Snubby (442/642/LCR) vs Compact 9mm (M&P 9C)

Babo

Babo

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I'm looking for a lightweight gun that I can take backpacking and use as occasional pocket carry. I do a ton of hiking and camping in the Whites, and it would be great to carry while doing so. Something to use for occasional off-trail plinking could be fun as well. Daily CCW is a secondary concern. Home defense is covered.

I like the snubby because it is small, light, and allegedly always goes bang when it's supposed to. It's a tried and true design.

I like the M&P style because it's a little more "high tech", has more rounds, packs more punch, might be more accurate, and perhaps I won't grow bored of it as soon.

In a perfect world, I'd buy both, but I am incredibly frugal and cheap, and typically only buy something if it can serve multiple purposes.

Sadly, I've shot neither, and welcome suggestions on what I should be thinking about.

Thoughts?
 
Last edited:
Hi. I have a S&W 642. Its a nice lightweight revolver to have and easy to conceal. I wear mine in an in waistband holster and can't even feel it on me. The M&P 9c is a bulky pistol and hard to conceal especially in this warm weather and not a good pocket pistol. I'd go for the M&P shield and its good for everything and can fit nicley into a pocket holster. The shield is highly sought after and usually sells out quickly.

Sent from my HTC One X+ using Tapatalk 2
 
Babo said:
I'm looking for a lightweight gun that I can take backpacking and use as occasional pocket carry. I do a ton of hiking and camping in the Whites, and it would be great to carry while doing so. Something to use for occasional off-trail plinking could be fun as well. Daily CCW is a secondary concern. Home defense is covered.

I like the snubby because it is small, light, and allegedly always goes bang when it's supposed to. It's a tried and true design.

I like the M&P style because it's a little more "high tech", has more rounds, packs more punch, might be more accurate, and perhaps I won't grow bored of it as soon.

In a perfect world, I'd buy both, but I am incredibly frugal and cheap, and typically only buy something if it can serve multiple purposes.

Sadly, I've shot neither, and welcome suggestions on what I should be thinking about.

Thoughts?
Click to expand...

The part I bolded.......is the truth! My wife and I carry revolvers....her a 642 performance center .38+p and me a ruger sp101 2 1/4 in bobbed hammer in 357. They are both very concealable.....and I backpack with the ruger!
 
Neither the m&p9c or the Glock 26 is much of a pocket carry gun, although both are fine weapons.

The M&P Shield is closer but even still not a great pocket gun- thinner than the M&P but not all that much longer or taller than the 9c. Great IWB carry gun. I have one and love it.

i have owned a 642 and now own an LCR. Either can be carried in a pocket. They are wider than the shield but thanks to the light weight and short barrel they disappear better into a pocket. The LCR in particular- it's roughly 13oz vs. 20.

if you want a semi auto pocket gun look at the Kahr PM9.
 
I dont think the shield is a good pocket gun the grip is longer then the m&p 9c. I just purchased the s&w 638 airweight. It is very light even with it loaded but still dont like ot in the pocket. The pm9 that was suggested is a good choice but i would go with the sig p238. You can pocket carry, ankle carry or even carry on the hip if you like...
 
Sterg said:
The SP101 would make a great backpack carry in the woods. Something with a longer barrel would make me more comfortable anyways.
Click to expand...

And the Ruger sp101 in 357 is actually a gun with some ass behind it.......can be concealed IWB easily and also makes a great open carry in the back country gun as well!
 
rocket500 said:
Neither the m&p9c or the Glock 26 is much of a pocket carry gun, although both are fine weapons.

The M&P Shield is closer but even still not a great pocket gun- thinner than the M&P but not all that much longer or taller than the 9c. Great IWB carry gun. I have one and love it.

i have owned a 642 and now own an LCR. Either can be carried in a pocket. They are wider than the shield but thanks to the light weight and short barrel they disappear better into a pocket. The LCR in particular- it's roughly 13oz vs. 20.

if you want a semi auto pocket gun look at the Kahr PM9.
Click to expand...

I love my 642 and I am looking for a 340pd but can't seem to find one anywhere. I wanted it new....

Sent from my HTC One X+ using Tapatalk 2
 
My 642 is in my pocket right now where it's been all day per usual. Sometimes IWB. Don't have an M&P but I own a couple other "pocket 9's". I carry them occasionally but 90% of the time it is the 642.
 
