best ccw revolver
- Thread starter cougarman
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flipajig
Member
my new ruger LCR in 38 spc. small light and accurate
the price was also nice.
I dont like Taurs and i think smith is over priced Charter arms
has had some problems in the past and the Rosie was heaver than the smith
or ruger and i wont trust my life and my family's with a saterdy night spc.
the price was also nice.
I dont like Taurs and i think smith is over priced Charter arms
has had some problems in the past and the Rosie was heaver than the smith
or ruger and i wont trust my life and my family's with a saterdy night spc.
easyg
Member
My S&W 637 Airweight .38 Special+P.
I like it because it only weighs about 18 oz loaded, it's very compact, and I like that it still has an exposed hammer that give me the option of single-action shooting.
I like it because it only weighs about 18 oz loaded, it's very compact, and I like that it still has an exposed hammer that give me the option of single-action shooting.
Before you decide on a revolver, decide on how you are going to carry it.
Most civilians with a CCW face a very low threat level in their everyday lives, but there can be exceptions.
In my case that would be a parking lot mugger or car-jacker that considers a frail senior to be an easy target. Therefor my usual personal protection is a revolver, carried in my pants' side pocket. This does not require a covering garmet (and in Arizona it sometimes gets hot
) and I can keep my hand on the gun's grip while it is still in the pocket and concealed from view.
You will get a number of suggestions considering makes and models, but if you do decide on any revolver to be concealed under clothing (including a pocket) a conventional hammer with a cocking spur can be a mistake, as they tend to snag if you don't cover them with your thumb during a draw, and this prevents getting a proper hold on the handle from git-go. In matters of self-defense the single-action option is seldom used anyway.
If I anticipate a more serious threat level (which is very seldom) I have the option of going to a larger sidearm with the snubby becoming a back-up. If you decide you want a bigger gun I'll go into that later.
Most civilians with a CCW face a very low threat level in their everyday lives, but there can be exceptions.
In my case that would be a parking lot mugger or car-jacker that considers a frail senior to be an easy target. Therefor my usual personal protection is a revolver, carried in my pants' side pocket. This does not require a covering garmet (and in Arizona it sometimes gets hot
) and I can keep my hand on the gun's grip while it is still in the pocket and concealed from view.You will get a number of suggestions considering makes and models, but if you do decide on any revolver to be concealed under clothing (including a pocket) a conventional hammer with a cocking spur can be a mistake, as they tend to snag if you don't cover them with your thumb during a draw, and this prevents getting a proper hold on the handle from git-go. In matters of self-defense the single-action option is seldom used anyway.
If I anticipate a more serious threat level (which is very seldom) I have the option of going to a larger sidearm with the snubby becoming a back-up. If you decide you want a bigger gun I'll go into that later.
Sam1911
Moderator Emeritus
For me, a 4" 629.
I'm carrying it IWB here, along with three speed loaders:
I really only carry a revolver when I'm out in the sticks and want a bit more from my sidearm than my autos can give and the 4" N-frame is eeeeasy to carry.
I'm carrying it IWB here, along with three speed loaders:
I really only carry a revolver when I'm out in the sticks and want a bit more from my sidearm than my autos can give and the 4" N-frame is eeeeasy to carry.
41magsnub
Member
For me, a 438 fits nicely in my pocket and I get the best of both worlds without a snag issue, I can use it like a DAO or use it single action. I wish I had ponied up for a 649 instead though (and there was one available locally at the time I was looking), same gun in steel and stainless instead of aluminum. That said, once I figured how I need to have a really high handed grip on it my recoil issues mostly went away and it is not a problem to shoot it anymore, even with the super light airweight model.
