need advice, looking for a snub nose revolver for ccw.

C

cajun47

New member
i been carrying a glock 19 for many years. its getting heavy and i find myself not carrying because of that. instead i sometimes carry my north american .22mag and i know its not a good choice.

so does a snub nose feel a lot lighter? im guessing its much easier to ccw for sure. I WANT A POCKET CARRY REVOLVER. with a romera(?) pocket holster.

please don't suggest a small pocket semi auto. i tried them and i don't trust them. period. im getting a snub nose revolver. question is which one?

im thinking of ruger lcr and of course s&w. im not rich so im looking for the best value at the $400 range.

as far as lcr goes i see the .357 mag versions are only $20 more than the .38spl versions. is there any reason not to buy the .357 mag version and have the option of both types of ammo?

one thing i learned about carrying my north american revolver is that lint would get inside the handle and actually stop the gun from working! i want the snub nose that won't do this!
 
I have a S&W 642 that carries easily in the front pocket (of most of my pants.) If I were buying today, I'd look real hard at the LCR only because they make it in .22. Having a .22 version of your actual carry gun would allow lots of inexpensive practice.
 
I'm no real expert but I settled on the Ruger LCR after trying out S&W, Taurus, and the LCR. I liked the trigger pull, it was smoother. Nice and even from start to finish. You also can't go wrong with the S&W J Frame either.
 
i have 2 s&w 38 j frames, a taurus mod 605 in 357 mag and a rossi snub in 357 mag. all are good guns, reliable and accurate enough for close work. here are some things you should consider.
1. be comfortable with the caliber you choose, not just shooting but power and kick as well.
2. you can choose a single caliber gun like a 38 or you can get a 357 and be able to also shoot 38's which can be an advantage.
3. there are 5 shot and 6 shot revolvers and some that hold even more. larger capacitys tend to be larger and heavier. will you trade concealability for firepower?
4. there are larger calibers but they have larger frames even for snubbies.
5. lastly, for concealed carry i would look for a gun with a bobbed hammer or a frame that covers the hammer to reduce the chance of snagging on clothing when you draw. btw none of my guns have that feature but my next one will. oh, lastly the smaller the gun or the bigger the caliber the harder the kick. a good rubber grip is better than a pretty wooden one and helps tame the recoil on any gun. hope this helps :)
 
S&W 642 can be had around here new for under $400.

LCR would do fine to.

Even Taurus 85's are fine (and about $100 less than a S&W.)

Or the good old Ruger SP101. Tad heavy but awful strong!

Deaf
 
I picked up the LCR357 about a month ago. They advertise it as having the best DA trigger made and I believe them. It's a fantastic shooter, handles recoil surprisingly well.
 
I'm a fan of Smith. In their Pro line, their triggers are better than the Ruger triggers, in my opinion. Check em all out. Personally, I also like the greater availability of parts for the Smith. Ditto for the holsters. That being said, if you have the extra money for .357, get it. I doubt you'll shoot many of them, but your recoil tolerance may be much better than mine.
 
My mom and brother both have LCRs. I will probably get one too. Solid, reliable snubbies, the trigger feels absolutely fantastic, and the grips handle recoil better than the Smiths in my opinion.
 
Sold my Smith 638, and am regretting it.

Any of the Smith Airweights with concealed hammers are fine: 438, 442, 642, 638...

I will get a dark one next time, I find it's less visible in my pocket if someone is standing at a bad angle behind me at the Circle K.....

Weight is absolutely no problem. Bulk is--my pants with smaller front pockets, I get a bit self-conscious that I may be showing. You can kind of "spin" the gun down in the pocket to help with this, but you definitely have to pay more attention to showing than you do with an LCP.

With the right holster and deep pockets I don't think any normal folks will make you.

Practice is tough, the recoil hits pretty hard (the Ruger LCR feels like it recoils less, but it is bulkier). So practice sessions are shorter. But the Airweights are very accurate, and you can get used to the recoil enough so it won't bother you if you have to use it for real. And after awhile, you won't need much practice to hit your target if it's within 7 yards.

I sold my 638 because I thought I was going with one of the Kahrs for sure. Even though my CM9 is actually OK in reliability, I find myself doubting that it would function reliably under all circumstances. A BIG advantage to the snubby revolver....

If pocket lint is a particular fear, get the Centennial-style Smiths, the 442 or 642. Although I never noticed any problem with my 638. Surprised it would bother your NAA.
 
Iffy idea. The clips can get bent, and then your revolver doesn't work. I see complaints of the Taurus clips being flimsy.

I have thought of these, but never bought one. I know someone who sold his Smith .45 AcP revolver primarily because he hated dealing with the moon clips.

They can be a pain to load and unload too, although Dillon sells a "demooner" that might help.

Hey wait: check out the Taurus 905 thread on this forum, people are speaking positively of the moon clip experience and making suggestions on how they deal with the issues...
 
The 442 Pro # 178041 is cut for Moon Clips, and should be interesting to play with. I will still work with individual rounds, speed strips, or speedloaders.
It is about $20 higher than a standard 442. Bud's lists having them in stock.

You will probably want to stay with Remington ammo or brass if you reload. The undercut at the rim is not uniform on 38 cases. Starline & Winchester are not suitable for moon clips, as the under cut is too small. Other brands may work, you will just need to check the fit.

Bob
 
Personally I would go with a Taurus 617 it is a 7 shot .357 and it is in the price range you mentioned.It is a good gun for a great price. If you went for a S&W 7 shot it would cost you couple to a few hundred more. And as far as carrying it IWB appendix works great and is very comfortable even while sitting. Right now it is my EDC . And to me is a pleasure to shoot even with full .357 loads.
 
Not much for me to add.

You'll find that it's mostly a matter of preference, since most major makers are making good quality snubs these days. There are differences in quality, but you'd have to do a LOT of shooting to ever see it, most likely.

I've been carrying a J-frame Smith for the last 10 years. I also carried a Glock 23 for a while, but found I still liked carrying the J-frame better. Finally sold the 23 and went back to the J-frame.

Easy to carry, easy to conceal, and fairly easy to shoot well once you're used to shooting it.

Daryl
 
I have a Model 36 Smith, it's only a five shot .38 (made in 1970, no +P or .357 loads for me) but it fits quite well in the front pocket. I also have a DeSantis Cozy Partner holster for 4 o'clock carry, but I prefer carrying it in the front pocket. I have no issues with recoil even though the grip is kind of small for my gorilla mitts. That reminds me, I need to spend some range time with it, just because.....
 
I switch off between a Colt Detctive Special, which has 6 rounds,a model 66 S&W which has 6 rounds, or my model 637 or model 60 Smiths which are 5 round revolvers. They all do the job well.
 
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