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Old June 18, 2011, 11:44 AM   #28
MLeake
Senior Member
 
Join Date: November 15, 2007
Location: Outside KC, MO
Posts: 10,128
3" vs 4"

I don't find much difference between the two, with regard to concealability and portability. That said, I haven't gone IWB with K, L-equivalent (GP100), or N frames, so I don't know if there's a difference there.

IWB, an inch of length typically makes little difference with autos, but sometimes it can - once you get to the point where any additional length starts affecting the break of your pants leg when you bend or sit. I'd imagine that would be true with revolvers, but I don't know where that cutoff would start for me.

OWB, an inch of barrel length will affect the length of the cover garment you will need, to keep the holster (or muzzle if using a slide type holster) out of view.

Grip and girth are usually more of a challenge, though. My usual OWB cover garments are long enough that the difference between a 3" or 4" barrel makes no difference.

Now, I do not even try to CCW my 6" 629. I could only do that with a 3/4 length or longer jacket, and it would make sitting down a challenge. For hunting, that's one of two reasons I like cross draw holsters for long-barreled revolvers. It's nice to be able to sit. It's also nice, if I'm carrying a slung rifle on my right shoulder, not to have the rifle banging into the revolver grip.

Going back to concealing a large, 3" or 4" revolver... I've done that using OWB holsters and either fairly heavily structured shirts in reasonably light fabrics (Hawaiian, Guayabara, etc) or else heavier shirts (Chamois, denim) or jackets. Again, I recommend pancake type holsters for revolvers larger than J frame, just because the additional leather fore and aft of the cylinder help blend its thickness into a smoother contour - kind of like the improved streamline of a longer boat hull.

Additional benefit of a pancake for a larger revolver is it spreads weight over more of the belt, and tends to pull down slightly less. This makes less difference with a higher grade of gun belt, but still could be a factor.

For concealment purposes, not unlike with autos, the grip contour and texture usually matters more than the barrel length. Square butts print more than round butts. Hogue type rubber tends to grab fabric more than does, say, a Pachmayr Presentation rubber, which grabs fabric more than does wood.

With a jacket, it makes little difference, unless it's a very light jacket. With a lightweight shirt, both contour and texture can make a huge difference.

Almost forgot, we haven't discussed shoulder holsters. I have one from http://shoulderholster.us that works pretty well at concealing a 4" N frame. With a vertical shoulder holster, the barrel length doesn't matter at all, until you get to the point that it's long enough to cause the holster end to bump the seat when you sit. The grip is a definite factor, though - too big or too square and it will poke into your shirt or jacket.

Well, that was long-winded... Sorry about that.
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