So what is a "kit gun" to you?
I know the classic definition, but these days I see people talk about .357 & .44 "kit guns". Makes me wonder, what is the role people assign to their "kit guns"?
If a kit gun is something you carry as a secondary weapon to your primary hunting long gun, then I have no kit guns.
If a kit gun is something you carry as a secondary weapon to your primary hunting long gun, then I have no kit guns.
Keep perusing the handgun forum.
kit gun means a lighter revolver, 2-3” barrel, usually 22lr, maybe 38sp, sometimes a couple of rounds of snakeshot. no mags to lug or lose, no springs to fly away in a quick fieldstrip, no finicky ammo misfeeds. my favorites are a s&w 317 or 642 j frame, ruger bearcat or lcr.
GunGeek: A "Kit gun" is a rimfire Smith & Wesson "J" frame revolver - in Models 34 (blued and nickel plated models), 63 (stainless) and 651 (stainless - 4" only). I have a bunch of these in 2" and 4" barrel lengths.
I rotate their "tag along" status so's not to show preferential treatment or for fear of "wearing them out" - he-he.
No hillary locks allowed on a "Kit gun" by the way!
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy
kit gun means a lighter revolver,
Who the f#@k brainwashed you?....
GunGeek: A "Kit gun" is a rimfire Smith & Wesson "J" frame revolver
Who the f@#k brainwashed you?
I don’t own any kit guns but I do own a bunch of handguns that are often carried in the woods with me. They range from a 22 to a 500 JRH including a SW Gov in .410.
If a kit gun is something you carry as a secondary weapon to your primary hunting long gun, then I have no kit guns.
Keep perusing the handgun forum.
I will princess, thanks.
I need to dig out my tackle box. Been a while.
A kit gun to me was just a small handgun I'd take along just for the sake of having it along.
Mostly fishing, hunting, & camping trips in somewhat isolated areas - with a friend, or alone.
But at the time I didn't think of them as - 'Kit Guns'.
These handguns listed in order through the decades:
1. A small vintage Beretta semi-auto pistol - .25 acp.
2. A Hi Standard DA Snub Nose Revolver - .22 lr.
3. A 'large' Colt Officers Model Match DA Revolver - .22lr.
4. A Ruger Bearcat SA Revolver.- .22 lr
The one handgun I thought was just perfect for
'kit gun' occasions was - the Ruger Bearcat . . .
For the 'fun factor'!
Well it's obvious you haven't drank the varmintgay koolaid....
Here’s a few that might qualify as kit guns. All 22 LR except for the Bisley on the left which is a 32 H&R. To me a kit gun is one carried to augment a big game rifle or shotgun for small game opportunities or dealing with snakes. Doesn’t have to be a 22. Could be any handgun with a mild or moderate load. Might be a handgun you carry while engaged in other outdoor activities, fishing, trapping, gathering firewood, berry picking, etc.
To me, a kit gun is a smallish handgun, for incidental uses. Part of your outdoor kit.
A couple of mine that fit that role,
Kahr CW9
Ruger LCRx 357
CW9 in that role, IWB.
GunGeek: A "Kit gun" is a rimfire Smith & Wesson "J" frame revolver
Who the f@#k brainwashed you?
Why did I know you would take exception to that comment
When I carry a handgun, it's because I need one, or want one. When I need one, it's generally for self defense and it's going to be an auto. When I want one and defense is very low on the list, then I just carry the gun I want to carry...But generally my "want" guns are revolvers because they're just cool.
I keep a wilderness survival pack in my truck, and I typically keep a .22 handgun in that pack. Either a Ruger 22/45 or a S&W 617... I guess those are my "kit" guns, but they're not what I'd call small & light.
One of these days I'll find a Beretta Model 70 .22LR that I can afford and I'll have the "kit gun" I've always wanted (I have always had a thing for those).
because everybody in the whole, wide world (except for VG and stert) knows there are many other kit guns besides the 34's, 63's and 651's that he espouses...... and some might even be those pesky semi-auto's that the various springs just fly out of, on those dang field strips....
Kahr CW9
Bought one of those for my daughter for her 21st birthday. She wanted a handgun and the CCW class, and she really liked the CW9 over all the others we looked at...nice little pistol.
Currently I have a LW Commander as a truck gun, but I have thought about the CW9 because in a pinch, it can drop in a pocket.
