SLD, a retired gent from Michigan sends us his “Small town sultry summer evening carry.” While I love his description, for me “everyday carry” is pretty much everyday unless I’m going to someplace non-permissive. But heh, more power to Mr. SLD.
Love the classic Colt Detective Special with Stag grips. I find them appealing, and if I wasn’t a S&W guy in terms of push vs. pull on the cylinder release, I’d probably hunt one of these Colts on the used market.
He carries it in a DeSantis Nemesis pocket holster. I’ve got one of these and I like it. Obviously, at 60 years of age carrying that classic, SLD likely knows what he’s doing and he likes his holster or he’d carry it in something different. He’s also got not one but two reloads of Freedom Munitions 158gr JHPs on Tuff Quickstrip speed strips.
SLD also sends quite a nice addendum to describe what he carries, why and more:
Went for a walk along the boardwalk and fireworks last night with my wife. Even with the sultry sticky weather, it was a nice night.
The Hanks Gunner belt is one of the best I have worn, I have several of his belts now. The Colt was carried in my hip pocket covered by my guayabera, which are wonderful shirts on hot sticky nights.
The Bugout is carried left hip pocket, the Cricket in my watch pocket. I no longer carry a big wallet, and now simply carry the Money Clamp. My watch of choice was a Seiko SKX011J, they have some of the best lume in the business. I am a sucker for a beads of rice bracelet on a watch and Yobookies makes the best, each bead is solid not folded sheet metal.
The coin is carried in memory of my grandfather, the only one I knew, who died when I was 5. my only real memory of him talking was him telling me to always carry a silver dollar. it would bring me luck and I would never be broke. This was something important to a man who lived through the depression. The one he gave me disappeared over the past 55 years, this is my replacement today.
He’s got his Benchmade Bugout folder (available for about $134 on Amazon) along with a little Spyderco Cricket utility knife. And rounding out the gun/blade/light trifecta, he’s got a pair of small lights: A Fenix LD01 and an Inova XP.
Unlike most folks, he includes his belt… A Hanks Gunner Belt. A nice leather belt like this will last a person five or ten years, provided it doesn’t shrink on you.
I like this SLD guy. He knows what he wants in what he carries.
Knows what i want, lol, my wife says im a stubborn old man. That is actually Edc, or close to what i settled on. That was my first change over this summer. When it gets real hot and muggy I move to pocket carry. I decided against the Colt mostly because of sights, which I did not want to file. I chose something with adjustable sights. This is important because I am left eye dominant and shoot mostly right. Yes, I prefer good sights on a snub.
Nice little wheelgun, and 2 reloads, commendations…
Better to carry a NY reload because you are never going survive an atyempted reload of a revolver with speed strips under fire. Speed loaders might work but not strips.
Are there a lot of documented incidences of reloads under fire with non-LEO.?
I think there is a lot of projecting military actions into civilian encounters.
Plenty of cops reloaded under fire when revolvers were the main duty weapon.
We know about the failures because we saw changes in equipment afterward.
I.e. speedloaders vs dump pouches, revolvers to self-loaders, etc.
As I recall, the agents in the Miami shootout had a hard time reloading and returning fire with semi- autos and the final sickbay was killed by 38 snub.
Seems like auto carriers may need a NY reload just as well.
Just IMO but I think you’re right. When I’m carrying a revolver I don’t bother with a reload but for an auto I always have one. In the case of an auto, the reload isn’t for tactical reasons but for failure remediation. Magazine is the most likely part to fail and all.
Eric…I agree and usually carryma reload for wheelies and shuckers.
Funny thing is that I more often carry a reload for a revolver as speed strips are easier to carry than magazines. Worry about bending and all.
To me, tough magazines are one of the biggest draws to Glocks. The layer of plastic around the liner makes them tough and stiff as well.
Thinking of getting a P365 and that is one the checks on “keep your Glock 43” side. P365 magas are thinner metal.
A double optimist! 🙂
How many times y’all going to post this gun and that yellow Glock? This is like the fourth time.
Is this another rerun of the one I got blistered for commenting on twice? Honestly, guys that keep up with that kind of shit must have too much time on their hands. They really should move out of their Mom’s basement. Anyway, I like it. Except for the Spyderco. I like Spydercos, carry one every day, but not that one. Can’t speak to the lights. Never heard of them. I use Surefire. But hey, at least he has a light.
The Cricket is the best folder i have yet to find for what I use it for. It clips into my watch pocket and is short enough not to get push out during normal sitting and bending. The shape of the blade cuts better than any small blade i have found. In one test it cut down to a dowel thru a inch of foam a layer sweat shirt and a layer of old leather jacket with one slash.
