Going a little crazy: Long barrel or short barrel revolver?? Please help.

L

Lower

Inactive
Dear friends,

when a couple of weeks ago, I went to the range for the first time, with my 9 year son, I shot a 6" 686, and it felt like I was Harry Potter and had found my wand.

So I decided that was what I'd get.

BUT, in California, you're only allowed one handgun a month, and you only get it after a 10 day waiting period etc.

So, I can't get BOTH this gun and one that might be better for home protection and possibly (if I get the CCW) concealed carry.

Now, a lot of people have told me that a 6" barrel is not ideal in any kind of self defense situation, as the barrel can be slapped away/taken from you.

And that it's important to train with a shorter barrel (unless you're just interested in the sport of target shooting), because you most likely won't be carrying a 6" 686.

They said that pretty much anybody is a good shot with a long barrel revolver like that. That the real skill was shooting 4" or shorter.

So, I found myself considering the 686 Performance Center 7 shot with the 2 ½ inch barrel. Nice gun, also.
170346_01_md.jpg


For my son, I wanted to get the J frame Model 63 with a 3" barrel.

162634_01_md.jpg


But a few days ago, I took my younger son to a range on his 8th birthday, and the instructor said that I should only consider buying a longer barrel revolver, that otherwise we would not build the right shooting habits and never get really good. That the skills from shooting long barrels were transferable to shorter barrels, but not the other way round.

So I find myself thinking: maybe I should get my sons a 617 (10 shot .22 LR revolver with , even though it's on a K frame - which might be too big for kids)
160578_01_md.jpg


and get myself a 686 Plus 6" barrel after all?
pix268509856.jpg
 
1. If you decide to get your CCW, it's going to take longer than a month, so the one gun a month and CA laws is not a huge factor. Even two months, one for you and one for your son is not in the consideration. Only if you could afford only one of the guns for yourself, the longer or shorter barrel, then the decision must be made on that basis.

2. Yes, it is easier to shoot the 6 inch over the 2.5 inch because of the sight radius and less muzzle rise from the weight of the barrel. This is true for just range shooting.

3. Self defense, including home defense means more than hitting a paper target accurately. There are many other considerations, and yes, the 6 inch will then be at a disadvantage in terms of SD skills, i.e. longer barrel coming out a holster, harder to carry, not as easy to manuver.

4. Anyone who gets good with a shorter barrel snub nose revolver will excel even with longer barrel revolvers, but necessarily vice versa.

5. Depends on the degree of your experience. If you need to hone your accuracy, then the six is the better way to go, but that will only be one element. Of course you could get the second gun by the time you are good with the first.

6. Home defense, the length is not that critical, and forget that possibility of someone grabbing your gun. It's possible but unlikely as your training should prevent that senario in your home. It's not like in the movies where you should be clearing your house.

7. Start you son out with a .22. A small frame .22 would be ideal.

8. If you are a beginner, it's OK to start with single action for accuracy for learning trigger control, but don't forget to practice double action as well because that will be what should be used for SD.

9. A shorter barrel gun does not necessarily lead to bad habits.
 
I would go with a 4 or 6" S&W 686 first. It is perfectly fine for home defense in either the 4 or 6" configuration. Get the carry gun later when there is more of a need or wait a month and don't worry about it.

The 22 handgun or better yet a 22 rifle is the place to start your son out shooting and move him up in caliber as he ages and shows interest. You could also do a lot worse for home defense to start out. I assume you have no guns at the present. What are the odds of actually having to deal with a home defense situation for you?
 
I can't see any reason to justify the argument that a 6" barrel revolver is more likely to be taken away from you than a 4" revolver...there just isn't that much difference in the two guns ( 2" ...doesn't make it a clumsy gun ).

I can see the argument that a long gun ( shotgun or rifle ) at probably 38" long is a clumsy weapon over most any handgun ...and easier for a bad guy to take from you...but not a 2" to 6" barreled revolver.

I have K, L and N frame S&W revolvers in 2 1/2", 4" and 6" in .357 Mag and .22lr ....and the 6" is easier to shoot than the other two because it has a longer sight plane and its a little heavier. In a holster, the 6" is not impossible to carry - but its pretty difficult to carry it on your belt - where the 2 1/2" or 4" are very easy to carry ( K frame especially - over the L ( 686) or N ( model 27's). The 4" is a lot easier to shoot than the 2 1/2" ..again sight plane length / and the 2 1/2" being the lightest will recoil more for a given caliber.

My younger grandkids ( 8 - 10 yrs old or so )...find a K frame revolver in a 4" easy to shoot ( model 18, etc )...but they find the model 617 in a 6" too long and too heavy. Depends on the kid - but at around 12 yrs old ...it doesn't matter because many of the kids have enough upper body strength where it doesn't matter and they move on quickly to longer and heavier guns and heavier calibers - within reason.
------------------------
686 L frame ...is a nice gun / especially in a 6" for home defense ( in a night stand, etc )....and while I'm 6'5" and 290 lbs ...it isn't easy for me to carry it for concealment. I can carry it, as a woods gun, hiking or camping in a good outside the waist band holster.

K Frames - Model 66's or 19's in a 2 1/2" or 4" ....are easy guns to carry Inside Waist Band or outside waist band ( I use Kramer horsehide leather holsters with the forward FBI tilt ). Same holster for the 2 1/2" or the 4" ...so if I carry a revolver, I carry the 4" model 66 or 19 - because I shoot them better than the 2 1/2".

N frames - model 27's or 28's in a 4" can be carried ...but are not optimal for concealment - and they're heavy ( and I carry a full sized 5" 1911, all steel, .45 acp )...../ but I love shooting the model 27's especially in 4" for tactical drills at the range. The N frame fills my hands a lot better than the K or L frames.../ some of that depends on the grip style you choose to have on the gun.
 
I definitely find that 6" is my favorite typical barrel length but I will warn that a full-lug barrel like the 686, when you get in in six inch length, definitely tends to be front-heavy on a range day, at least at some point. I tend to notice it after a box or two when a bit of fatigue sets in. However, I do love the look of the six inch and all that weight helps in recoil management, that is a fact. The longer sight radius is a nice bonus over a shorter revolver.

However, I still find that a four-inch is totally useable and in my estimation, the difference between 4 & 6 inch is small, but the difference between snub and 4-inch is huuuuge.

I can't choose for you, but if I were:
1) used four inch K-38 (model 10, 15, 64 67)
2) used six inch Model 17, K-22, before they went full lug
3) used six inch 686

I'd buy them in that order.
#1 is cheapest & most plentiful. These are nearly perfect all-around revolvers.
$250-$350

#2 will cost a pretty penny but a good one will still be rolling for Gandkids or longer. Non-full lug means 17-6 or earlier. Figure $600-$1,000

#3 some of the best deals on the market as they have made so many since their 1980 intro, figure $550 and up.

Price estimations are from my area and may be 100% meaningless to a California resident.
 
Also, at the beginning distances that you will probably begin with, i.e. five to ten yards, you aren't going to see all that much difference between the 6 inch revolver and the 2.5 inch revolver......as long as you follow the fundamentals correctly. Sight alignment , trigger control, etc.

Out to 20 yards, yes, the sight radius might then come into play, but not at ten yards!
 
Another vote for a 4" barrel as an excellent compromise.
Although if you prefer the 6", it's not such a big deal over the 4" in real world terms.
And it will probably make a difference in accuracy - at first.
Not so much later on.
 
I'd feel comfortable maneuvering a home with a 6" barrel no problem, and I'd recommend the 6" to start because I think developing strong fundamental target shooting skills is the #1 factor and everything else stems from that. Equipment is less important than skill and at the end of the day any defensive shooting scenario is just an extra set of parameters to the basic goal of "hit the target".