I like the CW9, but don't love it. Mainly just the way the trigger rocks is kind of odd to me. It's as if the trigger hinge pin is too low.
With today's choices, I would go Sig P365XL for something in a similar size.
Smith model 34 is my kit gun.
I have studied "kits" for a few decades. Something that always fascinated me. From mountain man kits, aka possible bags, to hobo bags, to snowshoe mounted rural mail carriers. Your kit was everything you needed to get by. The mountain mans kit most often included 2 types of fire starter, a fishing line and hooks, some piggins, short pieces of string or rope, a clay pipe, and tobacco and a sharpening stone and a fixed blade knife. Hobo' bags often carried a large tin cup, spoon, camp pocket knife, comb, straight razor, soap, fire makings, and assorted necessities. The woods wanderer had a kit gun, knife, fire making, most often a tiny hatchet, a small frying pan and some fishing gear. All of these had one thing in common, they carried on their shoulder everything they needed. No fancy backpack, no atv, no pickup truck. Since every ounce counted the smaller handgun was king and a 22 caliber was great since ammo was cheap and light weight. Now days we don't wander for days or weeks or months alone in the outdoors. Nor do we carry daily everything we will need to stay afield for extended periods, on our person, so weight and size do not matter as much. Protection was not of greater importance that food acquisition and the little 22 handguns were great for that. The Marbles Game Getters were supposedly quite popular as well as the little Stevens single shot 22's. Their pocket rifle variant was especially useful. But I now seldom wander more than a few miles from my truck, never for more than the day, and weight and size are of far less importance so the larger, more powerful handguns are more often my kit guns.
huntsman22: Its obvious you have a burr up your ass today - I wonder why?
Seems you only are here to attack others opinions and do so in an immature and unproductive way.
Maybe YOU could reconsider your immature attacks and definitively answer the original posters question and leave the 12 year old punk attitude to the 12 year olds?
Naw, you are not mature enough to do that.
Sad.
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy
My newest setup for a kit gun is a S&W 34-1 with a Bushnell TRS-25 red dot and it fugly and amazing in how well it lets me shoot.
Just being able to aim in low light with glasses on is where I am these days.
When you have a gun in the whole kit and kabutal you have a kit gun
GunGeek: A "Kit gun" is a rimfire Smith & Wesson "J" frame revolver - in Models 34 (blued and nickel plated models), 63 (stainless) and 651 (stainless - 4" only). I have a bunch of these in 2" and 4" barrel lengths.
I rotate their "tag along" status so's not to show preferential treatment or for fear of "wearing them out" - he-he.
No hillary locks allowed on a "Kit gun" by the way!
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy
VG, +1, and to this I would add the S&W 632 in 327 Federal, the 696 in 44 Spcl (also a 3" barrel) and the Ruger GP100 3" 44 Spcl.
The term Kit Gun originally meant a small handgun that would pack in a smallish kit bag for easy travel.
I guess I've got a couple, an SR-22 and an M&P Compact .22. Neither of them will win a match, but they'll kill stuff real dead, and both weigh in at 17 ounces, empty. I really like their light weight, it's easy to forget you've got them on. If I get bored with them, I've got a Ruger Wrangler and a Single Six, and a 4" 617, those are a bit heavier, but still compact to carry and shoot a fuzz better than the other two.
When someone says "kit gun" I always think of two things. First, the ubiquitous S&W Kit Gun and second, Hemingway's Big Two Hearted River where Nick Adams packed a Woodsman in his kit along with a fly rod and a skillet.
😁 I agree with you gnoahhh. Forgot the Hemingway reference, good one. Kit gun, in my opinion, is a term from a simpler time when people didn’t feel the need to go on a walkabout heavily armed. Maybe to pot a grouse or rabbit while doing something else, not really hunting.
Do not carry your kit gun, whatever it may be, in your kit...carry it where you can get to it quick. If you are ever attacked by a tender young grouse, you will thank me.
Another m34 “kit gun” aficionado because that is what S&W called it in their literature. As a kid that name did throw me off for a time because “kit gun” made it sound like some assembly was required. I traded off my heavier K frame m17 for that m34 because around here it makes a perfect rambling around handgun where the wildest thing that I’m likely to encounter is a red squirrel. Not so down south though. Snake shot and some .38 Special +P through a J frame m337PD seems like a better kit gun choice, but it sure isn’t in my kit because that makes it sound like I’d be keeping it in with my shaving kit stuff.
