Revolver recommendation for CCW

I carry a Taurus 617 .357 it is 7shots I carry mine everyday.
Taurus020.jpg
 
For Pocket Carry you will want an Airweight, like the S&W 442/642, 438/638, 637 or the black version, or the Ruger LCR 38 or LCR 357.

When you add wanting a 357 the list gets a lot smaller without spending a great deal of money. The Smith & Wesson Airweight 357's are very expensive. The LCR 357 will probably come in at $150 or so cheaper after you install a Night Sight. The LCR 357 also comes with a Hogue Tamer Grip. It adds a little to the bulk, but makes it a lot more pleasant to shoot. Another advantage to the Ruger LCR's is that the front sight is a pin on unit. You can order an XS 24/7 Tritium Night Sight, and install it yourself. Then the trigger is normally pretty fair on an LCR, another good point.
The last good point about an LCR I can think of at the moment is the LCR 22. I have both an LCR 22 as well as an LCR 357. The LCR 22 is a great Practice/Training gun as a companion piece. Not bad for plinking or a Trail Gun either.

If you belt carry in a good holster like a Lobo Enhanced Pancake you can open up the field a little more. The heavier SP101 Rugers, Steel J Frame S&W's, as well as 2" K Frame S&W snubs then become a very good option. They are also a little easier to shoot well.

I am retired and conceal carry mostly in a rural area. I tend to carry a little larger handguns myself most of the time. If belt carrying in my world on a budget. I would take a look at a 2" S&W 64. It will carry just fine in a Lobo Enhanced Pancake. It is a 6 shooter. It is a shotshell friendly handgun. It can be tuned up cheaply. And the big one, it is in a large enough package to be shootable.

What will work best depends a lot on where you carry, and what reason you are carrying for. Myself I live in an extremely low threat area, however I probably shoot 20 rounds a year minimum through my concealed carry handguns while carrying. I shoot poison snakes, armodillows, etc.

Off to work on a couple projects.

Bob
 
Do some shopping

I just got a S&W 642-1 Pre lock for $350. It is like new and runs great. This will not fail you and .38+p should do you well with quality ammo. I also own two of the Charter undercover lite. 38s These guns can be found new in your price range. I cant stress enough my belief that. 38 is enough for a ccw.
Regards, Vermonter
 
I picked up this smith and wesson 640 for $300 used. It is chambered for .38 special, they no longer make the 640 in .38 it is now built on the larger magnum builds which have a longer frame and cylinder.

Pretty much the same gun as a 642 only all steel frame and marginally smaller.

nns3nr.jpg
 
Budda & Dragline said it...a hammerless Smith is the way to go, and locally here in KY, you can find them for about $360 from time to time. The J frames conceal as well as one of the mini autos and don't have the slide to rack, the magazine catch to worry about, the safety to mess with...with that J frame in .38 Special +P or .357, you're set for anything short of a two hour gun battle. They make 'em in SS or blued and with some use and practice the action'll smooth out at about the same rate your proficiency improves. With Crimson Trace grips, about the only "improvement" I'd advocate, you've got a night-time pal that'll see you right. And here's another benny...they're made here in the USA. Rod
 
Thanks for all the suggestions. As far as price $300 is a round about figure. If I find something that costs a little more that is right for me I'll go up. For the moment I'm looking and day dreaming. It will still be a month or two before I make a purchase.

I'm not dead set on pocket carry. I do it with the TCP because it works well that way. If I end up going slightly larger for my new CCW I'll go IWB.

I'm also not dead set on .357.

The funny thing is that I could have had a new .357 for Christmas if I had not already asked my father-in-law for a flat screen TV. Academy had a model on sale for $300 shortly before Christmas and he bought both his sons one. I don't remember what brand they are but I've shot one and they work well.
 
Wow, looking closely at the Ruger LCR it looks REALLY nice. Bud's has it listed at $400. I can handle that price if I decide to go that route. It's definitely making me think happy thoughts.
 
Thanks for all the suggestions. As far as price $300 is a round about figure. If I find something that costs a little more that is right for me I'll go up. For the moment I'm looking and day dreaming. It will still be a month or two before I make a purchase.

I'm not dead set on pocket carry. I do it with the TCP because it works well that way. If I end up going slightly larger for my new CCW I'll go IWB.

I'm also not dead set on .357.

