Armybrat
Member
I still have this Airweight bought from aTexas LEO 20 years ago.
Should I carry a S&W Model 36?
- Thread starter cokehayes45
- Start date
- Status
P5 Guy
Member
Too heavy compared to other J frame models
Eye of the beholder.
Some say that the 60 is too heavy to carry.
I say an alloy J frame is too light to shoot.
22.5 oz. in a leather Bianchi IWB thumb break holster. I can work outside all day and forget it is there. Shoots like a dream.
My flat latch 36 is for dress up occasions.
Some say that the 60 is too heavy to carry.
I say an alloy J frame is too light to shoot.
22.5 oz. in a leather Bianchi IWB thumb break holster. I can work outside all day and forget it is there. Shoots like a dream.
My flat latch 36 is for dress up occasions.
Last edited:
GeoDudeFlorida
Member
- Joined
- Dec 1, 2020
- Messages
- 11,040
---
For who? My wife carried a 1950's DS with 158gr. LRN for years and never minded the weight. My mother carried a Colt's 38 automatic in her purse most of her life and liked the weight it gave her bag. She never had to take the pistol out of her bag - she just walloped the tar out of the lone attempted purse snatcher foolish enough to try and mug her. Sometimes more weight is a blessing and sometimes it's a curse. It all depends.
Sovblocgunfan
Member
- Joined
- Jan 24, 2014
- Messages
- 1,483
For the OP a shrouded hammer should be an option to look at, like other members here suggest.
i frequently carry a Model 49, which is all steel and has a shrouded hammer. It has wooden boot grips on it so that they arent too long and dont get snagged on clothing. It’s heavier than other options but I really like carrying it. A favorite companion.
i frequently carry a Model 49, which is all steel and has a shrouded hammer. It has wooden boot grips on it so that they arent too long and dont get snagged on clothing. It’s heavier than other options but I really like carrying it. A favorite companion.
Armybrat
Member
I really like those grips!
I will admit that a 36/60 would be heavy for pocket carry , but I prefer IWB , so that does not factor in for me.
Pockets move around. A good broad leather belt is stable.
Sometimes I'll even go "New York Reload" - the 60 just inside the hip bone on one side , 36 on the other.
For reference , I go 5'10" , 165#.
Pockets move around. A good broad leather belt is stable.
Sometimes I'll even go "New York Reload" - the 60 just inside the hip bone on one side , 36 on the other.
For reference , I go 5'10" , 165#.
Grizzly2
Member
A steel 36 is heavy in a pants pocket (as was a Taurus steel 85 I had) but not too heavy in a coat pocket where it is the most useful when out and about. My CA Undercover at 16 ounces it not too heavy in a pants pocket at all and not too light to shoot well, though the 3" 36 we had years ago shot and handled very well for such a small gun - better iirr than the 3" 19 oz Bulldog I have now when you started to add some longer range to the target. I used the 3" 36 in a bowling pin match and was amazed just how well and fast it could take down 5 pins. At 19 oz plus 5 .44 specials, I wouldn't say the Bulldog is too heavy for pants pocket carry either. But with the 3" barrel you have to buy pants with deeper pockets than many come with today.
Risky buisness
Member
Just 5 minutes ago I took my 637 off my person and put it nearby on the hotel table. While not being able to find a 36 myself, I'm a little jealous, I didnt really settle for a snubby, it's a continuing saga, I carried a 2" M19 Smith for years and never found it lacking. As some have mentioned, their are some concessions that you must realize. While being very handy, these little guys REALLY require lots of rounds for someone to be proficient with them, so choosing the 36 is concious acknowledgement of that. Great pistol learn it well and hell yes carry it.
I figured out how to run a J double action.
Was different than what I was previously used to.
No big deal, just different.
It rode in the side pocket of carpenter jeans for a long while. Proly looked like a flip phone if staring down in. W bobbed hammer it slid right out. And it stayed in just fine.
Pretty slick.
Dunno if a shrouded one would do that. Mine was a no dash too.
As for pocket carry, like in a jacket. I had a jacket w an inside pocket that worked perfect for a P35.
Amazing how some clothes fit certain guns just right. Too bad the ones that do dont last LOL
Was different than what I was previously used to.
No big deal, just different.
It rode in the side pocket of carpenter jeans for a long while. Proly looked like a flip phone if staring down in. W bobbed hammer it slid right out. And it stayed in just fine.
