Conceal Carry Detective special opinion

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Doug.38PR

Moderator
With the summer approaching it is going to be difficult to carry my Colt Police Special without wearing a coat. I'm going to wear a casual summer blazer more frequently and wear a hip or shoulder holster, but I can't do that all the time with 90-100% weather and humidity down here in Houston :eek: . I could carry under my tucked in shirt in my waist but it would be hard to get to the gun by unbuttoning one of my buttons to get it out of the shirt or untucking the shirt real quick in which case I could drop the gun easy. or if I have to run real fast suddenly the gun could fall down my pants leg into my boot or out into the ground :D I don't usually dress very casually even in the summer(that is I don't wear shorts or T shirts very often and I always tuck my shirt in) so it's hard to carry in my waste covering the gun with my shirt practically. So this leaves my pants pocket. I can fit the Official Police in my pants pocket, but it creates kind of a bulge and there is a possibility of the butt hanging out of the pocket when sitting down to eat in a restaurant :eek:
So, all this being the case, I'm considering getting a Colt Detective special. What I'm wanting is a second third or fourth opinion on the different types of Detective Specials. The second and third generation

http://www.collectorsfirearms.com/c1802.htm
Third Gen

http://www.collectorsfirearms.com/c1813.htm
Second Gen

What are some advantages or disadvantages of each. I noticed one has a shroud, one has a bulkier grip. Which one is better? or are they the same in action? Is one more durable than the other?

Thanks,

Doug
 
Your best option is the Third type with the heavy, shrouded barrel.
These are rated for +P ammo, and seem to shoot "better" due to the balance.

The later owner's manuals stated that the gun should be "returned to the factory for inspection after 2000 to 3000 rounds of +P ammunition, but NO +P+ ammunition should be fired in the "D" framed Colt's".

Depending on the version of the older, "skinny barrel" Colt's, they had full profile grip frames, or the same "stubby" grip frame as used on the later heavy barrel models.

The older full framed guns are nice, but modern grips to fit them are about impossible to find.

The Third model guns are easier to find grips for, since that's the grip Colt used after the late 1950's on all "D" framed guns.
The favorite is still the Pachmayr "Compac" grip.

Carry in a pants pocket may be difficult due to the Detective Special's hook-like hammer.
This can be either shortened and rounded, or simply de-spurred as was so popular for many Colt's.

Even today, it's TOUGH to beat the Detective Special as a carry gun.
From 1927 to the late 1970's it was the "Gold Standard" in concealed pistols.

I would recommend a good Third type heavy barreled model.
 
Try S&W Mod 649 2 1/2"

Doug, for conceal carry I use a variety of options. For casual, I use a fanny pack (and practice at your range using your fanny pack). For formal, I either wear a "Thunder Wear" holster, with my shirt tucked in the waist strap. My second option is an ankle holster ("Fobus" makes a great one). When doing the formal thing, I will carry my S&W Mod 649 Bodyguard. This fine backup gun is slim, and very concealable. There are even times I will use my "Uncle Mikes" universal strap on my belt and wear a windbreaker or untuck my shirt. I hope this helps, Bill
 
Carry in a pants pocket may be difficult due to the Detective Special's hook-like hammer.
This can be either shortened and rounded, or simply de-spurred as was so popular for many Colt's.

I think there are shrouds you can snap on top of the gun over the hammer to take care of this (unfortunatly this leaves you using DA only. The alternative is to pull it out of the pocket holster with your thumb on the hammer so it doesn't snag on the pocket.
 
Spur

The 649 has a shrouded spur to prevent snags, I love this. If you can, at least check it out. I spent lots of time and effort on the "best" backup gun (for me). Even better is the cost compared to my previous backup gun (Glock 26).
 
Try S&W Mod 649 2 1/2"

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Doug, for conceal carry I use a variety of options. For casual, I use a fanny pack (and practice at your range using your fanny pack). For formal, I either wear a "Thunder Wear" holster, with my shirt tucked in the waist strap. My second option is an ankle holster ("Fobus" makes a great one). When doing the formal thing, I will carry my S&W Mod 649 Bodyguard. This fine backup gun is slim, and very concealable. There are even times I will use my "Uncle Mikes" universal strap on my belt and wear a windbreaker or untuck my shirt. I hope this helps, Bill

Yes I thought about something like that or getting one of those "ladysmiths." A nice little piece but I prefer to have the 6th shot of a DS over a 5 shot SW. Of course if I got a "ladysmith" I'd have to sand off the word "ladysmith" wouldn't want people to think I was a "girly guy" from San Francisco :D

http://www.firearms.smith-wesson.com/store/index.php3?cat=293560&item=831443&sw_activeTab=1

Also I'd kind of like to be able (if I have a shroud over the hammer) to take the shroud off if I'd like. I like to have the option of single action.
 
Doug,
In the summer time, I mostly wear shorts/cutoffs, a T-shirt and tennis shoes or sandels. I carry a Glock M-19 in a Galco Butt Pack. Easy to draw from and the only butt pack on the market that's worth the money. Well made and worth the money. Sometimes I carry a J frame Smith in an inside the IWB holster. But then I have to wear my shirt out to cover the gun's grip. I live in Texas where it hot and sweaty in the summer.

Jungle Work
 
Doug,
In the summer time, I mostly wear shorts/cutoffs, a T-shirt and tennis shoes or sandels. I carry a Glock M-19 in a Galco Butt Pack. Easy to draw from and the only butt pack on the market that's worth the money. Well made and worth the money. Sometimes I carry a J frame Smith in an inside the IWB holster. But then I have to wear my shirt out to cover the gun's grip. I live in Texas where it hot and sweaty in the summer.

Jungle Work

I too live in Texas and am down on the Gulf Coast in Houston. The only time I wear T shirt, shorts and tennis shoes, even in the summer, is when I go to the beach (this is kind of a non issue, why would anyone carry a gun to the beach...of course a Glock would be the ideal gun to wear in your swim suit in salt water and wet sand :cool: ) or ride the Bayou Bike trails (fanny pack or the Galco Butt pack would be perfect for that.) But typically I don't dress that casual every day.
 
First off, WOW on those prices! I paid $97.80 for mine back in 1975. :D

I carried mine in various ways over 20 years but usually IWB with a shirt over it. If you do this make sure your pants are loose enough so you don't wreck your sciatic nerve like I did. :eek:
 
I have a third-gen Colt Agent with a factory hammer shroud for pocket carry. The Agent was an alloy-framed D-frame that always had the short gripframe; the third-gen has the shrouded ejector rod. They were later made with a parkerized finish (muy feo), but the one I have ('76) has a lovely blue.

I would advise a third-gen DS for carry, because of the short gripframe. For pocket carry, the lightweight Agent is hard to beat (but still not so difficult to find).

(Those prices would be low hereabouts for guns in that condition.)
 
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