Pocket Wars - 637 vs 36

[b737lvr]

So I’ve recently picked up the Model 36-11 from S&W. Great little revolver and it sits nicely next to my 637-2. After a couple weeks of carry I’ve began to feel my instincts urging me to move back to the 637. While the extra weight of the 36 handles Underwood wadcutters beautifully I’ve found that my peace of mind is better off knowing I don’t have a giant hunk of carbon steel in my pocket while humidity sits at 100% during the steamy Florida summer. My instinct also tells me that I simply appreciate the 36 too much to delegate it as a pocket banger. I think at this point I’d rather just enjoy it as a range pistol.

What would you slip into the pocket? The Steel or the Airweight?

 

[Ameshawki]

Airweight, in my case a 638.

 

[Bastogne71]

Neither but that’s because I have a problem with the exposed hammer snagging when I draw the revolver.

To answer your question, I’d pick the air weight because it’s easier to carry every day. That said, there’s a stainless steel J frame in my pocket right now.

 

[JimCunn]

637-2
I lighten my three up by using titanium .357 mag cylinders reamed for 9mm. Put your thumb on the hammer as you draw. It won't snag.

 

[413Maxwedge]

M&P 340 has been my EDC for a year and a half now. I literally forget it's in my jeans pocket when Im walking around. In the winter I carry my M10 stubby some times... jackets and coats help hide the extra size and weight.



I much prefer shooting from a steel gun but I am also paranoid about rust.

 

[b737lvr]

M&P 340 has been my EDC for a year and a half now. I literally forget it's in my jeans pocket when Im walking around. In the winter I carry my M10 stubby some times... jackets and coats help hide the extra size and weight.
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I much prefer shooting from a steel gun but I am also paranoid about rust.

So I’m the same way. I prefer the weight of steel but the paranoia about rust gets to me. But so far I’ve been carrying my 36-11 for a couple weeks down here in Florida and I’ve not had a lick of rust show up. I wipe it with a big microfiber cloth at the end of every day. As much as I would love to carry an air weight what bothers me more than rust is that lock potentially engaging from firing hot underwood wadcutters.

 

[haywood]

I spend 4 months of the winter in Florida. I pocket carried a 638 and carried a 442 or Glock 26 in the waist. I didn’t want to carry my 36 because of sweating and humidity. I just picked up a stainless model 60 so probably next winter I’ll carry the 638 in pocket again 60 in the waist or Glock in the waist I alternate my waistband guns. This summer at home it’s. a bobbed 37 in pocket maybe alternated with my 442. Waistband carry will probably be the 60 and once in a while the 36 and once in a while, the Glock or a Springfield XDM.

 

[Bill In Texas]

I have three that I carry regularly, with a fourth that I use strictly for hiking. None of them are carbon steel for the reasons everyone has mentioned.

My main summer carry is my 640. I have great affection for the stainless steel j's. My winter carry is my 1st generation Shield chambered in .40 s&w. The backup to both of these is my only Airweight, a 642. I'll have two of these with me all the time.

So, to answer the OP's question...
Both!

 

[TJm15.38]

I like the Airweight 638.

 

[shep854]

I have pocket-carried exclusively since the mid-2000s. I have mostly carried autos (currently a Sig P365), but for several years I carried the Model 49 (The REAL Bodyguard ) in my avatar. I retired it because of rust concerns and the simple age of the gun.
I packed a Centennial for a while, but wanted the SA capability of the 'humpback' J-frame. I really didn't notice a difference in weight or recoil between the two. I will say, though, that the thought of .357 kick in a J-frame makes me want to flinch just thinking about it...

 

[JFrame_Bandido]

My humble opinion is to carry the one without the lock in your pocket. Also consider bobbing the hammer. At the end of the day if you are ever called upon to defend your life, those 2 things I just mentioned can cause catastrophic failure.

A gun that is cleaned and oiled and kept in a pocket holster shouldnt exhibit premature rust. Just take it out weekly, admire its beauty, wipe with a silicone gun cloth, and place back in the holster.

