Perfect Packin' Pistols?

Yes they do.

I have several, including:
4 1/2" .44 Spl. S&W 1950 Target
4 3/4" .45 Colt Colt SAA
4" S&W 625-6 .45 ACP Mountain Gun
4" S&W Model 66 .357.

All four will handle anything that crawls or walks in Kansas.

I also have to throw in any number of auto pistols in that weight range, including a S&W Model 39 9mm, a SIG 9mm, and of course a couple of 1911 .45 ACPS.

All of them carry all day in a good holster quite nicely.

IMO: I've noticed a very high incidence / percentage of Morons on YouTube where it comes to all things gun related.

rc

Any of the mountain revolvers series from S&W (N frame with 4" skinny barrel") would qualify for me. I would favor either the 45 ACp or 45 long Colt chambering.

Three in my "arsenal" are a 4" S&W 624 in 44 special loaded with Lyman 429421 hollow points cast from a "soft" lead/tin mix and over enough Unique for about 700 fps. No. 2 is a stock Blackhawk 4 5/8" in 45 Colt with the RCBS 45-255KT cast medium over about 850 fps worth of Unique. No. 3 is my 4" SS Security Six, Lyman 357446, 1-16, and enough 2400 to get me about 1050 fps.
On my little farm the biggest thing I'm going to encounter is a meth lab nutcase but most likely a rabbit stealing coyote or a sapling eating beaver.
Any one of those three does blow up a hedge apple quite nicely, though.

My S&W 65 with a 64 pencil barrel is my packing pistol. Right now it has some Hogue Bantams on it and it works very well.
Moonclips make it sweet.
My favorite load is 180gr LRNFPGC over 15gr of Lil'Gun.

My GP 100 is my perfect packing pistol, with its predecessor the Security Six running a close second.

I agree, there is a distinct lack of IQ points on YouTube. Some of the things I see on there are just baffling. Definitely more than its fair share of morons and it does sound like some folks don't quite understand the concept of the Perfect Packin' Pistol.

PPP's are my favorite! Any 4¾" Colt SAA or replica will do. As will my sweet little custom Ruger flat-top .44Spl, S&W 629MG and even a good 1911. Although I prefer an all steel 5" for outdoor use. IMHO, an all-steel large frame Blackhawk is pushing it a little heavy but will work as well. Had to let the Uberti Bisley .44Spl go to a better home.

I prefer a 4" 29 for most carry. Sort of getting used to it in the past neary 30 years.





Like the Ruger in 45 Colt also. Have a Vaquero and Blackhawk, the sights on the Blackhawk are much better tho.

My "walk in the woods" gun is my old 4" 19-3 carried in a belt holster. Not too big, not too small, accurate, and I can load it with .38 wadcutters all the way to full-up 357 loads.

I expect that few people are aware the the "Perfect Packin' Pistol" is a term of art coined and specifically defined by John Taffin. For most people, colloquially speaking, a "packin pistol" is the equivalent of a CCW piece. For those of us who are "in the know," we're aware that a true Taffin-inspired PPP is a totally different animal. For me, it's a 50th Anniversary Blackhawk, chambered in .357 Magnum with a 4 5/8" barrel and adjustable sights.

The GP-100 fits the bill!

Yes, my PPP candidates match JT's criteria pretty well. I like a bit of heft in a carry gun; a 4" to 5.5" medium to large-frame sixgun is what I prefer to shoot, and they balance very well in a good holster that rides comfortably on the belt. These six-guns conceal quite well, too, in normal street clothing, or at least what I consider normal.

If there is a better-balanced fightin' sixgun of moderate weight than the S&W Model 19, I don't know what it would be. When more shooting is planned, the GP100 gets the nod.

I work for a chief that expects me to pack either autopistols or DA revolvers, but when I retire, I may well tote SA sixguns at least some of the time. SAA-sized sixguns are eminently packable. The 1911 is the auto-loading counterpart of the medium/large revolver, and is also a PPP.

