For years, my gold standard of CCW was the Glock 19. Good balance of size, capacity, and shootability. I never felt undergunned however on days when either dress or circumstances dictated that I just drop a j frame and a speed strip in my pockets.

These days however the p365 has pretty much dominated both roles. I've got other guns that I carry occasionally just because I like them, but that little Sig pretty much fits my definition of the perfect carry gun.

I do own a LCP for those days when discretion is an absolute necessity...

When I see pictures like this I question the utility of snubbies (note that the snubbie in question here is a .357. A .38 would be slightly shorter.)

^^^^

Yeah, that......plus the P365 is thinner and carries 6 more rounds in factory form.

I dumped my revolvers years ago when I realized that most of the bad guys carried something with more capacity. So I went to a Sig 239. Then I realized that while I love the 239, it also didn't really have good capacity and that I was still under gunned if I encountered a determined bad guy or multiple offenders. So now I carry a 226 or a 228. I love it when people say things like " 5 is enough or if I can't stop them with 6 I'll throw it at them". The reality is that almost all handgun rounds really do suck. Sometimes you will hear of a guy being stopped with one round but most of the time people will take multiple hits and keep on going. For help in understanding this, watch the recent police shooting in IIRC, California in which the Police responded to a man with a knife call. The bad guy backed them up what seemed like 5 or 6 blocks till he finally charged them. One of the Officers shot him 7 times. He went down but then got right back up and did it again only this time he was able to get one of the Officers in a head lock and almost killed him. That Officer is alive today only by the grace of God and his partners shooting ability. A revolver is a great bug but as far as being a primary, I would vote a resounding no. What's the old adage, carrying a gun should be comforting, not comfortable. Bu of course, YMMV.

10 times out of 10 I choose semi-automatic.

quote:

Originally posted by BBMW:
When I see pictures like this I question the utility of snubbies (note that the snubbie in question here is a .357. A .38 would be slightly shorter.)

In my opinion, this image graphically shows exactly why spur-less-hammer and “fast-back” revolvers are better, in deep concealment, than most pocket autos. The more-protruding and more-squared-off the rear of the slide, the worse it gets, for smoothly clearing the weapon from a pocket, or some other esoterically-deep concealment.

Once upon a time, some cars were termed “fastbacks,” and the S&W Centennial revolvers have a shape reminiscent of fastback automobiles. Mas Ayoob used this term, in his articles, so I have just borrowed it from him.

I am not hating on small autos, just stating a limitation.

quote:

Originally posted by Jim1970:
Hello!

So over the last couple of years I’ve resumed my study of martial arts. While I’m FAR from being any kind of master, I will say that I’m comfortable with using BJJ and Kali in full contact scenarios (we do full contact drills quite often in both). I’ve learned a great deal about knife fighting, and it’s really taught me a lot about people. I’ve been trained to carry and use a handgun for personal defense too, and I’ve carried and stayed current with my glocks over the years religiously. With this said, knowing what I know about physical conflict - like distances typically encountered, warming signs, etc., plus the relatively safe area I live in (Wyoming), I’ve been thinking about getting away from my semi auto guns and going to a simple snub 38. My main rationale is the simplicity.

So with all that said, I’m curious if anyone else here has made a similar shift?

Thank you,

Jim

“Simplicity.” In and of itself, simplicity is a good thing.

I make no claim to being a martial artist. My combatives training has been spotty, and widely/sporadically occasional. I lived through almost 34 years of night shift patrol, working for Houston PD. Personally, my take is that if you are comfortable with realistic, street-relevant combatives, have an alert mind, carry a stout blade, and a five-shot revolver, plus, a powerful light, if it is dark, you will be quite well-prepared, for most scenarios.

Having said that, I worked a robbery, in my neighborhood, a “nice” neighborhood in Houston, involving five suspects, at least one 9mm pistol, and at least one 12-gauge shotgun. The complainant ran, and scaled an amazingly high fence, to successfully get away. Of course, the complainant might have been shot, had he tried to produce a weapon. (The suspect’s guns were real; they fired them, and missed.)

At the time of that robbery, I was normally carrying two SP101 revolvers, during personal time. Occasionally, I added a third SP101, or substituted a larger revolver for one SP101. (My duty pistol was a G22, a weapon I never really liked, so I never bought concealment leather for it. I switched to a P229R DAK, soon after DAK was introduced.)

When I carried two SP101 revolvers, 2002-2006, I had a “duty to respond,” 24/7/365. Plus, I have been functionally ambidextrous with DA revolvers, since the mid-Eighties, so, while 0300 is, technically, my primary weapon location, I have long favored having a weapon accessible to each hand.

Now, in retirement, I am almost comfortable, to again carry two SP101 revolvers, or one SP101 and one J-snub, at least some of the time, in some places. (The Houston, Texas metro area can be an amazingly violent place, lately.)

I should add, however, that in my skinny hands, an SP101 behaves more like a larger gun, than a pocket gun.

I should also add that I feel more comfortable, with a small gun, when I have a very stout blade on my person.

Short barreled revolvers seem to carry more comfortable & certainly print less in concealment. I’ve found myself edc’ing either a Kimber K6S or SP101, the later in 327 quite frequently recently. My Colt SF-VI has also seen some range time as of late. Modern 38+P ammo has proven very effective and 327 Federal is nothing to look down ones nose at. I prefer these three because they: Are easy to grip & present quickly under duress. All have six round capacity & are both accurate and reliable.

quote:

Originally posted by RogueJSK:
These days, I don't see the point in carrying a 5 shot .38 snub revolver, when in the same size package you can carry something like a 9mm P365 and have double the capacity, better trigger, better sights, and significantly faster and higher capacity reloads, plus a better-performing round.

