Concealed carry weapon

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FreakGasolineFight

New member
Just wanted some opinions on this. I'm getting a gun intended primarily for concealed carry in the inside pocket of a leather jacket, and I'm stuck between two, very different options:

1: Ruger SP101 snubby. Bobbed hammer. A very aesthetically pleasing gun, and I've always wanted a revolver. No potential for misfire. Fires .357 and .38. However, also very low ammunition capacity, plus general feeling of being too small for the hand.

2: Glock 19. Pros are the greater magazine capacity and the fact that it's a damn glock. Negatives are the larger size and the fact that I already have an ugly, black semiauto (Hi-Point .45, and I don't want to hear anyone hating on it--it's accurate and I've yet to have a FTF or FTE with anything but hollowpoints).

How are either of these guns for carry? Opinions? Or other options?
 
FreakGasolineFight

Concealed carry weapon
Just wanted some opinions on this. I'm getting a gun intended primarily for concealed carry in the inside pocket of a leather jacket, and I'm stuck between two, very different options:

1: Ruger SP101 snubby. Bobbed hammer. A very aesthetically pleasing gun, and I've always wanted a revolver. No potential for misfire. Fires .357 and .38. However, also very low ammunition capacity, plus general feeling of being too small for the hand.

2: Glock 19. Pros are the greater magazine capacity and the fact that it's a damn glock. Negatives are the larger size and the fact that I already have an ugly, black semiauto.

How are either of these guns for carry? Opinions? Or other options?
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A misfire is the failure of a cartridge to fire. All handguns have some potential for misfires; as some causes are not related to the mechanics of the gun but to faulty ammunition. Perhaps you meant that the SP101 has a lower chance for malfunctions compared to a Glock?

You have to determine what level of reliability you are willing to accept in a carry gun.
Ammo capacity may be balanced by how comfortable you are carrying the gun, if you find excuses to leave it at home Murphy's Law might bite you that one time . . . .
But what might be the deciding factor is how well you shoot either gun. After all most agree that bullet placement is the primary determinant of incapacitating a human threat.
 
In the scenario you describe, carrying a Glock in such a manner will get you a hole in a leather jacket, . . . and anyone or anything else that happens to be in the line of sight with that weapon system.

Glocks have no, . . . repeat, . . . no safety except the stupid "trigger" safety that is disengaged whenever anyone or anything pulls the trigger. An ink pen, paper clip, folded check stub, cigar butt, . . . ANYTHING else that ever gets into that pocket can stab the trigger, . . . and you, . . . if you are lucky, . . . will only wind up with a "smoking" jacket, . . . pun intended.

If you buy the Glock, . . . put it in a holster that covers the trigger guard completely.

Otherwise, . . . buy the revolver. And by the way, . . . your thought about no potential for misfire on a revolver, . . . think again. Misfires happen all the way from rim fire .17's all the way up to USS Iowa class 16 inch guns. Being a revolver just makes one misfire either 16% or 20% of your ammo load being faulty.

May God bless,
Dwight
 
Being a revolver just makes one misfire either 16% or 20% of your ammo load being faulty.
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True Dwight, but then again... all he has to do is pull the trigger again with the revolver. I'm not big on revolvers my self, but that may be what his intentions are.

Outside of that..... Get a SIG!
 
Dwight55 hit the nail on the head. Pocket carrying a Glock without a holster is just a matter of time before you shoot yourself.

I don't know what your experience level is with handguns but for me, I always said I would not own a Glock until I felt that I was comfortable and competent with all other guns. I have been around guns since I was 10 years old which was more than a couple of decades ago (ouch.) I bought my first Glock about 10 years ago and then bought a second one shortly thereafter. My second Glock purchase was the G36, a baby Glock chambered in .45. I use it as my BUG and I never, repeat, never carry it without a holster or holstering device.

Soooo, my advice to you, if you are a novice, is to stay away from the Glock until you gain more experience. A good double action revolver will provide the CCW defense you are seeking yet give you the peace of mind knowing you will not as easily be patching up a self inflicted gunshot wound as with a Glock.

Whatever decision you reach, good luck. Happy shooting.
 
FGF, 9/23/09

I have both of the pistols you are interested in, the Ruger SP-101 with 2" barrel and a Glock 19. Both are excellent weapons although both are pretty large for pocket carry, and in the case of the SP-101 somewhat heavy. I have had better luck carrying them in an IWB holster off the right hip. The Glock is light enough that you forget it is there. As other posters have mentioned it is best to have some kind of holster that covers the triggerguard, especially with the Glock and its much lighter trigger pull (approximately 5.5 pounds vs. double that for the Ruger). Good luck with your search.

best wishes- oldandslow
 
Thanks for all the advice, guys, really appreciate it. My first post was sloppy; by misfire I meant failure to feed, or a jam, both of which obviously can't happen in a revolver.

