gordo b.,
I thought you carried a 296 as a purse gun ect?
Different guns for different purposes. Yes, I carry a 296 as a purse gun: It's light, snag-free, can be fired inside the purse if necessary, and uses bullets that aren't as dependent on velocity or expansion as those from a .38 in case I
do have to fire it from inside the purse. I also use a 442 as a pocket-carry BUG.
My "bed gun" is another example of a specific gun for a specific purpose. If I am awake, I have a 1911 on my hip, as that goes on with my jeans in the morning and comes off with them at night. However, I keep a 2" Model 64 concealed but easily accessible within a short arm's reach in my bed. The gun was selected for a very specific set of criteria; to wit, if there is a male intruder in my home at night that has taken the time to enter the house quietly enough to avoid waking me, I will assume he's not there to swap cookie recipies. Here's why the choice:
1) A revolver can be fired even with the muzzle pressed against an unauthorized occupant of my bed.
2) The 2" barrel K-frame ensures that I have plenty of gun to hold on to while offering as little barrel for him to grab hold of as possible. Should a tug-o-war for the gun develop, I want the leverage advantage in my favor.
3) The all-steel construction ensures that it'll make a fair bludgeon should it run empty.
4) The caliber was chosen because, well, I have plenty of magnum snubbies, and I wouldn't want to cap any of them off a foot or two from my face while wrasslin' with a goblin.
That's why I use that particular gun for that particular purpose. If he's unlucky enough to awaken me while entering the house, I'm not going to bother with
any S&W revolvers; I'm going straight for the M4gery.