My two carry guns...which would you chose?

M

MonsterB

New member
So heres what I have for a serious carry gun(bad neighborhood kinda thing, like where that FlyingPolack member lives:D)...
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First pic is my g23RTF2, holds 13+1 rounds of 40..
Second is my new gun, the amazing Smith and Wesson 686 357 magnum snubby...7 shot pre lock, yes I am a lucky man....
I have been a Glock fanatic for a while now, but my new revolver has me rethinking what I want to carry...I have shot my g23 about 1100 rounds, and feel very confident with it, I can shoot it well and feel its close to 100 reliable..its what I considdered my carry gun up until recently...., I now have the 686, and am so amazed with it, I may start carrying it instead of the Glock..
My reasons for this are that when loaded(ok only 7 rounds in the 686 versus 14 in the Glock), they are not that much different in weight...I have found so far that the 686, while heavier, is more comfortable to carry around and doesnt look like I have a phonebook under my shirt..I went to the range last week and shot the 686 as accurate as I have ever shot my Glock, if not better...at least while doing slower paced target shooting...I shot it double action, but found that I am not as fast with follow up shots as with my g23...Im sure this could improve with some practice..
My biggest dilema is with capacity, Im basically carrying 1/2 of the rounds in my 686 as with the g23...but then again 7 rounds plus a speed loader full of high power 357 magnums is nothing to sneeze at..
Do any of you have similar guns, and have gone through this kind of thing? What did you chose? I realize there are alot more things to considder in a carry weapon that I didnt mention, such as the benefit of a heavy double action trigger on a selfdefense gun, and the fact it cant be pushed out of battery by the bad guys gut, etc...I have just been a semi auto Glock guy for so long that I am having a hard time understanding why my instincts are pulling me torwards a gun that holds less bullets and is heavier and more expensive, to buy and shoot...:confused:
 
I'm with you - I have a Glock 21SF .45 and a Glock 33 .357SIG and I find myself carrying my Smith 327 8 shots of .357 more and more. Good problem to have!

SDF880
 
I would go with the Glock 23 just because that is what I own & what is comfortable to me. It boils down to what you are more comfortable & more accurate with...of your two choices.
 
I went the opposite direction.

I started carrying a 5-shot Ruger SP101.

Then moved to a 1911.

Then moved to a doublestack wundernine, which is my current carry.

That followup shot? It might not be on the first target. It could be on the second. Or third. The first hit per target is the most important.

On that same logic, I actually backed off on my SP101 on the rare occasions I still carry it (it has the smallest grip profile of any IWB rig I own by a long shot), and now stoke it with .38's instead of .357's.
 
It's understandable to want to carry a new gun, and there's nothing wrong with it. If that's what's comfortable, and you're confidant with it, then I wouldn't be afraid to carry it at all.

I carry a Glock 23 RTF2 like your's. I bought it a couple of months back, after carrying a revolver exclusively for about 8 years.

The revolver, for me, is far easier to conceal. I still sometimes carry it when I conceal, just for that reason. When I conceal the Glock, I need a cover garment of some kind; usually a leather vest, which isn't uncommon for folks to wear where I live (20 miles SW of Tombstone, Az).

No one else can tell you what best fits your needs. Carry what works for you.

In the end, I'm guessing that you'll end up carring each of them, depending on your clothing, preference, and needs for the day.

Daryl
 
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Wheel guns vs semi auto pistols...

For general CC or protection use outside the home/property, I'd pick the Glock .40 over the S&W .357magnum revolver.
For many years, I considered the revolver calibers like .357magnum, .44spl, .41magnum, .45LC, .44magnum better than a 9mm/.45/10mm/.40 etc but as time went by and new improvements in both ammunition and firearm design took place the semi-auto has firmly took the lead over the DA/DA only revolver.
The pistol is faster to reload, weighs less, holds 2-3 times as many rounds as a revolver of a similar caliber(for example; 9x19mm and .38spl).
The .357magnum has a great record of use by armed citizens & sworn LE officers for many years but in 2010 there are far better reasons to carry a mid-large caliber semi auto like the .40S&W, .357sig or .45acp.
 
Thanks for the replies, great suggestions you guys....Daryl, I think you're right, both are excellent guns, and I will probably carry each of them at different times
 
Whatever one you shoot best should work as either would more than do the job.

Neither are easy to conceal but as long as you dress around them, it won't be much of an issue.
 
They will both do the job. I'm a hardcore revolver guy so the choice would be easy for me. Go with whatever is easier to conceal and is lighter to carry. You may eventually decide to buy a smaller gun specifically for concealed carry.
 
Personally, my Glock is my "Comfort Gun". I carry it day in and day out. It is always with me and I'm more than accurate with it. But sometimes you need a special weapon for special circumstances. If I'm going cross country, I carry my Glock, but there is a Smith revolver in the Glove box. If I'm going into the woods for hiking etc... then a good penetrating revolver with hot loads is what I'm after.

I don't have to tell you that either of your carry weapons is more than sufficient, but I'd tend to carry the slimmer and higher capacity Glock day-to-day and save the 686 for "Special Purpose".

~LT

PS... I love the feel of the RTF on the Glocks, but they chew up cover garments like nothing else.
 
yes, both are good weapons that would serve well

in a SD scenario. Personally, I've sort of split the difference between the two in carrying a Glock 27 lately. Smaller than the 23, yet still with 9+1 ammo capacity. Lighter and easier to conceal (though truthfully, not by all that much) than either the revolver or the model 23. I still have several others in the carry rotation, and do take the snubby out for a walk now and then, but more often than not, it's the 27 that sits on my belt these days.
 
Why not just pick whichever one you want that morning? They are both good options. I would favor the G23 because it has more rounds and I can't reload a revolver under stress as fast as I can with a Glock. Be thankful that your choices are not between a Jennings and a HiPoint C9. Each morning you could be thinking this..."Should I pick the one that might not work or the one that Frankenstein made?" If you were in England, you could pick between a deactivated Glock or a rubber band gun. Glad we live were we do!
 
Why not just pick whichever one you want that morning?
Click to expand...

good idea...I guess Im lucky to have options....I also have a LCP for when I cant hide one of the others...:D

Off to work to make more money for more amo, yee ha!
 
Provided that you can handle the slide on the semiautomatic and the trigger on the DA revolver doesn't bother you/cause you to shoot badly, I think it's probably six of one, half dozen of the other. Those are both good guns.

I carry an S&W M60-10 .357 with a 3" barrel myself. I've apparently got a fair amount of strength in the fingers (at least, never had trouble with the trigger on this gun), and the first semiautomatic I tried had the stiffest slide I've *ever* seen. (It was a Springfield XD-M, an excellent gun for people with bigger hands than mine, but if new the slides are really stiff.) I've since learned that most semiautomatics are a whole lot easier to rack, and would have no hesitation carrying one that I was comfortable shooting. (I love shooting my husband's Springfield 1911 "Loaded"; only reason I wouldn't try to carry it concealed is that it's too big for me to conceal without an overcoat or burqa.) ;)
 
As both are excellent weapons, either should work well, but I'm a die-hard .357 Magnum kinda guy so my choice would be carry the Smith, unless you are much better with the glock.
 
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