It is also the only liner lock i own any more.
60 and he still thinks 158 grain hollow points are actually going to expand coming out of a snubbie.
cgray, they will. Shot plenty of 158 gr. semi-wadcutter HP into 10% gelatin. FBI load. I admit from a 3″ round butt S&W 65. Speer also loads a Gold Dot round specifically for snubbies. 130 gr I think though.
These are trucking along at about 700 fps. They’re not opening. Period.
cgray, yes they will. 10% gelatin isn’t the be all, end all, but I have measured depth of penetration, put a micrometer on them to measure expansion and weighed them for weight retention. All data was recorded by Federal/CCI Speer for future reference. Was invited to a couple of these events over the years. Would the projectiles have expanded more at higher velocities? Sure. Be careful about making absolute statements that end with “period.” Life will almost always prove you wrong. But hey, you can save a lot of money by loading your handguns with FMJ. Just make sure it’s a .45. Meanwhile, the rest of us will continue to load HPs. Even in snubbies.
Sorry man, but the other guys are right. They’ll expand. This has been tested many many times.
tdiivna, I said “semi-wadcutter HP..” A completely different animal from the target wadcutter you referred to. Yeah, was shooting one of my 3″ 65s, but as you said that’s only another 75 feet per second. If you don’t believe hollowpoints will expand in short barreled handguns I’ll give you the same advice I gave cgray, save money and buy FMJ, or carry a 6″ revolver. BTW, exactly how many bullet wounds have you examined in an autopsy?
No they won’t. See Lucky Gunner’s test for snubbies. There are round that will expand but not wadcutters.
tdiivna, don’t need to see a YouTube video as I’ve done the testing myself with the industry professionals that, oh yeah, actually load the ammo. Then there were all those pesky autopsies I had to go to where I had to take the bullets into evidence. Of course, since I could give a shit less about firearms and ballistics I didn’t pay any attention to how the bullets performed. Bullets are strange things and they do strange things. If you make broad and absolute statements about ballistics your either exposing your ignorance, or the fact that all your knowledge came from a book/magazine/internet.
And the FBI load is a +P semi-wadcutter HP. A true wadcutter is a target bullet designed to cut a clean hole in a paper target. Although, there are advocates for it as a self defense round. I recall a fad not to long ago where people were loading wadcutter bullets upside down exposing their hollow base as an exceptionally large hollow point.
The lucky gunner test aren’t a youtube thing. It is based hard laboratory testing Lose an inch of barrel on a revolver and you lose 75-100 fps. That puts it below the critical velocity for expansion. The fact that you don’t take that into account casts doubt on your veracity.
tdiivna, that laboratory testing you refer to is exactly what I did. More than once. Lose velocity in a shorter barrel? Well, duh! Who would have thunk? This all started when cgray said 158 gr HPs wouldn’t expand from a snubbies. I said they would and qualified it by saying that they would expand better at higher velocities. What bullet wouldn’t? You said wadcutter wouldn’t expand. They weren’t designed to. Out of any barrel length. Fortunately, today we have high grade defensive ammunition designed to expand when fired from short barrels. Suggest you buy some, or EDC a 6″ Smith.
Well, Sparky you weren’t JHPs. You were talking wadcutters. You keep moving the goal posts. First it was 3″ barrel now it’s modern JHPs. So let me translate this into plain English for you: “what I said wadcutters out of a snubbie was outside my range of experience so extrapolated and I was wrong so I changed the subject.”
HP Wadcutters vary by make. Remington and Buffalo Bore ($$) probably makes the best for expansion (+P), but there is not a lot development on this old fashioned load. Check out the new 38 Federal Micro HST for expansion, I think that is hard to beat for snubby expansion performance. Maybe a Barnes all copper, but they are pricey.
Even if they fail to expand (especially?), they will damned sure penetrate.
nice gun
That pink dog bed tho.
Old school Dick Special with the grips, very nice.
Love it all , the gun, knives and watch. I have a seiko skx007 on a shark mesh strap myself , it’s in my rotation of 6 or so watches , although the watch was customized for me by a guy in Hong Kong.
Two speed strips… ha. If you think you are going to need to reload twice in a defensive ‘edc’ gun use you should be carrying something else.
…like a rifle.
Wouldn’t it be great to plan and pack accordingly like you do in your EDC bags? It would be great to have ammo in one of those situations where you need to get to your bag or truck with more ammo in it and a bag to get you home. Knocking someone for carrying two “mags” worth of ammo is pretty low, especially when the entire purpose is self defense, regardless of the situation or how rare the occurrence might be. It’s why we all carry. Some will argue because “It’s their right” and it is, but the main reason is preparation. Having entirely too much crap on your key ring is one thing, but an extra reload? C’mon man… lighten up.
