Five for Sure

For my first gun review on Straight Shooting, I thought I would review the venerable Smith & Wesson model 637 revolver. This gun is an "airweight" (aluminum alloy frame), reliable, double-action five shot revolver. This gun is a perfect companion for concealed carry. Let’s look at some of the reasons why.

The J-frame revolvers offered from Smith and Wesson are extremely compact. This particular model is 6 3/8” long, 1 1/4” wide, and height will depend on the grips on the gun (with the crimson trace grips that I have, the gun is 5” tall. The barrel is extremely short (1 7/8 inches), which means that you will lose some velocity compared to a 4” barrel, but it’s not a big deal considering the higher concealability. The weight is where this gun really shines: 15 oz. empty! Let’s compare that to a Glock 26 (subcompact 9mm); the Glock (which is polymer and steel) weighs 19.75 oz. empty. So very, very light.

Although the gun is very compact and light, the recoil is still very controllable. This pistol is chambered in .38 special + p, which means it can shoot standard .38’s as well as the more aggressive “+p” rounds. My wife carries this model and does not have a problem with keeping on target or flinching with each shot. Of course, she does not prefer the +p rounds, but that’s not a problem. One can simply practice with standard .38s and then load the +p’s for self defense carry. In a real life shooting situation, the adrenaline would cover any additional perceived recoil.

As we know from my previous post, .38 special is not the most powerful load for a handgun. However, it’s one I would trust, as would millions of others. This is an extremely popular round, thus guaranteeing ease of finding ammo fairly inexpensively. The big drawback to the caliber is that it’s revolver only, meaning that reloading is going to be slow. So you are more or less stuck with the number of cylinders (in this case five). That being said, remember that the FBI statistics of self defense shootings suggest that most encounters are three shots or less. Therefore, for most “social situations” (ie. *not in the slums with druggies everywhere), five rounds is plenty adequate to make room for an escape or stop a threat.

The biggest advantage of this revolver is the title of this entry. Five *for sure*. I have NEVER had my revolver jam on me, fail to eject, failure to *anything*. It has consistently gone “bang” every time I pull the trigger; exactly what you want from a concealed carry gun. When lives are on the line, seconds can be eternities, and there is no room for doubt about your weapon. This little revolver will function every time all the time.

This is a traditional double action revolver, meaning that it has a hammer, and can be fired by either pulling the trigger or by cocking the hammer and then pulling the trigger (for a lighter trigger pull). The beauty is the ease of use. It fires just like you’d think a gun would! No safeties to worry about (the safety is in the handling: don’t point it at anything you don’t want to destroy, and don’t put your finger on the trigger until you’re ready to destroy it!), just aim and pull the trigger. There is no need to worry about the trigger going off on its own as it takes a good firm pull to the rear to discharge. They also offer similar models without hammers, etc., depending on the shooter’s needs. Hammerless models are less likely to get caught when drawing, but Straight prefers the hammered versions due to the option to have a lighter trigger pull when cocked. However, that is just my opinion, and you should select a handgun based on your needs.

Some additional perks of the Smith and Wesson are interchangeable grips (you don’t like rubber? Switch to classic wood or synthetic with just one screw), and lifetime warranty to original purchasers. Smith & Wesson are renowned for their excellent customer service, although their revolvers are such high quality, I doubt that most will ever need to take advantage of this. There are plenty of holsters for these guns, so you should have no problem finding a way to carry this every day.

Smith & Wesson are the industry leaders for revolvers, and because of this, you will pay a slight premium for their products. However, their quality control for revolvers is second to none. Also, the gun will retain its value much better than other brands. Some of the differences you’ll find between revolver brands will be the smoothness of the trigger pull, the tightness of the moving parts (no rattle or “give”), and the quality of the finish. This revolver’s street price is approximately $450 without crimson trace (laser) grips, and approximately $650 with those laser grips. In the future, I plan to review some less expensive alternatives. However, you will definitely be getting your money’s worth with the Smith.

Straight Shooter recommends this pistol to those who want a simple operation and utter reliability in a compact, lightweight package, and don’t mind giving up a few rounds to achieve this. Feel free to sound off in the comments section with anything I’ve missed or other opinions you may have! As for me, I’m going to stick with five for sure!

