keltec or charter arms revolver for concealed carry?

[duke21]

  i am new to this site.   i am self employed and spend a lot of late nights in my workshop by myself, also go on the road to make machine repairs in the evenings.   looking for a concealed carry gun that i dont have to carry a big ol john wayne holster on my hip for.   I build and repair machinery and cant have something getting in the way.   Really like the idea of a pocket gun.   I have been carrying a phoenix HP22 pistol  and really dont have a problem with the gun,  just interested in some more punch if needed.   my local friend the dealer is suggesting a keltec in 380 or 9 mm.   he is also pushing a charter arms 38 snubby revolver as well as norh american arms 22mag black widow.   i realize none of these are going to be great target guns,  they will be used for self defence if needed.   My shop is not in the best part of town.   I like the idea of the consistency of the snubby revolver but am concerned about its bulk.   in the summer i will be wearing work shirts and t shirts most of the time and like i said cant have a big ol holster hanging out.    i am on a budget of around 200 to 300 dollars.   have even considered a ruger sp101 , but again concerned about where to put it.   got any ideas


d

[jgalar]

I would go with the Kel-tec either 380 or 9mm. They now have 2 different 9mms to choose from. http://www.kel-tec.com/

I have the P-11. I have had 2 stovepipe jams using cast bullet loads, but have never had a failure using jacketed bullets.

[Mikey]

Duke - I like the 380 cartridge but I like the 38 spl even better.  The Kal-Tek is a small piece that packs maybe 6 or 7 rounds.  The Charter is a 5 shooter but can pack much heavier bullets.  Figure this:  a 7 shot 380 with 95 gn bullets gives you about 665 gns of bullet you could throw into a bad situation.  A 5 shot 38 firing just 160 gn slugs gives you 830 gns of bullet for the same situation.  If you handload at all you can easily bring the 38 up to 200 gn snot stoppers (say that fast 3 times) at a standard pressure level, just in case the Charter is not rated for +Ps.  

If you ever have to shoot to save yourself, or anyone else, you will want a caliber as decisive a possible.  The 38 is better at that I feel.  JMHO.  Mikey.

[S.S.]

The Charter Arms revolvers that I have had seem to rust extremely
fast for some reason, especially from sweat. the "Undercover" model that I carried last was pinned together for the most part and was very difficult
to fully disassemble for cleaning and oiling. One of the internal springs was almost impossible to get back into position during reassembly.
It now sits in a drawer with that spring not in place! I got tired of messing with it. That was when I bought my AMT backup.

[duke21]

:grin: me again,   what i am having trouble with is where or how can i keep the bigger more powerful gun ( snubby 38 ) or whatever in such a way that doesnt inhibit my work.   That was the reason i was leaning toward the small keltec and even that old phoenix that i currently carry.   pretty much most of the day, through it in the pocket and go.   I am having a difficult time seeing how i can have the larger gun on me.   I am not an expect on concealment and different holsters.   but keep in mind in the summer, i fabricate steel and repair machines.  so i wil be pretty much whereing a t-shirt.    I am having a hard time seeing how i can conceal the larger guns.

does this make sense?

d

[Savage]

I would look at the new PF-9 from Kel Tec. The 9 offers better ballistics than the .380 & .38spl, and is still flat enough for easy concealed carry.
I like the .38 snubby but know what you mean about the bulk of a revolver.
Savage

[Sir Knight]

Call me crazy if you wish but I find that due to it's shape, I can conceal a revolver much easier than a autoloader of the same size ...
... anyone else notice that?

[jgalar]

The Kel-Tec P-3AT 380 is a very small gun. It would be much easier to conceal and carry than the Charter Arms. The Kel-Tec 9s are about the same size as the Charter Arms, but I also think it is easier to carry an auto over a revolver.

[sui generis]

Here is one vote entered for:

S&W 642
w/Speer 135 Gold Dot +p Short Barrel
in a PCS pocket holster

[duke21]

me again,  whats this smithy look like,, i am not familar with that model,  do you have pics of your setup.   dont get me wrong i like all firearms,  i was just trying to deal with having something with more punch than my 22lr and would be easy to conceal in pocket or in waist band or whatever.   there are not many places around here where you can try the different guns and holsters out , and i dont have a lot of money to spend on a bunch of different ones that may not work

keep the ideas coming

thanks
d

[rockbilly]

duke21.  Go to Auctionarms.com and bounce around there a bit.  You should be able to find a good used 642, or better yet, a 648, at a very reasonable price.   If you don't know anything about guns, and gun value you should get a good book such as "Blue Book of Gun Values" to use as a reference.

