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Letter Re: Concealable Handguns

Jim
It has occurred to me that someone staying in a zone where authorities are going to harass gun toting survivors ought to consider having at least one or more covert sidearms. If a survivor has to step out in a no-gun carrying zone,they can still be armed. I currently own one J frame Model 36 Chief’s Special and may well seek out another. This might possibly be one of those new Scandium 357 snubbies. A couple of five-shot snubs hidden in matching pocket holsters are better than a full-size service pistol that cops will hassle you over. It seems to be an acceptable alternative for someone who has to step out from their home to collect food or make repairs. They would be good enough to fight ones way back to the serious guns secured at home. – L.K.

JWR Replies: I concur that there is a need for compact/concealable handguns for some circumstances. Since my primary handguns are .45 ACP [1]s, I personally prefer the AMT Backup .45 ACP. (A very compact .45 ACP automatic pistol, with a 5 round magazine.) It is a lot of gun in a small package. It is no larger than many .380 ACPs yet is chambered in a fairly potent caliber. Its sights (actually just a “sight rail” inlet) are marginal but the gun was hardly designed for long range shooting, anyway.

If you are going to opt for a snubbie revolver, make it a .357 Magnum. (Since .38 Special snubbie is a marginal stopper, at best .) But do keep in mind that a .357 magnum with a 1.5″ barrel generates a muzzle velocity that is roughly comparable only to a .38 Special with a 6″ barrel! “Sound and Fury…”