Who still carries a J Frame? Why?

[Glenn E. Meyer]

I carry a J frame at my part-time job in a bike store. I could maybe carry something a bit bigger, but being the deep South, hugs are common with customers we often ride and/or run with, and some of them might be uncomfortable encountering that lump.

I put 80 rounds through my new-to-me M49 today and it shoots well. It apparently never saw the inside of a holster or much shooting until I bought it, and I feel guilty putting something that pretty in Kydex.

Best Mae West post ever.

[revchuck38]

Best Mae West post ever.

Argh, good one!

[JCN]

Greetings yall,

The Owner of Dark Sun Rod Hodge had passed back in 2014. The business was indeed closed. We purchased the remainder of the clips back in 2016 or 2017 and had been listing them on Ebay. The Dark Sun clip grip is now available through a website not just on ebay anymore. I appreciate the guys that have brought us up on here. It actually helped us to get to where we could establish the website. This site was referenced by at least two customers that i spoke with in the last two years. Again thanks to the people that have mentioned us.


Keep Teaching,

Lee

http://darksunclipgrip.com

Got mine and think it’s great!

It looks like a knife in the waistband!

[Elwin]

Like others I’ve settled on a snub (LCR for me) being better for me than a small auto for a few reasons. Big one for me is accessibility. I can have the LCR set up so it conceals just as well as a little Kahr would, but I’ve got more grip to access.

I also got sick of dealing with trying to hit (or not hit) the controls on small autos. My last dry fire session with my CM9 was when I angrily threw the gun back in the safe, announced to my wife I was buying an old man gun and didn’t care if she made fun of me, and started cruising Gunbroker for an LCR.

I’m absolutely giving up capacity and, more importantly, shooting performance. I’m comfortable trading those for a more consistent draw and more reliably working the gun with my big hands.

[darksunclipgrip.com]

Got mine and think it’s great!

It looks like a knife in the waistband!

I absolutely agree they are great snugged into just about anywhere. When i was traveling for the gun show I even slept with one in my shorts. Thanks for the PIC! I was working on some new colors when you posted check the website again in about a week. Thanks for the sale!



Keep Teaching

Darksunclipgrip.com

[RevolverRob]

This kit is like a maxipad: "Comfort you can count on."

[4RNR]

The vast majority of the gun toting population carries one as an emotional support tool rather than as an actual answer to a potential problem. Even the folks that do practice and put in a goodly amount of work don't do so with J frames. They are harder to shoot well and most folks would rather practice with things that provide the same results with less effort. I get that attitude and understand the motivations behind it.

What a lot of those folks don't understand, and this is not aimed at you specifically, is that there is a niche group of folks that just can't get away without carrying something any larger than a J frame or one of the mouse caliber semi-autos. I'd much rather carry something in the in the company, single stack, 9mm weight and size range than a J frame but that's just not in the cards. NPEs are NPEs and present a variable level of difficulty based on the actions one needs to take while in that NPE. Walking into a grocery to purchase items with a J frame or even a concealed, service pistol is a relatively trivial exercise. Performing work that requires one to be in atypical positions, such as laying on the floor, on ladders with people passing nearby, lifting heavy objects, etc. completely changes what one can get away with in the concealed gat department.

Very few folks are willing to put forth the necessary effort to shoot a J frame well and when that effort is started, most folks are demoralized because they can't shoot at the same level as with (insert favorite compact, polymer framed gat here,) that is only slightly larger but just won't quite fit in that front pocket without looking like you're carrying a...well, a pistol in your front pocket.

Then there's the group of folks that are adamant that a J frame in anything less than .38 Special is next to useless. I have one J frame in .38 that holds some sentimental value, I ditched the rest as I lucked into a couple of .32 Mags at fairly reasonable prices for the time. Of course Ruger is producing their LCR in .327 which is also a great option.

Thanks for highlighting the thought process of most folks. I wanted to provide a counter point to that particular mindset, not that it's the wrong mindset for most toters of small guns.

Atypical positions? I used to detail car interiors with a IWB with a S&W 4506 then a 5906 then G19. T-shirt and jeans. Never had a problem, no one ever knew. This was back 10 - 12 years ago. Just saying.

Reason for switching is selling the carry guns

Sent from my moto z4 using Tapatalk

[GearFondler]

I carry a J frame at my part-time job in a bike store. I could maybe carry something a bit bigger, but being the deep South, hugs are common with customers we often ride and/or run with, and some of them might be uncomfortable encountering that lump.

I put 80 rounds through my new-to-me M49 today and it shoots well. It apparently never saw the inside of a holster or much shooting until I bought it, and I feel guilty putting something that pretty in Kydex.

You gotta learn to lean into the hug so you aren't bumping uglies... There's a lot of busty women in my family so I had to learn that trick so I didn't come across as a boob-smooshing creep.

[Wheeler]

Atypical positions? I used to detail car interiors with a IWB with a S&W 4506 then a 5906 then G19. T-shirt and jeans. Never had a problem, no one ever knew. This was back 10 - 12 years ago. Just saying.

Reason for switching is selling the carry guns

Sent from my moto z4 using Tapatalk

So you detailed cars in crowded areas? Lots of folks around? On ladders where people could look up inside an untucked shirt? Wearing a tool belt? Laying on the floor while customers and employees walked past? How many folks were in those cars while you detailed them? Just asking.

[Hambo]

That is the key thing right there.

While my J frame is well worn from years of use as a BUG and pocket carry, it was a back up. Very rarely a primary. Sure, every now and then it is that gun, that the given circumstances are that it is either slip a J Frame in the front pocket of your slacks as you attend dinner in the restaurant, or go unarmed. But 95+% of the time it is a BUG.

Reference the above part in bold, that is exactly why I don't buy or carry the little Ruger LCPs or the types in the genre. They are guns of convenience. They are easy and comfortable to slip in a pocket, because "Hey odds are I won't really need it.". But then when you do, you have brought the wrong tool for the job. I always ask the question "what is the smallest gun you are willing to get into a fight with, against one or two guys who are armed?".

That is when you don't want to be wishing you had your optimal carry gun, instead of that comfortable pocket talisman.

I see what's in that Sparks holster