So what is a "kit gun" to you?
I know the classic definition, but these days I see people talk about .357 & .44 "kit guns". Makes me wonder, what is the role people assign to their "kit guns"?
I've got a Scandium/Titanium S&W, three inch barrel, J-Frame .38 Special with adjustable sights (fiber optic front) that fits the bill pretty good. Pre-key-lock, too.
Gnoahh,
The reference to the Colt .22 in "Big Two Hearted River" is Adams reminiscing about a fishing trip with his friend Hopkins before the war (WWI). There is nothing to indicate he has it along with him at the time of the story. And, of course, it would have to be a "Pre-Woodsman" since it was a pre-WWI gun.
I have a 1917 S&W with 2.25" barrel. Works for me and reloads are a moon clip away. But right now it is a SIG P220 in one pocket and a 45 Colt Bond Arms in the other. Be Well, RZ.
My most recent kit...
Heres mine may sell it
I guess this one could be considered a kit gun. Works for me on TX pig hunts. Either pocket-carried (no holster) or in my little day pack.
Bob
I guess this one could be considered a kit gun. Works for me on TX pig hunts. Either pocket-carried (no holster) or in my little day pack.
Bob
Like.
My most recent kit...
Dang it Ed, you’ve had me lusting for a four inch 631 since the first day you posted a picture of that one.
You should try the rubber grips, much slimmer - and just a pleasure to carry.
Here is a distant cousin to yours
Ya know they didn’t make very many of these !
My most recent kit...
Dang it Ed, you’ve had me lusting for a four inch 631 since the first day you posted a picture of that one.
This one has been a good "kit" gun for many of my trips out into the fields and mountains. S&W 36 3" heavy barrel, .38 Spec., Simply Rugged holster. HKS speed loaders.
L.W.
You should try the rubber grips, much slimmer - and just a pleasure to carry.
Here is a distant cousin to yours
Ya know they didn’t make very many of these !
Chubbowicz
Target sighted 32......
I guess this one could be considered a kit gun. Works for me on TX pig hunts. Either pocket-carried (no holster) or in my little day pack.
Bob
where did you find that holster?
My usual is a 32H&R in a 432PD a Ruger SP101 a Bisley or a Charrter Arms.
So what is a "kit gun" to you?
I know the classic definition, but these days I see people talk about .357 & .44 "kit guns". Makes me wonder, what is the role people assign to their "kit guns"?
To me they are just any lighter weight, relatively accurate handgun chambered for a round useful for the hoped for purpose. They are a secondary use item to me. That is to say they are not my main reason for being out there.
I may carry it on my person or in my pack depending.
For general use, I prefer revolvers, generally with 4" barrels. For more limited roles, semi auto pistols get the nod.
My most carried are a S&W 651 4" and a Taurus Ti .357 magnum. I carry the 651 when grouse are around, I have shot cartridges, HP's and solids with me. It gets varmint and pest duty and is often with me when hunting with a long gun. The .357 Mag is carried when I don't have a long gun with me and want a little more power. Most of the time when I am just bumming around or packing meat. I carry solids HP and shot with me. These both weigh right at 28 ounces and aren't much trouble.
When I am focused more on hunting with a rimfire I usually use my 22/45 ul with a scope or mini red dot. I always wanted a 6 inch Woodsman or High Standard but never found one for a price I liked.
When I am focused primarily on defense I carry a Glock. Usually a 26 or 19 with loads appropriate to the intended use. The autoloaders Are similar in weight to the revolvers.
They weigh close to 28 oz loaded, much more and I find reasons not to pack it.
Gnoahh,
The reference to the Colt .22 in "Big Two Hearted River" is Adams reminiscing about a fishing trip with his friend Hopkins before the war (WWI). There is nothing to indicate he has it along with him at the time of the story. And, of course, it would have to be a "Pre-Woodsman" since it was a pre-WWI gun.
True - I always imagined he had it along but the text actually reads "It took eight days for the telegram to reach him. Hopkins gave away his .22 caliber Colt automaic pistol to Nick."
That won't stop me from dreaming though
for daily chores the snub nose titanium 38's are hard to beat with 2 ratshot and HP's, don't even know its there. Probably not a true kit gun though. Like gungeek the berretta model 70 is one that I have always coveted, the new 22s are workable I guess.
