Hey all,

Who carries a j frame as a primary edc? Do you carry a reload? If so how many? Preferred ammo? Preferred carry style?

I carry a Smith and Wesson model 60, pocket carry in Mika holster loaded with Speer gold dot 135+p short barrel. No reload unless really expecting issues.

Best,
Mk25

Edit: predictive text is KILLING me. I swear I’m literate, so please disregard the “Carrie’s” issue in thread title… I’m partially literate.

I just started carrying a S&W 43C which is a 22 on hikes. Sticky Holster, front pocket, 12 or 13 oz loaded which is why.

I've got a pre-lock 638 I carried regularly for the first decade of this century, and carry it still from time to time, for old time's sake.

I have a 640 and 442 that have seen their fair share of pocket carry and I wouldn’t hesitate to do so today, although over the years I realized carrying a larger handgun wasn’t really all that difficult. While I rarely carry a reload for a semi auto I always had an extra speed loader with me and maybe a speed strip or two.

Awesome pocket and ankle guns though.

I haven’t carried for some time though.

I’ve always had a small revolver around, currently if I carry one, it’s a Kimber K6s. It’s not my primary carry but I occasionally carry it when I want something smaller.

I carry a couple reloads on speed strips in a small belt pouch. I carry two reloads because the pouch holds two. I carry the gun in an Alien Gear IWB holster and as for ammo, I carry the “FBI load” .38 special +p 158gr LSWCHP.

The only wheelgun on my list is a S&W Model 19 Carry Comp which gets toted at my desk when I want to remind the new kids what a classic six gun looks like.

However...I have a 1995-vintage 640 (first issue of the 357 Mag) and a 642-2 that I won't mind carrying once I retire. For reloads I carry the Zeta 5-shot reloaders. Both the J-Frames have had Apex Duty trigger kits installed for a much better trigger...

I still carry a 642-1 pretty regularly with a spare speed strip. Ammo is the Speer +P 135 grain short barrel.

That same 642 has seen almost constant EDC duty since I got it in the mid 90’s. It totally works for around town in shorts pockets or for ankle duty with jeans. It’s literally the easiest thing you’ll ever carry.

Indeed! While I also carry a larger gun either IWB or OWB, a S&W 642 rides with me either as a back-up or solo in a rough-out leather pocket holster from JW O’Rourke / O’Rourke Leather. Spare ammo is in a 6-Pack Triple-Deuce 2x2x2 pouch from Barranti Leather; it carries discretely yet conveniently at the strong-side front of the belt.

I usually carry Hornady standard-pressure JHPs in this one. The gun is also fitted with a Hogue rubber grip - I used to rust the heck out of the screw that came with the original rubber grips. The gun and holster get a tad damp during pocket carry in humid weather.

I carry a 360J daily when I run, in a Hill People Gear snubby kit bag. No reload. Currently carrying Winchester PDX Defender .38+p since that's what I've been able to get these days. This is also my throw-in-the-pocket gun for times I can't or don't want to carry something bigger. The light weight, even with a steel cylinder, makes it barely noticeable, and I can even get away with carrying it in a gym shorts pocket. I know it would be even lighter with a titanium cylinder, but I don't want to deal with the extra restrictions and care required for those.

I also carry a 640 Pro as a backup on duty, with .357 Speer Gold Dot 135gr Short Barrel. No reload for that one, either. The internal hammer makes for a snagless draw, and the extra punch of the .357 is tamed a bit by the weight of the steel frame (which imo is also less likely to crack). I've shot quite a few magnum loads through this gun, and while it's not as soft-recoiling as a full-size revolver, it's not at all painful.

Today I was over working on the in-laws' house, which they recently purchased and are renovating. It was vacant before they bought it, and we've been finding critters as we work, so I carried my 63-5 8-shot .22LR, loaded with 4 regular Federal lead round nose rounds and 4 rat shot. I didn't come across anything that needed shooting today, but I have taken a couple of raccoons out of there with it in the past.

