Anyone CCW a Revolver?

[Concerned Citizen]

Went shooting with my friend today who, because he lives in a free state West of the Hudson River, has a CCW permit. His carry gun is a S&W J frame with exposed hammer, my future carry gun is a Glock 27 Gen 4.

Shooting that J frame, with +P ammo is not easy. He never goes to the range to shoot and he was throwing 6 inch groups at 5 yards with his carry ammo at first. I brought some standard pressure 158 grain LRN and after some more practice, with ample time taken to aim between each shot, he was getting 2 inches at 10 yards.

I was getting 3 inch groups at 18 yards with my Glock 27 with fairly rapid shots.

Well, someone who never goes to the range and shoots really isn't a good case against the overall worth of the snubnose revolver. Yes, they are more difficult to master then a comparably sized semi-auto and it takes practice but it can be done if one is willing.

Even though modern day J-Frames are rated for +P ammo, I don't shoot or carry those in the Airweight models, only in the full steel frames as they do effect my follow up shot potential, but that's just me. Standard pressure in aluminum frames is OK if you choose the right load and are still a better bet then .380acp and more reliable.

I also doubt that most people who never go to the range and practice would be able to navigate the manual of arms with a semi-auto if they ever were to have a malfunction in a self defense scenario so you've got to ask yourself what's worse: someone who gets 6 inch groups at 5 yards with a snubbie or someone who can't rack a slide or remember to flip their safety off or correct a FTF or FTE under stress because they never practice or shoot their gun? Case in point: Know how your firearm works and practice with it, whatever platform it may be. How well a person shoots greatly depends on their training and on the gun itself.

My point is that small snub revolvers with little grips are very hard to aim and me, not being one who shoots them often, have come to the conclusion that they are not for me as carry guns. For the size, you can get a .380 that's much smaller or a 9mm that's roughly the same size.

A J-Frame is not that big. I manage to pocket carry my Airweight all the time and have never been called out for it yet. Yes, a pocket .380 is certainly smaller and that is a real advantage but size isn't the only thing to consider. How about reliability and stopping power? The .380acp and the small pocket pistols they are chambered for are notoriously lax in these aspects.

I have not tried out a so-called pocket sized 9mm yet that I felt was a true pocket pistol. Some were roughly the equivalent size of a J-Frame but due to their blocky shape did not pocket carry well for me and they felt heavier when fully loaded. They were not exactly pleasant to shoot either. 9mm is no slouch and in one of these guns feels more like the equivalent of a .38special +P in an aluminum J-Frame in terms of recoil. The only true semi-auto pocket pistol for me would be chambered in .380acp or less.