I think you could pick any full-size pistol in 9mm or larger chambering. At this point it just becomes a "favorite gun" discussion since there's really no meaningful criteria other than being powerful and not tiny. Best CCW weapon is a more meaningful dicussion since there are a lot of considerations there and most pistols aren't a great fit for that role.

Personally I'd choose a full-size auto of some kind. Revolvers are fun to shoot, but I don't think they're very size efficient by comparison. The only real advantage is incredible reliability, but most quality autos are also reliable.

I think you could pick any full-size pistol in 9mm or larger chambering. At this point it just becomes a "favorite gun" discussion since there's really no meaningful criteria other than being powerful and not tiny. Best CCW weapon is a more meaningful dicussion since there are a lot of considerations there and most pistols aren't a great fit for that role.

Personally I'd choose a full-size auto of some kind. Revolvers are fun to shoot, but I don't think they're very size efficient by comparison. The only real advantage is incredible reliability, but most quality autos are also reliable.

Click to expand...

As was stated, it has little to do with concealed carry, pocket or strict self defense pistols, though the PPP could be pressed into that role if need be. Taffin coined the term and fairly explicitly defined it.

For OC....the old Security Six. For CCW G-23,26.

Just for the record, here is John Taffen's actual thoughts on the Perfect Packin Pistol.

http://sixguns.com/range/packinpistols.html

http://sixguns.com/range/perfect_packin_pistol.htm

rc

I'm partial to my Redhawk in 45 Colt. When in the neighborhood of black bears, it's stoked with 300 gr. Grizzly cartridges.

"Revolvers are fun to shoot, but I don't think they're very size efficient by comparison."

Ahhh.......plese expand the thought.

"Revolvers are fun to shoot, but I don't think they're very size efficient by comparison."

Click to expand...

Compared to what?

Find a bottom feeder that will handle the powerful big-bore hunting loads Taffen is talking about and get back to me.

BTW: The .44 & .50 Automag doesn't qualify as a Packin Pistol by any measure.

rc

My mistake, I didn't realize this was supposed to be a revolver. The OP was mentioning auto pistols too.

Taffin himself said that autos could fit his criteria - if they were chambered in .38 Super, 10mm, or .45 ACP.

Personally, I think it's a matter of personal taste. I pack a 9mm sometimes (CZ75, no lightweight), a .38 sometimes, and just got my first .357, a 3" RB Model 13-3 S&W. That one's gonna get packed a bit. I even think it's purrrfect.

rcmodel Just for the record, here is John Taffen's actual thoughts on the Perfect Packin Pistol.

http://sixguns.com/range/packinpistols.html

http://sixguns.com/range/perfect_packin_pistol.htm

rc

Click to expand...

rc,

Thanks for posting the link for those of us who haven't committed Taffin's articles to memory! While he mentions the 45 ACP and the 10mm he definately prefers the revolver for a sidearm. But what would you expect from a disciple of Elmer Keith? As I have stated before, I like the 45 ACP cartridge and my platform of choice is the 4" N frame so chambered. It seems to fit with Taffins ideas for a PPP and mine for a concealed carry piece.



Since this photo, I have carved a set of "boot" grips and it is a much handier package. Wish I would have carved the stocks back when I built this in the 80s.

Gotta love the subjectivity of the word perfect. My ppp had long been a 22 lr revolver (and, yes, a 4" bbl). In the absence of big toothy critters, this was plenty for snakes and pine cones and such. One of the neighbors recently caught a panther on a trail cam, and I went to my 1911, relieving inanimate objects of much stress.

Unless you will have packing mule at your disposal I would look into S&W Night Guard or Night Stand or whatever that gun is called. Anyway it is constructed with light frame and short shrouded barrel and comes chambered for .44Mag, therefore, .44Special loads can be used to reduce guns substantial recoil force.
If you decide to go with one of the paperweights listed above and do not enjoy wearing pants or gun belt around your ankles be sure to get "Dirty Harry" harness or pair of Dickes 'Perry Suspenders' (available at belt department of local Walmart).