I like the revolvers for their long, heavy trigger which provides an extra level of safety in a pocket gun. I also find the grip easier to get a purchase on for a fast draw, especially when in a bag or a pocket where the positioning of the gun may not be as consistent or predictable as that of a gun carried in a holster on the belt.

The J-Frame wouldn't be my first choice if I was heading into trouble, or even a situation where the probability was high that I might encounter it. While it's not my primary daily carry choice, it does share the same primary manual of arms...no safety or other controls to manipulate...just line of the sights and squeeze the trigger. For a gun to carry in situations where problems are highly unlikely, and a bigger gun isn't a reasonable choice, it's a comfortable, convenient, and effective option.

Here are my small frame revolvers...the SP101 has done duty as a trail gun numerous times. I still haven't found a practical use for the Model 31 besides it's being an easy gun for my kids to shoot at the range, but it was a fun project.

I have carried a J frame Smith in the past, but now my snubs are Rugers. A 2.5-inch 357 SP-101 and a 2 inch 357 shrouded hammer LCR. The SP-101 is mainly for outdoor woodsy stuff. I prefer the LCRs trigger over that of the Smith.
The carry load for the LCR is the old FBI all lead 158gr HP. 125gr 357 Gold Dots for the SP-101.

Carried one on my ankle as a back up for the first 29 years as a LEO- still at it but switched to a G43 on my ankle for past 2. Still carry my 442 off duty as it is the easiest to carry in an ankle holster or shorts pocket down here in S Florida where I rarely wear a heavy shirt or jacket that would conceal something bigger. And even though I have several full and compact striker fired pistols if I want something with more firepower/ammo I always seem to grab my P228.

They do have there time & place. Chambered with the right load, they’re formidable. I too have a model 60 & 642. The latter gets plenty of carry during the summer months. I’m actually eyeing a 442 PC model that’s cut for moon clips.

I have been carrying a Smith & Wesson J-frame almost every day of my life since 1980

Over the years it has been both a backup and a primary sidearm. It has been carried in many different ways. My J-frames continue to be carried in different ways to this day. However, it is usually in the front pocket these days

Over that time I have never carried a reload for it



You said

quote:

No reload unless really expecting issues

As a private citizen, if I was really expecting issues I did not go to that place. If I had no choice but to go to a place that I KNEW was going to have issues, I never would be carrying just a J-frame

I carry a 638 as a "bug" in my front pocket & one speed strip.
On the rare occasion I use it as primary (quick short trips to the store etc.) I carry a speed loader as well as a speed strip.

I carry a 642 from time to time. I installed the Apex duty trigger kit in it. It also has Crimson Trace LG-350 laser grips on it. It is loaded with Federal HST micro 130 gr. .38 Special +P. The speed loader has Speer Gold Dot 135 gr. short barrel .38 Special +P in it. It carries well!

On the rare occasion, the 340PD with some +p+ can be found on me while I'm in shorts.
Working plain clothes in the winter, it's usually stuffed in my right jacket pocket.

As much as I loved the little snubs, a small semi-auto (think G-43/43X, Kahr, Walther PPK/ PPKs, or other "mouse guns") just gives me more rounds if I need them. However, the semi-autos just don't function when it's in a jacket pocket like a hammer-less / shrouded hammer snub-nosed!

For quick trips around town, I carry a SW 340PD in a Mika pocket holster. I don't carry a reload. I carry a semi-auto the rest of the time.

I've carried a variety of J-frames over the years.

I'd like to say the gun is nolonger a primary carry piece for me and that would mostly be true.

There are still times though when it is as I still trust it more than other pocket guns I own.

My J-frame of choice these days is an M&P340.

Attire generally dictates when I carry my 642, which is maybe 20% of the time.

Mine has the Apex Duty/Carry spring kit in it, and loaded with 135gr +P Gold Dots. Reload is on a speed strip that's either pocket carried, or in a belt pouch.