4" revolver CCW??

I have carried a 4" Ruger GP-100 concealed. Carried it in a Don Hume IWB holster. Nobody knew, not even my wife. That is, until she put her arm around me, and hit the butt of the gun.

I've carried a four-inch King Cobra (688/GP100 size) under a loosely tucked shirt in a CABO IWB holster without any problems.

Hello All-

Carrying a 4" Smith & Wesson model 19 concealed is not really
uncommon. All it takes is a good quality leather holster
as made by Safariland, Bianchi, or Don Hume; that holds the
weapon in a strong side, "high ride" position. Another slight
advantage too this is the fact that it aids in weapon retention,
cuz you are able to keep your elbow on the butt on the gun
when in a hostile environment; such as when performing the
duties of a plainclothes deputy U.S. Marshal.

Best Wishes,
Ala Dan, N.R.A. Life Member

I know 2 retired NYC cops who carry 4 inch K-frames concealed. They carried the gun for 20 years on the job. They are very good with them. Why should they change now?

They use either a IWB or OWB holster, strong side carry.

As the others have said, it is more than possible to carry a 4" revolver for CCW, however as with other handguns, the larger the size, the more clothing it takes to conceal it.

You don't say what you're usual mode of dress is, but since it can get over 100 degrees where you live, I assume that at least sometimes you want to wear as little as possible. Revolvers as usually a little wider than a similar sized auto, so they are a little more difficult to conceal.

A loose T-shirt one size larger than you normally wear usually can cover even a 4" pretty well. But some kind of cover garment is better.

There are holster out there where the barrel of the revolver is inside your pants and the cylinder outside. So the revolver is carried a little closer to your body, and rides a little higher. Do a search here, and you'll find a link to them.

What Ala Dan said bout good holster.

Plus....GOOD belt.

Worn four inchers concealed for over half a century. Tropics and cold.

Sam....little ol fart.

I was working a job that included deliveries to unsavory parts of town. All I had was a 4" S&W686, so that is what I packed.

Requirements:
* Good gun belt, pref double-thick
* Good holster
- IWB:
- OWB: high-ride almost mandatory, because that 4" bbl will peek out of most cover garments with a regular belt holster.

DRAGONFIRE was talking about the best darn revo holster made, it's at www.hoffners.com click on "holsters", scroll down to ITP (in the pants) holsters and it is the last one on the bottom right side. This is a holster that works best with longer barrels. At $45 it is a bargan IMHO.

I carried a .44 Charter Target Bulldog 4" for a while. The only prob was no practical way to carry spare ammo.

I sometimes carry a four-inch Python, and that's sometimes concealed, sometimes openly.

I've been carrying my 4" Police Positive Special (about K frame size or just slightly smaller) in an upside-down shoulder rig that conceals it extremely well.

http://www.klnullholsters.com/

The only problem has been too much weight drag on my left side, pulling on my shoulder. After 8 hours it gets annoying. Initial experiments reveal that a second holster of the same design can be looped with the existing holster into a two-gun rig that balances perfectly. Sadly, this will require me to purchase another Colt

SO Laben,
I have used a Bianchi Shadow II OWB holster with a thumb break to carry a 4" S&W model 66. My belt is from Looper Leather in Oklahoma City, OK.

No problems under a jacket. Summer was tougher with a hawaian shirt.

Good luck.

-Jim

Yes, Hogue or Safariland/Rogers grips are BIG plus when I carry a 4" pencil-barrel K frame. RB Magnas are also OK. I have also comfortably carried 4" N frames in a Sparks Summer Special, usually with RB Magnas. The weight is less problem with an IWB (and, of course, so is the barrel length), but with the right upper garment, even an OWB can be concealed.

4"-barrel revolvers can definitely be concealed and carried by this 5'10" 190lb person.

4" Security Six in Sparks #200AW holster, double-lined belt. 1981 through today. Carried a few other pieces full time since 1972, including M19, M28, and Commander. The M28 was a bit much...otherwise there are lots of good reasons to have a 4" on tap and not much downside.

If S&W was into making real guns for real people they would make up an Airlite M15...

My first carry gun was a 4" S&W model 10. Tried a bunch of budget (read: cheap) holsters.

Fobus paddle was good for carrying around, horrible for concealing. Ended up using a canvas IWB with a velcro retention strap. It was sort of like a really secure pants pocket. The gun was pretty well fixed in the belt area, but the muzzle would flop around in my pants.

I gave up on the '10 as concealed carry for many reasons, my faith lacked when I thought of my ability to end a shootout with 6 shots or reload under stress. Speedloaders carry well enough in a coat pocket, but that's the only place. Also, it seemed I had to pull the grip up pretty high to clear the holster; I don't know how the guys manage with a high-ride. I envision pulling the wrist up to the armpit which is awkward especially if said armpit is filled with the shirt or sweater lifted to clear the gun.

But maybe you shouldn't listen to me - I ended up carrying a bottom-feeder

I carry a 629 S&W 4" under a photographer's vest and this works well for me, although it rarely reaches 100 degrees where I live.

I have carried a 4" Python (long ago) and several of the Taurus Tracker series in 4" (more recently) concealed. I use a good leather belt slide (and belt!) with a long vest or sport coat, or a Bianchi Professional IWB with a short vest or windbreaker. Either of these systems with the same holster in the correct model also allow for my more usual G21 carry.

When I think how much more accurately I shoot with the longer sight radius and the extra velocity the extra barrel length provides, I think a 4" or longer barrel makes sense for a carry gun.

S_O,I have carried 4" K and L Frame'd S&W's in the past and even found them easier to conceal than a 2 1/2" K or L frame providing I used an IWB holster of good quality.The longer bbl kept them from squeezing out of my waistband whilst sitting and when used with a pancake type holster,the longer bbl. kept it from tilting out at the grip like the shorter bbl.tom.

I would carry my GP-100 a lot more if I could find grips that were not rubber, that are as comfortable as the stock grips.

the rubber grips snag on clothing, (printing menace)

I really like the stock grips,

so for now its a house or auto piece,

I have carried a several different 4" revolvers, my favorite being a S&W Model 10 carried in my jeans pocket. A long t-shirt covers it. The 4" is easier to shoot well than a snubby, easier to get out of the pocket, holds 6 rounds, and gives you a higher velocity (more reliable expansion) than a 2" tube. Most .38 special defence rounds were designed for a 4" barrel.

It's also OK in an IWB or a belt holster, or in a coat pocket.

Mark

Also, I like to carry a speed loader or two in a plastic sandwich bag in another pocket.

The Cabo leather very high rise IWB is the only holster that comfortably carries anything longer than 3" for me. In this rig, the cylinder sits higher than the belt, so the barrel doesn't jab when you sit and the cylinder isn't pressing your anatomy. Yet the holster remains close to the body, without sagging.

Update: I emailed Null and he got back to me promptly. Apparently it is possible to put two of their shoulder rigs together to make a balanced two-gun rig that would easily conceal two small or medium frame 4" revolvers. It sounds like the way to go for that would be a direct order.

Never had a problem carrying my 4 inch 19 or 5 inch 27 concealed. Just takes the proper concealment rig.