One
Man's Opinion On The Concealed Carry Handgun
By Ronald S. Markowitz
When I obtained my "Pennsylvania License To Carry
Firearms" I spent a considerable length of time mulling over what type of
handgun to carry. Like most of you I read all the "how-to" articles in the
popular gun magazines by all the so-called "experts" and spoke to people
I knew that carried.
I came to several conclusions:
- The gun had to be as close to 100% reliable with factory ammo as possible;
- It had to be chambered in a caliber with good stopping power;
- I had to feel comfortable with the piece, i.e., it had to have good ergonomics for me; and
- It had to be easily concealable in the type of clothing that I wear.
You should know that I have a thing for Smith & Wesson
revolvers, especially the L frame 586 and 686. While it is possible to carry
these revolvers using any these revolvers using an inside-the-waistband
holster covered by a jacket or photographer's vest, they are really too
large and heavy for the way I dress, which is usually in khaki pants with
a tucked-in shirt. What I needed was a revolver that was small enough to
fit in a pants pocket and chambered for a powerful, yet controllable cartridge.
But I have gotten ahead of myself, why a revolver and not a semi-auto?
I will not get into the revolver versus semi-auto argument; there are hundreds
if not thousands of articles in the gun literature on this subject. In my
opinion, with the current state-of-the art in ammunition and firearms manufacture
there are no practical differences in reliability between the two types.
The advantages of easier repair and greater firepower possessed by the semi-auto
are only of concern in the military. The civilian needs reliability, good
stopping power and the ability to get hits in the kill zone. My decision
was to go to the revolver because of familiarity, but for you the same thought-process
might lead to the semi-auto.
So I decided on a small revolver, but I wanted something better than a .38
Special if possible, although I could live with that if necessary. In the
last several years all the major revolver manufacturers with the exception
of Colt have developed small 5-shot .357 S & W Magnums. I decided to limit
my search to the bobbed-hammer
Ruger SP 101 and
their SP 101 and the Smith & Wesson Model 640-1.
If I had seen one, I might have considered the Smith M940 in 9 x 19 mm.
Both the Smith and Ruger were well built, felt good in the hand and had,
to my surprise, equivalent trigger pulls. The 640-1 had the advantage of
a totally enclosed action, important in a pocket gun as you don't have to
worry about lint getting into the action. The Smith had one other advantage.
Because of being totally enclosed rather than being just bobbed, one can
safely fire the piece in your pocket without worrying about jams due to
the hammer catching on something.
Now the subjective enters in I just prefer Smiths. Rugers are good but they
are not a Smith. Rugers remind me of Russian guns -- strong and reliable,
but without finesse. So I went with the 640-1. In a recent review of the
Ruger SP101 and S & W 640-1 in Gun Test Magazine the authors chose the Ruger
as number one in this category, but also spoke highly of the Smith. You
might agree.
Ammunition
When the snubby .357 Magnums were introduced by Smith & Wesson, Rossi and
Taurus (in response to Ruger who had started everything with its SP 101)
all the gun magazines ran articles comparing the revolvers. A constant thread
that ran through all the articles all the articles was how difficult it
was to control the heavy and very uncomfortable recoil. It was suggested
that maybe the smart shooter should not use the magnum loads, but instead
use +P .38 Special loads. I thought that if this was the case, why chamber
the guns for the magnum cartridge in the first place? All the reviewers
had made the same error, they tested full blown 125 grain and 158 grain
loads. They neglected to test the easier to shot 125 grain medium velocity
loads of Remington and the still easier to shoot 110 grain loads available
from most of the major manufacturers.
I have tested Winchester 110 grain magnum loads and Remington 125 grain
Golden Saber loads. They are both manageable and within 7 yards shoot close
to point of aim. Remember we are talking about fixed sight guns that are
probably regulated for use with 158 grain bullets. At longer ranges my revolver
shots low. I don't consider this to be a hindrance as most gun fights are
under 7 yards (or so goes the conventional wisdom).
I have done some shooting with 158 grain .38 Special P+ handloads out to
50 yards and find the sights to be well regulated for this bullet weight.
If anyone tells you that snubby revolvers are not accurate they are wrong,
it's possible to plink clay targets at 50 yards and get hits a good percentage
most of the time.
Using these reduced power magnum loads you will get approximately 350 ft./lbs.
of energy, putting this class of gun in the same class as a hot 9 mm Luger.
This may disappoint you, but we are talking about an easily concealable
pocket revolver and not a full size service pistol.
Carrying the Revolver
I don't like the idea of carrying a handgun loose in the pocket; rather
it should be in a holster designed for the specific gun and for this specific
purpose. I want the gun to be in the same place when I reach for it, not
muzzle up or in some other position that will preclude a fast draw. Pocket
holsters are available for snubbies from Kramer, Galco, Alessi and others.
My 640-1 resides in a Galco made specifically for J-frame Smiths. I do carry
on my belt if wearing jeans that are too tight to pocket carry. This is
only if I am wearing a knit shirt, not tucked in, or when the weather calls
for an open jacket. This circumstance requires a different mind-set. If
carried under a shirt you have to remember to lift the shirt up with your
weak hand first before drawing the revolver (pistol) or if wearing an open
jacket you have to remember to sweep the jacket aside before drawing. Practice
with an unloaded gun!
In summary: I chose a snubby .357 revolver because it provides reliability,
power, conceal-ability and handling familiarity. I gave up firepower because
I don't consider this to be of major importance in a personal defense situation.
The ammunition I use is more suitable than full power loads because it's
controllable and I made sure I knew where its point-of-impact was. I chose
a holster that secured the revolver in my pocket and allowed easy access.
This was my solution to the problems of concealed carry, yours might be
different, depending on your circumstances, but you need to give it a good
deal of thought.
This article is used by permission of the author
