Bret4207
At the casting bench in the sky. RIP Bret.
Thanks, I'll see if I can find anything on it!
I've Got a "Thing" for Small, 3" Revolvers
- Thread starter Jeff H
- Start date
Bret4207
At the casting bench in the sky. RIP Bret.
Interesting idea.
Thumbcocker
Active Member
I found a source for stainless steel sling swivels on line. A friend and I were able to fabricate decent lanyard rings using 3mm iirc stainless rod bent around a clevis pin and silver solder. Had to find some special flux but they turned our pretty good. I have other revolvers we are going to make lanyard rings for as soon as he finishes remodeling his house. It helps with the soldering if you cut the rod on an angle. 
Petrol & Powder
Well-Known Member
I don’t consider 3” barreled revolvers to be “pocket guns” but as holster guns, they excel.
I concur with the Goldilocks assessment provided by David S.
I concur with the Goldilocks assessment provided by David S.
Not in the normal sense, but as @Outpost75 mentioned - in the "pocket of a barn coat" and I'm not above slipping one into the pocket of a field jacket. The 3" Bulldog dropped very nicely into the back pocket of my jeans on many, many occasions when I ventured outside the house to check on animals, bring in firewood, take out garbage, investigate funny noises, etc.
NOT my preferred mode of carry other than for short-duration, close-to-the-house situations.
The are definitely more convenient in a holster and conceal better inside or outside the waistband than the ones with an extra inch will, especially when sitting in a truck or on a tractor seat.
Glaciers
Alaska Land of the Midnight Sun
Nice list.
I’ve been using and carrying a 3” SP101 in 357. Works fine in the back pocket for me.
I’ve also carried the 3” Rossi 720 44SPL in my back pocket but loaded it is pushing the weight limit.
My 3” Bulldog, or I should say Karyn’s Bulldog carries nicely in the pocket. As far as guns go I prefer the Rossi.
I’ve carried the 4” Ruger Security Six in my back pocket for a walk around when things go bump. But that extra inch and weight make it a short term proposition. The Smith model 60 2” is great for away from the homestead use as is the SP101 and the Bulldog.
I’ve been looking at the light weight Mag Pug for a while, the 3” with sights would be great except for having that shiny polished finish leaves me cold. The 2” would be sweet.
I like 3” guns, but the 5 shot 2” guns I’m starting to warm up to. They are a lot in a small package.
The Mag Pug, "High Polish" has two drawbacks; the high polish, and the "adjustable" sights.
The high polish is starting to wear a bit and I've not had time to sit down and sand the whole thing, but it's easy fix.
The "adjustable" sight is an embarrassment. Poorly formed, crude, sharp-edges and just not very good. I usually like simple things, but this sight makes a mess of simple. I replaced it with a FIXED sight that I made from bar stock, which wasn't too onerous a chore, but Fermin Garza chided me into replacing the front sight (which was shiny and round), which WAS an onerous chore - without the proper tools.
But, what WANTED and what was available were two different things. IDEALLY, there would have been a 3" stainless 357, just like the older Bridgeport/Stratford Bulldogs with the tapered barrel and I'd have paid extra for that, but with the new wood grips (which I had to make from a gawdawful set of "backpacker" grips), it's a little gem.
THE MAG PUG COMES IN 2"!
I saw lots of them when I was looking, but I wanted a 3", so I passed. They're out there is you want one, and I believe they are fixed-sight models.
Below, the sight mods are more visible. On the original post is a pic with the modified grips. Very sleek, light and compact. I wish Rossi made a hammer like that too!
The high polish is starting to wear a bit and I've not had time to sit down and sand the whole thing, but it's easy fix.
The "adjustable" sight is an embarrassment. Poorly formed, crude, sharp-edges and just not very good. I usually like simple things, but this sight makes a mess of simple. I replaced it with a FIXED sight that I made from bar stock, which wasn't too onerous a chore, but Fermin Garza chided me into replacing the front sight (which was shiny and round), which WAS an onerous chore - without the proper tools.