My no lock 442 rides in a Desantis pocket holster daily and here in Dallas the heat is no joke. Good luck, sir!

 

[shep854]

My humble opinion is to carry the one without the lock in your pocket. Also consider bobbing the hammer. At the end of the day if you are ever called upon to defend your life, those 2 things I just mentioned can cause catastrophic failure.

A gun that is cleaned and oiled and kept in a pocket holster shouldnt exhibit premature rust. Just take it out weekly, admire its beauty, wipe with a silicone gun cloth, and place back in the holster.

My no lock 442 rides in a Desantis pocket holster daily and here in Dallas the heat is no joke. Good luck, sir!

Agreed on NO HILARY HOLE!!! As for rust, I work outside, so even in a holster my gun gets sweaty. Wipe down with oil, and occasionally brush off surface rust with a brass pad and it was ready for service.

 

[gwpercle]

I live in South Louisiana ... know all about heat and humidity .

Hot and Humid weather I go 637 with cargo shorts and T-shirt .

Cold weather (we had 8" snow last winter) I go 36 with cargo pants flannel shirt T-shirt and winter coat ...

I pocket carry ... cargo shorts , cargo pants and winter coats have lot of pockets ... Stainless steel is much appreciated by me in hot humid South and shooting / crrying ... a model 36 is also appreciated ...
Let the weather be your guide !
Gary

 

[shep854]

I live in South Louisiana ... know all about heat and humidity .

Hot and Humid weather I go 637 with cargo shorts and T-shirt .

Cold weather (we had 8" snow last winter) I go 36 with cargo pants flannel shirt T-shirt and winter coat ...

I pocket carry ... cargo shorts , cargo pants and winter coats have lot of pockets ... Stainless steel is much appreciated by me in hot humid South and shooting / crrying ... a model 36 is also appreciated ...
Let the weather be your guide !
Gary

Yeah… Birmingham is cool and crisp compared to your Gulf Coast steam bath.

 

[javbike]

I pocket carry a couple

 

[crasig]

Some wonderful things pictured in this thread.
Different indeed are my eclectic batch of pocket pistols, I like, & enjoy them all.

 

[walkin' trails]

Hands down, and alloy frame revolver is going to carry so much better in pocket-carry mode than any steel frame (or even some micro 9s or .380s with higher capacity magazines). That having been said, I have a Model 36 that I've carried in my front pocket in midwest humidity when my 640 needed a new firing pin spring. Both were heavier than I'd like, but the 36 finish didn't seem to suffer any. I keep telling myself to break down and get a 442 or 642 (or a Taurus 856 UL), but ended up buying a 43c instead. So hard to argue with 12 ounces loaded...

Ironically, the Hillary Hole was the first thing I noticed on the OP's picture. Bobbed hammer or not, with proper draw stroke practice, the hammer spur problem can be mitigated. I don't know how well one of the newer J's can be bobbed due to the hammer mass and design. I honestly haven't seen any examples of anyone bobbying one.

 

[Cartwright Jones]

View attachment 764060

So I’ve recently picked up the Model 36-11 from S&W. Great little revolver and it sits nicely next to my 637-2. After a couple weeks of carry I’ve began to feel my instincts urging me to move back to the 637. While the extra weight of the 36 handles Underwood wadcutters beautifully I’ve found that my peace of mind is better off knowing I don’t have a giant hunk of carbon steel in my pocket while humidity sits at 100% during the steamy Florida summer. My instinct also tells me that I simply appreciate the 36 too much to delegate it as a pocket banger. I think at this point I’d rather just enjoy it as a range pistol.

What would you slip into the pocket? The Steel or the Airweight?

There's no contest, the airweight. That's what it was made for! They're virtually the same gun, only one feels like a brick in the pocket, and the other rides like a feather! Your only major mistake was not choosing the M642 for the enclosed hammer, then fitting a titanium cylinder to bring down to just 12 ounces.
I love the look, the lore, the feel of the all steel M36, but for carry, the '37 is the better answer. You know this.