Ruining a gun's finish carrying

[nosliw]

for some reason, the search feature of this site does not work for me.... so sorry if this has been discussed, i went back multiple pages but didn't find anything.

anyways, i've got a S&W 36, which is a 2" snub 5-shot. it's a very nice gun, practically brand new. not sure how old it is, but older than me possibly.

i plan on carrying in an uncle mike's in-the-pocket holster. i'm very active during the day; bending over, jumping into the tractor/truck - lots of physical work.

will the guns finish be compromised under these conditions? it's blued, and like i said, VERY nice.

i'm willing to buy another wheel (or autoloader) if there's a chance that i may hurt it. is there a particular finish i should look for that will withstand CC?

thanks a lot

 

[Jimmie]

Nothing will truly withstand carrying, especially blue. Stainless is better than blued. The polymer finishes do well. Hard chrome does well. If you want to keep the blueing in mint condition, do not put it in a holster.

 

[nosliw]

ahh, now i need to buy a .357 revolver so i can shoot some of the .38spl ammo i stocked up on... boo-hoo

do they even make autoloaders that fire .38spl rounds?

thanks for the quick reply

 

[Kimber1911_06238]

as jimmie said, after a while, you will see holster wear marks on any gun. blued seems to hold up the worst.

get yourself another carry gun

and to my knowledge, no autoloaders chambered in .38 special

 

[Standing Wolf]

I think pocket lint does it.

 

[Taurus 617 CCW]

If the bluing wears down, you can cold blue the worn parts. If the gun means that much to you, get a gun you can beat the hell out of and not feel bad. I ended up rebluing my carry gun because the springfield factory finish sucks. There is a company that makes the best cold blue I have ever seen. I use it on a regular basis for touch-ups. You can find them here: http://www.vansgunblue.com/

 

[nosliw]

no autoloaders with .38..... hmmm

stainless GP100 4" .357 it is!

thanks for making the decision oh-so much easier for me!

i've been trying to justify one of those for almost 2 years

 

[OU_Gryphon]

I vaguely remember seeing a custom 1911 that shot .38 special, but it was REALLY custom. The .38 is a really long round for an autoloader to, uh, load without jamming.

The only other gun that comes close (to my knowledge) is the desert eagle in .357 Mag. I don't know if you could shoot .38 special out of it, but it would pretty much have to headspace on the rim AND it's gas operated so it's theoretically possible that it might fire a .38 or .38 special +P. Just my 2 cents

 

[Barr]

The old Smith-Wesson 52 shot .38 Special Wadcutters seated flush with the case.

 

[deercop]

I've actually seen TWO Colt 1911's in .38 Special in local gunshops in the past month. Amazing, considering their rarity. If I could remotely justify their purchase to myself ................

 

[Pistol Toter]

stainless GP100 4" .357 it is!

Feller, you ain't gonna carry a GP in your pants pocket especially a 4" and unless you got gigantic pockets you not gonna get a 3" GP100 in there; an SP101 is a lot of pistol to carry in a pants pocket and they're a good bit smaller than the GP100. As much as I dislike them the Kel-tec P3AT .380 in a pocket holster maybe your answer and especailly if you're in and out of a tractor a right smart. The FMCR's forbid you to carry in a Commercial Vehicle.

 

[nosliw]

i bought the pocket holster specifically for the snub.

the gp will get either a shoulder or ITW. probably shoulder, but i got to wear a coat/overshirt... i'll worry about it when i get around to it, all i know is those revolvers are cool and i got to get me one. even if it isn't the best CC choice

 

[sig226]

If you're doing heavy work outdoors, sweat and rain will probably get to the finish before it wears down from the holster. The stainless ones are much better in this regard. Try to find an old one that has stainless or hard chromed parts. The new J frames use MIM hammers and triggers and it can rust.

 

[jwxspoon]

Looking well used and well maintained makes them even more beautiful on my eyes.



jw

 

[JNewell]

You should see the 342 I've carried every day for years. It may be beautiful, but it isn't pretty. If the finish matters, get something other than the 36 to carry.

 

[gb6491]

do they even make autoloaders that fire .38spl rounds?

Smith and Wesson made the Model 52 and there are custom 1911s out there that chamber the 38 spl. These, however, are set up to fire wad cutters.
Coonan made a 357 magnum autoloader and at one time offered a .38 SPL +P kit for it.
Regards,
Greg

 

[nosliw]

thanks a million for the replies.

does anyone know where i can find more information about this particular revolver? i have the number on the bottom of the grip, where can i search?

 

[nosliw]

is it safe for me to give out the serial number on the gun for it to be identified?

i'll give the first three, and if you need more let me know.

ANS

 

[Pistol Toter]

Purchase a copy of "The Standard Catalog of Smith & Wesson" by Jim Supica and Richard Nahas the 3 ed. came out last December. It is excellenct reading and a must have if your a S&W collector.

You're not going to have a gun that is carried every day, either in a pocket or a holster even though a holsted gun will fair better and it look pretty. Guns like pocket knives and keys are hard on pockets only worse. If the 36 looks good and you like the way it looks, don't carry it, because if you do it won't look like that very long. I've got a pristine one that is probably 30+ years old, it's in the vault. There are airweights and Buck Rogers material revolvers made that weight 15 ozs +/- but they hurt like hell to shoot. Some of the smaller frame autos like Kel-tec, Walter, etc that fire .380's are available. .380 are kinda anemic. I carry a Ruger SP101 2.25" everyday in a pancake holster. It is S.S. 5 shot revo, it is tool, it has scratches and dings, it's not pretty. I hope you get the point. Oh about the S.N., well you're on a forum of a bunch of other gunnies. Give out the any alpha characters and all but the last two or three numerals and that failrly well protects you. I'm out of here!!!!