Big Bill wrote:
Is handgun carry weight an issue for you?
For me, it's critically important.
Here are some addtional comments that I've posted previously:
1) I've found weight to be extremely important in "carry-ability", and optimal "conceal-ability". I've got a S&W 360 (scandium/titanium .357 snubby) that weighs 11 Oz empty and 14 Oz fully loaded, and I wouldn't want it to be ANY heavier.
Re: the extremely heavy recoil of shooting a very powerful cartridge in a very light gun:
2) I'm willing to shoot up my carry rounds (5 rounds) at the beginning of each practice session, but I certainly wouldn't want to shoot a whole box of them. I spend the rest of the practice session with .38 non-plus-P (American Eagle 130 gr). They seem very mild, especially after starting with the 158 gr .357's (Federal JHP Classic "Hi-Shoks" (NOT Premium "Hydra-Shoks"!)).
3) Shooting the 158 gr .357's is a little like catching a baseball in a glove with no padding, on a very cold day...not very pleasant, but not a show-stopper either. After shooting 5 or 10 158 gr .357's, I usually have some brusing the next day between my thumb and index finger, but it's gone in a few days. I probably wouldn't want to shoot ANY .357's several days in a row, if I could avoid it.
4) Being able to hold on to the gun turned out not to be an issue. I generally try to use a VERY relaxed 2-hand grip, with my elbows bent. I've never had any problems hanging on to the gun, or having my hands hit me in the face, because of the recoil. Almost all of the recoil seems to get soaked up by the inertia of my hands and arms. I think a more rigid grip, and straight arms, would jolt the rest of my body much more, and would be much more uncomfortable. I've also shot my gun several times one-handed, with both strong and weak hand...again, no major problems, but not pleasant either.
5) I previously had a S&W337.38+P titanium snubby with wood grips. I have found the rubber Hogue grips on the S&W360 to be MUCH better (although they're not as pretty, of course).
6) Suppose a really big, strong, mean bad-guy was rapidly closing on you from a few yards away, with an obvious desire to do you great harm. Suppose you've got him in your handgun's sights. Suppose time were frozen at that instant, and someone asked you, "How powerful a cartridge would you like me to load in your handgun?". I think just about everyone would answer "Give me the most powerful cartridge that won't quite blow up my gun".
7) I'm willing to violate the conventional advice to practice with what you carry...for me, the advantage of easy carry combined with a very potent round is worth it. I shoot enough .357's to know that they hit about 2 inches higher than the American Eagle .38's at 10 yards.
8) What other gun is so light that you almost forget you're carrying it, and yet will penetrate 9" of wet newspaper, and expand to 0.6 inches? That's worth all the disadvantages to me. The S&W360, and its variants, are engineering marvels.
Mike Fontenot
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Not an issue