Best revolver for CONCEALED carry

[RealGun]

Weight and concealability are the 2 most important factors for me. For maximum concealibiity in summer I prefer a S&W 36. For winter carry with heavy clothing I prefer a S&W Model 10 or Model 19. For the in-between months, an old Colt Detective Special is a good choice. Top to bottom: top: S&W Model 10, middle: Colt DS, bottom: S&W Model 36.

Like to see your model 19.

 

[RealGun]

The best gun for concealed carry is the one YOU can draw and shoot accurately using one and two hand holds, in a variety of body positions and light conditions.
Find that gun, and then learn how to conceal it on your body.

It might also better be one you could have confiscated and never see again.

 

[texagun]

Like to see your model 19.

This one is from 1972

 

[Corpral_Agarn]

It might also better be one you could have confiscated and never see again.

While this is something I can appreciate, I personally don't worry about losing the gun.

If it saved my life, it will forever be remembered, but in the end it is just a hunk of steel.

I am pretty attached to some of the guns that I shoot the best and they are the ones that get carried the most.

 

[Cocked & Locked]

This one is from 1972

Very Nice Condition!

Here is my not as nice 1968 one.

 

[Sistema1927]

The 19-4 in this picture I no longer own, but the 37 is a good lightweight option:

 

[Madcap_Magician]

I would want a round butt grip though. My 19-4 is square butt and with grips that extend squarely beyond the frame pokes out quite a bit.

The Ruger Speed Six was a round butt gun with both 4" and 2.75" barrels.

My 3" Speed Six is my favorite belt carry revolver.

 

[RealGun]

The Ruger Speed Six was a round butt gun with both 4" and 2.75" barrels.

My 3" Speed Six is my favorite belt carry revolver.

Yes, I know, but I don't want a gun that Ruger won't/can't support. I have already had too many issues with my Police Service and Security Sixes. You are fortunate, because Speed Sixes are rarely available and rather pricey. My context was a 4" barrel.

 

[Madcap_Magician]

Yes, I know, but I don't want a gun that Ruger won't/can't support. I have already had too many issues with my Police Service and Security Sixes. You are fortunate, because Speed Sixes are rarely available and rather pricey. My context was a 4" barrel.

Tell me about it... Been looking for another for a while now.

 

[HexHead]

I prefer the 438 (638) Bodyguard over the Centennial model because of its shrouded hammer. There's still enough hammer exposed to cock the revolver if you need to make that precision shot. Feels more comfortable in the hand when shooting too, you can get your hand a little higher on it. I had. 442 before the 438 and much prefer the latter.

 

[jad0110]

While this is something I can appreciate, I personally don't worry about losing the gun.

If it saved my life, it will forever be remembered, but in the end it is just a hunk of steel.

I am pretty attached to some of the guns that I shoot the best and they are the ones that get carried the most.


I agree, though I wouldn't carry a family heirloom if I had other choices - most of us are probably the same way.

As for the perfect carry revolver, it doesn't really exist.

My S&W 642 is one of my favorites. Dependable, easy to draw, and light. And very shootable if you take a really firm grip on them, they can delivery excellent accuracy.

My 3" S&W Model 13, my 3" 686+ and my 2.5" Model 66 round butts are also favorites of mine. A good all around balance size wise.

I have a 4" Model 19 that I used to carry all the time, but the finish has gotten so worn (it was about 65% when I bought it) that it rusts very quickly in the humid months of the south. So it has nearly been retired from my carry rotation. I am debating having it reblued so that I can continue carrying it without fear of rust.

I also love my 3" S&W 629. Thing is a beast, and really easy to shoot well. Same as my 4" S&W Model 28 Highway Patrolman, I can't miss with that gun. Probably the handgun I shoot best, out of all of them. But it is a boat anchor, and with my achy back these days I haven't carried it in nearly a year, sadly.

 

[Tallball]

At different times I carry an alloy 38 j-frame with the hammer spur removed, a 38 LCR, and a CA Bulldog (44) with shrouded hammer.

If I'm going to carry it, I want it light and no hammer spur to catch onto anything.

I am a real fan of the 44, but it is slightly larger than the other two.

 

[meatballs]

If you have good 9mms that work well, stick with them. There's no need to add a revolver. I'm not fond of those short barreled, lightweight, 5 shot .357 magnums either. Those are not necessary.

 

[Brett Byers AKA Slow]

A 6" GP100 with night sights or a 4" REDHAWK in 45 with night sights. Believe it or not with a good belt , pancake holster and cover shirt it's easy.

 

[tomrkba]

It's not that it's any one revolver. In my opinion, it's about how it's configured. Stocks affect how well it conceals. The holster is closely tied to concealment and stocks. The barrel length and weight of the gun heavily influence how the gun feels when worn. The stocks can be large or small and therefore print or not. I choose Herretts Stocks checkered Jordan Troopers where possible since they're so good for both speed shooting and handling the recoil of heavy loads. The stocks should not be longer than the width of the hand. A longer barrel will either show below a covering garment or exert pressure on the back pocket. The user feels this and it can become annoying over time. It can also print. Weight is always an issue and a steel reinforced belt at least 1 1/2" wide works great for managing the gun.

A good holster with forward cant on a solid belt is essential. I have found the Milt Sparks Versa Max 2 (and similar holsters) work great concealed carry. I replace the rear loop with a Blade Tech rubber Pull the Dot strap for additional forward cant to enhance concealment.

Given the above, I find a revolver with four inch barrel to be mostly comfortable, best shooting and usually concealable. I use a custom 629 with lighter 44 Magnum JHP. I prefer N-Frames but also like L-Frames. A gun with three inch barrel carries well by not pressing on the back of the pocket. However, I pay for that in performance and accuracy. I also like K-Frames in 38 Special and 22 Long Rifle only. I think 357 Magnum in the K and J Frames is a miserable shooting experience.

 

[bubbatime]

My Smith 340PD with Crimson Trace grips is about a $1000 pistol. But its the absolute best pocket carry revolver on the market in my opinion. I've had several 442 and 642 pistols, as well as the LCR. I will never sell that 340. It's over 3 ounces lighter than a 642, which makes it absolutely disappear in a pocket.

 

[Jim NE]

I've finally been seeing some cosmetically worn model 60's at good prices...but now I can't afford even a good price on one of these guns! My blued Smiths tend to be collector's pieces.

I've been carrying a Taurus Polymer 85 lately, and it's nice because of it's low weight - shootable, too...but it's dimensions are somewhat bigger than other 5 shot snubbies. I can deal with it, but some folks might need smaller.

 

[buster94]

LCR 357. Best trigger of any revolver I have ever used. The gun conceals very easily and at 17 oz. don't even know its there. I often carry it in my front pocket or in a Talon holster OWB. I carry loaded with 38+P. I can shoot 357 mags but it is a handful but not punishing for a cylinder full. A box of 357 no way.
The S&W 640-1 is a great choice also.
I have just recently decided to carry the Charter Bulldog 44 spl.

 

[DrBob305]

I LOVE love love my Ruger SP101. I put some Hogue grips on it and not only is it beatifully mean-looking but it shoots like a dream. Some may find it a little heavy, especially when compared to the ultra lightweights on the market, but because of the mass the recoil with .38s, even +P is very manageable. It's a blast at the range! (Pun not intended, but it applies) Most importantly, I shoot it well. I have tried other small wheel guns and I am less accurate with them. I just feel 100% confident in it; I know if I pull the trigger it will go BANG, and at the end of the day that's what counts in an EDC. Hope that helps

 

[Kendal Black]

I'll probably carry 38 specials or 38 +Ps but just want the ability to shoot .357 mag.

In that case, consider the lightweights because they work better for pocket holster concealment. An all steel gun is a heavy weight that tends to sway more in your pocket when you walk.

The heavier models carry just fine in a waist holster, though, and are less disagreeable to shoot. Actually, you've got a number of good choices these days, light and heavy, and I think it is only a matter of time before Colt brings out a Magnum Cobra to add to the list.

 

[Rexster]

In the mid-Eighties, I learned to dress around a 4" S&W Model 58 .41 Magnum revolver. By the mid-Nineties, I found it noticeably easier to dress around a 4" S&W Model 66 or 19.

For easy comcealment, without having to "dress around" the gun, but with a hand-filling grip, I like the Ruger SP101. The 3-1/8" barrel is as easy to conceal as a 2.25" barrel, while having a nicer sight radius and a bit more mass to damp recoil.

 

[Michael Tinker Pearce]

I'm going to head for left-field on this one- the Chiappa Rhino. Not cheap, but nothing tames the recoil of .357 loads better in a compact revolver. 20oz. and about the same footprint and thickness as a J-frame. The trigger on mine is quite good, though it took some getting used to. My wife, who is notoriously recoil-sensitive, loves the hell out of it. If I ask her real nice I may get to see it again some day...

 

[george burns]

After extensive research on this subject I must say the LCR in 327 mag, is the Bomb. It hits like a 357 from all of the Ballistic reports I have read, and you can dial it down to a 32 long, or H&R magnum, even q 32 short, depending on your purpose. and it holds 6 rounds, which puts it in the single stack territory. Having 6 with more power than a 38+p or 9mm, is still quite an advantage. And it's still small enough to take down any human and most animals "unless you are hunting bear ". It's hands down the best CCW revolver, "not the prettiest by any means" but for a practisioner of the art of self defense" a fine choice, and a great back up for a police or other person who requires a hi-cap handgun. I would pocket carry, or ankle carry this in a heartbeat,in rotation with my Kahr pm9. I also would carry it as a spare with my 19 or 26.

 

[toivo]

For a carry/defensive revolver, I wouldn't be concerned about recoil. In a defensive situation you won't remember any recoil & people who have had to shoot in such situations frequently don't remember hearing any noise, either. You can practice with light target loads - maybe only a few rounds per shooting session. My personal favorite is the Ruger LCR.

While I have to technically agree with your statement, I think it also misses two important things.

1. While you are not likely to notice painful recoil under stress, physics doesn't care if you notice it or not. A gun with more recoil will still be harder to control, probably less accurate, and produce slower follow-up shots than one with light recoil, regardless of whether you are conscious of this in the heat of the moment.

2. Painful shooting equates to less practice for most people.

I'd add one thing to that: Hearing damage is hearing damage, whether you remember it or not. It might not be your primary worry in a defensive encounter, but it's real.

 

[Hoppes Love Potion]

S&W Model 351c weighs 12.03 ounces fully loaded with 7 .22 WMR. It is loud and the trigger is heavy, but it carries like a dream and I like having the extra rounds.