Concealed Carry Options

There are a tremendous number of options when it comes to selecting a method for concealed carry.  Once you have your permit in your respective state, it's time to go shopping for some holsters.  Yes, I said holsters (plural) rather than a single holster solution.  That's because no holster/method of carry is perfect.  You always need to adapt to your circumstances, and most of us are not always wearing the same thing all the time.  I'm going to present a few options with which I have experience, and I'll let others chime in on the comments section about their favorite methods and why.

The first option is a standard holster.  That is, it's outside the waistband.  This method is better for larger guns that will not fit (or are too uncomfortable) inside your waistband with a larger barrel.  The only way to conceal utilizing this method is to wear a longer shirt untucked or a coat (jacket, suit jacket, winter coat, etc.).  As you can see, it conceals very well and is relatively easy to get to.  The drawbacks to this approach are that you must always wear something untucked/over the gun and unless your holster is snug enough, you may not be able to run with it.  One advantage to this method is that it can be used for open carry and can also allow for one handed reholstering (with the right holster selection: a firm leather or kydex holster).

Next is the "in the waistband" approach (IWB).  This method of carry holds the gun much more snugly against the body as it is inside your waistband.  Typically, these holsters are for smaller guns, with a clip going over the outside edge of your pants to hold the holster in place when you draw.  Since the nose of the gun is inside your pants, you do not need a long shirt to cover it; only something that goes past your waistline.  With a small gun like a revolver, you can wear this kind of holster with shorts and a light t-shirt without concern of printing or flashing.  The downside is that IWB holsters usually don't allow for one-handed reholstering and are usually restricted to smaller guns (although I have no doubt some people could hide a 1911 IWB).

Finally, there are shirts that are designed to hold your gun under another shirt (under your arm).  Mine is from 5.11 Tactical, and is made from stretchy material to keep the gun snug up against you.  It also has padding on the outside of the gun pouch to smooth out the lines and keep it from printing.  It works very well for deep concealment, and the advantage is that it can be worn with either golf shirts or dress shirts tucked in.  Another advantage is that they will work with almost any gun (not specific to a type of gun like most holsters).  The disadvantage is that this is the hardest to get to in an emergency, but with a little practice, it should still fall well within the two second rule (you should be able to go from concealment to "shooter ready" within two seconds).  Another disadvantage is that these shirts can be hot and itchy.

Although these are not the only types of holsters, they have worked well for me.  I will try to bring reviews of specific holsters in the near future.  Please feel free to post with your experience with concealed carry holsters!

Handgun Calibers

Before I get into handgun reviews, I want to start off with a few discussions, or prerequisites, to build our fundamental understanding of guns before starting to review them specifically. Today I want to look at calibers and how they affect gun choice.

There are many common calibers to choose from when selecting a handgun, and I’m going to get into some of them, but first, let’s discuss something more basic. A projectile basically has two properties to it as it relates to caliber: 1) weight of the bullet, and 2) the amount of powder behind it. In other words, each caliber is going to have a certain weight range for its projectiles (weight is determined by the length of the projectile since the width is set), as well as a maximum amount of powder behind it (determined by the brass that holds the projectile; also determined by length since the width is set). Usually, the wider the bullet diameter, the heavier it will be.

To put it simply, lighter bullets tend to go faster given the same amount of powder. In the same way, given the same weight bullet, more powder typically makes the bullet go faster (although not always the case). Bullet weight is measured in grains, as is the amount of powder (1 grain = approximately 65 milligrams). However, for our purposes, I am going to discuss weight range and velocity range for the projectiles.

Why is this important, you ask? Because the heavier a bullet is or the faster it is going, generally the more damage it will do to its intended target.

Now, if I haven’t managed to confuse you yet, let’s press on to specifics of these calibers. I am going to focus on the most common calibers out there, in order of their relative power (weakest to strongest - this is my scale, and good men may differ on this): .380 ACP, .38 special, 9mm Parabellum, .40 S&W, .357 magnum, .45 ACP.