Bear 45/70
member
This is like asking "what woman is the best?" It is so subjective that it gets extreme answers like Sam1911 above. His "N" frame is like my Ruger Redhawk, yeah I carry it in the woods and have even taken deer with it, but easy to carry it ain't. Easy is something that you "do not notice it is there until you need it". That said I find that "not noticed until you need" it to be "not enough gun", so I carry big bore handguns. Either my Charter Arms Bulldog "PUG" or on of my Taurus' 415 or 425 both in 41 Magnum.
BullfrogKen
Moderator Emeritus
Me? I'm enamoured of three inch revolvers.
But which one is best? There is no best, just many good choices that offer some benefit, while also coming with a downside. You pick which benefit you want more, and the downsides you can live with.
Lightweight guns carry well, but don't handle as well shooting them. Fixed sights can be tailored to a load, but have sharp edges that tear clothes and can get knocked out of alignment. Short barrels are easier to conceal, but are less forgiving of misperfect sight alignment and don't eject empties as well as something with a barrel more than 2 inches.
See the trend developing here?
So forget about best. There is no best. Just pick one that has the benefits you want, and downsides you can live with.
But which one is best? There is no best, just many good choices that offer some benefit, while also coming with a downside. You pick which benefit you want more, and the downsides you can live with.
Lightweight guns carry well, but don't handle as well shooting them. Fixed sights can be tailored to a load, but have sharp edges that tear clothes and can get knocked out of alignment. Short barrels are easier to conceal, but are less forgiving of misperfect sight alignment and don't eject empties as well as something with a barrel more than 2 inches.
See the trend developing here?
So forget about best. There is no best. Just pick one that has the benefits you want, and downsides you can live with.
SwampWolf
Member
If your ccw plans include pocket carry, an alloy revolver is desireable. My vote goes to the Colt Cobra/Agent: as light as a Smith Airweight but carries 20% more ammo.
jfh
Member.
S&W M&P 340. DAO, Scandium frame, 38/357 chambering. It's a daily carry for me.
To learn more about it, you can read this thread.
Jim H.
To learn more about it, you can read this thread.
Jim H.
I just love it when someone asks for the "best" of something and does not define the parameters.
If we mean quality, well, I have quite a few that are tied in that regard, made by the same company, Ruger.
If we go by what gets the most carry time, well that would be Ruger SP101. So good, I own several, and during a certain period of my life, 2002-2007, I carried two concealed on my own time, and one as a back-up at work, making the SP101 my true "always" gun during that time. I still use SP101s some of the time, just not 24/7 anymore.
If we mean that would be best for the widest range of circumstances, well, that would be Ruger GP100.
Best compromise of size, weight, and concealability? That could arguably be my 4" Speed Six, almost as easy to conceal as an SP101, but with a longer sight radius, and able to throw magnums at a higher velocity than a snubby. I never settled on a truly good grip for this sixgun, before I started toting my P229 duty pistols on my own time, concealed, relegating my larger sixguns to spending most of their time in the safe.
Best deep concealment/pocket/ankle revolver? I have a J-frame S&W Performance Center M460, which was built on a J-frame, and closest to today's Model 642. (Not kidding; S&W has re-used that model name for for their X-frame .460 S&W.) Once the SP101s came along, though, this little gem was relegated to "occasional" status; my usual minimum gun, to this day, is an SP101.
One sixgun I really miss, is the S&W 4" Model 19 I owned briefly in the mid-1990's. One of the last blued K-frames with the forged trigger and hammer, and of course, pre-keyhole, that was a smooth, accurate sixgun. I sold it, along with other guns, to raise funding for a now-regretted reason. I am still seeking its twin, preferably one fired very little, and lovingly maintained. I even have a pair of BluMagnum grips awaiting such a purchase. I would have to handle it before buying, to make sure. This may be my true best, if I ever find it. I realized, too late, just how right Bill Jordan was, and underestimated the difficulty of finding another one if I let mine go. My "Holy Grail" sixgun is in my future, I hope.
If we mean quality, well, I have quite a few that are tied in that regard, made by the same company, Ruger.
