N-frame concealed?

I've carried a Smith M-25, .45 Colt, concealed under a shirt tail years ago, and still frequently do so with a M-66 & 67, 4" Smith recently.

I'm an OWB at 4:00 position carrier and not overly concerned with minor 'printing' from the grips as KY is an open carry state. I do make an effort to keep the gun riding high on my heavy waist belt however, and frequently tuck the muzzle of the holster into the back pocket of my jeans. I've also carried a 5" bbl'd Smith M-27 in this same manner.

The pic below with a M-66 in one of my holsters is a little more forward from my usual position. Sliding it back 1/2", you can see where it can be tucked into the hip pocket...works well for me, and it doesn't take an overly long shirt tail or jacket/vest to cover it.

Best regards, Rod

A sport coat can help with concealment as well as looking classy. I am usually the best dressed fellow in WalMart. OK, not much competition, but you know…

I packed a 5” 629 classic (full lug) in a Tex Shoemaker pancake holster for several weeks one winter. It was rainy-cold enough in So Cal at that time to wear a coat that easily covered that hoss of a revolver. (Ammo was Federal 200 gr LSWCHP .44 Spl.)

Once the weather began to warm I swapped the N frame for a 1966-vintage Hi Power in a vertical shoulder rig. Much easier to conceal, more ammo on tap and easy reloads.

A big N-frame gun requires a gun belt or suspenders to hold up the pants supporting a holster, and reloads required a full-sized speedloader in a pocket.

Today, in all honesty I would only pack such a large revolver if I was fishing up in the Sierras and the bears were fresh from hibernation.

Stay safe.

I carry my Ruger Blackhawk in a simply rugged sourdough pancake holster. I do owb mostly but I have carried it a fair amount iwb with the iwb tabs. Comfy. Reload pouch is a DeSantis 3x3 for 44


Might give that a look.

I have concealed my 6.5" Model 29-2 in a custom made shoulder holster under a light fall jacket. I went on a trip this past fall with this rig, where a portion of it involved hiking in the woods in an area with a high bear population. Since I had nowhere secure to store the gun during the other parts of the trip back in town, I just wore it concealed the whole time. It conceals well, nobody gave me a second glance.

I have done it quite a bit. In fact, I have pictures of me concealing a 4" .500 Magnum under a fishing shirt, so it works even in a SoCal summer.





You'll note both the steel-lined gunbelt and the leather - not elastic - suspenders. I consider them necessary for an X or N frame, and very helpful for the K frame. With just the gun belt - despite the horsehide and the reinforcement - I still have to tug up my britches on occasion. The suspenders keep everything in place.

I'll also note that the bigger guns are never perfectly comfortable, and my personal limit is a K frame. Anything bigger is "always there", and while it's comforting in brown bear territory, it's just irritating everywhere else.

If your friend insists, I'd recommend to him...

A reinforced belt like one from Beltman https://www.thebeltman.net/collections/gunbelts

A set of leather suspenders with minimal or no elastic like these

And the only IWB holster I've found totally suitable for the big revolvers: Tucker's "Texas Heritage Revolver" https://tuckergunleather.com/texas-heritage-revolver-holster/

I agree that very stretchy elastic suspenders are no good. Even so, you don't need thick leather suspenders. Silk suspenders from Trafalgar are easily strong enough to hold up a 3 pound gun and they don't stretch. Like some leather suspenders, they do have elastic in the rear to keep them from loosening and falling off the shoulders when you sit down. So there are a variety of styles to wear an N frame. You can be a lumberjack, but you don't have to, and of course with the suspenders concealed under a shirt or jacket, they have no effect on the style except to avoid sagging.

I have a large frame and feel a shoulder holster is about the only holster to conceal carry something like an N-frame.

In the woods where concealment is not really an issue, belt carry would work fine.

Just my opinion, alot depends on what the local jurisdiction allows.

