How Did the Snubnose Come into Existence?

W

Will Beararms

New member
Did some Police saw off a revolver barrel? Did some crooks originate the idea or was this the brainchild of a manufacturer?

Thanks
 
On The Eighth Day...the Lord created the snubnose .38, and saw that it was good....

Either that or, "Crom, strong in his mountain..."

-Dave, ducking the rotten tomatoes
 
Snubbies happened the very first time an American population of white, educated and technically proficient people with their own gunsmiths were subjected to specific arms carry restrictions.

That's right - most sources trace the first snubby wheelguns to the MORMONS :D.

Seriously. Mormon security forces, sometimes known as "Avenging Angels", took Colt percussion wheelguns (1851 pattern, dragoons and similar), chopped the barrels to about 3", ditched the rammer lever and related hardware and packed 'em concealed.
 
J. Henry FitzGerald (of the "Fitz Special") in his book Shooting claims he played a part. Since I know "Sheriff's Models" and other short barrels revolvers antedated Fitz, I would assume he is talking modern factory offerings like the Detective Special (he represented/worked for Colt) or their general acceptance/use by law enforcement.
 
Hey if it was the mormons....I guess thats good. I love snubs and Im kinda mormon...dont really practice. But I dont preach either. :D
Browning himself was other the era and area also.
Shoot well
 
I seem to vaguely recall that in a catalog somewhere, that one of the manufacturers of modern "blackpowder" guns offered a tiny .31 Remington. I think it was called a "pocket new model Remington", might have been CVA brand ? ? ?
 
Small handguns were developed in Britain for the wealthy who wanted to be armed but they wanted small guns that stayed concealed and didn't weigh them down too much.
 
Gee:

Sounds familiar wealthy and powerful wanting small concealed weapons ala Imus, Feinstein, Rockefeller and others.

This has interested me and I appreciate everyone's input. I am thankful someone thought ofh the snub and followed through on it.

Hey Saxon Razorback: I hail from Warren, AR and still duck and deer hunt down there. 'Ever been to Fort Thompson or Mac's Prairie Wings? How about the White Pig Barbecue Resturant down the road from Fort Thompson?
 
"Mousegun" and "snubby" ain't the same thing.

In the US, .36Cal has always been considered a general purpose self defense bore, and has at various times (present day included) seen military use.

An NAA minirevolver ain't a snubby. It's a mousegun. A J-frame .38 five-shooter is a snubby. Same in six-shot .32Mag barely qualifies as a snubby, because that round is hot enough despite it's under-bore size to be a decent combat load.

A few Colt .31Cals shipped with no rammer hardware and a 3" barrel, but I'd still class those as mice versus snubs.

The Mormons were the first ones to chop serious defense gun barrels down to the 3" range. Mostly .44s, but some .36s too.

The various British "Bulldogs" and similar were a later riff off the same theme - cartridge guns in very weak .36 and .44cal (often rimfires). The Brits were probably doing the first DA snubbies. But the Mormons were doing it with percussion stuff decades earlier.
 
Yeah and Al Gore invented the internet.

There were plenty of "big bore small barreled guns" well before the advent of wheelguns.

I'd bet the Belgians, the English and a lot of other mnakers were doing it before the Mormons did it here.

The term "snubnose" though, I'd bet thats an americanism.
 
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