Need a new carry gun

[bugsNbows]

As much as I hated too, I sold my Glock 23. My arthritis (in both hands) is so bad I could hardly rack the slide any more. 1911's (especially compact) are out for sure. Guess I'll look into a wheel gun. Perhaps a S&W 340 CT or a 642. Any pro recommendations?

[Badger]

bugsNbows,

A nice S&W M65 (.357) or M10 (.38 Spl.) would be a gun to check out. An armorer could do an action job that would give you a smooth DA pull. It would be far easier than racking a slide.

Badger

[Dennis Keith]

There are a lot of those old wheel guns waiting to go to a good home since a whole lot of police departments went to the Wonder Nines and their larger cousins.

[sharpshooter94]

if your looking at a .38 spl get a .357 mag it does both and gives you a wide range of load options. It also doesn't kick as bad as say a .44 mag or a S&W 500. But then again if you miss with the 500 bullet you hit with the muzzle flash(or should I say flame thrower?)

[bugsNbows]

Thank you (everybody) for the responses. I suppose it will be a .357Mag (.38 Spl +P) of some nature. Now, Ruger or S&W? Decisions, decisions, decisions.

[GF.]

I think there would be an awful lot to be said for an honorably discharged service revolver..... Shouldn't they have enough holster wear on 'em to cut the price down considerably?

I wonder where you go looking for those....???:confused:

[sharpshooter94]

if it were me I'd go for one of those S&W .357's with the enclosed hammer. Takes away the single action but reduces the chance of something getting caught on the hammer. Like a sleeve or something man is that annoying

[Hi Ball]

BugNBows.......Smith & Wesson makes a great revolver in an air-weight model for carry purposes, NO EXPOSED HAMMER to catch on clothes etc. NO REAR SIGHT TO HANG UP EITHER!!! A 5 shot revolver for up close and it works let me tell yeah and accurate too. It will shoot 38spl + P ammo, this is all you need for self defense. :)

[TinStar]

Spot on Highball!!

Tin Star
Soli Deo Gloria!

[AK-49]

Thank you (everybody) for the responses. I suppose it will be a .357Mag (.38 Spl +P) of some nature. Now, Ruger or S&W? Decisions, decisions, decisions.

For this application I would definitely go with the S&W... find one that you like and go for it.

Have you seen a doctor regarding you hand... is the middle finger the major problem?

[Scout]

To me, it depends a lot on how you're planning on carrying most of the time. If you tend to carry in a pocket, the airweight Smiths are a great choice. I've got a couple of J frames that I really love. The newest bodyguard gets carried in my front pants pocket on a regular basis.

If, on the other hand, you tend to carry on a belt (IWB or strong side), I'd look real close at the Ruger SP-101. I've got the 3" model that is simply a dream to carry. It's heavy enough to (somewhat) tame the recoil of the .357Gold Dots that I carry. The slightly longer barrel (vs the snub of most of the J frames) really aids in the shootability of the gun. Mine is smoothing out very nicely....but like any revolver, could use a little trigger work from a smith.

If you have somewhat larger hands, one of the 3" Smiths on a K frame tucks away quiet nicely.

Isn't choosing almost as fun as shooting?:D

[bugsNbows]

I just checked out a new S & W Nightguard in .357 mag... it was real nice. It has the exposed hammer, but the action and trigger were very smooth. Additionally, it has 8 shot capacity on a medium frame. That did make the cylinder a bit larger but it handled and felt very nice. It may be harder to conceal though. The other Smith I looked at was a J frame model 60 (I think). Those two finger grips seem a bit wierd to me. The 340 PD's were very light and easy to conceal, but would likely kick like a mule in .357 mag. The Ruger SP101 was pretty nice, heavier than the Smith's and the grip was marginal in my liking. The 3" barrel was fine...maybe better than the snubby size (11/2 inch or whatever).

It seems like all of the shops I visit poo-poo revolvers and push semi's. They say limited firepower, reloading considerations and operation issues make them poor choices for CCW. Sounds like BS to me. Of course, they are all pushing Kimbers, Wilsons and Nighthawks. Sure, I've got 3K just laying around to drop on a semi-custom. Good gravy.

For now I'm carrying the wife's Taurus .38 spl. It carries like a dream, but it's an older one and not +P rated. That bothers me a bit. Oh well, we'll figure it out ASAP. Thanks to everybody for suggestions.

[Hi Ball]

Well the real truth is that since 1955 stats taken by the FBI, the average shots fired in a street altercation is 2.4 rounds fired. So having a double stacked magazine is not always a plus.

A good Smith & Wesson Airweight is the "Cat's Meow" as a carry gun. It is very light and fires + P ammo in 38spl. There is even a .357 model too, little heavier but it worked for the wife for several years. Full house .357 loads are the real Mc Coy! ;):)

[Badger]

HI Ball,

I used to use those stats when I instructed our agents. Even with the big mags, the average shots fired per incident are 4 or 5, which still keeps the revolver in the game. I like a revolver because it can be used either handed without "sweeping off" a safety, decocking lever, etc., which only complicates things for the average person.

Badger

[Hi Ball]

Badger I like a revolver because if you run out of bullets, you still have an effective tool in your hand to get your point across. ;)

Well, maybe the shots fired has risen as of the past couple of years, what with people on the streets using MC-10's etc and AK-47's. :rolleyes:

The decocking lever and safety sweeping is all aside when you draw that GLOCK PISTOL!!! Reason we own 4 GLOCKS ok.:D

[Hi Ball]

BugsNBows......Now here is another option for you in a "Carry Gun" !!!

I have been putting 2 KEL-TEC'S through the grind as of the past few days. So far have around 400 rds through each gun as of this morning. They are both good to go and rock-solid too. Very accurate for what they are in a short barrel pistol, that costs under $300 bucks.:cool:

NO JAMS or MISHAPS with either pistols using various 9mm Luger ammo. Tomorrow I will put them through another test, using "HOT" Cor-Bon and Pow-R-ball ammo in Defense Loads. a

The Cor-Bon has a velocity of 1350fps and energy is 466-lbs! The other ammo is 1250fps and 400-lbs of energy.

The slide is very easy to rack back and load a round in the chamber, if it was NOT, my wife could not do it on her KEL-TEC PF-9, which is a more refined pistol in my humble opinion than the model #11 KEL-TEC.

The PF-9 is a very easy to conceal pistol and packs a Big Punch with it being a 9mm Luger caliber......NOT a .380-auto with only 200-lbs of energy. It is also the lightest 9mm caliber pistol on the market today.;):)

[bugsNbows]

Those Kel-Tecs seem to be the bugs nutz. I'll check them out. Thanks alot.

[Hi Ball]

BugNBows, don't get discouraged if you don't find one of those KEL-TEC PF-9's right off the bat. It took me two frigging days and about a dozen dealers before I located any and that guy had two. I purchased them on the spot and picked them up that afternoon. Great little pocket type pistol, easy to conceal and packs a good whallop with defense ammo of your choice.