A nice 6" that you'll enjoy shooting is going to be the gun that gets you those fundamental skills that make the real difference, and that's probably what your instructor meant when he suggested it. Sure the Snub will handle better, but I don't think you're at the point that a 5% handling advantage around a corner is going to make any difference. I don't think there is nothing to gain from a short barreled revolver or anything, and any shooting will improve your skills, but I think getting several hundred rounds of legitimate target practice will be a more decisive factor than any equipment decision. Maneuvering whilst shooting is just a harder version of shooting, and if you get the six inch and shoot the heck out of it you'll have enough basic skills that your equipment starts to make a difference. Right now I doubt you'd notice one in any practical defensive scenario.

The last thing I'd mention is that the police didn't have a problem with long barreled revolver and typically wore 4"-6" back in the days of six gun LEOs. Nothing wrong with 4" if you wanted a compromise.
 
If I were in your shoes,
I would go for a 3"-4" 686 or a 4"-6" .38 K-frame with adjustable sights.
For home defense, any of the above would be fine.
For CC, I think they are all too big (look at J-frame size 60, 640, 442, etc).
For a child, a model 63 might fit better the K-frames - I would stick with .22LR until shooting fundamentals are pretty solid.
===
- I have a 5"-6" L-frames and 4"-8" K-frames. I mostly shoot .38 special. I like shooting with the 6" K-frame the most followed by the 4" K.
- The 5" 686 sometimes feels front heavy to me when shooting it side by side with shorter handguns. When all I shoot is the 5" L, the weight seems OK. A 4" L would probably feel better than the 5" L (to me).
===
Personally, if the revolver would be mainly for SD/HD/CC, I would pick a no-lock version of the revolver.
 
Last edited:
OP, you live in a state where you can't open carry in public and you do not have a concealed carry permit at this time. You refer to a limitation on how many guns you can buy in a given period of time as if that is forcing you to make a singular best choice in buying one revolver right now. Your immediate purpose for the gun has nothing to do with open or concealed carry in public, so get those considerations completely out of your mind. For home protection, lotsa folks go down to Walmart and pick up a Remington tactical pump action 12 gauge shotgun. Yes, I know, it comes with a much longer barrel than any handgun you might be considering, but it's Joe Biden approved. For fun at the range, buy whatever you think will be fun to shoot at the range. My impression is that your range rents guns. Try a bunch of them that are way different from each other before settling on one. Don't get weighed down in irrelevance, and don't think of it as the only revolver you will ever own.
 
I advise moving to a state where you can exercise your Second Amendment rights freely. That's what I did in 1992 when I moved out of CA and eventually wound up in AR where I can buy any damn gun I want, and as many of them as I please without asking for the state's approval or waiting 10 days for my rights to be grudgingly allowed.
 
A four inch barrel on a revolver seems to be the best compromise all around, it's still short enough to sit down with even in a car, you can still carry inside the waistband if you choose, (try that with a six inch gun) muzzle flash and recoil are not as bad as a 2.5 inch, it's short enough to be a little harder to wrestle away yet makes a fair club too. When Police stopped walking the beat and started patrolling in cars, the six inch guns just about disappeared in the hands of cops everywhere. And the shorter gun still makes a fine outdoorsman's weapon too. You really can't go wrong with the four.
 
A four inch barrel on a revolver seems to be the best compromise all around
Click to expand...

Depends on caliber and load, but for the most part I would agree. The Smith & Wesson model 27/28 in 4 inch is one of the most coveted revolvers in existence. If I could own only one revolver, that would be the one.
 
Now, a lot of people have told me that a 6" barrel is not ideal in any kind of self defense situation, as the barrel can be slapped away/taken from you.
Click to expand...

Lower, I'm sure the folks who mentioned the above meant well. But if you allow a bad person with in 6" of you ya really have a problem, no matter the Length of the barrel of your revolver.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top