Months back I bought my wife a smith & wesson hammerless Airweight in .38 spcl.

I usually carry a S&W 9mm shield semi-auto that holds 7 rounds.

The more I play with the airweight the more I like that as a CC weapon that the semi-auto.


Does anyone carry a revolver for their carry piece?


I'm looking a the smaller smiths in .357 but also noticed Taurus has a pretty nice 2" barreled 6 shot revolver in .327 Federal.

Any input on the Taurus Revolvers?

The Taurus revolvers aren’t bad at all and being half price of a smith makes it a good carry choice. I’d say it’s at minimum in terms of what one should trust in terms of a carry gun.

I have a scandium smith j frame that’s a 8 shot cylinder in 22mag that’s a hoot, and nothing to sneeze at but the deal here is rimfire ammo degradation is quick when carried in a hot moist pocket. So as long as you swap your ammo out every 3 months you should be gtg.

I had some j framed 357 mags and they are almost impossible to shoot well after the first shot without a glove and or some serious practice at a distance past 7 to 10 yards.

I can shoot her .38 pretty good at CC distance but I want something a little stouter than the .38. The .327 looks interesting

I occasionally carry an sp101 or an older j frame 38. The sp101 is a bit heavy for it's size, but that's a good thing with the extra recoil of the 357. It's actually very comfortable and hits hard. Your ears will hate you though. I shot a friend's airweight 357, and it was brutal. I only fired 2 shots, and that's all I wanted.

Man I have killed Whitetail with a 38, I would think on a power scale a healthy hand loaded 38 will smoke a 327 federal.
It is nice having 6 shots over 5..

The .327 is quite a bit stouter than a .38 even with +P loads.

Don’t how the recoil is though with it being a high pressure round. Can shoot 3 different calibers in it

This one has traveled many thousands of miles in my front pocket.

I've carried a wheelgun a good bit of the time over the years but I'll confess before witnesses that I don't waste a moment's thought to the "concealed" aspect...not in this open carry state. I OFTEN carry a full-sized 1911 and four extra 8 round mags on my person under an open, untucked shirt and have never had anyone squeak about anything "printing".

No, my carry revolvers aren't tiny...but they provide a decent level of both power and controllability: the S&W 19/66 2.5" bunch. On a slightly smaller frame, I had Hamilton Bowen put together one of his "Perfected SP-101s" (back when he was doing them...

Of course, I'll carry my 4" 25-5 when I'm in the mood so my judgement might not always be relied upon...

I have a Taurus Tracker in 357 and I bought my wife a Taurus 2” 38. I’ve carried the 38 several times but prefer my semi auto with 15+1 9mm. I’ve had zero problems with either revolver.

Smith 638 is where it’s at

S&W M&P340 .357Mag NIL

Curious. What was done to "perfect" the sp101?

Bill Ruger (bless his soul) built firearms that could be described in many ways...but "dainty" was a seldom used adjective. His revolvers (especially the DA stuff), while built like tanks, tended to be a bit "clanky" in my opinion when compared to '70s era Smiths and the original Pythons (the Crown Jewel of DA actions).

Bowen tuned the SPs so that he was able to mitigate a LOT of the clankiness from the DA stroke and gave it a light, crisp SA break. On top of that, he designed a Ruger-tough fixed rear sight that he milled into the rear of the frame and paired it with a tall, bold front sight which gave the older SP shooter sights that he could actually SEE!

"Perfection" is in the eye of the beholder, I reckon. While VASTLY improved from the out-of-the-box version, the Perfected SP-101 is still a Ruger at heart...warts and all!

SW 638 is my choice. Went from a Kahr CW380. Great little auto gun but couldn't keep it clean enough for pocket carry.

I bought my wife a Taurus 9mm. If I hate shooting the Airweight 38, I guarantee she’s not going to enjoy it. And being hesitant to pull the trigger is not a good thing.

637-2 Performance Center. I alternate between that and my Glock 43X.

My wife carries her LCR357 and she's deadly with it. In my hand and next to my GP100 for size comparison.

Titanium frame Smith & Wesson 637 .38 +P SA/DA snub nose five shooter is what I have. Weighs 12.5 ounces. I like it.

Always impressed when you guys talk about your wives who like to shoot. Mine would prefer to pray or rely on me if something were to happen vs prepare and learn to shoot / carry. Not that there's anything wrong with praying as the Lord is my savior as well.

Enjoyed the comments about the Ruger pistols being clunky. I love my RedHawks and Blackhawks but would never dream to carry one of them unless in the woods! And very cool some of you guys carry revolvers and 1911s.

For some reason I cannot get over the convenience of having a Ruger 380 in my pocket with an extra magazine = 25 rounds on me at all times. I pray I'll never have to pull it and use it and that I'll never regret not having a 9 mm. Feel naked without this thing in my pocket wherever I go.

My wife prays that she will never have to use it, but she knows God doesn't want her to be a victim. Tiny revolvers can be hard on her 65 year old hands, but she trains enough to maintain muscle memory.

Marc

Want to carry a beast? Kill them with the flame front alone? Club them to death? Try the .454 SRH Alaskan with carry grips. I couldn’t get those grips off fast enough after shooting it.

No, thank you. These old hands max out at .357 Mag with a lightweight revolver. With age, even the ported 4" .44 Mag became too much for me.

Prior to my discovery of 1911s back in 1976 I was strictly a revolver guy and still love them and shoot them often. Here's a couple I carry quite a bit here on the ranch and to town also. Loaded with the Lehigh 125gr Controlled Fracture bullet at 1000fps from this 3" model 65 it kills stuff REALLY well with mild recoil and muzzle blast.

Smith & Wesson has introduced a "Mountain" line of revolvers. The grips are the main feature, no checkering, all rounded surfaces, a few other nice features as well. You would think the lack of checkering would make them slick. The man whose company that makes the grips explained the whole concept behind the grips, interesting.

I have a Taurus 327 federal mag snubbie. Being a stainless gun - it is a couple ounces heavier than a Scandium J-frame. So far it has been reliable. It is a handful with high power loads. Not too bad with 32S&W long.

Many, many, years ago, mid 1960’s, I was a member of the USAF pistol and rifle team. We competed against the other branches of service. All shooters agreed:

The jamamatic M16 was ok at short range but couldn’t compete with the Eddystone 30-06 at 100 yards. Nice toy, no kick, but accuracy and dependability sucked. Lightweight, easily carried, and the shooter didn’t have to be a marksman to toss a lot of small lead. Jammed a lot. Lots of dead soldiers found with a jammed gun.

Lots of guys enjoy the civilian version, the AR15, but it doesn’t check very many of the boxes.

I have a bunch of pistols(short guns). Various calibers. S&W, Colt, Browning, etc. Revolvers and semi’s. Also a Taurus Judge. I have my own range, hand load, and shoot all of them. I’ve rarely had a failure to fire on any of the revolvers with my hand loads. Over time, the Judge has become my favorite. It’s always in battery and never misfired. Inexpensive so I don’t worry about scratching it up.

Why is it so maligned?

I have a S&W 640 Centennial in .357
Love that pistol, spouse used it on his concealed carry shooting proficiency test.

I don't like the air frames, I want a pistol I can bash a head in with if needed.

The airweights are so easy to carry though, if the situation has digressed to the point I’m using the pistol as a club, I’ve already dropped it and am stabbing throats with the gerber.

Ive not shot a snubby .357 but have shot a .44 Taurus 4” ported barrel. Forget it. First shot is accurate, uncomfortable to shoot, I’d be better off with a .22 mag.

The mid frame .357 are nice. That’s my favorite pistol round.