Needing to get a conceal carry pistol/revolver Found a good deal on a Smith and Wesson 637 air-weight 38. Any good/bad on them. Also are the Kimber Micro 9’s any good. Thanks

My Kimber Micro 9 was a jammer. Nothing wrong with a good ole S&W Airweight in .38 sp. I prefer the Glock 43 in 9mm, but there are a ton of good options for concealed carry nowadays.

We had a concealed carry match today, nothing bigger than a Shield. I shot my Shield and a DAO J frame, took some lessons to heart.

J frames can be shot fast enough and accurately enough but there’s no way I can reload quick enough.

5 is not always gonna be enough.

A Shield or Glock 43 will work just fine and are probably the best of the sub compacts.

I'd like to get a Shield myself.

My wife had a 637 (new maybe 3 years ago) and it was real stiff at first. If you didn't push the loaded cylinder shut like you meant it, the trigger would catch about halfway back on the first DA stroke. It went down the road PDQ and got replaced with a M&P40C, which she shot better right out of the chute.

I picked up a Shield 9 and didn't care for the trigger plus it is a bit bulky for me. Ordered a 637 Smith for its size for pocket carry. Seller made mistake and shipped a 642 instead with a trigger that was also awful. Decided to keep it after seller gave me a good rebate for the mistake. For pocket carry it is ideal. Did complete workover of internals and changed the springs and that gun shoots! Very pleased with it, and I don't have to worry about hammer hanging when coming out.

Sometimes, neither is 15. What led you to your conclusion?

Life

I would pick the Smith over the Kimber.

I actually prefer something like a Glock 26 with the mag pinky extension but if you aren't use to carrying then the revolver would be a better first choice.

The alloy J-frames are great pocket guns but they are just that--pocket guns. Reap the benefits while realizing the limitations.

I am partial to the 642 no lock and the shield.

5 is absolutely enough. At least until the day it isn't.

25 years ago we experienced a "100 years flood". One year later we experienced another "100 years flood". What were the odds of that?

Carry what you are willing to carry and use it well. Fear not the flood...

Glock 19 or Glock 23 (9mm and .40 S&W respectively) are the best trade off between ammo onboard and size. I’ve been searching for the best compromise concealed carry pistol since 1984 when I started my L.E. career. Nothing ever quite felt right. If it was easy to conceal it didn’t carry enough rounds to give me a warm fuzzy feeling. If it carried enough ammo it was too big to effectively hide and too heavy for comfort. I believe the Glock 19 & 23 push the envelope in size, but after carrying my wife’s G19 for a month I am convinced this is the combination I’ve been searching 34 years for. Unfortunately she won’t give hers up so I have to part with some of my slush fund.

Good luck in your search!

Glock 19 is my favorite. Carried one yesterday in an appendix inside waistband position while putting down flooring and quarter round molding. Actually forgot I was packing.

SIG P365 for the win. Or, if single stack will suffice, Kahr CW9.

I like my Ruger sp101 in 357 Magnum.

Get a semi-auto Glock 42 .380 and you will thank me over & over again. Real nice shooter that's fits some right-front pockets. Make sure it's a Gen-2 or later, not an earlier Gen-1 version.

I own several handguns and that's my favorite one for CC. If I want shirt-pocket carry, I use my smaller Beretta Pico..... also a later model.

Buying early versions of handguns can ask for troubles down the line. Perfect example is the most popular Ruger LCP. The ones made the last few years are terrific.

I like my Shield 9 plenty

Some years ago I got my wife a Smith 642, the trigger was too stiff for her so we got rid of it and got her a Ruger LCR...problem solved

I like my S&W Mod 60, .357. I have a lot of other concealed carry options but this is my favorite. Sometimes IWB sometimes OWB, it depends on weather and clothing.

This guy only needed four.



L.W.

Most of the time I carry an S&W SD9VE, but when I carry a revolver, it's an LCR 357mag or a Detective Special.

