Help me pick a snub

S

Soybomb

New member
I think I'd like a snub revolver potentially for pocket carry (must have shrouded hammed), potentially just to say I tried and had fun with. Problem is none of my friends have one and the local range only has full size revolvers so I'm buying blind.

The S&W 642 comes to mind first, its reasonably light, and reasonably affordable. I do have some concerns though for .38special, it looks like on average I'd get around 9" of penetration from most hollowpoint rounds with the short barrel.

Is there an option that might get me 12" inches in about the same size? I see taurus used to make a 9mm snub, but its discontinued. I keep a good stock of 147gr rangers and am happy with them in my semi's, does 9mm performance drop too much with the short barrel? I figure there has to be a reason why no one seems to make them anymore.

.357mag in like the s&w 640 sounds like the obvious answer, but is it the type of thing that I'll never want to practice with anything but .38special in it? If I can't practice with it, I won't carry that load, and then theres no point to pay$130 and 8ounces weight more for something I won't use.

This seems like beating the dead horse and I'm expecting to hear get the 642 and don't worry about it, but I thought it'd be worth seeing if I was overlooking something like 9mm revolvers. Thanks!
 
m60

i've fired plenty of .357 rounds through my S&W 60. its not as bad as everybody makes it out to be. and i'm not a big guy or anything(5'10 175) I'd load it with .38 +p when your carrying tho. with .357 its real tough to keep on target for another shot.
another thing, if you go with stainless you might not want to fire a lot (thousands) of magnum loads in it, i hear the stainless smiths have issues with the frame stretching.
 
Remington used to make a 125 gr. .357 mid-range loading that reduced recoil, but was hotter than +P. They may still do so.
 
If you are concerned with underpenetration of "most" .38 spl hollowpoint rounds when used in snubbies, I'd suggest you explore the following .38 spl options:

1. wadcutters or semi-wadcutters. Widely available, inexpensive for practice as well. No expansion, but good penetration and fairly decent permenant wound channel due to the large, flat meplat and sharp edges. Has the advantage of lower recoil/flash/bang.
2. the "FBI Load", one of a number of +p 158 gr LSWC-HP loads that are proven performers from .38 spl snubbies. Only problems with these are that they do have some recoil and they are bad about barrel leading.
3. the new Speer +p 135 gr Gold Dots -- these are specifically designed for snubbies, and look to be "the real deal".
4. Corbon's .38 spl DPX load is supposed to be a good performer in snubbies as well -- good expansion as well as good penetration.
 
The 38spl snub has been around many years and shot a zillion people. I can't under stand the is 38 spl enough questions. With todays loadings or the 158LSWCHP+P it will do the job. If you do your part. Most civ. SD shootings are face on and 9" is enough Get a good S&W or maybe a Tarus and practice. I traded my 357 snub back for a 38 special . Noise and muzzel blast and slow follow up at least for me wasn't worth a couple hundred FPS more..
 
Alright fair enough I'm sold on .38spl with the appropriate round, how does the 642 fit in the pocket compared to a kel-tec p11. I'm feeling the call to the revolver but I'm worried about width a little bit. They seem to be about the same size but I'm wondering which "fits" better for most people's pockets.
 
Soybomb,

I own a couple of Kel Tec minis (one in .32 and one in .380), and I much prefer a light DAO Taurus or concealed hammer Smith snubby revolver in my pocket. And carrying one is no problem whatsoever, particularly in a Safariland pocket holster.

Boarhunter
 
Please note that Taurus is making a 9 mm snubby revolver these days, called the Instant Backup. Looks kind of interesting and would certainly be very concealable, particularly with the bobbed hammer. Having said that, I routinely carry a Taurus 650 or 651 without problems, and my customary carry load is the Speer Gold Dot .38+p 135 grain JHP optimized for the short barrel.
 
gb in ga, you left out the Corbon 100 grain Powerball rounds, should be a good snub load as well. From what I have seen the GD 135 gr is looking about the best maybe a tie with the DPX....out of snubs.

I have never understood why, (except for the obvious extraction problems with the 9mm), the 9mm never broke out in a snub revolver, should be a superb snub round in many loadings better than the .38.
 
