need advice, looking for a snub nose revolver for ccw.
- Thread starter cajun47
- Start date
A moon clip makes spare ammo hard to carry a speed strip holds the rounds flat and eaasy to carry though slower to reload. I carry a speed strip in the watch pocket of my jeans. What is interesting is I find most people who carry end up with a small semi or a J frame type after a while
Gunn Smithy
New member
I would opt for any of the current models of J frame S&W. They have everything you could possibly want from alloy guns, blued, or stainless with exposed hammers, shrouded hammers and hidden hammers for a snag free draw. My wife currently has a Lady Smith in stainless and of all the others I've owned over the years, there's not a one that I did not like. Smithy.
Cajun,
The main problem with most lightweight snubbies is recoil. If you're not recoil shy and you don't have overly large hands, then a lightweight snub might work wonders for your every day carry (EDC) gun.
I'm figuring a loaded Glock 19 weighs in about 28-30 oz.
S&W's lightweight revolvers fall into two categories. The aluminum alloy framed guns and Scandium framed guns.[¹] The Airweight guns use the aluminum alloy, typically weigh in between 16-18 oz. and are limited to the .38 Special +P cartridge. Scandium framed guns weigh about 13-16 oz and can chamber the .357 cartridge. The down side is that a lightweight .357 can induce more recoil than the .44 Magnum. In turn, this can slow down your follow-up shots by 2 seconds or more.
I have an older Airweight Model 42 Centennial (hammerless) that I found only marginally comfortable to fire at the range. It weighs in at 15.8oz empty. It can be carried comfortably all day and/or in a front pocket. But that recoil was enough to retire it for occasional back-up gun duty. When I carry a lightweight snub it's the 432PD in .32 H&R Magnum with six shots instead of five.
S&W Model 42, .38 Special (top), S&W Model 432PD, .32 H&R Mag (bot)
Much more likely to be with me is a 23oz S&W Model 649 Bodyguard with the shrouded hammer. This .357 is normally carried with .38 Special +P in the form of Speer Gold Dots or the 158gr LSWC-HP "FBI" load. I can carry this all day in a IWB/OWB holster, but it's too heavy, IMHO, for pocket carry.
S&W Model 42, .38 Special (top), S&W Model 649 .357 Bodyguard (bottom)
Also shows the Centennial (hammerless) vs. Bodyguard (shrouded) styles
A "best buy" at the moment seems to the Airweight Model 438, .38 Special +P. This has the profile similar to the 649 (Shrouded hammer) with a blue/black finish.
For a 5-shot revolver, moon clips are unnecessary. Moon clips are prone to getting bent even with short 9mm/.45ACP ammo. Longer .38/.357 ammo is likely to tweak the clips when carried daily. Speed loaders or speed strips are viable reload mechanisms that can be nearly as fast. With practice, a J-frame can be reloaded from loose rounds in your back pocket in about 4 seconds.
Someone mentioned the Taurus 617TBC Titanium snubby. A friend has one and it is very lightweight, plus it's a 7-shooter. The down side is that this means it's about the size of a S&W K-frame. It also recoils like that proverbial Missouri Mule with .357 ammo.
If light weight is driving you, I suggest that you test-fire one or two range rental guns before you decide. Then stick with the 438, 442, 642 or 638 models in .38 +P. The 438 & 638 are shrouded "Bodyguard" styles while the x42 models are hammerless "Centennial" models.
¹ S&W discontinued their titanium line of snubs and they fetch collector's prices now.
The main problem with most lightweight snubbies is recoil. If you're not recoil shy and you don't have overly large hands, then a lightweight snub might work wonders for your every day carry (EDC) gun.
I'm figuring a loaded Glock 19 weighs in about 28-30 oz.
S&W's lightweight revolvers fall into two categories. The aluminum alloy framed guns and Scandium framed guns.[¹] The Airweight guns use the aluminum alloy, typically weigh in between 16-18 oz. and are limited to the .38 Special +P cartridge. Scandium framed guns weigh about 13-16 oz and can chamber the .357 cartridge. The down side is that a lightweight .357 can induce more recoil than the .44 Magnum. In turn, this can slow down your follow-up shots by 2 seconds or more.
I have an older Airweight Model 42 Centennial (hammerless) that I found only marginally comfortable to fire at the range. It weighs in at 15.8oz empty. It can be carried comfortably all day and/or in a front pocket. But that recoil was enough to retire it for occasional back-up gun duty. When I carry a lightweight snub it's the 432PD in .32 H&R Magnum with six shots instead of five.
S&W Model 42, .38 Special (top), S&W Model 432PD, .32 H&R Mag (bot)
Much more likely to be with me is a 23oz S&W Model 649 Bodyguard with the shrouded hammer. This .357 is normally carried with .38 Special +P in the form of Speer Gold Dots or the 158gr LSWC-HP "FBI" load. I can carry this all day in a IWB/OWB holster, but it's too heavy, IMHO, for pocket carry.
S&W Model 42, .38 Special (top), S&W Model 649 .357 Bodyguard (bottom)
Also shows the Centennial (hammerless) vs. Bodyguard (shrouded) styles
A "best buy" at the moment seems to the Airweight Model 438, .38 Special +P. This has the profile similar to the 649 (Shrouded hammer) with a blue/black finish.
For a 5-shot revolver, moon clips are unnecessary. Moon clips are prone to getting bent even with short 9mm/.45ACP ammo. Longer .38/.357 ammo is likely to tweak the clips when carried daily. Speed loaders or speed strips are viable reload mechanisms that can be nearly as fast. With practice, a J-frame can be reloaded from loose rounds in your back pocket in about 4 seconds.