Thanks all.

I've become convinced that a snubby is the way to go. For the funds that I've got, either an S&W or LCR will be a long term keeper. I'll get a compact semi-auto as funds permit...or lots of them.

The last time that I fondled a LCR or a J Frame, I really mind melded with the LCR. What I have to get over is that the LCR is made of some plastic. Hopefully my LGS has both in stock tomorrow morning so I can re-asses. The bottom line is that I spend way more time looking at my firearms that actually shooting them. I want something that I can pull out and admire as I'm going about my daily tasks.

I like that the 442/642 is made of real metal yet still light, am pretty confident that I can customize the trigger myself, but also like the high tech, next-gen approach of the LCR.

It''s time to spend some time in the big S&W vs. LCR thread...
 
I don't know how much experience you have actually carrying a gun, but weight is a factor. A M&P, even a compact one will be significantly heavier than a 642 once its loaded.

If I had a 642 like you will have, my next gun would not be a small semi-auto. It would either be a larger semi-auto, like a full sized M&P or a G17 as a range/home defense gun, or it would be something slim and light like a Kahr P9 or a Shield.

Just a thought. Spend some time with these guns, invest in a good belt, and see how it works out.

I have a 340 PD, but am right now carrying a G19. They are both great guns, but it took me a while to work up to the G19. I'm kindof a wuss when it comes to weight. And a good belt is more important than a good holster with respect to comfort.

Don
 
The M&P 9c just isn't a pocket gun. I find the baby Glocks (26/27) to be too thick to fit in a pocket.

In contrast, I find my Kahr PM9 to be a great pocket gun. Since I got my PM9, my 642 stays in the safe. The PM9 is easier to shoot, holds more ammunition, is faster to reload, has real sights, and is more concealable in my pocket than my 642.
 
As someone who carries both a 340 J frame and a Kahr P9 on a daily basis, I agree completely about the difference in how easy each is to shoot.

I didn't like pocket carrying the PM9 so I switched to IWB, at which point I was better off with a P9.
For OWB, the thinness of the Kahr's is wasted so I carry a G19

Back to shootability. To the OP. The J frame snubbie is about the most difficult gun to shoot well that you could buy. The combination of :

1) short barrel - this means recoil is more of a flip and less of a straight back push
2) light weight - F=MA One of Newton's laws. Acceleration varies inversely with weight and directly with force. Translation. A light gun recoils more for a given cartridge.
3) Small grip - most have a small grip that only allows the use of 2 fingers to control the recoil and the twisting force associated with . . .
4) heavy trigger- A Kahr or a Glock has between a 6 and 7 lb trigger. Most J frames have about an 11 lb trigger. At least stock ones do. The heavy trigger in combination with the small, round grip makes it difficult to keep the sights on target while squeezing the trigger.

If you get a J frame, you must practice for teh above reasons. Plus you only have 5 shots.

Most of what I say goes the same for the LCR although the LCR trigger is much nicer.
Don
 
One thing to consider is if someone is on top of you or has you up against a wall you can stick a revolver in his ribs and not worry about it going off.
 
The 442/642 is a great choice. I carry mine in an OWB holster (Triple-K Secret Agent) at 3-4 o'clock and it's very comfortable.

I tried the N82 IWB holster that everybody claims is the most comfortable holster in the world and was not impressed. Yeah, it was comfortable but the holster itself is just too big, printed like a mofo and would grab my cover shirt too often. I also didn't like how wide it felt with the cylinder right at belt level, which is a function of IWB carry, not the holster itself.

Pocket carry is a great option with this size gun, but if you have to do any amount of walking (i.e. hiking), it gets to be a bit much. I use the Desantis Nemesis and it does the trick.

Hope this helps.
 
ToddDubya said:
The 442/642 is a great choice. I carry mine in an OWB holster (Triple-K Secret Agent) at 3-4 o'clock and it's very comfortable.

I tried the N82 IWB holster that everybody claims is the most comfortable holster in the world and was not impressed. Yeah, it was comfortable but the holster itself is just too big, printed like a mofo and would grab my cover shirt too often. I also didn't like how wide it felt with the cylinder right at belt level, which is a function of IWB carry, not the holster itself.