.380 ACP: The .380 ACP is what many consider to be the very minimum they would carry for self defense. These bullets are .355” in diameter, which is exactly 9mm (this round is also called the “9mm short”). The cases are shorter than a standard 9mm case, which means that these bullets have less powder behind them than a 9mm. Typical bullet weights range from 85-95 grains, and achieve an average velocity of 1000 feet per second. Most guns that are chambered for this round have a capacity of 7-9 rounds.

.38 special: Ah, the classic snub-nose revolver. This cartridge first became popular as a police round and is still widely respected as a great concealed carry caliber. The projectiles are .357” in diameter, and typical weights are anywhere from 110-158 grains. From a four inch barrel, these bullets are capable of approximately 700-1000 fps, although you do lose some velocity from a 2” snub barrel. There is also a “+p” variant of this caliber which indicates additional powder. You should only shoot +p bullets in a handgun that is labeled as a “.38 special +p”. This round is only available for revolvers, so typical capacity is 5, but some are up to 7 rounds of firepower. Oh, and a bit of trivia; it’s called a “.38” because the diameter of the brass is .38”, even though the actual projectiles are .357”.

9mm Parabellum: Also known as the 9mm NATO, 9mm Luger, and 9x19. This is the most popular handgun caliber in the world today, and for good reason! It offers high speed projectiles, light weight, and high capacities. There are so many guns to choose from when going with this caliber. Also, you shouldn’t have to worry about finding ammo for this during the apocalypse as it is what all military and most law enforcement uses. The projectiles are .356” in diameter and typical weights for these bullets are 115-140 grains. What really sets the round apart, though, is the screaming velocity: 1000-1400 fps. Due to the lighter weight and higher speed, some complain that the bullets “overpenetrate” and don’t transfer enough energy to the intended target. However, with the right bullet choice (hollow points instead of FMJ), I don’t believe this is a significant issue. Handguns in this caliber have a typical capacity of 7-17 rounds, depending on the size of the handgun.

.40 S&W: The .40 S&W has the honorable distinction of being the only caliber listed that was actually a step *down from another caliber (instead of an attempt to make an existing caliber stronger). It’s a good compromise between the speed of the 9mm round and the weight of the .45 rounds (and my personal favorite). Projectiles are .4005” and typically 155-185 grains. Standard loads put them at 1000-1300 fps, and capacities are usually from 7-15 rounds.

.357 magnum: The .357 is another revolver-only caliber. However, this is one of the granddaddies of them all, and is actually powerful enough that most states allow it to be used as a deer hunting cartridge. Bullets are .357” in diameter (duh!) and usually 125-158 grains, but they come screaming out of the barrel at 1200-1600 fps. As mentioned before, this is a revolver-only caliber, so 5-7 rounds are about all you can expect in terms of capacity. As an added plus for this caliber, all .357s can shoot .38 special rounds (but you should NEVER try to shoot a .357 in a .38 special), since the .38 is the same diameter projectile, but just has less powder behind it (due to a shorter brass case).

.45 ACP: As the old saying goes, “I carry a .45 because they don’t make a .46.” The .45 is the brute of handgun cartridges. These are slow, fat bullets. But, it’s undeniably a knockdown powerhouse. These bullets are .452” and extremely heavy (185-230 grains). Speed is sacrificed a bit (800-1100 fps), as is typical capacity (7-14 rounds), but if you want the job done right the first time, this is the one for you!

Ok, so let’s briefly address a question you may have. Why would you not carry a .45 all the time, right? I mean, it’s the big gun! That’s exactly the point. My ranking also closely follows the size and recoil of these handguns (although there’s more to it than that, and we’ll get into more of that later). So, while a .45 has undeniable stopping power, it’s also most likely to have the biggest frame for a handgun (making it less concealable) and the most recoil, as well as lower capacity. This is where the fun part starts, though! Now we get to start balancing all of these factors to determine what is the best caliber for you!

Soon I will start reviewing specific handguns, but I wanted everyone to be on the same page about calibers and understand the differences. I hope this has been helpful and clear. If you have any questions, please feel free to post in the comments section. Looking forward to helping you make the right choice of handgun for *you*!