Hannibal, been in a few armed confrontations. Never felt like I brought too much ammo.
This is one cool EDC and the guy explained everything, right on. Oh the best I’ve found for snubby .38″s was handloaded swaged lead hollow based wad cutters turned backwards, they really seem to expand
I know. Let’s just all load our J frames with 158 round nose lead. It doesn’t matter anyway.
My Uncle Brayden just got a new cream Chevrolet Camaro Convertible by working part time off of a macbook air… http://xurl.es/onlinjob
Ok, why carry hollowpoints, why not… Lots of opinions both ways as to if hollowpoints will expand or not from short barreled handguns. From my experience and testing, they will, is that conclusive, hardly, otherwise there would be no arguments. However, lead solids or FMJ definitely WONT. So why not even if you are dubious, or perhaps snap caps to limit wear and tear on the revolver…
Why 2 speed strips, again, why not. Two is not any harder to carry than one, especially in a carrier on ones belt which is where I carry them, same position I carry speedloaders, moon clips, or my pistol magazines. Will I need two, who knows, if I could tell the future I would never need the revolver period. Would it be colossal bad luck to have multiple encounters with animals or humans where two reloads might come in handy, sure, but I have yet to make my fortune at the blackjack table so I am not counting on luck.
I carry a GHB with a firearm in it with four magazines. My wife does not carry a firearm, In a worst case scenario where we are away from home, and something catastrophic occurs. I can equip her with the Colt, which she shoots very well, and several reloads for emergency, and equip myself from the GHB. Same goes for emergencies where I carry a New York reload on trips to the big city.
There are always reasons why people tend to do things, not always those we agree with. But, they work for them, these work for me… It is like the two knives, one is available for each hand should my dominant left hand be used to hold something I can still cut something with my right, or simply to have one in each hand.
Thank you gentlemen .
Potāto, Potäto, Tomāto, Tomäto…. As a confirmed revolver guy who’s even older than SLD, I’m a little sensitive to the frequent criticism of snub revolvers in general and .38 caliber ones specifically. Please keep in mind, it’s more effective than harsh words, or a mouse gun. I’ve carried snubs loaded with everything from Glaser Safety Slugs (who remembers those?) to LSWCHP +P. Thanks be to the deity of my choice for never having to use any of them! All will either expand/fragment or not, based on a long list of arbitrary, and sometimes capricious, criteria. But, once again, they’re all better than nothing, so stop dissing my (and SLD’s) choice.
P.S. The 38 Special was an early smokeless powder cartridge based on previous black powder ones. If you were asked to create a new, modern, mid range revolver cartridge, what would it be? Talk amongst yourselves.
More than likely, it would be a rimmed 9mm like the failed 9mm federal.
Much more efficient than 38 Spl, the short case takes less powder to achieve superior ballistics to 38 Spl even in a short bbl. ( like a 9mm snub – those moon clips keep it from being attractive to the masses)
Unfortunately, the 9mm Federal would drop into any 38 S&W revolver and deliver at least 3x the pressure they were designed to endure. Yes. A 9mm Luger will drop in as well, but I guess they’re not worried about that since there is no aim to extract and they figure fewer dorks will try it.
Specialist38, thanks for the very interesting information on the Federal rimmed 9mm. I hadn’t heard of it. I agree. A “modern” 38 Special would probably be a lot like this round, but would require major retooling of snub revolvers to withstand the much higher pressures and take advantage of the shorter cartridge. And there’d still be the product liability issues with older guns. It seems that the best update to the 38 is the 357 magnum. Light bullets (100-115 gr.) would probably have similar ballistics to 9mm in snubs.
If they made it a true 38 caliber, then it wouldn’t drop into 38S&W or 38 Spl cylinders.
If they made the revolver out of steel (frame and cylinder) it would handle the pressure fine. The 9mm Federal was similar to 9mm or 357 pressure.
The gun could be smaller like the old 38 S&W Terrier model. 18oz unloaded and half an inch or so shorter than the original chief’s special.
With my 357 LCR, it is easy to 1125 fps with 125 grain bullets, where the 9mm LCR gets those velocities with 115 graiiners and 1060 to 1080 with 125 grainers.
It could be done, bit gun companies dont rock the boat too often.
This this EDC is one of the more complete and believable submissions from that website. I’d say at least 1/3 of the gun related submissions looks like a gun was added to a non-gun EDC too maybe look cool or show it off because they got it yesterday? Why wouldn’t one show the holster?
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