Pocket Revolvers

I don't think it's reasonable to expect a revolver, even a J-frame or LCR to carry as easily or as comfortably as a semi-auto. The cylinder is always going to make the revolver thicker and harder to carry and more uncomfortable.

Now I believe that with a little effort anyone can find a way to carry a revolver comfortably and concealed but doing it will never be as easy as it would be with your Kel-Tec or an LCP or one of the other semi-auto small guns.

Someone I trust tells me he can literally forget he is carrying an LCP in his pocket while he goes about his everyday life.
 
I've always though we needed a smaller revolver as well...

BTW, my J frame is an Air Weight 6 shot 32 H&R magnum... & yep... it doesn't fit in my jeans front pocket, even after I switched to "relaxed fit"

there are the older guns like pictured above...

my favorite "small guns" are single action top break S&W's the 2 I have pictured here were chopped to snubbies long before I bought them... that just means I was able to buy them very reasonably, because they aren't correct for the S&W collectors...

this little 32 S&W, is how I bought it, sans the NOS 60's Gil Scotti laminate grips I added ( also added the nickel S&W medallions to those grips ) I handload 32 S&W, & have more tame range ammo, & a few "hotter" self defense loads that I try not to put too many through... without the trigger guard, & using the spur trigger, this gun is literally 1/2 the size over all, of a J frame



this little 38 S&W is also how it looked when I bought it, ( it appears to have been carried a lot, & not shot much, as it's really ugly, but in great mechanical condition ) I bought this one dirt cheap, it's bigger than it's little brother pictured above, but still quite a bit smaller than a J frame... I also reload for this cartridge... in fact, I used this gun the last time I re-newed my CCW... instructor was interested, since it was the 1st time someone had used an antique gun, to range qualify... I still was able to out shoot about 1/2 the class of newbies, with their compact 9's... I found a set of original mother of pearl S&W grips for this gun, with brass S&W medaliions, & right now, this gun is at the "spa", getting whats left of the original nickel stripped, & a master re-blue, gold plated trigger & hammer, & since these guns don't have the cartridge designation on them, in easy to read script, gold filled "38 S&W" engraved on the side cover... BTW, the grips pictured are not correct for the gun ( they are either I or J frame grips ) & seem much bigger than the MOP grips I have



I would love to see something modern like either of these guns, maybe in 32 ACP, & 380 ACP, just to keep them short & light...

If I'm happy with the work on the 38 pictured above, the 32 will go in for the same treatment, but with nickel plated hammer & trigger, & nickel filled "32 S&W" on it's side cover...
 
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-Dress around the gun.
- Comforting, not comforting- Jeff Cooper.
-Never discount IMO a NAA mini-revolver.

FWIW I CCW a K frame snub-nose currently, and have often, very often in the past decades.

Now being the heathen I am, I do not even have a holster for the darn thing.
Winter was easy, still being a born and raised Southern Boy, and knowing all too well about heat and humidity, it boils down to dressing around the gun, and to paraphrase Boyd: Mindset, skill-sets, then tool-sets, in that order.

-One can rationalize anything, Mentors said to rationalize the stuff that keeps one upright and breathing.
 
You can get a variety of holsters that specifically look like a fanny pack or leather phone case, etc. Why not just get one of those and carry the revolver you want?
 
A potential problem with a very small revolver in .32 Auto or .380 Auto would be the distance between the barrel/cylinder gap and the shooter's fingers. I have fired an Iver Johnson 5-shot top-break in .32 S&W which is roughly the same size as the type of revolver many would like to see. One issue I noticed was that, when using a two-handed hold, it was very easy to inadvertently get one's fingers close enough to the barrel/cylinder gap to feel the gasses that escape there.

Now, this wasn't too problematic in the old Iver Johnson because .32 S&W is such a low-pressure cartridge that all I experienced was something akin to a warm puff of air and a little bit of soot on my fingers. With a higher pressure cartridge, however, I could see burns or other injuries to the shooter's hands being likely if one was not very careful about how the revolver was grasped.
 