The funny thing is that I could have had a new .357 for Christmas if I had not already asked my father-in-law for a flat screen TV. Academy had a model on sale for $300 shortly before Christmas and he bought both his sons one. I don't remember what brand they are but I've shot one and they work well.
Click to expand...

Since your not in a rush your best bet is to shop around for the best price or take that time to seek out a good deal on a used revolver. Personally I am not a big fan of the .357 in the smaller snub revolvers and would stick with the .38, which will be a smaller overall package, and although it is not that much smaller it does make a difference when trying to conceal. Unless you plan to pocket carry I see no real advantage to the airweight which is why I went with all steel for my carry choice.
 
kcub,

Dick's sporting goods has the Remington UMC's priced at $18/box of 50. Occasionally they have a buy 1 get one half off sale on the Remington ammo. So I stock up and get every 2 boxes for 13.50 each.

You're right though, hard to find at that price. The 357 mags are $28 per box, so $42 for 2 boxes even with the sale. I can find 9mm's at Walmart for $20/100 rounds of the Federal champion.

A good 9mm revolver would be awesome. Or learning to reload, but thats not cheap to start up.
 
Good to know, thanks JonathanZ.

To the OP, try to find a range that rents guns and try them out. As you can see, opinions vary. Its up to you to decide what you like best.
 
Good wheel guns for deep concealment...

I'm not a huge supporter of DA or DA only revolvers for CC over the more practical and concealable DA only semi auto but a few brands/models have merit;

For concealed use, check out the Ruger LCR in .357magnum, the stainless Ruger SP101 .357magnum DA only(my 1st handgun in 1993).
Other decent picks include the S&W model 642, 640, 649, 638.
A larger 686 +P 7 shot .357magnum is a smart choice but the wt may make it seem like a full size sidearm, :( .
The S&W K frame 19 & 66 2.5" barrel revolvers with .357magnum or .38spl +P loads worked great for many plainclothes US Govt sworn agents for decades. The US Secret Service, FBI, US Customs, USMS, NCIS(or the NIS up until the mid 1990s) all issued K frame S&W revolvers with few problems.
A CT Lasergrip; www.Crimsontrace.com may help with aiming or to deter violent subjects. Proper ammunition selection is important too with small frame snubs.
Clyde
PS: Check into the Speer Gold Dot 135gr JHP +P, the Corbon DPX or 110gr +P JHP, the 125gr JHP .357mag from Federal, Golden Saber, Corbon, the .38spl 158gr Lead SWC-HP +P from www.BuffaloBore.com .
 
I like my S&W 340PD...light and small - bodyguard hammer so nothing to snag on...and ability to shoot either 38's or 357 mags
 
CCW guns

I have a .38 Ruger LCR that I carry in a Lobo offset clip IWB holster done in horsehide. I carry it at about the appendix (1 ~ 2 o'clock) position.

lcr_aiwb_3.jpg


I recently purchased a Sig-Sauer P290 9mm semiauto as an alternative to the revolver. It's flatter and carries 7 rnds and is strictly DAO so no safety or decocker needed. Quite a bit heavier than the LCR but as previously mentioned, 9mm ammo is MUCH cheaper than .38.

Both are equipped with lasers.
 
This is my first post on TFL. I've been lurking for quite awhile and have learned much from many of you. Thank you.

At any rate, I took my recently purchased LCR .357 out to the range yesterday. I shot around 100 rounds with a variety of .38's, plus p and specials. I also shot about a dozen .357's, using 158 grain soft point and 125 grain HP.

This gun has exceeded all my expectations. All the .38s had an easily handled recoil.
The .357 loads were a literal blast, but IMHO, no where near as bad as some posters have made it out to be; I was pleasantly surprised. I'm positive the Hogue grip helped alot.

This gun is a beauty; I couldn't be more impressed.
 
I'm actually not worried about price so much as reliability. I'm going to make my next purchase next month and I'll have a decent bit of money at the time. I think I really have my heart set on the SR9C. Being a compact double stack it will conceal easily and still give me plenty of rounds. It also has a manual safety which is a must and the magazine disconnect safety is actually a good feature for me with 2 small kids when I'm at home and not wearing the gun. I can pop the magazine out and keep it nearby but not have to worry about them being able to fire it accidentally.

I plan to invest in a quality holster and stock up on ammo when I purchase it also.

If I was going to get a revolver I'm fairly sure I'd go with the LCR though.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top