Lasers on J-Frames
I’ve often noticed that some of the most experienced shooters I know that you would imagine could probable carry a Argentine FAL concealed actually all carry very small and lightweight firearms. The J-Frame seems to be the number one, but I have been noticing that there are a few very reliable autos being made by Ruger and Kahr. I understand the need for training, but there have been drawbacks to many of the snub nose revolvers I have fired. Number one, they tend to have terrible triggers and the sights are so small they are hard to use. I’ve put plenty of lead downrange, but I have done tests with 5 shot revolvers and the difference between double action trigger pulls and single can be significant. If you’ve only got 5 rounds, you have to make every round count.
After several attempts at buying another pocket auto, I had a convesation with the salesperson that said everyone he knows that is carrying a J-frame is now carrying it with Crimson Trase Laser Grips. I’ve seen a lot of pocket lint on firearms and I would have to say that it is something I would be concerned about if I was carrying an auto, I believe the revolver has an edge in this regard. A laser grip will add on another $160-$200+ to your gun, but if you prefer to carry a revolver. Adding on a laser will increase your effective range and possible give you and intimidation factor if you ever had to pull it.
I highly suggest that when people are carrying a firearm, even if they are not carying a backup firearm, should at the very least have atleast one other item on them that they could consider using in a defensive application. Some may sound funny, but if you were a bad guy, getting a set of car keys jammed in their face or having a belt buckle being used as a pair of brass knuckles or a whip is not something they would want to be hit with. If you are carrying a pocket gun, and don’t have the ability to comfortable carry mace or another less lethal weapon, try using a belt that has a slightly heavier than normal belt buckle and remember that you can always use it as a whip if need be.
I think more than half the guns I have picked up for my collection were police trade ins. CDNN investments is always one of the best places to find used handguns. If you are a Glock, Sig or Beretta gun lover. Check out their yearly catalog for used but hardly shot guns. I picked up a Glock 17 a few month ago and like many of the guns that are trade ins, this gun had mostly holster wear on the outside. One of my friends got one that was much more worn especially around the barrel. While something like barrel wear has to be analyzed closely, it rarely is much of a concern to me. Many of the used firearms you find in gun shops probable have less than 500rds through them and the reason they look beat up is because of the holsters that they were used with and the fact the owner didn’t clean them very well.
The are many ways of concealing a firearm, but when it comes to carrying backup mags, there are far fewer options. I know plenty of people that carry spare mags around in pockets, but I’ve seen too many times that the top round of a loaded mag will eventually pop loose or be out of place which could cause a malfunction. I’d recommend carrying spare ammo along the belt line for 85% of CCW. There are some tactical jackets that are designed for holding magazines, but I also recommend close the pockets and not leaving them open. Elastic retention will help hold a mag from side to side movement, but when it comes to up and down movement, those mags will probable hit the ground when you may be reaching for them.
Suggestion for CCW are always need to be preceded by “for what environment”. Yes defending yourself from a BG is why you are carrying, but there are so many ways to carry a firearm that there is not a do everything gun. We don’t want to carry the smallest capacity and caliber into known hostile environments, but we have to be careful we aren’t overdueing it. What do I mean? I know what to look for when I am wondering if somebody might be packing. I’ve seen gangsters and drug dealers adjust their pants in the same spot and seem to move things which is a dead giveaway that they are packing.
Promag and Mec-Gar make decent magazines, I wouldn’t suggest them as primary magazines, but factory new magazines can be pricey. I would suggest regardless of which number of magazines you are normally carrying, keep 3 or 4 range mags for each handgun you own.
Any experienced and well trainied CCW holder will tell you that it may be wise to change your holster or carry gun during the change in seasons. I’ve spotted more than a few CCW holders out in the open when it was pretty obvious that the machismo took the best of them and they just had to keep carrying that 1911 IWB at 5 o’clock in the summer months as they were 5’7″ and didn’t realize that when they were standing in line at the super market that I could see the T-shirt bunched up around the belt line.
Adding the extra security may mean that your scope won’t come loose after a few thousand rounds. I’ve seen guys with battle rifles with $1000 optics on them and after a few thousand rounds, the mounts came loose. None of these individuals were using loctite. Over torquing screws is something to be concerned about because screwing a mount in as tight as you possible can does not mean more security, it actually means more stress. Loctite doesn’t add stress to your gun mount it just helps keep the grip on your screws so they don’t rotate after long firing periods.