I have hiked with a 4” Taurus 44 tucked into the pocket where they have mags in the photo. I got a lot less strange looks than when hip holstered or shoulder holstered.

https://www.shellbacktactical.com/s...bT232p8tv8fE_kk0UHeFUxW8mxb1uAuQaAiHKEALw_wcB

westernrover said:

I agree that very stretchy elastic suspenders are no good. Even so, you don't need thick leather suspenders. Silk suspenders from Trafalgar are easily strong enough to hold up a 3 pound gun and they don't stretch. Like some leather suspenders, they do have elastic in the rear to keep them from loosening and falling off the shoulders when you sit down. So there are a variety of styles to wear an N frame. You can be a lumberjack, but you don't have to, and of course with the suspenders concealed under a shirt or jacket, they have no effect on the style except to avoid sagging.

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Well, okay. I suppose you could wear a lacy thong, too.

I vary between a 4 3/4 Blackhawk and a 5.5 inch Redhawk, both in Simply Rugged OWB holsters with a loose linen or linen/cotton shirt over it in the summer, or a wool shirt/shirt jac or vest over it in the winter. Sometimes the bottom of the holster sticks out, but I don't really care. Like some of the above posters, I keep extra ammo in speed strips and a pouch for the Redhawk, and in a traditional belt slide for the Blackhawk, also concealed under a shirt.

Believe it or not, the winter makes it easier to conceal but harder to get to, so I also keep an LCR in either a jeans pocket or a coat pocket.

IlikeSA said:

I vary between a 4 3/4 Blackhawk and a 5.5 inch Redhawk......
Believe it or not, the winter makes it easier to conceal but harder to get to, so I also keep an LCR in either a jeans pocket or a coat pocket.

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Question,
So, in winter, what comes out first black/redhawk or LCR ?

I live in a colder area (zero temp outside right now), from Oct through April- often carry an LCR in jacket/coat/parka pocket because it is so convenient and quick to access. Also live in a relatively low risk area.

Monster Zero said:

I uh, know a guy who is a contrarian and wants to carry a big bore concealed in the winter for sure. Maybe the summer too if he can get the right shorts.

Anyone have experience in this way, or know someone who has?

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The S&W M69 is a great solution. Mine is my EDC in Winter. I wear it in a Galco shoulder holster.

Carry my Highway Patrolman at times IWB in a leather holster from Azula.

Normally, I use a vest or a sports coat when I conceal a large revolver. I carry a 686 but it is a 3" barrel and depending on what I'm wearing I carry it owb or iwb. Bought a holster from rugged holsters that you can use it either way.

I could do a 3" N-frame carried OWB at around 3-4 o'clock. I shoot N-framed revolvers better than any other centerfire handgun.

But it's just too heavy and would start to bother my surgically-repaired areas. My limit is hiking with a K-frame, and even that's a bit heavy. I hadn't thought of wearing suspenders also. Thanks for the tip!

I carry only occasionally and in the colder months. An N frame revolver with a 4” barrel is what I carry. In the inside pocket of a winter coat, for moderate conditions, so usually okay to wear indoors in public areas for moderate periods of time.

A few drawbacks, however. You can’t take your coat off when too warm, the pocket is on the inside right and I’m right handed so I have to switch to my right hand after drawing with my left, and my right shoulder tires from the weight.

In a pinch, I could left hand draw and fire, but when I’ve practiced this, my proficiency isn’t quite as good as with my right hand.

The moral behind this story is that my next such coat purchase contains a pocket on the inside left side.

So what N frame is best for concealed carry?

The traditional carry gun would have been a 3 1/2" Model 27 (or pre-27, magnum or registered magnum or whatever). That's still a good one. S&W doesn't make it anymore, but there are older ones in abundance. The cylinder is pretty heavy with only 6 chambers of 357. I don't mind the overall weight, but the rotational inertia is hard on the gun. Those old revolvers weren't designed for the present age of 5x5 classifiers, bill drills, and the gun racing that pervades even "defensive" oriented training.