But, what WANTED and what was available were two different things. IDEALLY, there would have been a 3" stainless 357, just like the older Bridgeport/Stratford Bulldogs with the tapered barrel and I'd have paid extra for that, but with the new wood grips (which I had to make from a gawdawful set of "backpacker" grips), it's a little gem.
THE MAG PUG COMES IN 2"!
I saw lots of them when I was looking, but I wanted a 3", so I passed. They're out there is you want one, and I believe they are fixed-sight models.
Below, the sight mods are more visible. On the original post is a pic with the modified grips. Very sleek, light and compact. I wish Rossi made a hammer like that too!
Bret4207
At the casting bench in the sky. RIP Bret.
Nicely done! As far as the rings go, the heavier duty, salt water type split rings used on large fishing lures should work, although perhaps not so nice looking as your end product.
Bret4207
At the casting bench in the sky. RIP Bret.
A 2 1/2" or 1 7/8 barrel is easier to carry in a holster too. Drawing the line at 1/2" more barrel never made much sense to me. Personally I consider anything larger than a Smith J frame or PPK type too big for pocket carry for the most part, but I'd certainly never call it a rule or cut off point. To each their own!!!
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Bret4207
At the casting bench in the sky. RIP Bret.
You guys must have jeans with much larger back pockets that the ones I get at TSC!
I had a little Beretta 25 Auto, I forget the name but it was the same basic thing as their Jetfire 22. THAT was a pocket gun. It also would fit between the elastic straps on my vest and no one ever found it in practice frisking. Same thing for an NAA 22 Mag w/4" barrel I borrowed, something not at all allowed by division!!! Should have bought that gun!
It ain't THAT!
The guns we're talking about ARE too big for "pocket-carry" if you expect to get away with it out among the general, "civilized" population. I would not attempt to CCW one of these in a pocket while out and about , away from home. Dropping one into the back jeans pocket leaves just enough of the butt sticking out (not YOURS) to grab if you are surprised by a coon at the cat dish, when you went to see if Fluffy finally came home.
In many coats/jackets with big patch-pockets, like chore coats, barn coats, field jackets, the 3" guns lie top-down in the bottom of the big pocket and present the butt for your hand to get to first. Yes, they'll "print" and make the coat sag a bit more to one side, but this is strictly an expedient for when you don't have to worry about "Karen" seeing the muzzle of your gun when you reach for a box of Cheerios on the top shelf at Walmart.
Front jeans pocket - no way. Too big and too hard to get at/get out.
"Pocket-Carry," as a sort of new bit of jargon related to the recent upsurge in CCW, is one thing. Dropping a 3" gun into a back pocket or coat pocket to go out to check on things at "the place" is not the same. No need for deep concealment or discrete carry - this is more like convenient, semi-discrete carry.
Unless you're a BIG guy with BIG pockets, pocket-carrying one of these in a general CCW environment would leave YOUR butt hanging out.
Petrol & Powder
Well-Known Member
Jeff H did a fine job of addressing this, but I'll add a little.
The term Pocket Carry can mean different things in different circumstances.
Completely concealed or exposed grip, front pocket, back pocket, cargo pocket, coat pocket, an expedient no holster carry option?
While I might stick a gun in the back pocket of a pair of pants as a very limited temporary expedient carry mode, it’s a very short-term option. It’s not concealed and it’s not terribly secure.
Outside of that occasional very short-term option of “just shove the gun in your back pocket”, I’m going to use a pocket holster for pocket carry. A pocket holster shields the trigger, breaks up the outline of the gun and keeps the gun oriented correctly inside the pocket. The Mika pocket holsters are excellent.
While I can get away with a 2” K-frame with a bobbed hammer in a coat pocket or cargo pocket, I must step down to a J-frame or Detective Special sized gun for front pocket carry. A Ruger SP101 with a bobbed hammer and 2 ¼” barrel is about the limit for that mode of carry (Outpost 75 will likely counter with better options for pants with real pockets)
My personal cutoff for what qualifies as a “snubnose” revolver is a 2 ½” barrel. And even with that definition, a 2 ½” model 19/66 is a holster gun in my world. It may not be readily apparent but there is a huge difference in bulk between a 2” K-frame with fixed sights and a 2 ½” K-frame with adjustable sights.