Second comment, I've researched and looked at both these guns, and I know that the Glock doesn't have a safety. Whichever gun I buy, I was intending to buy a small leather holster of some kind that could be maneuvered inside the jacket pocket. It's a big inside pocket (maybe eight inches deep and about six wide) so there's plenty of room as long as I could find a pretty flat holster. Neither gun has a safety, and I wasn't intending to just shove either in a jacket pocket and go. But the jacket is really the only way I want to conceal the gun (don't like the idea of ramming it in my pants/ pants pocket like some people do) so I'm managing with that.

Still up in the air about which one is better. Any other good options in that general price range (say, max $600?)
 
Random second comment @ 45gunner: Not sure why you're recommending not to get the Glock. It's well-known to be the best semiauto in it's price range, and it's hardly difficult to operate or take down. I've shot Glocks before and liked them, it's more the size of the 19 as opposed to the SP101 that's turning me off of it.
 
FreakGasolineFight

Random second comment @ 45gunner: Not sure why you're recommending not to get the Glock. It's well-known to be the best semiauto in it's price range, and it's hardly difficult to operate or take down. I've shot Glocks before and liked them, it's more the size of the 19 as opposed to the SP101 that's turning me off of it.
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Since you like Glocks, have you considered a Glock 26? It is a 9mm too and weighs about 4 oz less than the Glock 19 as well as having smaller dimensions.
 
You going to wear leather jacket year around Look at other carry methods First yours would be really slow on the draw and it likely make jacket not hang right on body weight of pistols I have tried packing in my bike jacket and Kel Tec works others don't so I went to shoulder then back to IWB when riding
 
S&W 649 .357mag stopping power and all SS a tad heavier than the alloy's but not bad - so it absorbs more recoil than the alloy's. 9mm is just not going to cut it - if you want 9mm then go with .357sig

I saw a you tube video where two LEO's shot a guy with G22's .40S&W and it took about +11 rounds to put this dude down, all rounds were fired within 6 feet and into the torso -
 
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It isn't a wise idea to carry a firearm in a jacket pocket. Been there done that. I had a J frame hit the concert after falling out of my MA 1 fight jacket many years ago. It was later at night and no one saw it happen. That had to be one to the most embrassing moments in my life.
 
A Glock or SP101 will print by virtue of its weight. It will pull down one side of your jacket and make a tell-tale bulge/hang-print either the shape of the gun or the shape of the holster.

If you want to carry in an inner jacket pocket, you need to go lighter.

I don't own any of the following weapons, but I'd suggest researching:
-Kahr PM9
-Keltec P3AT, P9 or P11
-Walther PPS

For wheelguns, you might look at any of the Smith and Wesson airweights. I have a 642 that I might consider carrying in an inner jacket pocket. It's light enough. I have an SP101 and it WILL create a very visible weight-dent in your clothing.
 
inside the pants carry will not work with either of those 2 handguns.

Get a decent holster, IWB for more concealment, and keep in the pocket carry for the micro compacts.

From your 2 choices, go for the Glock 19. Sell the POS pot metal hi-point .45 as it is not suitable for self defense or any serious work. The money you get from selling the hi pointe will allow you to get a good working handgun, that being the Glock 19. Also check out used law enforcement trade ins for good values in quality handguns.

I've personally purchased a Sig P226 for $350 used. It was a local police handgun, and its an older West German made gun, with night sights. Heck of a deal, and there are other deals out there, you just have to look for them, be patient, and be ready to pounce on them as soon as they come along.
 
I don't own any of the following weapons, but I'd suggest researching:
-Kahr PM9
-Keltec P3AT, P9 or P11
-Walther PPS
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I know I'm starting to get picky here, but I have issues with all of these guns. The Kahr is way too small for my hand (yes, I already looked at one). I've been unimpressed by Kel-Tec (no offense, I hope) and the PPS is too expensive, though it is a lovely gun and I wish I had piles of money sitting around so I could buy one.

I have yet to see a Glock 26, my Glock experiences (actual range time) are entirely with the Glock 17, but the specs look good for it. I'll have to call the two gun shops in my area to see if they have one lying around that I can look at.
 
Sell the POS pot metal hi-point .45 as it is not suitable for self defense or any serious work.
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I am profoundly uninterested in your Hi-Point bashing. Chances are you probably have not ever fired or owned one. Yes, they are rattly, blocky, straight-out butt-ugly guns. But anyone who knows their stuff also knows that they are reliable and dependable, and an amazing value for the money. Hi-Point also offers what is essentially the best warranty in the business.

My particular Hi-Point is very accurate (especially for a .45) and utterly reliable with any kind of ammunition other than the 'Value Box' Remington hollowpoints that Wally World sells (two FTF out of 100 rounds.) Other than that the gun has never jammed or had any other problem. It fires every time the trigger is pulled.

Do some research, or go buy one yourself. At $200 you have nothing to lose. I think you'll find yourself pleasantly surprised. ;)
 
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