Practical Carry...S&W 625 3" vs. 66 2.5"

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WNC Seabee

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For all practical purposes, is a 3" N frame all that much harder to conceal OWB than a 2.5" K frame?

Figure a suitable cover garment, untucked shirt or jacket, and good quality belt/holster combo.

I have a 66-2 2.5" now and a 625 3" on the way. The 66 carries really well and I've not had any issues with concealment. That being said, I'd like to make the 625 my every day carry rig if it seems reasonable to do so.

I'm really hoping a bunch of you chime in with, "with a decent cover garment, that extra 1/2" of barrel and bulkier frame don't mean squat!"
 
Never tried to cc it OWB but,..I've cc'd a 4 inch 629 IWB with a good holster and belt,...never found it all that harder to conceal than a K frame,...although the weight can be a factor. You won't know until you try it.

I knew a guy a lot smaller than me that could carry a 6 inch barreled Model 29 all day in an X15 Shoulder rig,....and you'd never know he had it on until he drew it, or peeled of his jacket.
 
A "suitable" cover garment and a "good quality" belt/holster combo
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...makes the difference in concealing the N Frame practically negligible. I'm with the previous posters, it's the weight (not the print) I would be interesting it.
 
Get a Simply Rugged Sourdough Pancake and a good belt. The difference will be negligible.
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Agreed. A good belt and good holster make all the difference in the world.

I can carry a 4 5/8" Ruger Blackhawk all day with just a T shirt for cover in my Simply Rugged, and don't find it any more difficult to carry than a K frame.

A 3" N frame would be a breeze
 
Well, I say that "with a decent cover garment, that extra 1/2" of barrel and bulkier frame don't mean squat!"

If you are used to carrying a 66 snub...you won't notice the extra few ounces of weight..will ya?

I have friends who can barely tolerate the weight of a pocket .380!
I personally like a good solid gun, and the way it feels on my hip.

If you like the gun and want to tote it...you will!
 
Lucky Derby said:
Get a Simply Rugged Sourdough Pancake and a good belt. The difference will be negligible.
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That's a beautiful holster, like all Simply Rugged holsters, but be aware that, as a pancake, it is symmetrical, by which I mean the inner and outer pieces of leather are the same width. The belt loops are where the two pieces of leather join. It's difficult to explain without a picture but a pancake doesn't conform to the shape of the body very well. After wearing it a while, it will conform better. But there might be "non-pancake" designs that would conform to the body better and therefore be more concealable.
 
Huh. I'd never heard anyone say that before, duns. Pancakes are specifically designed as concealment holsters that hold the butt close to the body. If a pancake holster, no matter who made it, isn't holding the butt up tight, there's something wrong with execution of the holster, or fit to the gun, or belt, or body of the person carrying it.

Frequently, a holster design that works perfectly for one person won't work at all well for another due to differences in body type/shape.
 
Seabee,

While the 625 will do (I have a 3 inch 625 myself and .45 Supers work real well out of it) the 625 will be rather heavy.

Good belt and comfortable holster AND if IWB the pants 2 inches larger will make the 625 work.

With that said, the M66 2 1/2 will work even better (and I have THREE of them!)

Now a 625 with 3 inch tube weighs about 40 oz I think. Ok, I'd get a belt slide holster for it that just lets the muzzle peak out the bottom. And maybe a ring clip for spare ammo.

Try it. You might like packing it.

Deaf
 
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My regular carry gun is a 66-2 or 66-5. But even though they can be uncomfortably heavy and rather bulky, I still love them for my hip gun or shoulder holster.

It's really a point of what you consider too much weight and bulk. With a good holster, I can tollerate mine every day, and I do. There is just something about knowing I have a solid K frame for my defense that makes me feel all warm and squishy inside. Kind of the way it would feel for the bad guy who gets shot with a H110 hand loaded 158 gr. Gold Dot, but a different kind of warm and squishy inside.
 
A good belt is a requirement for the weight of the gun and spare ammunition on one side.

The keys to successful concealment of a 625 are "boot" style stocks that do not extend past the bottom of the frame and lots of forward cant in the holster. These two factors will mitigate the large frame of the revolver.

Herrett's stocks will make their stocks shorter upon request.
 
I think its a toss up on the concealment side, just a little more weight to contend with oon the N frame.
 
With the right clothes I don't think concealment of a large frame gun is an issue for the average sized man. (BTW I think the issue of a gun printing is WAY over blown. Pretty much only LEO's look for bulges at the waste and think "gun" the average person doesn't notice or thinks "phone".)

In route to fly fishing spots, I've worn my 629 .44mag in a S.R. pancake holster in public with only a flannel shirt covering it with no problem at all. (I'm 6', 195 Lbs) The issues of carrying a large frame gun comes in other ways, such as weight. Walking around with a 2.5 pound gun on my hip takes a toll after a while. It simply gets uncomfortable. Which is why I personally don't like to carry large heavy guns for CCW. I only carry one when I'm hiking up rivers I fly fish that I know have bear and cougar populations around but not in town.
I much rather drop my 442 into my pocket while walking around town, then lug around my 629. That's just my preference.
 
dom1104, what is alwb?
Steve
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AIWB = Appendix Inside the Waistband, typically carried in front of the hip, but to either side of centerline.

He carries a full sized revolver AIWB...that's a feat to do without cracking a nut when sitting.
 
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