Starting above 2 ½” barrels and moving up to 3” barrels, I label that category as 3” barreled revolvers. These are generally holster guns in my world (your world may be different). But the 3” guns are vastly easier to tote around than a full sized 4” barreled DA revolver. A 3” barreled DA revolver is very “packable” for lack of a better term. It gives up very little in terms of sight radius, it can have excellent grips and you get a full-length extractor rod.
The 4” barreled DA revolver is the classic “Duty Gun”. Solidly in the realm of holster carry but still not too bad to carry in a holstered, open carry mode. 4” and 5” DA revolvers are probably the best compromise between sight radius and overall size/weight.
A barrel of 6” or longer is a dedicated target or hunting gun.
The term Pocket Carry can mean different things in different circumstances.
Completely concealed or exposed grip, front pocket, back pocket, cargo pocket, coat pocket, an expedient no holster carry option?
While I might stick a gun in the back pocket of a pair of pants as a very limited temporary expedient carry mode, it’s a very short-term option. It’s not concealed and it’s not terribly secure.
Outside of that occasional very short-term option of “just shove the gun in your back pocket”, I’m going to use a pocket holster for pocket carry. A pocket holster shields the trigger, breaks up the outline of the gun and keeps the gun oriented correctly inside the pocket. The Mika pocket holsters are excellent.
While I can get away with a 2” K-frame with a bobbed hammer in a coat pocket or cargo pocket, I must step down to a J-frame or Detective Special sized gun for front pocket carry. A Ruger SP101 with a bobbed hammer and 2 ¼” barrel is about the limit for that mode of carry (Outpost 75 will likely counter with better options for pants with real pockets)
My personal cutoff for what qualifies as a “snubnose” revolver is a 2 ½” barrel. And even with that definition, a 2 ½” model 19/66 is a holster gun in my world. It may not be readily apparent but there is a huge difference in bulk between a 2” K-frame with fixed sights and a 2 ½” K-frame with adjustable sights.
Starting above 2 ½” barrels and moving up to 3” barrels, I label that category as 3” barreled revolvers. These are generally holster guns in my world (your world may be different). But the 3” guns are vastly easier to tote around than a full sized 4” barreled DA revolver. A 3” barreled DA revolver is very “packable” for lack of a better term. It gives up very little in terms of sight radius, it can have excellent grips and you get a full-length extractor rod.
The 4” barreled DA revolver is the classic “Duty Gun”. Solidly in the realm of holster carry but still not too bad to carry in a holstered, open carry mode. 4” and 5” DA revolvers are probably the best compromise between sight radius and overall size/weight.
A barrel of 6” or longer is a dedicated target or hunting gun.
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Winelover
North Central Arkansas
Yep, 2 1/2" is the longest revolver barrel that I would consider pocketable. Even that is stretching it. I carry the 2.5" Bulldog, while bow hunting. However, it must be in the deep cargo pocket of my hunting pants. Also, use Mika's pocket holsters. One third of the N-Frame's grip will stick out of that same pocket, so it's dedicated to holster carry.
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Thumbcocker
Active Member
Weren't pockets deeper back in the day? I seem to recall reading that a Colt 1903 would fit in the pocket of the high waisted pleated pants that were the fashion in the 20's and 30's. I know that all pockets are not created equal. My favorite work pants are the Carhart original dungarees with the hammer loop. They have absolutely cavernous pockets, a high waist, and never "crotch bite".
Bret4207
At the casting bench in the sky. RIP Bret.
Absolutely they were! This has been discussed going back into the 1950's at least in books on self defense guns. Mens trousers used to come up to just below the rib cage! Watch an old film noir Bogart or Cagney movie. Those guys wore pants with enormous pockets that would hold a 4" revolver, and they weren't J frames!
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CZ93X62
Official forum enigma
Yessir--I LIVE in Carhartt dungarees. I can 'pocket carry' my Glock 43 or S&W 642 without much fuss for summertime wear. I also have a couple barn coats with pockets that can swallow my 4" SP-101 pretty easily when the weather cools, and they do a great job of covering a hip- or shoulder-holstered full-size sidearm as well.
