Lightweight Revolver
- Thread starter Melos
- Start date
I assume you mean "weighs", and I don't think you will get much lighter with reasonable power than those S&W and Taurus Scandium revolvers. There are several models, with open and concealed hammers, in .38 Special and .357. But be warned that the recoil is wicked.
Jim
Jim
retiredsquid
New member
I have a S&W Model 331 AirLite Ti in .32 H&R Magnum which is a 2" snubby that weighs in at 11.9 ounces. Recoil is not all that bad and accuracy is well within expectations for a revolver of this type. DA trigger pull is heavy, but smooth while SA trigger is smooth and lite. I carry it in a Desantis pocket holster and feel sufficiently armed for a CCW.
Regards,
Rich
Regards,
Rich
dairycreek
New member
It is not a "black and white" question.
The Kel-Tec P32 weights in at about 6.5 ounces unloaded. The smallest of the S&W titanium snubbies come in near 12 oz., again, unloaded. So, for pure weight the Kel-Tec seems to be the "winner". But, the Kel-Tec is a 7+1 semiauto and the small titanium snubbies are, of course, 5-shot revolvers in 38 special and 38 +P. Considerably more powerful than the 32. So, the comparison you suggest is not a straightforward one. I opted for the S&W 386 which is a 7-shot 357 TiScan (or 38 special or +P if you will) and with its 3" barrel comes in at a "whopping" 18 oz unloaded. Yes it is heavier than either the Kel-Tec or the S&W titanium snubbies but it has a lot more firepower than either. So, now how do you figure? I am sooo glad everyone agrees on everything on this board. Good shooting
The Kel-Tec P32 weights in at about 6.5 ounces unloaded. The smallest of the S&W titanium snubbies come in near 12 oz., again, unloaded. So, for pure weight the Kel-Tec seems to be the "winner". But, the Kel-Tec is a 7+1 semiauto and the small titanium snubbies are, of course, 5-shot revolvers in 38 special and 38 +P. Considerably more powerful than the 32. So, the comparison you suggest is not a straightforward one. I opted for the S&W 386 which is a 7-shot 357 TiScan (or 38 special or +P if you will) and with its 3" barrel comes in at a "whopping" 18 oz unloaded. Yes it is heavier than either the Kel-Tec or the S&W titanium snubbies but it has a lot more firepower than either. So, now how do you figure? I am sooo glad everyone agrees on everything on this board. Good shooting
The SW Titanium snubs are the lightest at about 10.90z, the grips bring up an 1.5 or 2oz. Their little airlite 317 is 9.9oz. Most of the aluminum frames run about 13.5 to 15oz. There a few prototypes of the centennial made with aluminum cylinders that were even lighter than the titanium frames. These were made, but never available to the public.
We've had reports of .38+P lead loads being pulled out of the shells under recoil, tying up the guns in the lightest Scandium guns. With the .357 versions, some are seeing the same thing with *jacketed* hot loads.
To me, if you really need a superlight snubby, .32H&RMagnum may be the way to go. You get more velocity than with .38+P, because the better .32Mag loads are 85 or 100 grains. 1,000fps from a snubby .32Mag is easily available. That means a jacketed load will expand, so you don't need to go to soft lead, so you get less bullet pulling problems than with a .38+P lead load.
Hmmm. Not sure I'm explaining this right.
With a .38+P, 125grains or more, you're seldom going to get more than 900fps in a 2". With a 158, you'll get around 800fps from a 2" barrel. Which is fine, if you stick with a plain lead hollowpoint versus jacketed - the plain lead works better at .38 speeds. But being slick, plain lead can be yanked out of the shell under heavy recoil, and some of the 12oz Scandium guns are doing just this.
With a 32Mag, bullet weight is down but speed is up and recoil is down, so the best loads are jacketed. Even the lightest .32Mag guns aren't yanking jacketed bullets out of the shells.
The lightest .357 Scandium guns are worse - they're yanking lead .38+Ps, and per some reports even jacketed .357s are yanking.
If you have to thoroughly test a particular load in your superlight gun to make sure it can stand up to the recoil, then...well, as far as I'm concerned, it's too damn light. I would stick with at least 14oz for a .38, 17oz for a .357. If you MUST have something between 10oz and 13oz, you want a .32Mag six-shot, .22Mag 8-shot or a 9-shot .22LR.