Ruger EC9 is available now - almost sub-$200. Kel-Tec PF 9 - still the lightest, thinnest 8 shot 9mm and my fav. Glock Lard-butt 43 for those who must have a Glock regardless of how over-sized, over-weight and over-priced it is. And there is the Kimber for those who must spend the most money possible for a mediocre 9mm.

Of course there are the snubbys for the nostalgic.

Lots of good options today.

You're possibly the only person on earth that prefers a Keltec PF-9 over a Glock 43.

Nope, he's not. Make me number 2.

Funny thing happened Saturday. I had a grain of powder or something get under the extractor and could not close the cylinder.

Revolvers are pretty reliable until they aren't...

I also had a misfire leaving me with only 4.

If you want to pretend to carry concealed, but really just want an over-priced dinky range gun - the Glock 43 is perfection.
IMHO of course.

Sure,and if you want the cheapest possible,made by retards pistol,then Keltec is a perfect choice. BTW,I much prefer the G-19 to the G-43.

Yeah, for straight belt carry in a proper holster, the 43 blows the Airweight J-Frame .38s out of the water. However, the little, Airweight, double action revolvers do have their place, such as if you plan to sometimes just stuff it in your jacket, coat, or back pants pocket in a ready-to-go condition. No way I'd do that with a Glock 43.

Spoken like a dweeb who doesn't know form from function.

Go ahead and drink the Glock koolaid - lots of folks do. I used to as well - 25yrs ago. But at the end of the day the 43 is still twice as expensive, and over-weight for a true CC weapon.

I ain't even talking about the 43 but the Keltec sure ain't nothing special.

Well, I got old ( will be 68 in a few days ). I found that I have a hard time working a semi's slide many times now. Never had that problem before. Went to a 38 special snub nose revolver for CCW. Use front pocket to carry it in. No problem handling the snub nose.

Exactly.

The Kel-Tec is a no-frills pistol highly optimized for concealed carry. Nothing else. What it does, it does very well.

Too often people say "concealed carry" but what they mean is 95% of the time it will be a range gun, 5% of the time it will be concealed. The PF-9 is the opposite.

I read on another thread that as soon as you start carrying a revolver then you'll be accosted by a large gang of thugs and need a large super high capacity semi-auto striker fired only pistol and at least 2 boxes of ammo loaded up in spare mags in your backpack.

Oh, and a friend or relative that can rack the slide should be kept on speed dial in case a situation should arise.

Personally, I'd just roll with the snubnose cause I'm a habitual risk taker like that.

On the contrary. Most people think you need a much smaller gun than you actually do in order to conceal carry. Over 95% of the time, I conceal carry full, service, sized handgun (currently a Glock 17, but in the past an S&W Model 13, or a full sized 1911), only resorting to the smaller ones (e.g., J-Frames or something like a Glock 43, Kahr P9, or Ruger LC9s Pro) when zero printing becomes a very high priority.

You are correct, one can conceal N-frame revolvers. But concealing a PF-9 is far easier. I drop mine in my front pocket and forget about it - convenient. I dont have to dress around the PF-9. Drop it in my back pocket if I need my front pocket. Won't pull my pants down like the G43, or Shield.

With the PF-9, I'm always armed except where prohibited. With my Pro-Carry, I'm armed if convenient.

Check out the new S&W Shield .380 EZ. It's whole point is the slide is super easy to rack.

Ditto that.

Just bought a Ruger Security-9, though. Same size and 15-round mag as Glock 19. Got mine for $299. Glock 19's are going for well over $500.

When my holster arrives and I've had a chance to check it out further, the Ruger is likely to replace my Shield 9mm as my EDC gun.

I switch carry guns from time to time...why?...I don't know, I just like to

My Springfield XDS in .45acp carries nicely IWB

I have a M&P Sheild 40 cal. Nice gun. Not too small to shoot, but not too big either. 40 cal is a nice man-stopper. Hope to never need it.

For a small 9mm I’d go with the Shield. They are an excellent pistol. It has displaced my Glock, which is a good one, even my 1911’s are feeling neglected.