Got my carry piece.

Ahhhhh, the .357 Sig.  Now there's a cartridge    .  I'm not a sky marshal but I sure like mine.  The switch barrel chambered in .40 S&W ain't bad either    .  >>  klallen

Just some thoughts on the ammo and aircraft thing.

Bullets going thru the skin of an aircraft represent NO PROBLEM.  Unless they hit a hydraulic line, wiring or personnel.  The skin is aluminum and you can actually push a knife thru it, so even a 22 rimfire will pass thru.  No one uses frangible bullets to avoid fuselage pass thru on planes.  Hollow points are used to avoid passing thru the target and hitting a victim.

The "decompression" legend is false.  Seems it started on the James Bond movie "Gold Finger", where Gert Frobe gets sucked out of the plane by a rapid decompression while "Pussy Galore" (played by Honor Blackman) looks on.  I liked "Pussy" but that stuff isn't real.  Sorry.

BEAR

Bear & Trigger;

Explosive decompression was initially experienced in the DeHavilland Comet jet airliners of mid-fifties.  Two were lost in fairly rapid sucession & the fleet was grounded.  The cause was found to be fatigue failure around the windows. 

These were a 4 engine in wing British design.

900F

It being Thanksgiving, I give thanks for the fact I'm big enough I can carry my full size Government Colt and not be conspicuous. Ditto my Combat Commander. I also give thanks that I may treat myself to a new Kimber for Christmas. And I am thankful I don't own any plastic pistols. Nothing wrong with them at all, just not my cup of tea.

You all have a good one.

Tj;

I know where yoiu are coming from.  There's times in the summer that I'd like to dress a little lighter than I do.  If I had a smaller lighter carry gun, it would be easier to do so.  A number of things have prevented me from getting another carry firearm though.  The primary being that I can't find what I want.

What I'd like is a hammer-fired Kahr.  Or something equally small & light in 9mm as a minimum caliber.  I can accept the smaller magazine & lower round count.  I'll even go to DAO.  What I will not go to, however, is a striker-fired carry gun.  It's just one of those situations where either I get what I want, or I keep my money.  The H&K is certainly good enough, just moderately inconvienient.  So, no need to plop down several hundreds of dollars, unless what I get is what I want.

900F

With all revolvers for the past 30 years, single AND double action, containing transfer bars, there is absolutely no danger of an accidental discharge because of a loaded round under the hammer. You could crank your revolver in a vise and smack the hammer with a hand sledge. About the only thing that would happen would be that you break the hammer spur off.

I too have flirted with  a Colt's Diamond back, around the same time I owned my Colt's Python. When I got rid of my Python, I never bought another Colt's revolver. As much as I was shooting them in those days, I learned quick that Colt doesn't buile a very robust revolver. They are, for sure, probably the most beautiful of any of the revolvers made today, but unless it's to add to a non-firing collection, I will not buy another one. For the most dependable revolvers, look no farther than S&W. Even in the days when they were getting bad press for their politics, they were/are the best made, hands down . Ruh Roh, I may have made a few mad, but I have the facts to back it up.

As far as personal carry, I have four that I use, or sometimes, combinations there of. I use a model 60 S&W in .38 special, a Model 66 S&W, a Colt's 1911 (Hey, it's not one of their revolvers) and a SIG P-226. Oh sure, in the truck, there may be a shotgun or an AR-15 loaded to the max, but I always carry one or more of those four handguns, just in case.......................Kingpin 

     I agree that the colt python diamond back and detective specials , are not as rugged as Smiths, But I think they are plenty rugged enough for most shooters. The King cobra and the anniconda on the other hand, are of a differnt design, and I would say are probablyas strong as anything.  And although I have no experience to back this up I bet Rugers GP 100 will outlast a k-frame smith.  I like the python and I would not hesitate to carry one as a civilian , (when I can take it home and maintain it reguraly) But on a servival situation I would not be able to take it to a smith when ever i want, the smith L frame or the GP-100 would be a toll to count on.

 ...tj3006

From the conversation, it is apparent to me that you dudes are younger and bigger than I am.  In my youngest days, I could not effectively carry a 45 Colt auto as concealed-carry piece (winter or summer).  My younger cousin was an undercover narc, and for a year carried one in the small of his back (he was 6'2").  I thought he was over armed and told him so.  He agreed after a 1/4 mile  foot race with a pusher armed with a sawed-off 12 gauge Steven side-by-side. 

Anyone could make me with a gun frame(45 auto) that size.

Smith makes the best revolvers, I agree.  Rugers are ok but don't seem to be as compact as the j-frame nor respectively the k-frame models.  But I'd trust my life on a gp-100.  Rather have a model 19 though.

Regarding Winter vs. Summer carry.  This is a problem.  I solved the problem by going with a summer gun in the winter.  I always carry an alloy j-frame.  I want to react the same regardless of the time of year.  I don't have to be thinking of safety on-off issues or square butt vs. round butt when I reach for a gun. 

My earlier comment on the 4 shot, was not a fear of the hammer hitting something.  My Smith doesn't have a hammer exposed.  The whole set up is a compromise and I chose to minimize size and weight, ie 4 shots.  I really could not go to the 22, 25, or 32 caliber autos, like the Berretta.  Just to small a picture to pull out on someone you intend to kill.

Regarding the Colt Python, I tend to agree that it is a finely made pistol, but not as rugged as a Smith or Ruger.  The Python tightens the cylinder/frame tolerance as the weapon is cocked.  This causes the Python to feel locked tight, as it is bound up on the forward rotating edge of the cylinder cut.  It always fires from the identical position.  Whereas the Smith can fire from anywhere within the cylinder/frame tolerance.  Hope that makes sense?

There is  no one right answers for CC guns.  They must fit the person and the purpose.  Guess that is why Smith and others make so many models.

BEAR

tj,

If you remember I hunt with a lot of single shot and double rifles, so maybe I just don't need the extra firepower of multiple shots.  I had considered a 38 derringer as a CC piece, but didn't like the looks or feel of it.  Also it was just a 'belly gun’ that I couldn't rely upon to hit something on the first shot.  The mere 2 shots never was a concern to me.  A LEO on duty may get into a firefight, but as a civilian I avoid anything that could even remotely involve my family or me.  I would not be concerned in a crisis with 3 purps and only having my 4 shots.  But I do like the weight saving.

I also carry most often in an inside the pants holster.  It is very thin leather, and the j-frame bulge is slight, but I have been made.  I never worry about a bad guy seeing me carry; actually I greatly prefer that, as a guy that knows you are carrying will seldom get involved.  The public has a fear of guns and lots of places go bezerk if they see a gun.  Most hospitals, malls etc, will call the local PD if someone reports seeing a gun (I live in the 'modern liberal' eastern US).  Even though my carry is legal, I don't need the annoyance of a local 'savior' cop.

I love the k-frame M19 with a 4-inch barrel; I even hunt deer with one, just to big for me as CC.

For years I carried a J-frame in an upside-down S&W leather holster.  I found that very comfortable and very accessible.  But it required me to keep my coat on all the time to conceal, and it required me to take my coat off to put it on or take it off.  I like the shoulder holsters for hunting ten times better than a belt holster.  They don't keep pulling my pants down with the weight of a heavy revolver.  I made a nice fitting leather shoulder holster for my T/C contender, 10-inch barrel.

I've got a couple of autos for CC, but still prefer the j-frame.  The 32 Colt Pocket Pistol is for my formal tux outfit.  The grips match my cummerbund (the design is called 'stainglass window') .

BEAR

BEAR