I recently purchased a S&W model 648 (same as the 642, except it is .357) with crimson trace grips for $319.00.  It cost me an additional $28.00 for the shipping, and for the dealer to transfer the gun to me.  The gun came in the original box with all the papers and cleaning kit, it is in NRA very good condition.  The suggested retail for this gun with the CT grips, new in the box, would be approximately $750.00.

The advantage of the 648 over the 642, it will shoot .38, +P, and .357.

If you are on a tight budget, you may want to take a look at a P-64 Makarov.  It is a very reliable little gun, shoots the 9x18 which is somewhere between a .380 and 9mm in power.  It is small and will conceal very easy, and you should be able to buy the gun, with two mags for less than $200.00.  I have two of them, both shoot great and if I didn't have larger guns for carry I may consider packing one myself. :wink:  :wink:

[duke21]

hey rockbilly,

these makarovs,   what are they really like,  i had a gundealer locally try to push one, but i was under the impression that the ammo was hard to find and might be expensive.    If that is the case, and they are well built,   how are they on safety.   i dont want something that if i drop it accidentally it will go off.   whatever gun i get, will spend time with me on the range practising.   Safety is a priority

d

[j two dogs]

I have carried a sp-101 with 3 inch barrel for years, and yet if your down on the ground rollin around repairin machinary that just would not work.
The Beretta Tomcat .32 loaded with some hot cor-bons in a wallet holster sounds ideal for you. It can even be fired while in the holster. Stick it your back pocket and froget about it, until you need it.

[rockbilly]

duke21.  Ammo for the makarov (9x18) is readily available.  It is not expensive ball ammo (Wolf) was about $8.00 for a box of 50, a box (25) of Hornady 95gr JHP/XTP cost about $9.00.  I shoot the ball for play, and load the JHP for my wife when I am not at home.

You should look at the Polish P-64 if you intend to use it as a concealed carry gun.  It is small, about the size of a PPK, and easy to hide.  There are several other countries that offer military or police models that are also good.  I have the Russian, East German, Chek and Bulgurian models too, but the are all slightly larger than the P-64.  The Russian and East German have adjustable sights which are nice, but I still like the P-64 best. :wink:

[duke21]

hey rockabilly and the rest of you  guys,   still having issues on this darned subject.   first with her,  i dont think there is any way i am going to get her into a semi auto pistol of any kind,  i have heard it too many times from her,  too many things to do,  i want small and simple.  I cant even get her to reconsider the charter snubby 38 .   she has her mind made up to us the pocket gun and that really looks like the NAA 22 mag revovler.   I tried to at least get her into a black widow,  but at least she did not want tha iddy bitty one that you need to be a chinese contorsionist to use.   i have shot the magnum and must admit it shot better than i thought it would.   I just wish that gun had a trigger guard.   Why are there no decent small revovlers anymore.   I even showed her a little tuaras pt22 that looks a beretta knockoff, and it was flat out NO!    so, if any of you got any ideas let me know.


Now for me,  i have been to several shops and held all kinds of handguns, and even though i like the simplicity of the 5 shot 38 revolver,  i dont think i can make it a comfortable situation.   i handled a kel-tec 9 mm yesterday and liked the sights,  the balance was ok and construction seemed good,  but man is that DAO trigger stiff,  i had a hard time holding target without pulling to the side with that stiff triger.     Most everything else is either way too big, or not much imporvement over my phoenix hp22 i currently keep on me.   I am stil considering the black widow in 22 mag,  it is pocketable and i can handle it pretty easy,  but the thing is not a quick reload, would be a neat backup or stuff in the bookcase if you need it gun,  but questioning it as primary.   I am scaring myself by admitting  i kinda like the commie gun, the Makarov p-64 fits my hand pretty well,  the single action trigger is pretty sweet, ( you better know what you are pointing at)   and i think i can conceal it without a lot of problems,  it is a bit larger than i want , but think i can learn to deal with it.    Any additional feed back would be appreciated.   i am supposed to go shoot the Mak in next day or two.   I wish the sights were better, but right now i think it will work and price is within my budget of 200 to 300 dollars.  

feedback is appreciated

d :grin: