Need an easy to conceal Smith

[Remllez]

Very good advice above for you to mull over. You can still find an original nickel model 49 "Bodyguard" if you look on the different auction sites. They are everything you are looking for and still reasonably priced. They carry well IWB,in a coat pocket or on the belt and are just ugly enough to be beautiful!

If your looking to carry a classic concealed revolver they are worth taking a serious look at. In the end buy what appeals to you although this won't be your last gun purchase I can almost guarantee.

Enjoy Your Gun Son

 

[Bula]

642 is ideal for me. One thing about the finish, it's not real stainless on the frame. The barrel, crane/yoke and cyl are, but the frame is just painted alloy. Mine is pretty beat up now, but would probably be a whole lot more so if it were the 442. I've recently settled on the Hogue bantams, but the bootcut Spegels sure are pretty-too pretty to beat up in my pocket. The DAO takes little while to smooth out and get used to-practice, practice, practice. Just my $.02

 

[Jeb21]

A good hammerless j-frame or concealed hammer j-frame - such as a 638 or a 649.

 

[SAA]

But I would personally recommend a 438, it's DA/SA, spurred hammer, doesn't snag, gives you the option of SA if you're playing around at the range or need SA accuracy. Many will argue it's not the best in a SD situation with lawyers and all that legal junk, but I figured it's the only revolver I'm going to have for a while so why not be versatile.

This!

I always hear about the 638, but the 438 is a much better choice in my opinion. I carry mine all the time.

The biggest selling points for me were:
.38 +P
single action option
no hammer snag
STAINLESS barrel and cylinder, but.....
BLACK!



You need black if you want optimum concealment. The black frame and stocks make it look like a cell phone in the unlikely event someone gets a peek in my pants pocket. A silver frame with black stocks looks more like a gun, and is more easily seen in the shadows of a pocket.

Some of the other black models are plain steel which are not at all optimal for carrying in a sweaty pocket in the summer. Did I mention the 438 is stainless? I love my 438! It's perfect for me, with all the features I was looking for.

(The ONLY downside is that the cylinder is .357 in length, which could be shortened and the frame as well to reduce the total overall length by about 1/4", but I believe all the little S&W J's are like this. One quarter inch doesn't sound like much, but in some pockets that can make it or break it for concealment. Are you listening, S&W?)

 

[robctwo]

I bought a 638 with CT grips a while ago. Shooting it today. Working with the pocket holster. I've put a Wolff spring kit in it and slicked it up and D/A is nice. The laser wasn't any good in the bright sunlight. No complaints on a warm day!!!

I busted a few clay birds on the bank at 30 yards in single action. Not every shot, but often enough to feel confident taking that shot in the real world.

 

[BADUNAME37]

I also have a 642 with a Robert Mika Pocket Holster. I had Robert make me a round-cut bottom and a square-cut bottom. I change them depending on the type of pocket they are in.

 

[S&Wfan]

You need an Airweight (aluminum framed but NOT AirLITE) J-frame. Be it Hammerless (Centennial), Concealed hammer (Bodyguard) or exposed hammer (Chief Special) they all make excellent pocket revolvers.

Which is my "always" CCW revolver? An Airweight Chief Special (Model 37). Why the Chief over the other choices? Simply that the nice vintage one I found was a Chief Special. Drawn quickly from my Uncle Mikes #3 or DeSantis Nemesis pocket holsters it is totally snag proof once you learn the draw. Others feel better not having the hammer but I like the single action (thumb cocking option).

Clad in the original wood S&W magna stocks + a Tyler T-grip aids comfort, conceal ability AND speed. Ditto if you put your original Smith stocks up for safekeeping as I have and have replaced them with durable Elk stags as I have.

Pictured below is my vintage (1964) steel framed Model 36, with original S&W magna stocks in the Uncle Mikes #3, and the above Model 37 in the DeSantis Nemesis. Both revolvers have Tyler T-grips. Both are round butt versions . . . easier to conceal than the square butt ones of the same model numbers. S&W only makes these J frames in round butt today.

 

[Jabr0ney]

Ive been looking at the 37s and i like the grips with the t grips on them. They seem easier to conceal. Can someone explain to me why its worse in a court having a SA over a DA? I keep seeing people say this but i dont understand why thats the case

 

[sixgunner455]

Jabr, that's an entirely different kettle of fish. Suffice it to say that there are unscrupulous lawyers in the world who will try to make anything you do with a gun look bad.

If you have a justifiable reason to shoot someone, the gun you used to do so becomes a bit of trivia to anyone but one of those lawyers looking to demonize you for daring to stand up for yourself.

There's a case in AZ of a man who spent several years in prison after killing a man who attacked him on a hiking trail. The prosecution made a big deal out of the fact that he used a super-awesomely powerful 10mm ray of death, but he wasn't convicted for using a 10mm. He was convicted under the laws of that time for shooting an unarmed man. The fact that he was being attacked by someone who said he was going to kill him was not considered a positive defense.

The state legislature spent over three years rewriting that part of the Arizona Revised Statutes to get that guy out of jail and get his record cleared. Every time they passed a new version of it, the governor either refused to sign it, or the courts said it still didn't mean they had to release the guy.

Point is, anything you use is ancillary to why you did it, and if what you did was legal and moral. I would hate to spend 3-5 years in prison for any reason, especially if it wasn't my fault to begin with, but if the other option is to let some crazy homeless guy beat or stab me to death, I'll take prison for 3-5 with the option of playing with my grandkids when I get out, thanks.

 

[PRM]

Stainless Steel

Lots of good J frame options. I still weigh in heavily on the SS guns. I own several and love the look of a blued gun, but SS is easy to keep for a working gun.

I have carried the Model 60 since 1997 ~ A little Mothers Mag Polish from time to time keeps it looking better than the day I bought it. I just got the Model 649, 1985 issue (police trade in), a good cleaning and about a hour with a terri cloth towel and a little MMP and the finish turned out nice. Still plan on working it (M649) a little more when I have the time.

Looks may not matter ~ but the SS is a great option if that matters.

 

[earlthegoat2]

I carry an older charter arms with tiny wood grips and blued carbon steel frame. They are the most concealable revolver made in the last 50 years at least. But be warned, there's a lot of older charter arms guns that are junk. I have two complete older ones and parts to build a few more. You got to expect to get a few bad ones before you find a good one. You will also probably have to learn to work on them yourself. Or you could just buy a new one and save yourself the trouble. The new ones are reliable but they come with that stupid oversized rubber grip.

Gunsmiths aren't very enthusiastic about working on a charter arms gun.

Based on this, I dont think I would ever buy a Charter Arms gun. Are you actually suggesting these to people and giving these reasons for doing so?