Acceptable revolver for pocket carry?

IMhO the little S&W's are the 'gold' standard of small revolvers but I fired a $500 LCR and thought it was a very serviceable gun.

Remember when you are trying them out that you do NOT have to run 158 grain .357 magnum loads in the guns. I got to try those loads in the LCR and I just won't do it again unless I'm forced to. The 125 grain offerings are MUCH easier on the hands and I've seen some 110 grain .357 magnum loads too. Plus you can use .38 Specials in a small .357 magnum to tame it even further.

In short be aware of all the loading possibilities you have when you're testing the guns before you rule one out as being too hard on your hands.
 
My little Rossi 85 is a brick compared to the S&W 637 Gunsmoke Wyatt Deep Cover Clip Grip 38.
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I would strongly suggest holding out for an alloy frame. Don't be put off by the name Ladysmith either.

It seems to me that the S&W 642 is the most often mentioned.
 
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I really, really want to like the Bodyguard 38, but I can't see much advantage to it. I don't know maybe there's a marketing/customer understanding problem? Anyway, I see little or no advantage to the BG 38.

According to S&W the Bodyguard 38 is 0.64 ounces lighter than a 15 ounce Airweight. That's not really a relevant weight reduction. Why are these plastic revolvers so heavy anyway?

Integrated laser? Crimson trace units and other grip mounted lasers are easy to install on any J-frame and I have a wide selection. The laser on this revolver looks harder to activate than aftermarket units, too. No advantage there.

Ambidextrous cylinder release? No advantage to me, in fact, a mild negative. I'm right handed and would prefer a right handed cylinder release, it's also what all of my other revolvers have.

Give me a plastic j-frame with real weight reduction, say 12-13 ounces or less and MSRP in the $500 range and I'll probably buy. At the very least, you could update the sights from a tradition j-frame. Otherwise, there are more parts, accessories and customization for a traditional airweight revolver...they're also cheaper.

I've really been hoping that S&W will revamp the Bodyguard 38 soon, just like they did when the Bodyguard 380 became the M&P Bodyguard.
 
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some have already said this, the issue with pocket carry is more dependent on your pocket than the gun. pants that fit you will not be that good for pocket carry. you will need baggy pants that do not show your body shape.
 
This is the pair that my wife and I carry 90% of the time and mostly in pocket holsters. She's had the 650 (bottom) for about 10 years, DAO but the trigger is as sweet as any I've pulled. I lucked into the 651 about 6 months ago after looking for a long time. DA trigger isn't near as nice as the 650 but the SA ranks right up there with my target guns. And both are way more accurate than a snubby has any right to be.
 
Shrouded hammer?

Thanks again for all the tips, everyone. These are great suggestions!

OkieCruffler:
Those look awesome. I have gone back and forth on the shrouded hammer. I've heard all the arguments against it but I do really like the option to shoot SA if needed. How has that worked out for you? I've never had one. Is the hammer easy to use for SA? Thanks for sharing the pic!
 
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The hammer starts to cut into my thumb pretty good after 10 rds or so but that wouldn't matter much in a serious situation. Before I found the 651 I carried a 650 like my wife's only blued. I can't tell that there is any difference in drawing from the pocket. I've never had it hang up and I practice a lot. And the SA pull allows me to make shots at 25yrds that would be impossible with the DA pull.
 
If you are looking at the LCR's, I would check out the boot grip for them. Great guns but the standard Hogue grips are big in my pockets. If this gun is for self defense, I highly recommend hammerless or shrouded hammers. I have a exposed hammer S&W 36 that gets caught easily in several places when drawing. I like and use Desantis Nemisis pocket holsters.
 
for some reason I wont buy a revolver unless its a S&W.. I have 2 that work nice for a small carry, one is a 351pd, 22mag, super light and small, mine has a hammer but they have them hammerless also... The other is a 327 2" 8 shot also with a hammer http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.aspx?Item=453244026 , I bought both guns on a whim out of the window so no real planning and I never had the need to carry a revolver so I never did but they would do the job, if I had to pick on that I would want for carry specific it would be a 340pd crimson trace loaded with Underwood Ammos 125gr XTP JHP...
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S&W 642 in a Mika pocket holster for over a dozen years. While there may be other good choices, there are none better.
 
For pocket carry (especially in fairly loose-fitting pants whose pocket is free to move back and forth a bit), I think it's very important to minimize weight, to minimize "pendulum effect". I started my pocket-carrying with a Charter Arms .38 snubby (all steel, probably around 15oz empty), and got a fairly noticeable "pendulum effect" when I was walking. I replaced that gun with one of the ultra-light 11oz S&W scandium/titanium snubbies, and it had greatly reduced "pendulum effect" ... carried MUCH nicer ... not as nice to shoot, though, as a heavier gun, of course.

My pocket snubby eventually became my BUG, and my primary (until recently) was a 10mm Kimber Eclipse 1911 (full-size, all-steel) at 38oz empty. Lately, primary has been a S&W69 5-shot 4-1/4" L-Frame .44mag, at 37oz. The much greater weight of these two alternative primaries works OK, but ONLY because I carry them in homemade under-the-shirt vertical shoulder holsters, which don't do any swaying, and which spread the weight across a broad area of my shoulders and upper-back ... that allows me to carry full-time, from pajamas-off until pajamas-on, every day.
 
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The LCR is great in a pocket holster. The classic .38 +p version has a slightly smaller frame than the .357 version and is a lot friendlier to shoot.
 
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