Concealed Carry Handguns – August 2019

barrel.Whileotherfactorsmightbeat

play,withthe3-inchKimber,thesame

ammoclockedat1,255—anincreaseof

232 feetpersecond.

Therearen’treallymanydisadvantages

withthat 1 inchofextrabarrel.Whileit

mightbeabittighterfitinacoatpock-

et,it’snotanyhardertoconcealinan

inside-the-waistbandholster,whichis

mypreferredconcealedcarrymethod.

Andtheweightofthe3-inchmodelat

alisted25.1ounces,isonly2.1ounces

heavierthanthe2-inchmodel(listed

at 23 ounces.)

OTHERFEATURES

So,whatotherfeaturesarewelooking

atwiththeKimberK6sDA/SA?Itscyl-

inder,atjust1.39incheswide,provides

forasix-roundcapacity,comparedto

someothermodelsthissizethatallow

forjustfive.

TheK6scylinderrotatescounter-clock-

decides to open fi re across the fi eld,
you have to defend yourself with what
you happen to be carrying.

VERSATILE 3-INCH
So, with the Kimber K6s DA/SA, I’ve
got the choice of fi ring double or single
action. And I’ve got the versatility of the
.357 Magnum chambering. That allows
me to load the gun with light-recoiling
.38 Special ammo that makes practice
more fun and is easy for any member of
the family to handle. Or I can load it with
.38 Special +P loads, good for defense
with quicker recovery for follow-up
shots. Or I can load it with 125-grain
.357 Magnum hollowpoints, that have
about the best record of one-shot stops.
Or I can load it with 158- or 180-grain
hunting loads to put down a deer or
defend myself against a big angry cat
that’s waiting for me down the trail.

But if I choose the K6s with the 3-inch
barrel, I have even more advantages.

First, I get the advantage of a longer

sight radius—5.1 inches with the 3-inch

K6s compared to 4.1 inches for the

2-inch barrel version. That can mean

the difference between making or

missing a shot at distances of 25 yards

and beyond, which isn’t an unreason-

able task for a trail gun.

Next, I get the benefi t of more velocity

out of the .357 cartridge, which might

be critical if I want the hollowpoints to

expand reliably or if I need the penetra-

tion to put a tough animal down. Hogs

come to mind now.

The .357 seems to suffer more of a loss

of velocity than some other cartridges

when fi red from a short barrel. As an

example, I tested another company’s

.357 Magnum revolver a couple of

years ago. Great gun, but with the

excellent Speer Gold Dot 158-grain

.357 ammo, I was able to get just

1,023 feet per second out of its 2-inch

FALL 2019  CONCEALED CARRY HANDGUNS 21

“...WITH THE VERY CAPABLE

DA/SA 3INCH MODEL, IT’S NOT

STRICTLY A DEFENSIVE FIREARM,

BUT A VERSATILE HANDGUN

WORTHY OF ALLAROUND USE...”