Pretty slick.
Dunno if a shrouded one would do that. Mine was a no dash too.
As for pocket carry, like in a jacket. I had a jacket w an inside pocket that worked perfect for a P35.
Amazing how some clothes fit certain guns just right. Too bad the ones that do dont last LOL
Last edited:
scaatylobo
Member
The only thing that matters is if YOU feel well armed enough for "SELF DEFENSE" with 5 rounds.
Reloading is slow,and very unlikely to be a factor in saving your life with that gun ----- IF you need to reload.
I carry a snubby as a BUG,but have gone outside to snowblow with the BUG on.
And yes to ALWAYS a reload for ANY gun on your person,even the BUG.
btw ,I own at least 6 'J' frames and a Ruger SP101 and a Colt Detective special [ all snubbys ] as well as a 2 Charter bulldogs.
As opposed to what ?
vs not carrying, then 100% yes.
vs. another firearm, IMHO there are better ones to EDC.
but if you like it you should carry it. It's a fine looking gun. It would be hard to come up with a plausible scenario where 5 shots were too few but say 8 or 10 would have solved the problem. I myself carry a lot more in a semi auto but that's not the question you asked.
jimbo555
Member
One scenario is an attack by 3 persons and factoring in missing a few times and you're in trouble.
And thats kinda sorta why i went from revolver to 1911. And why with todays changes, went from 1911 to high cap
Never know how many badguys there might be.
You're still in trouble with 8 or 10 so like he said.
jimbo555
Member
We all make our choices. I'm more comfortable with 12+1.
C-grunt
Member
It's not hard to think up a situation where 5 shots isnt enough. Hell a methed out guy could soak up 5 shots and still be a very dangerous threat even though he is mortally wounded. Like was said before "5 shots is enough until it isnt".
That being said I carry a 5 shot J-frame a lot. It might be the CCW I carry the most actually. The other main carry gun is a Glock 26.
Just like everything else in life you have to take your situation and make a threat assessment. If Im just heading down to the local grocery store then Im likely carrying the J frame. If Im going to visit the old school Italian deli in my beat area that is in gang country, then Ill carry a my Glock 26 or maybe even the 17.
That being said I carry a 5 shot J-frame a lot. It might be the CCW I carry the most actually. The other main carry gun is a Glock 26.
Just like everything else in life you have to take your situation and make a threat assessment. If Im just heading down to the local grocery store then Im likely carrying the J frame. If Im going to visit the old school Italian deli in my beat area that is in gang country, then Ill carry a my Glock 26 or maybe even the 17.
Mr. Mosin
Member
- Joined
- Jun 26, 2019
- Messages
- 2,112
*sigh*
Y'all carry on walking down this beaten path, you'll eventually get to a fork in the road...
The right fork is "An M1 Abram's isn't enough to leave the house safely".
The left fork is "An M60 and squad of USMC riflemen isn't enough to leave the house safely".
So... which is it gonna be ?
Y'all carry on walking down this beaten path, you'll eventually get to a fork in the road...
The right fork is "An M1 Abram's isn't enough to leave the house safely".
The left fork is "An M60 and squad of USMC riflemen isn't enough to leave the house safely".
So... which is it gonna be ?
WestKentucky
Member
I used to carry a standard hammered J frame IWB. That hammer can eat holes in your belly if you carry appendix like I did. Nowhere else was comfortable, appendix was not bad when I was up and moving but if I had to sit for very long it began to hurt quickly.
Just because something can be taken to an extreme doesn't mean that is the only logical outcome. In other words, pointing out that 5 shots might be on the shallow end of the capacity pool (as Lance Thomas found in his first gunfight when he needed 3 shots to neutralize one of the two attackers, leaving him with only two available for the second) doesn't have to lead to some kind of a scenario involving military vehicles or a number of soldiers--or even a carry gun with a 17 round capacity. In Thomas' case, logically speaking, he could have reasonably concluded that even having just one more round on tap would have been a prudent addition although that's not the approach he chose.
Mr. Mosin
Member
- Joined
- Jun 26, 2019
- Messages
- 2,112
While I tend to agree, the vast majority of CCW'ers, who we all know don't train like the "experts" say they should; would be ill equipped against one threat... let alone two or three.
- Status
