S&W 908 owners, good BUG ?

I had the original version of the 908, the 3913. Unless you're close to 7' tall and 350 lbs, you'll be really hard-pressed to carry it in a pocket. For me, it's a belt-carry only pistol (I'm 6'0" and 175 lbs).

Everybody is different, but I doubt most people could pocket carry a 908.

The pocket of a trench coat, maybe.

The 908/3913 series is a great belt gun, but no pocket gun. Although thinner and flatter, it is roughly 3/4 inch longer on each end than a Glock 19.

It's not even close to being as small as a j frame. More like a 4" or officer 1911 in size but lighter.

The 908 is pretty big for a pocket gun unless you happen to be a professional clown or wear a tool belt all day. I don't even see it in an ankle holster. As a bug, the 908 would not be the easiest gun to hide outside of a holster.

wditto said:

hmmmmmmmm, it's smaller than the J-frame, isn't it? lotz of guys carry that in pocket....

Click to expand...

You might be thinking of a different pistol...the only current S&W pistol I know of that's truly smaller than a J-frame is the .380 Bodyguard...although a CS9 might be close.

I have a pic of my old 3913 somewhere, let me dig it up...

ETA: here you go. The 908 is the "value line" model of the this, and blued:



And to compare it size-wise with other pistols, here it is with (from top left to bottom middle) a SIG P226, a Taurus PT-739 TCP, a Glock 26, a Browning BDA-380 and a S&W 6906 (the 3913 is at the bottom right).

Have you actually looked at one? If not, find one at a gun shop or show and try it, hopefully side by side with a J-frame. The measurements on paper, at only one point, don't tell the whole story, I assure you.

Its a terrible choice for pocket carry.

Pretty much any loaded gun is a terrible choice for pocket carry.

Carry it right, or don't carry it.

ice photos, but without actually having the two in my hand, I'll have to depend on S&W's own measurements....
they say the J-frame is 6.3 inches long, and the 908 is a whole 6.8 , wow, a whole one-half inch longer , yet a lot narrower, and it's all of a sudden a "big" gun - nope, all your sarcastic remarks aside, a half inch difference is not enough to discount my ability to carry - I have carried a lot bigger many times, but your references to my size or costume is not lost.
as usual, I will refrain from expecting a normal or helpful discussion from the HighRoad

Click to expand...

Every response I have seen in this post has been on point, and helpful.

I'll chime in with the rest of the crowd. The 908/3913 are fantastic guns. Reliable, accurate, durable, etc... But they are not pocket guns.

As the Lone Haranguer said, the on-paper specs do not tell the whole story at all. The size, weight, and shape of a gun all have to be taken into account. My Kahr K40 is smaller, on paper, than a J frame, but I would not carry the K40 in my pocket.

I'll edit to add that one thing the on paper specs of a gun don't tell, is just how much of a gun is wide and how much is narrow. If you look at the on-paper width of a j-frame, it looks like it's wider than the 908. That's because it's measured across the cylinder. But the rest of the gun (frame, barrel, trigger guard, etc...) is actually much narrower than the 908. It's like when they measure a 1911 from the widest point at the safeties. The gun is narrow, but from reading the specs, you'd expect it to be very thick.
Moral of the story- don't let numbers fool you. Go pick up the gun and handle it yourself. You might be surprised.

W.E.G. said:

Its a terrible choice for pocket carry.

Pretty much any loaded gun is a terrible choice for pocket carry.

Carry it right, or don't carry it.

Click to expand...

Why? They invented these things called pocket holsters a while back. They work the same as any other kind of holster, cover the trigger, prevent NDs...

I looked over something stamped 469. I liked double stack mag and very slim grip feature. It would take pocket of Filson Tin jacket to carry one loaded but for $300 it's almost impossible to go wrong. If I haven't picked up stainless Makarov recently it would have come home with me.

I have carried a lot bigger many times, but your references to my size or costume is not lost.
...as usual, I will refrain from expecting a normal or helpful discussion from the HighRoad

Click to expand...

Lighten up.

I'm amazed that you'd ask for peoples opinion and then get all butt-hurt when they don't agree with your pre-conceived idea. I don't see a single post that was anything but helpful. The photos provided by AJChenMPH were a nice touch for visual comparison.

Why even bother to ask anyone about 908 pocket carry if you are just fishing for agreement with the fact that you've apparently chosen to do so?

For my purposes, pocket carry means the weapon is completely concealed and rapidly accessible. I can temporarily carry a 5" Government model or N-Frame revolver stuck muzzle down in a back pocket, but that's not dedicated secure pocket carry. A snub .38 J-frame is about my max for a pocket carry revolver. A Ruger LCP is about my size limit for a pocket semi-auto.

I find my 3913 (and my 39-2) to be too big for dedicated pants pocket carry (front or rear pocket). I would be willing to carry them in a large cargo pocket or winter jacket pocket. Otherwise...they get a holster.

If you can pocket carry your 908...more power to you. It's a great gun.

Yeah, my CS9 is pocket carryable in cargo pants or 5.11's covert khaki's, but just barely.

But.... a j-frame conceals better somehow. It looks less gun than a semi-auto in a pocket, not sure how to describe it, but people who know me can spot the semi-auto but not the J-Frame.

My short J-frames will slip inside this case (so it can close), along with 5 sppedloaders, but my 3913 (and smaller CS9) won't.


Here's one of my 642's along my 3913. The 642 will easily slip inside a pocket holster in many pants, jeans and jacket pockets where I can't get my 3913 (or smaller CS9) to fit.


My CS9 is still taller and larger than my 642 (and similar J's), by just enough not to fit in many of my pockets. It's more the height of the grip frame than the rest of the pistol.




I can, however, carry my CS9 more easily in some jacket pockets than my 3913. It's just enough smaller.

Just depends.

Note the two guns side by side in fastbolt's photo. This is what I've been trying to get across. The revolver's rounded, smooth contours and small grip will slip into and out of even a fairly tight pocket easily. The pistol's protruding corners of the slide, grip tang and rear sight will be prone to snagging, as will the slide stop. The 908's slide is also more squared off and sharper than the rounded top slide of the 3913, exacerbating the problem. These things make the pistol an excellent shooter and belt gun, but work against it as a pocket gun.

However you decide to carry that 908, you will be getting a fine pistol. Of the guns I had to sell during a rough patch in 2008-09, my 3913LS is the one I regret the most.