Anything like a K-frame with full underlug?

C

Cosmodragoon

New member
My wife carries a J-frame in .38 but is looking for something a little more "fun" for home and range. What this really means is that I show her things until she sees one she thinks is pretty, then we find a friend or a store so she can handle it and see if she likes it. :rolleyes: After poking around, here are her criteria:

- Medium frame
- six-shooter
- Barrel in the neighborhood of 4"
- SA/DA
- .38 special (+p is good and realistically, she has zero interest in .357.)
- MUST HAVE FULL UNDERLUG

So I've been scratching my head. She likes the look and feel of the 617 but that's obviously not going to fit here. If you know of a wheel gun that fits these criteria, I'd love to read about it.
 
Hmm... Colt Diamondback?

Other than that... as for .38 special only K-frame size gun with an underlug, the Taurus Model 82 comes to mind: http://www.taurususa.com/product-details.cfm?id=291&category=Revolver&toggle=tr&breadcrumbseries=MF2

Taurus makes decent revolvers, usually. Might not be as trouble free out of the box as a Smith & Wesson or Ruger.

Here is a Ruger GP100 w/ 4" bbl in .38 special +P only w/ full underlug:

http://www.galleryofguns.com/genie/...pe=Revolver: Double Action&mdl=GP100&cal=38SP

The frame is a little bigger than a K-frame, it's an L-frame size more or less. Tough and quality made gun with some heft to it. Should be very light recoiling and will be accurate and will last you and your wife a lifetime, and probably your children and grandchildren's lifetimes as well!
 
My suggestion does not nail all of the criteria, but it is an often overlooked oddball in the market that your wife might find attractive anyway.

Smith & Wesson offers (or did at one time) the J-frame Model 60 with a five inch, full underlug barrel. It is a .357 and only 5-shot cylinder.

But as it is a smaller J-frame but with longer barrel and odd full underlug...

It just kind of looks to me like someone ran a six-inch 686 through a Xerox at 15% reduction in size. Not much else quite like that one.
 
Oops, another that isn't likely the answer, but still fun and odd...

The dash-4 variant of the Smith & Wesson Model 16 has the full underlug barrel that no other Model 16's ever got. It is chambered in .32 H&R Magnum. Not at all easy to find these.
 
Sorry Sevens but that isn't what the OP was looking for.

I have never seen a S&W model 60 with a 5" full lug barrel, though I've seen them with 5" half lug barrels. Besides, 5" barrel J-frames and .32 H&R magnums are irrelevant... if you can't think of the right gun to recommend people, it's best usually not to when these types of threads pop up, no matter how "fun and odd", it sounds like the OP and more importantly his wife know what they are wanting. It's just kind of a waste of space.

Trust me, been there done that! ;)
 
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Dan Wessons have full underlugs, and they take the same speedloaders as k-frames, so I'm guessing they're of similar size.

.38? Don't know if DWs come in .38, but one can certainly just shoot .38s out of a .357mag revolver.
 
Medium Frame, Check
Six Shooter, Check
4" Barrel, Check
SA/DA, Check
.38 Special +p, Check
Full Underlug, Check

S&W 686
SKU#164194


164194_01_lg.jpg
 
Model12win I think your wrong about telling Sevens that he should not comment, when people ask questions it is just fine to suggest items that are close or a little different. It may lead a person to open there search or inform them about a item they did not know was even out there and one that they think fills most of there requirements and is a good choice.
 
I used to have a Taurus 66 that had a 4" full underlug barrel. It was a seven shot, 357, but I believe they made them in six shot also. Of course all you have to do to change a 357 into a 38 is change ammo.

(Although I understand the OP's point. My wife is always saying "I don't need a 357, just a 38. I don't care how many times I explain it to her, she still says "I don't need a 357, just a 38.")

Anyway, the Taurus 66 is about the same size as a K-frame, and the ones I had was as nice as any Smith & Wesson I ever owned. I sort of with I still had that one.
 
Rossi 851,,,

80036_1.jpg


Rossi 851,,,

A friend has one and it's a surprisingly nice little revolver,,,
The SA/DA trigger is comparable to Rugers I've shot.

I would own one just for grins if it didn't have a ribbed barrel,,,
Even on a Python I never warmed up to that style.

Aarond

.
 
Just FYI, Smith & Wesson DID make a K38 4" full lug revolver at one time.
The problem is, they only made a few - I originally saw the number 500 but the accepted figure is 350 - for a single distributor. I have never seen one for sale and can't imagine how high the speculators and collectors have jacked the price.

As far as real production guns go, I think the guys have pretty well covered the field.
 
Smith

S&W "L" frame as others have mentioned as the 686 I believe comes in a 4-inch .357.

Dan Wesson has many configurations from 2 1/2-inch and up all having full under lugs.
 
Yeah, I'd think an L frame (586/686) and just run .38spl through it. That's the beauty of a .357- no need to shoot magnums if you don't want to. Just do yourself a favor and make sure you clean out the charge holes so gunk doesn't build up (preventing the ability to chamber .357 if you ever want to).
 
S&W "L" frame as others have mentioned as the 686 I believe comes in a 4-inch .357.
Click to expand...


There are also 3'' variants of the 686 with a full underlug that may also fit her criteria. It can also be had in a seven shot.
 
Doesn't Charter Arms have one that fits the criteria? I just thought I remembered seeing a longer barreled version than the std 2".
 
Dan Wessons have full underlugs, and they take the same speedloaders as k-frames, so I'm guessing they're of similar size.

.38? Don't know if DWs come in .38, but one can certainly just shoot .38s out of a .357mag revolver.
Click to expand...

There was the "Lil Dan" which was .38 Spl only. I think it was on the same frame size as the .357s though? I'm not sure if it was a full length lug though.

My 6" 15-2 V-H (vent rib heavy barrel) DW in .357 does take the same speedloaders as the "K" frame guns (S&K 10 & 10A's), but the cylinder is "K" sized, not the frame. My holster is for a S&W 686, & a Python sized one won't fit.

(all images are (C) Wogpotter 2011 & 2012)

DSCF0815_zps26901675.jpg


DSCF0808_zps1432ba72.jpg
 
The Smith and Wesson line of 581,586, 681,686, revolvers have a full under lug. They are also L frames not K frames. All of these are .357 Magnum revolvers which will safely handle 38 special +P ammo.
 
I would look at the Ruger GP-100 and S&W M686 myself. Both are medium frames, but I consider them too big for convenient concealed carry. But I don't think the concealed carry consideration was part of your requirements.

The 4" Colt Diamondback is a really nice revolver. They are just too expensive unless you find one in somewhat used condition or just a good deal.
 
Thanks for all the recommendations. To answer a few, the GP100 was too bulky and the 686 was just a little too big. The K-frames are just slim enough to make the difference for her.
 
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