MillCreek,

I own two of the Taurus 9mm snubby DOA revolvers (model 905) and like them a good bit. Great shooters; reliable; smooth light trigger pull. Shoots every time you pull the trigger and hits where you point. All this on sale locally a few months back for about $230 per. Which explains why I got two!

Boarhunter
 
I looked at the taurus 9mm but the shrouded stainless one was still a full weight model and taurus quality seems hit or miss. So I'm convinced, I just ordered a 642 to try out, total including transfer and shipping and CC payment charge will be $375.
 
Soybomb,

Much as I like the Taurus product (though agree that quality control may be a bit sporatic), I sure as heck would be the first to admit that Smith products are about as good as it comes. You can not go wrong with any Smith revolver. Enjoy.

Boarhunter
 
Taurus line

Seems like Taurus has a million .38 models to choose from. There's the M85, the CIA line, the small-frame line, the Titanium line... Unless their website makes it more confusing than it really is, I wouldn't know where to start!

So, considering Taurus, where's a good place to start? Are the Ti models worth the price? Need something to handle a steady diet of +P, and light is nice for CCW. Have not ruled out S&W, but at least I understand where they are price & model-wise.
 
I have a S&W 642

And it is my everywhere gun. I use a Safariland 64 pocket holster and forget that it is there. Great weapon! I carry Speer 135 grain Gold Dots +P. I change out the grips with some Altamont finger grooved Rosewoods. Much easier to handle.
 
LH2,

I have owned one of Taurus' Total Titanium snubby revolvers, though it was in 44 special and was built on a larger (midsized) frame. I liked the gun, and still have the gun, but it is a bit large to carry in a pants pocket. If the small-frame titanium snubbies are of similar quality, and I imagine they are, they would be fully strong enough to handle any reasonable loads and would carry well.

Actually, they would likely be somewhat similar to the scandium Smith snubby .357 that I also own (and formerly carried). At 11 ounces, the j-frame gun is pure delight to carry, but an absolute bear to shoot (probably like the Taurus Titanium guns). 10 rounds and your hand shakes the rest of the day.

Since I like to shoot often the guns I actually carry to remain proficient, I compromised on the five-shot Taurus all-steel 9 mm pocket revolver (model 905). It is just a little bit heavier to carry, but no bulkier, and it is truly easy to shoot, even frequently. I chose 9 mm over .38 special since I shoot 9 mm semi automatics and buy that ammo in bulk. But if you have no kinship to the 9 mm round, the .38 special would likely be as suitable.

Is any of this information at all helpful?

Boarhunter
 
LH2, I have three Taurus revolvers: a 650 in stainless, a 651 in stainless and a 651 in titanium. The titanium 651 weighs 17.3 ounces unloaded and 19.6 ounces with five Speer Gold Dot rounds. I removed the stock grips and replaced them with an Uncle Mike's boot grip. The titanium is clearly strong enough to handle the .357 loads, and is likely stronger than the stainless model. I will say, however, that firing full-house .357 rounds in the titanium model is quite an experience, and I only shoot five or ten such rounds at a session to maintain proficiency.

The titanium 651 makes an excellent pocket gun for me, slipped into a DeSantis Nemesis pocket holster.
 
Is any of this information at all helpful?

Boarhunter
Click to expand...

Yes, thanks! So is a light revolver such as an airweight S&W or Taurus Ti fairly pleasant to shoot with .38 +P?

Are the Taurus DA triggers usually pretty good?

Are the snubbies, regardless of brand, a bit smaller if chambered for .38 than .357? Is it just cylinder length making the difference or is the .357 frame beefier as well?

The titanium 651 makes an excellent pocket gun for me, slipped into a DeSantis Nemesis pocket holster.
Click to expand...

MillCreek, I'll have to look at the 650 series, are they all .357?
 
So is a light revolver such as an airweight S&W or Taurus Ti fairly pleasant to shoot with .38 +P?
Click to expand...

I wouldn't say pleasant, but a few cylinders isn't bad. I wouldn't shoot 100 hot +Ps in one session, though. The grips you use can make a difference here.
 
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