Pocket carry is a great option with this size gun, but if you have to do any amount of walking (i.e. hiking), it gets to be a bit much. I use the Desantis Nemesis and it does the trick.

Hope this helps.
Click to expand...

I have a M&P Shield (with non-MA trigger) and use that Desantis Nemesis pocket holster. It fits pretty well in cargo pants front pocket.

I agree about the M&P Shield being more comfortable to shoot than an snub revolver. It is just a very low recoiling gun in 9mm, so that makes a difference in how often you feel like practicing with it I think.
 
If you like the J frame but want faster, easier reloads, consider the 642/442 PRO. Its cylinder is cut for moon clips. Fast easy reloads and MSRP is only $30 higher.

Just a thought. I'm thinking of giving up my 340 for one since I rarely carry loaded with .357.

Don
 
It seems that I couldn't go wrong with either an LCR or S&W, but chose the LCR because that is what the LGS had in their cabinet (although they did have a used 340pd with laser for $349.00 that I was considering).

I'll give serious consideration to the PM9 at some point, but for now, it looks like it's out of my price range by $200.00 or so, and $200.00 buys a ton of Fudd gear (clays, shotshell, dog, and hunting gear).

The LCR should provide a pretty good starter platform for carry.



Thanks for all of the recommendations, as well as insight on holsters! I've actually got a piece of leather that I may try to fashion into a pocket holster; it's the inside pocket from an old briefcase that I once carried back when people carried briefcases to look important.

It could be a disaster, but I'm going to start a Build Thread on that project and would appreciate all snide comments and guidance. I'll be basing the design off of what looks good to me on the googleimages, and dont really know what the best design should be.

 
Babo said:
Thanks for all of the recommendations, as well as insight on holsters! I've actually got a piece of leather that I may try to fashion into a pocket holster; it's the inside pocket from an old briefcase that I once carried back when people carried briefcases to look important.

It could be a disaster, but I'm going to start a Build Thread on that project and would appreciate all snide comments and guidance. I'll be basing the design off of what looks good to me on the googleimages, and dont really know what the best design should be.

Click to expand...

It looks like you've traced it too perfectly. I'd leave some at the muzzle end so it stays put in your pocket. See the Nemesis I linked in my other post for ideas. I've used a pocket holster that didn't have this feature and it just didn't stay put in my pocket (read: I never knew which direction it was pointed). The added benefit of a square-ish holster is that it doesn't make a gun-shaped print in your pocket.
 
ToddDubya said:
It looks like you've traced it too perfectly. I'd leave some at the muzzle end so it stays put in your pocket. See the Nemesis I linked in my other post for ideas. I've used a pocket holster that didn't have this feature and it just didn't stay put in my pocket (read: I never knew which direction it was pointed). The added benefit of a square-ish holster is that it doesn't make a gun-shaped print in your pocket.
Click to expand...

Gothcha. The tracing I did was just to get an idea of how it might look when it gets wet molded.

I'm thinking I might be able to made it look like one of these:

thumbnail.ashx


galcopocket01.jpg
 
This Blackhawk is velvet or something with a rubber band around it. Stays in the pocket. For ten or so bucks. Comfortable and hides it pretty good.
 
And the blackhawk iwb holster is also very nice and it has a nice cant the good nice part is that its on 12 dollers ...works nice
 
Any thought to a seacamp. It's smaller than my iPhone. Fits right in the pocket no issues. I have to say was very very cool to a 32. A pussy round won't kill anything. Read the seacamp website and was pretty impressed. Read online reviews nothing but positive. Hmm what is going on? I literally found one on gun broker from a guy in mass the next day. So I said scew it and bought it.

Ok bought it and the Winchester silver tips are not cheap. Yes I was laughed at at the range she I mentioned the 32 and what pistol it was. But when those silver tips started screaming out of the firearm holy crap. Convert.

Caveats. It's not a range gun it's pocket carry with no sights. It's small and very well built and the customer service reviews are outstanding. From what I have seen its very hard to find for good reason and its perfect for summer carry in shorts. This is an in your face gun but that's what I need it for. I can probably give anyone a good run for the money one ok one, but I avoid fighting since most pussies sue after you give them a beat down. But for those times when you need something quick and small I suggest the seecamp for pocket carry.
 

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