnishing or rubbing off lead in the pockets.

 

[mattdus]

thanks alot everyone. I will most likely be going with a 3" S&W 64 or 65 depending on what I can find. If I don't have much luck there then it will be a model 10. I have no problem with .38 special, the only reason I even consider .357 is that I can go up to it if I feel the need without changing the gun.