You should try the rubber grips, much slimmer - and just a pleasure to carry.
Here is a distant cousin to yours
Ya know they didn’t make very many of these !
My most recent kit...
Dang it Ed, you’ve had me lusting for a four inch 631 since the first day you posted a picture of that one.
Indeed. Here so equipped with its brother Bisley.
I regularly carry the Rossi Models 511, 515, 518, 720, or 971 depending on what I'm doing and/or where I'm going.
I mostly carry the 518, .22 MAG, or 720, .44 Special. Having 3 hard cast 240 grain SWCs and 2 CCI snakeshot cartridges in a compact stainless revolver gives me a little peace of mind. Not long ago these handgun could regularly be purchased for under $300, but prices have risen for reason that aren't clear to me.
The S&W Modesl 422, 622, 2206 with 4.5" barrels could be used as kit guns if you weren't going to use snakeshot. I have found that for me, .22 LR snake shoe isn't as effective as. 22 MAG and that neither are as effective as the .38/357 and .44 varieties.
I have only encountered one instance when I needed the kit gun for self-protection, when I encountered a couple of guys while I was fishing in an out of the way place who may have been smoking meth and made aggressive overtures until I unholstered the 720 and showed them that further aggression might be hazardous to their health. Carrying one of those revolvers has become second nature and although not perfect, they are capable of doing whatever most people need doing.
The only two guns I actually carry in a kit from time to time are a Glock 42 and a NAA Pug .22 WMR. They are more for backup or arming a friend.
I ran across an old school smith 43 yesterday, extremely good condition but no box. Trying to talk myself into it.
I received what may become my new Kit Gun. The mailman delivered (thank you C&R) a dandy S&W M1903 Hand Ejector, 4th variant, .32 Long. What a sweetie!
I guess this one could be considered a kit gun. Works for me on TX pig hunts. Either pocket-carried (no holster) or in my little day pack.
Bob
where did you find that holster?
Custom job. Made by Vic Perez, Burbank, CA. Copy of a WWII Larsen flap holster (in left hand) for a PP Walther. Nice leather work by Vic; it's pretty old now.
Bob
I received what may become my new Kit Gun. The mailman delivered (thank you C&R) a dandy S&W M1903 Hand Ejector, 4th variant, .32 Long. What a sweetie!
I think my 22 RF is on the same frame?
You should try the rubber grips, much slimmer - and just a pleasure to carry.
Here is a distant cousin to yours
Ya know they didn’t make very many of these !
My most recent kit...
Dang it Ed, you’ve had me lusting for a four inch 631 since the first day you posted a picture of that one.
I’m quite fond of Hogue Bantams for 2” J-Frame revolvers:
But, when I tried the particular Hogue grips shown in the posts above, I found they have a different grip angle which just doesn’t suit me well. So, they were relegated to my disturbingly large collection of unused handgun grips. The old two piece Pachmayr Compacts still work best for me on a 4” J-Frame:
Yes! I love those Pachmayr grips on my 60-4.
Yes! I love those Pachmayr grips on my 60-4.
Sorta like this?
Just about like that, different sight though.
.357 and .22LR
brush the chips off that stump and show another pic of it.....
When is an S&W Model 63 no longer a “Kit Gun?”
'chipy,
That's some good shooting.
What year did you retire?
If you can still find these for $200, I think they still qualify:
But ALL kit guns have been surpassed by the LCR:
G44's are tough to beat for a modern day option:
The old Police Positives are tough to beat in .38 Colt.
'chipy,
That's some good shooting.
What year did you retire?
Thank you, sir. It was done from a bench over sandbags at 50 yards. I’m not as steady offhand as I used to was. The trick is to use a bullseye sized large enough to visibly surround the red dot.
I retired as a prosecutor in ‘07 to go to Afghanistan. But, that’s another story.
'chipy,
That's some good shooting.
What year did you retire?
Thank you, sir. It was done from a bench over sandbags at 50 yards. I’m not as steady offhand as I used to was.
I retired as a prosecutor in ‘07 to go to Afghanistan. But, that’s another story.
Gotcha.
I read your handle to mean you were a CHiP. I may have misunderstood.
Well, you shoot like one, that's for sure.
