Is the single stack nine the modern snubby?

snubbyfan A failure to feed can be deadly for you in a confrontation.
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So could running out of ammo, only having 5 rounds before a reload.
Consider missed shot(s), poor shot placement, determined / psychotic / drugged attacker(s).
 
g willikers said:
Just carry more than one.
It was good enough for Wild Bill, wasn't it?
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Apparently not. Didn't he die from getting shot in the back before his 40th birthday?

Based on what I read on the internet, if he'd had a high capacity semi-auto with a couple of extra mags he would probably still be alive today!
 
I have nothing against carrying a snubbie revolver but they hold less ammo than my 40 shield, are less powerful than my 40 shield (assuming 38spl), are thicker than my 40 Shield, and my 40 shield has proven to be absolutely reliable and is pleasant to shoot.
 
And do you suppose those people of those different eras, would still choose those guns they had available to them then, or something more current available today? Given the choice and some time to learn them?
 
The newer, small ones, probably. But I suspect it's also in response to capacity limits.
I'm in a free state, but if I were limited to 10 rds, I'd probably rather carry something like a S&W 39-2 than a capped off double stack.
 
A lot of us like the snubby. Still carry my M37 or M60 from time to time. I'm usually carrying my p239 or pt709.
I can see benefits of both.
I've always equated felt recoil between semi auto pistol and revolver quite similar to semi auto shotgun versus fixed breech sxs or o\u.
 
Not for me...90% of the time it's a Smith M60-3". I own and shoot a wide variety of autos from the diminutive Smith Bodyguard .380 to my .45 ACP 1911's, love 'em all, and carry some of them, but I suspect that the add'l complexity of an auto's controls would be a detriment in an SD situation, hence my choice of the Smith M60.

Conny mentioned muscle memory in his OP and this is a very big part of CC in my opinion. You have to train with what you carry...as that's how you're going to fight when the balloon goes up. I'd say it's number one on the my list of requisites for a defensive handgun choice...will I train with it and carry it?

I have carried (in combat and on the street) the 1911, and feel competent with it, but as I've grown older (some would say ancient), I've simplified my tools...a small J-frame fills the requirements of our current haunts most of the time. Rod
 
I'll go with Deaf Smith on page one...

I think the 'modern' equivalent is the .380 ACP made by any one of several outfits.

I prefer something with more authority, including the S&W "J" frames (in blue steel with pinned barrels), but quite a few folks don't listen and even more don't even ask!
 
In my case , yes it is! Ever since acquiring my Smith Shield 9mm my 642 revolver has basically been on hiatus.



The size difference between the two is not of any consequence to me although the revolver is lighter. The Smith even with the short mag allows 8 shots to be carried and I shoot the Shield more accurately. I started out with revolvers 30 years ago and am still a fan but for defensive use the compact 9mm has won me over.
 
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maybe we need a discussion on how crooks work.
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THIS ^^^^^^^^!

I carry a G19 full time and have a Kahr CM9 for pocket carry. It is very nice to slip in the back pocket while working outside all day. I also recently bought a 642 for those quick trips to the store or whatever. It doesn't print as bad in the front pocket, stays upright and is easier to draw, but is to long for the rear pocket like the CM9. I suggest they both serve their purpose and will concede that neither is very fun to shoot for a long time, but that is not what they are intended. I am reminded of Skynyrd's 'Saturday Night Special', that is all these things really are. When the option is there I always choose the Glock. Attire will determine which of the other ones I carry.
 
I have to agree that single stack 9mm's are today's snubby, but I think the revolvers still have their place. They will never go out of style.
 
I have to agree that single stack 9mm's are today's snubby, but I think the revolvers still have their place. They will never go out of style.
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I have to agree with this.

Mostly because I can shoot it more accurately and make faster follow up shots, my 9mm Shield has bumped my S&W 642 J-frame from the EDC slot. However, I still keep the J-frame around for pocket carry when a belt holster is too inconvenient (like running errands on the way home from work where I can't carry).

The J-frame also still fills the BUG slot. I figure if I need a BUG, there is a good chance that it will need to be a contact weapon and the revolver excels in that role.
 
I suspect the modern diminutive 9mm's & .380 ACP's will become the modern equivalent to the venerable 5-shot .38 Spl for pistol shooters. They're smaller than previous pistol options and will serve a practical purpose for many folks.

The 5-shot .38 snubs will remain a viable option for much the same reasons they've always been practical, useful and popular.

Now, nothing says that skilled and accomplished revolver shooters can't (and won't) benefit from adding the smaller 9's & .380's to their options, especially if another round or two is desired, or the slimmer profile of the little pistols is a benefit for carry method preference.

Also, some folks simply find it easier to hold and shoot a small pistol, compared to a smaller revolver.

It's good to have options.

If there wasn't a demand and appreciation for the smaller pistols, then how else to explain the Shield setting company (and industry) sales records in such a short time, and the G43 to have quickly become Glock's hottest selling model? The Bodyguard 380 & LCP are on the edge of becoming ubiquitous, too.
 
yeah id have to agree with your analogy to an extent........there for awhile there were very few single stack 9mm's.....you either went with a small pocket gun or a snubbie 38 and from there your next smallest carry was a doublestack like a baby glock.....but cant replace the snub entirely, for people with little hand strength or someone needing simplicity the snub is still the goto gun.
 
What the single stack 9's lack in comparison to the J-frame is 1) darn near perfect reliability (though the 9's are excellent), 2) the profile of a used bar of soap that hides unobtrusively in your pocket, and 3) the ability to take follow-up shots from inside the pocket.

My 79 year old mother cracked of 2x rounds from a S&W 442 in the general direction of a knucklehead last year, which caused him to flee "like a jackrabbit". That gun is just a lot easier for her to deal with than a single stack 9, so it has that going for it as well.

Apples and oranges, in my view, though both are tasty.
 
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