I agree with you up to a point. I have a very similar Martial arts background like Jim 1970 (Kenpo, Hapkido, Filipino Martial Arts with emphasis on blade work, and just started BJJ). Most assaults/shootings are at close range with a high percentage of defender shootings at contact range. Put a semi auto barrel first into a body, it will go out of battery. I just started taking BJJ and we did some self defense training with training pistols. Over 90% of the time while hand fighting, body fighting, rolling on the floor,the semi autos ended up out of battery while the shrouded DA only revolvers worked every single time. The exposed hammer pistols (think Sig239, 229 and SA/DA revolvers) ended caught up and tied up in clothing (we really went through some t-shirts that day ) so neither the attacker or defender could use it.

I was almost all the way into the medium and small revolver for EDC.......until I saw this video (I post this in discussion):
Sigforum Minneapolis Mob Attack

Granted victim was in wrong place at right time and his body actions screamed prey to the two legged predators. Situational awareness is the king of self protection. Also, don't ignore your "spidey sense" or "Peter Tingle" (from new Spiderman movie) it is there for a reason. It has developed as the result of thousands of years of mankind facing dangers. Like Miyamoto Musashi wrote in a Book of Five Rings; Perceive what can't be seen. Well those animals in the above linked video weren't hiding their intent.

Watching that video, got me thinking maybe keeping the Glock 48/26/19 is still a good option. This got me thinking maybe we should go with a different philosophy instead of carrying according to our clothes to CCW correctly. So for me I am using the following options based on if I am entering the lands/territory of four legged or two legged predators:

Suburban/Rural area: Kimber 6s or S&W640 Pro IWB, a knife (small fixed blade or auto open on weak side) a couple speedstrips or speedloaders. Maybe if I am near "bad area" adding a second J frame in ankle holster. (What is that word that begins with "P" where you think people are out to get you? Paranoid-nope. Perceptive-yes )

Urban area: for now Glock 19/26/48 IWB with spare magazine or two, and auto open knife.

Determine what you carry the best overall, what threat levels you face, and dress accordingly. I can't wait to retire and move out into a rural setting. At that point, I will never enter an urban area again

I wont trade simplicity for round count. IMO, 5rds goes really fast in any fight, more so if you have multiple attackers. I am sure in your martial arts training you don't train for the best case scenario, nor should you when carrying a gun, IMO. If you train with any semi, then it all gets simple.

Since acquiring my P365 last April, I have not touched my S&W 638...it is that good.

quote:

Originally posted by RogueJSK:
These days, I don't see the point in carrying a 5 shot .38 snub revolver, when in the same size package you can carry something like a 9mm P365 and have double the capacity, better trigger, better sights, and significantly faster and higher capacity reloads, plus a better-performing round.

^What he said.^

I like and carry both semi autos and revolvers.

I believe having a reliable handgun that you can actually shoot well trumps caliber, platform, capacity, etc. Of course, I have now moved to a rural area and consider it pretty low in the threat arena, we do have our share of murder, robbery, etc. {mostly drug fueled}

Everyone should carry, and carry whatever works the best for them> Cliche, I know........

I have a S&W Mdl 66 2"....and it's just too big. I have a few compact 9mm's and the capacity is great.
But for accuracy in my hands, and knockdown power, I chose my S&W .45 Shield....limited capacity but more accurate in my hands than the 9mm's and I will argue the .45 is still hard to beat in stopping power.

My .357Sig 226 may be higher velocity and better shooting, but it's not a viable choice for my daily carry.

YMMV

I am going S&W Shield with laser sight enhancement. Not going to carry the LCR.

You have to manage your expectations, as well a TRUE assessment of your skills.

I never carry anything smaller than a Glock 19. Training to be "Average" (1-3 feet, 1-3 seconds, 1-3 yards) has no interest to me. I carry a gun for protection, and I don't have a crystal ball to tell me if I will need to use it at 15 yards or 1.5 inches. So, I plan accordingly. Those who plan and train for average will never rise above that when they find their needs to be beyond their skill set.

I applaud people that know their expectations and ability. The problem is that most people over value their skills based upon a number of factors. Be honest with yourself. You're the only one you have to please here.

I EDC a G19. Have since I was a cop. I have carried a j-frame when clothing dictated or I was unable to carry the G19. I carried a j-frame on an ankle as a backup.

I sometimes carry my wife’s S&W 380 bodyguard when forced to.

I carry the revolver because I already own it and I can slide a shotshell into it when I might be hiking . Due to snakes....I guess I could get some shotshells for the semi, but I already have the revolver....in fact I have two of them.

I’ve never carried a revolver, only semi autos. Most commonly a Shield in 9mm. 7 rounds in the gun and an 8 round backup magazine.

Most of my shooting experience is USPSA with a couple classes. That said, I expect I may need more than 2 or 3 rounds if I even need to use it in self defense. 5 rounds can go awfully fast. The fact that I needed a gun means more than a couple things have gone wrong.

I’ve now since started working with a CZ P01, a compact 14rd 9mm similar in size to a Glock 19. It harder to conceal, but easier to draw and shoot, with some extra rounds for peace of mind.

I'm wondering what the OP ended up doing? He's posted recently elsewhere. Maybe he'll see this.

I have an Airweight S&W 360 that I bought because I wanted a wheelgun. I dressed it up with Altamont grips and feel like it's a pretty, gun -- the epitome of snub-nose, to me. I carry it front pocket sometimes, with a couple of speed loader strips (in .38 SPL).

Then I take it to the range, where after about three or four reloads, my hands can't take any more.

Then I put it back in the safe.