LOL
If you're ever in Miami let me know. Rounds on 'flave.
Well, you shoot like one, that's for sure.
LOL
If you're ever in Miami let me know. Rounds on 'flave.
You did not misunderstand. I started with the CHP and did 9-1/2 years, the last two on the CHP pistol team. When I found myself instructing baby DAs how to try my cases, I decided I would do better to put up rather than shut up.
An excellent idea. I accept. My “retirement job” has taken me to Florida in the past, and may again.
Sounds good.
I know all the best places.
brush the chips off that stump and show another pic of it.....
... or did you mean you wanted to see more of the stump?
IMO Smith and Wesson coined the term to sell small revolvers in a day when almost no one carried concealed in public. The conservative attitude of the era from the dawn of the 20th century til around the mid 1980s was that no law abiding man needed to be or should be armed without reason.
There were always those fascinated with handguns, and the appeal of the "Kit Gun" stored away, yet ready if needed sold untold thousands of J Frames.
In today's world where virtually all Americans who wish to carry do so, the term has become archaic, or anachronistic.
In today's world where virtually all Americans who wish to carry do so, the term has become archaic, or anachronistic.
And this in no way negates the appeal of these same handguns, or whatever a guy chooses to carry in this day and age.
I woulda kittled the hell outta this packrat if I only had a proper kit gun, instead of just 'killing' him with this spring-flinging takedown POS......
I woulda kittled the hell outta this packrat if I only had a proper kit gun, instead of just 'killing' him with this spring-flinging takedown POS......
If you'd a been packing your trusty Single Six you could have slipped in the magnum cylinder ,proper medicine for those toothy beasts !
Nice primed up pelt ya got there, congrats !
Just wonder if that rodent had any idea what a fine, classic gun he was kilt with....
DF
I woulda kittled the hell outta this packrat if I only had a proper kit gun, instead of just 'killing' him with this spring-flinging takedown POS......
That's a sweetheart.
not according to jstert or VG.
I woulda kittled the hell outta this packrat if I only had a proper kit gun, instead of just 'killing' him with this spring-flinging takedown POS......
That's a sweetheart.
Yep.
Nice gun, too....
DF
I may switch to my 22 Mag revolver at some point. But the Sg P220 still calls my name each day. And the 45Colt double sits on the other side with a reload in the pocket. That SIG is the closest to a large capacity semi I can come up with. I don't own any other hammer drop safety guns. I keep the hammer down and then it is a lot like a revolver and solves the reload problem until you reach 9 rounds fired. I am in love with the 220. My 1911s sit crying in the chapel. BE WELL, RZ.
The S&W Model 43C is possibly the epitome of “Kit Guns,” as it weighs next to nothing, carries 8 rounds, and it can shoot well enough, too.
This one wears the front sight from a Model 342 to improve precision shooting. So, it can take a squirrel at 50 feet. But, the trade-off is reduced low light capability without the original Big Dot front sight.
M63 and M34.
I guess this one could be considered a kit gun. Works for me on TX pig hunts. Either pocket-carried (no holster) or in my little day pack.
Bob
Very nice PP!
Any ammo preference? Is there some ammo that doesn't word with your PP?
At what distance did you produce that group?
And very nice holster, too.
S&W Model 34-1 22 LR 2" with box and all paperwork and unopened tools. to nice to shoot. May sell PM if interested Kurt
Here's a few of mine:
Top to bottom:
60-4 3" .38
43 3.5" .22LR
51 3.5" .22mag
63 4" .22LR
34 4" .22LR
631 4" .32mag
and a vintage Safariland lined holster to fit any of em.
Looks a lot like a German holster my dad brought home from WWII, along with a 32acp Walther.
Dean
Looks a lot like a German holster my dad brought home from WWII, along with a 32acp Walther.
Dean
My Grandfather brought this CZ 32acp home from WW II.
Here's a few of mine:
Top to bottom:
60-4 3" .38
43 3.5" .22LR
51 3.5" .22mag
63 4" .22LR
34 4" .22LR
631 4" .32mag
and a vintage Safariland lined holster to fit any of em.
Those are some beauties. I’m especially drooling over the 631. Wish I had bought one when they first came out.
The 631 is hard to beat.
And restocked with one of its neighbors.
I have a Bisley in 32 H&R. Those 631s make me salivate.