If we go by what gets the most carry time, well that would be Ruger SP101. So good, I own several, and during a certain period of my life, 2002-2007, I carried two concealed on my own time, and one as a back-up at work, making the SP101 my true "always" gun during that time. I still use SP101s some of the time, just not 24/7 anymore.
If we mean that would be best for the widest range of circumstances, well, that would be Ruger GP100.
Best compromise of size, weight, and concealability? That could arguably be my 4" Speed Six, almost as easy to conceal as an SP101, but with a longer sight radius, and able to throw magnums at a higher velocity than a snubby. I never settled on a truly good grip for this sixgun, before I started toting my P229 duty pistols on my own time, concealed, relegating my larger sixguns to spending most of their time in the safe.
Best deep concealment/pocket/ankle revolver? I have a J-frame S&W Performance Center M460, which was built on a J-frame, and closest to today's Model 642. (Not kidding; S&W has re-used that model name for for their X-frame .460 S&W.) Once the SP101s came along, though, this little gem was relegated to "occasional" status; my usual minimum gun, to this day, is an SP101.
One sixgun I really miss, is the S&W 4" Model 19 I owned briefly in the mid-1990's. One of the last blued K-frames with the forged trigger and hammer, and of course, pre-keyhole, that was a smooth, accurate sixgun. I sold it, along with other guns, to raise funding for a now-regretted reason. I am still seeking its twin, preferably one fired very little, and lovingly maintained. I even have a pair of BluMagnum grips awaiting such a purchase. I would have to handle it before buying, to make sure. This may be my true best, if I ever find it. I realized, too late, just how right Bill Jordan was, and underestimated the difficulty of finding another one if I let mine go. My "Holy Grail" sixgun is in my future, I hope.
amd6547
Member
Ruger SP101 3" carried IWB. I don't care for pants pocket carry...Even my Beretta 21a feels like a steel lump in my pocket.
Guillermo
member
the most gun that you can comfortably conceal and shoot well is the best.
For me it is a Colt Detective Special. I can shoot it well, it is small enough to conceal easily and it is not a chore to cart about.
For me it is a Colt Detective Special. I can shoot it well, it is small enough to conceal easily and it is not a chore to cart about.
kybandit
Member
Ruger LCR. Light, can be carried in a variety of ways, reliable as a stone ax...
Magnumite
Member
LCR or a S&W J-frames for me.
BoKnows
Member
Ruger SP101 - A little on the bigger side compared to a LCR but just think, when you run out of bullets, the SP101 doubles as a hammer and it can crack a man's skull...Stainless Steel and rock solid
GojuBrian
Member
I just got an LCR and that thing is just awesome for CCW! 
Lightweight, very nice trigger, and 38+p packs a punch!
Lightweight, very nice trigger, and 38+p packs a punch!
snooperman
Member
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Colt Detective IWB holster or....
when all dressed up, I now carry the Ruger LCR in the pocket, all with +P. Sometimes I carry the Ruger SP101 loaded with .357 magnum IWB. I do not believe there is a "BEST" carry gun per se. However I think the 38 special +P is agood place to start.
when all dressed up, I now carry the Ruger LCR in the pocket, all with +P. Sometimes I carry the Ruger SP101 loaded with .357 magnum IWB. I do not believe there is a "BEST" carry gun per se. However I think the 38 special +P is agood place to start.
earlthegoat2
Member
I pocket carry a steel frame. Not as fashionable these days with the Airweight craze but is really only 5 oz lighter. I have a Model 60 38 Special only. Carries better than the 357 60s they make now.
Sniper X
Member
When I carry something other than a 1911, it is a Ruger GP100 in 4in, and a 340PD as backup.
gordy
Member
I really love my S&W 642, It is light and it is a very cool revolver. I carry it in my pocket in a pocket holster and in a galco belt holster. IMO you can't go wrong with a 642.
GojuBrian
Member
SO easy to carry.
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