A potential problem with a very small revolver in .32 Auto or .380 Auto would be the distance between the barrel/cylinder gap and the shooter's fingers. I have fired an Iver Johnson 5-shot top-break in .32 S&W which is roughly the same size as the type of revolver many would like to see. One issue I noticed was that, when using a two-handed hold, it was very easy to inadvertently get one's fingers close enough to the barrel/cylinder gap to feel the gasses that escape there.
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(1) That type of revolver was never meant to be fired using a two-hand hold.

(2) Tolerances were never as tight as a comparable Colt or S&W .32, thus more gas escape.
 
I have to strongly disagree with anyone who thinks H& R are junk guns
H&R have been making good reliable handguns since day one.
My every day carry I tote a Iver Johnson safety automatic break action 5 shot revolver chambered for .38 S&W and I just now bought a second model in excellent condition that I will start carrying as soon as it gets home.
I Really like how they fit in my pocket.
the IJ in the .32 S&W has an even smaller frame than the .38 S&W
 
Cargo Pants. Nice size front pockets and I carry wallet in cargo pocket. Nice not to sit on it. Lower back is better.


Phil
 
340PD No Lock

I carry this 11.4 OZ 357 in a Mika holster everyday in the summer here in Texas in jean shorts, cargo shorts, Columbia shorts, and jeans. Please excuse the worn out looking grips. Craig Spegal is making me a new pair as we speak. At this point in my life, this is as small as I wish to go for SD.

DSCN1047.jpg

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Lee N. Field said:
They have a .380 revolver, said to be smaller than their run of the mill snub.
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Not smaller. Built on the same frame as the Model 94 in .22 LR, and several other Taurus models. The .380 holds only five shots and uses moon clips.
 
I've always favored a 5-shooter for a pocket gun; but I swapped into a LCP last year and it has completely ruined me for anything else.
 
Pocket gun

I carry Ivar Johnson and H&R topbreaks in .38 S&W every day. I also have an Ivar Johnson in .32 S&W and a H&R in .32 H&R either on of them in an IWB holster and no one will know you are packing it. The advantage goes to the .38 S&Ws as speed loaders are readily available as they are the same as .38 Special Airweight Loaders........even an aluminum .38 Airweight would be fine but for cost the 100 year old Ivar Johnsons and and H&Rs are not a pain in the wallet. THe most that I have payed for one is $150.
 
The Taurus .380 revolver is smaller, as the frame is shortened to fit the shorter .380 cartridge. The cylinder is still the same diameter, though.
 
I carry a J frame regularly - I find it fits in my front pocket of my cargo shorts as well as my Kahr but it does not leave that square shape that screams "gun!" when I walk or sit. The revolver has round shapes, just like a human body. Using a good pocket holster goes a long way
 
Carry a Bersa 380 or a J frame 38spcl comfortable in Dockers. Unfortunately the J frame is my wife's so I don't get to carry it that much.
 
It depends on the season and what you are wearing to what time of the day/night. I carry a S&W Airweight 38spl for most occasion and most clothing, but will switch to my SP101 357mag for colder and thicker clothing. With more snugged jeans, I occasionally bring my NAA mini 22mag ported with folded grip. Those who have shot the 22mag knows that they are quite capable. And if you wear baggy shorts/pants...then Taurus Judge 45lc/410 would still be considered a "pocket pistol" right? ;)

Neil
 
Bill DeShivs
The Taurus .380 revolver is smaller, as the frame is shortened to fit the shorter .380 cartridge. The cylinder is still the same diameter, though.
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Yup. They are pretty much the same frame size. Holsters for one will fit the other, even molded ones. The amount of length cut off is not enough to warrant the switch from 38spl to .380. I went with a Taurus 941 as a "sometime carry" piece. I figure 8 rounds of 22 Mag is comparable to 5 rounds of 38spl or .380.
 
I am carrying a Kel-Tec P3AT 380 with an Amalaser in a Desantis G6 pocket holster. It is like carrying an extra wallet.

But I would rather carry a revolver, if I could get one that small, light, and powerful.

Even though I am a Colt person, the best carry revolver I have is a smith 642-2 38sp.

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link below same as pic above.
 

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  • Colt New Service 45 Colt 43 oz 8in S&W 642-2 17.5 oz loaded 2 in 2-6-2014.jpg
    Colt New Service 45 Colt 43 oz 8in S&W 642-2 17.5 oz loaded 2 in 2-6-2014.jpg
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