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if you had to pick one
range
Member Posts: 554 ✭✭✭
what is the best-small carry gun
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I just cut loose with a Belmore Johnson .38 derringer. Because it was only a little smaller and lighter, than my G 27 CCW. Almost no advantage, for pocket carry and concealment.
W.D.
If you need to go lighter with the revolver, S&W makes a Scandium framed version, model 360.
Best
what is the best-small carry gun
No such thing as "the" best, only what works best FOR YOU.
Carry guns are always a compromise between size, power, capacity, cost, and other factors. The "right" compromise depends on your anatomy, specific needs (EG are you carrying in a pocket or on your ankle, etc), budget, etc.
Small frame Smith and Wesson snubnose revolver (of which the model 60 is one example; there are many others) is certainly one of the "gold standards" for this, and has been for many decades.
Personally, I like the Smith 637 which is like the Smith 60, but uses a lighter aluminum alloy frame (instead of a stainless steel one). A lot of people swear by the 642, which is a hammerless "double action only" version of the same. Advantage of that is less snagging, and (presumably) safer action.
I've shot the Kel-Tec .40 cal (PM40), and its perhaps the singularly most unpleasant to shoot handgun I've ever shot. The combination of heavy DA-only trigger pull, boxy ergonomics with "sharp" checkering, and harsh recoil in a 15 ounce package just beat up the hand terribly. This pistol may work for some people (see above), but IMO it can't be classified as "the best".
For a small auto, a lot of people like the Kel Tec PF9, which is sort of like a single stack version of the above gun, with better sights, trigger, and generally improved ergonomics, in a more rational caliber (9mm luger) for a small light auto. Kel Tec P40 was discontinued years ago, but I'd look at a PF9 first.
Kel-Tec 3at, or one of the many similar small polymer .380s is a popular choice because of overall small package and really low weight with reasonable power.
Etc.
Edit:
FWIW, I have Smith 60s in 38 and 357 but for actual carry I still prefer the 38 637 for the lighter weight.
357 is a good cartridge, but the ballistics of it are significantly gimped from a short 2" barrel and aren't all that much better than a "normal" .38+P from the same platform (typically only an extra 75fps muzzle velocity or less).
What happens instead is that the extra powder that's "supposed" to give you enhanced 357 velocities instead gets burned OUTSIDE the barrel, creating a massive fireball from the muzzle. For this reason, IMO 357 doesn't offer enough ballistic advantage from a 2" bbl over .38+P to be worth the "cost" of more recoil, noise, significantly more muzzle flash, and ammo expense.
But again, preference is subjective. If you're able to carry on the BELT (instead of in a pocket) and can carry a 3" (or longer) barrel gun, then the 357 starts to really shine.
I agree with Charlie, model 60 Smith.
W.D.
As do I. Ours are 36s, but a 60 would be better.