How SMALL can you carry open?

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I have a teeny North American Arms .22 LR revolver with a 1 1/8 inch barrel that I load up with .22 mag hollow points. Open-carried in the holster, you can see the grip and a bit of the barrel, but it is unobtrusive and is likely to be confused with a cell phone carry case.

Could such a weapon be deemed inherently "concealed" because it is so easy to not to notice?

The Donkey

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I have the same pistol, and the weapon is inherently designed for concealment even deep concealment. I think a open carry for them requires a very obvious holster just to be safe legally. Here are some holsters from NAA's website.
I think this would be ok for OC.

These belt buckle ones are not considered OC from what I understand because they disguise the true nature of the weapon.

I like the idea of the neckchain holsters. Easy to switch from OC to CC, but just becareful of someone trying to rip it off

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I have a set of grips with a pocket clip on the right side for my mini. When carrying concealed, I just slip it into my right pocket and the grip looks like a pocketknife. For open carry, I just clip it onto my belt, butt forward, and the entire weapon is open to view. Can't get any more open then that, and I don't have to fumble with a holster when I go out. I just grab it off the shelf and stick it on or in my pants.

I got the grips from an outfit in Virginia called Darksun, but they were apparently custom made and last time I asked they didn't have any more. This is just a flat grip with a metal clip on it like a folding knife, not the big clunky holster grips you always see. Good luck finding them, you may have to get some made.

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I see your point about people trying to grab the weapon on the chain.

That would apply to the grip-clips, and clip on holsters too, I suppose.

With these mini SA revolvers, its possible to imagine all sorts of scenarios like:

* someone unhooking it and you not noticing;

* someone grabbing it and getting into a fight over it when the other guy has your gun;

The grip clip idea has particular appeal for elegance and simplicity: but if the darn thing falls off, don't you risk an accidental discharge in an SA revolver?

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I wouldn't worry about an AD with the Mini as long as you have the hammer locked in the provided safety notches. Most guns in general are pretty drop safe nowadays, however some of the cheaper derringers out there have a bad reputation for being unsafe.

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The Donkey wrote:

I see your point about people trying to grab the weapon on the chain.

That would apply to the grip-clips, and clip on holsters too, I suppose.

With these mini SA revolvers, its possible to imagine all sorts of scenarios like:

* someone unhooking it and you not noticing;

* someone grabbing it and getting into a fight over it when the other guy has your gun;

The grip clip idea has particular appeal for elegance and simplicity: but if the darn thing falls off, don't you risk an accidental discharge in an SA revolver?

Click to expand...

These scenarios are true for most pistols, except for the part about accidental discharge. As LW said, just put the hammer down in a safety notch between chambers and it's not a problem. As for people grabbing the gun, with the clip grib it'd actually pretty tight against my side, closer than a cellphone, and lighter, too. Not to mention less noticable than a .45.

I really like mine, because it's so easy to carry I tend to have it with me more often than my bigger guns. This fulfils the first rule of gunfighting: always bring your gun. The small cartridge may be a problem compared to a .45, of course, but it beats using harsh language, I guess.

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I have asked the question of Richmond City, Chesterfield Co. and Henrico Co. police Sgts regarding my Smith model 60 carried in my waist/belt (mexican style almost) via a Hip-grip - only the grips and the bobbed hammer show above my belt and have been told by all that it is legal OC as it is easily identified as a weapon. Fringe benefit is that all I need do is blouse my shirt over it and it becomes CC - which is how I carry it at work all day.