This is just my opinion. I'm not completely against Scandium, in fact I consider the 7-shot Scandium .357 at 18oz a VERY cool idea, because you've got just enough weight there so you aren't yanking loads clean out the shells. That gun isn't reported to be doing that, which is one data point I'm basing my "minimum suggested weight recommendation" on.
To me, if you really need a superlight snubby, .32H&RMagnum may be the way to go. You get more velocity than with .38+P, because the better .32Mag loads are 85 or 100 grains. 1,000fps from a snubby .32Mag is easily available. That means a jacketed load will expand, so you don't need to go to soft lead, so you get less bullet pulling problems than with a .38+P lead load.
Hmmm. Not sure I'm explaining this right.
With a .38+P, 125grains or more, you're seldom going to get more than 900fps in a 2". With a 158, you'll get around 800fps from a 2" barrel. Which is fine, if you stick with a plain lead hollowpoint versus jacketed - the plain lead works better at .38 speeds. But being slick, plain lead can be yanked out of the shell under heavy recoil, and some of the 12oz Scandium guns are doing just this.
With a 32Mag, bullet weight is down but speed is up and recoil is down, so the best loads are jacketed. Even the lightest .32Mag guns aren't yanking jacketed bullets out of the shells.
The lightest .357 Scandium guns are worse - they're yanking lead .38+Ps, and per some reports even jacketed .357s are yanking.
If you have to thoroughly test a particular load in your superlight gun to make sure it can stand up to the recoil, then...well, as far as I'm concerned, it's too damn light. I would stick with at least 14oz for a .38, 17oz for a .357. If you MUST have something between 10oz and 13oz, you want a .32Mag six-shot, .22Mag 8-shot or a 9-shot .22LR.
This is just my opinion. I'm not completely against Scandium, in fact I consider the 7-shot Scandium .357 at 18oz a VERY cool idea, because you've got just enough weight there so you aren't yanking loads clean out the shells. That gun isn't reported to be doing that, which is one data point I'm basing my "minimum suggested weight recommendation" on.
Jim, that is some great advice. I haven't played with the .32HR, but that is a great concept. I think they really are almost "too light" when it comes to .38. It's funny, but I notice a big difference in controllability between my old 342 and my current M38. I'll take the bodyguard anyday! I do wish the ammo companies would work out some special ammo though for these little guns. Like a 60 grain sabot type load. Why not a .25ACP "Magnum". Even chambering a Ti for the little .17 HR mag. would be too cool. Squeeze 9 rnd. capacity into a 10oz. revo.
I think the .22Mag is better than the .17 in a short-barreled wheelgun. We already have some damned good .22Mag defense loads, the CCI MaxiMag +V/TNT series that the NAA Minirevolver people all swear by .
Either way, you'll get eight of 'em (max) into a J-class wheelie - at least, that's what Taurus managed. The rims are a bit fatter than .22LR. So far there's no speedloaders for the little Taurus 8-gun
.
There ARE small six-shot speedloaders for J-class .32Mags. The S&W, Taurus and Ruger SP101 .32Mag sixguns all take the same speedloaders. Is six .32Mags as useful as five .38+Ps? I think so.
The 8-shot .22Mag has possibilities as a "grannie gun" for those unable to deal with any recoil at all. Taurus sells it in both ultra-light and plain stainless varieties (with up to a 4" barrel) and as a "home defense piece for the elderly or those with weak wrists", you could do a lot worse than eight 30grain JHPs pulling 1,400fps from a 4" tube
.
.Either way, you'll get eight of 'em (max) into a J-class wheelie - at least, that's what Taurus managed. The rims are a bit fatter than .22LR. So far there's no speedloaders for the little Taurus 8-gun
.There ARE small six-shot speedloaders for J-class .32Mags. The S&W, Taurus and Ruger SP101 .32Mag sixguns all take the same speedloaders
. Is six .32Mags as useful as five .38+Ps? I think so.The 8-shot .22Mag has possibilities as a "grannie gun" for those unable to deal with any recoil at all. Taurus sells it in both ultra-light and plain stainless varieties (with up to a 4" barrel) and as a "home defense piece for the elderly or those with weak wrists", you could do a lot worse than eight 30grain JHPs pulling 1,400fps from a 4" tube
.