S&W does make the 4-inch 27 "Classic." It's similar to the traditional 3 1/2" guns. In a 4" N frame, there are also Models 29 and 629. The 629 comes in the half-lug and the full underlug. The new ones all lack the pinned barrel and recessed chambers. The MIM parts will probably hold up better than the older stamped and case(surface)-hardened parts of old, but are still best-suited to slow fire. They would at least be less costly and easier to fix or replace than an old 5-screw.

The modern carry gun might be the 2" or 2.6" guns. They feature 8-chambers for 357 but the 2.6" can also be had in 44. I find barrels this short to be annoying. They demand slow powders to develop the needed velocity and that results in high muzzle pressure and the worst blast and flash. They also have poor sights where the short sight radius becomes demanding. If large enough grips for good control are installed, they become imbalanced.

There's also the aluminum 329PD. I've talked to a couple of owners that like theirs, but personally I've had the worst result with scandium/aluminum framed revolvers. In my experience, they don't hold up. I'd rather carry the weight to have a durable gun for much practice and better control.

The last one I'll mention is the 4" 627 Pro Series with the slab-side barrel and 8 chambers.

Besides that, I know there are 5", 6", 6 1/2" and over 8" models, and there are a few other chamberings like 10mm, 41, 45 etc. Those chamberings come in fewer form-factors and none that are unique to them.

So what is the best N frame for carry?

If I had to pick a smith n frame, it’d probably be the 57. But the 25 and 24 would be contenders. All with 4” barrels. Man oh man. Why did I look at this thread?

Honorable mention for my secret love, the Ruger red hawk in 45 colt.

I don't find barrel length to be much of an issue, at least up to 4". I've carried a 5" N frame but that's pushing it a bit. Longer than that and I don't want it on my belt - at least inside my pants. But by the same token, I don't personally see any advantage to carrying anything shorter than 4". I am 6'1", though, which might make a difference.

The two factors which I find annoying when packing an N frame are weight and cylinder diameter. Nothing you can do about the latter, but I'd choose a lighter version if I could, meaning no underlug, a pencil barrel if I can get it, and even lightweight metals like Scandium.

Were I to choose an N frame specifically for CCW, it might be a 27 - original or "classic", or perhaps something like a Mountain Gun in .44 or .45.

Bazoo said:

View attachment 1125919

I carry my Ruger Blackhawk in a simply rugged sourdough pancake holster. I do owb mostly but I have carried it a fair amount iwb with the iwb tabs. Comfy. Reload pouch is a DeSantis 3x3 for 44


Might give that a look.

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Darn it! Now you've gone and made me jealous, Bazoo. That's the exact rig (a Simply Rugged Sourdough Pancake, oxblood with some tasteful stenciling) I'm planning on trying if the Ruger Bisley .44 Special I have on order ever gets here.

An N frame would probably be too much gun for me to conceal carry but I do have an old Uncle Mike's horizontal shoulder holster that I comfortably use with my Model 686 with a 4" barrel.

If I am surprised, more than likely the LCR with my left hand (non-dominant hand). If I am not, I will likely have my left hand on the LCR in my pocket while I unzip my coat. The best thing about pocket revolvers is the ability to have a conversation while having easy access to a reliable weapon that could be fired in a pocket, with the other person(s) having no idea.

NeroM said:

Question,
So, in winter, what comes out first black/redhawk or LCR ?

I live in a colder area (zero temp outside right now), from Oct through April- often carry an LCR in jacket/coat/parka pocket because it is so convenient and quick to access. Also live in a relatively low risk area.

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I have posted this before. My EDC is the S&W Model 22-4, 4”, fixed sighted, 45 ACP revolver. I carry it just behind my hip in a Sunday Holster (aka Brill), on a normal Ranger belt. It works for me, 5’11”, 195 pounds.



It is not for everyone but it does a wonderful job for me.

I also have one for my adjustable sighted 45 ACP, N frames.



Kevin