Someone mentioned the Taurus 617TBC Titanium snubby. A friend has one and it is very lightweight, plus it's a 7-shooter. The down side is that this means it's about the size of a S&W K-frame. It also recoils like that proverbial Missouri Mule with .357 ammo.
If light weight is driving you, I suggest that you test-fire one or two range rental guns before you decide. Then stick with the 438, 442, 642 or 638 models in .38 +P. The 438 & 638 are shrouded "Bodyguard" styles while the x42 models are hammerless "Centennial" models.
¹ S&W discontinued their titanium line of snubs and they fetch collector's prices now.
captbahbah
Inactive
advise for buying snub nose revolver
Go with either the S&W 649 or 640 with 1 7/8" barrel in .38 spl. These are the pre-lock, pre-magnum versions. You won't regret it. Stainless steel means you'll see what you're cleaning, steel means you'll be able to practice with it. The little bit of extra weight is no bother in a pocket holster or belt holster. There are all kinds of ways to hide those guns. Stay away from the light weights. The recoil is terrible. Use Gold Dot 135 grain +P Hollow Points. 158 grain is the old standby.
Go with either the S&W 649 or 640 with 1 7/8" barrel in .38 spl. These are the pre-lock, pre-magnum versions. You won't regret it. Stainless steel means you'll see what you're cleaning, steel means you'll be able to practice with it. The little bit of extra weight is no bother in a pocket holster or belt holster. There are all kinds of ways to hide those guns. Stay away from the light weights. The recoil is terrible. Use Gold Dot 135 grain +P Hollow Points. 158 grain is the old standby.
Just as a reminder, in the lightweight guns, many years ago, police would use a 148 grain wadcutter for it's clean-cut hole. Penetration wasn't fantastic, but at double arm's distance it was enough. A reloader can push the wadcutter loads a bit for some extra velocity from a 2", though beware of Mas Ayoob's caution on using reloads for self defense.
Dave Chuppa
New member
I carry a SP101 AIWB and a LCR357 in the pocket. I shoot both guns with no pain and easy follow up shots using 125g. 357 JHP ammo. If for some reason 357 ammo is not used, 38+P works well. I have carried and shot a lot of different handguns over the years. These Two just seam to be the best set up for me. Top stopping caliber, reliability of the revolver, accurate, same speed loaders and ammo for reloads, and very easy to carry.
Lee McNelly
Moderator
in tx
if u qualify w rev that is what u must carry dont know about ur statehttp://www.stonerholsters.com/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=16&gclid=CIufmZr1mK4CFWnatgodUkKzIg
if u qualify w rev that is what u must carry dont know about ur statehttp://www.stonerholsters.com/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=16&gclid=CIufmZr1mK4CFWnatgodUkKzIg
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Your Glock 19 is slightly lighter unloaded at 21oz than a Ruger SP101 with 2 1/4" barrel at 26oz or a S&W M60 with 2 1/8" barrel at 22.6oz. If all three guns were fully loaded, however, the Glock would probably be heavier than the revolvers because 15 rounds of 9mm is heavier than 5 rounds of .38 Special or .357 Magnum.
Lightweight revolvers will reduce weight a good bit more. The Ruger LCR .38 Special weighs 13.5oz while the .357 Magnum version weighs 17.1oz. The S&W airweight J-Frames including the 438, 442, 637, 638, and 642 all weigh about 15oz. Scandium frame S&W's can be had very light with the lightest probably being the being the 360PD and 340PD which weigh a scant 11.4oz (I've not personally shot one, but I'd be willing to bet that the recoil of these revolvers with .357 Magnum ammunition is vicious).
Honestly though, weight is not what I think makes a small revolver so concealable. My personal pocket gun is a S&W M36 which, due to its all-steel frame, isn't lighter than a number of semi-autos. What I like most about a small revolver as a pocket gun is their more rounded shape. When carrying a gun of decent size in a pants pocket, it is very difficult, if not impossible, to eliminate printing completely. When a small revolver prints, however, the more rounded contours of it don't make it obvious that there is a gun in your pocket, just that there's something in there. The more angular contours of a semi-auto, on the other hand, looks more obviously like a gun to my eye when printing through a pants pocket.
Now, bear in mind that I live in an OC state so if, by chance, I am "made" it's still not a big deal for me as I still haven't broken the law. If your state's laws dictate that you absolutely cannot be "made" under any circumstances, then you may want to explore carry options that eliminate printing all together.
As to the choice between S&W and Ruger, both are great guns and neither is really better than the other though they are quite different. In the more traditional offerings including the S&W J-Frames and Ruger SP101, the S&W will have a more consistent DA trigger pull while the Ruger will have more noticeable stacking near the end of the trigger stroke. The LCR does have a lighter trigger than the SP101 or S&W's offerings, but the pull and return stroke are longer and have more noticeable stacking than the S&W's will.
The cylinder-release latch also works differently. Ruger uses a push-button type release while S&W uses their traditional forward-sliding thumbpiece. This is purely a matter of personal preference as neither type is objectively better than the other (I prefer the S&W type simply because that's what I'm more accustomed to).
The LCR 38 is the lightest offering with the exception of the S&W Scandium PD models which, even for a used specimen, will likely be well above your stated price limit. 1.5oz, however, is a negligible difference IMHO and I very much doubt that you'd notice it when carrying either revolver. Between the LCR 38 and the LCR 357, the 38 is lighter and cheaper, but the 357 offers more ammunition options and the extra weight will help to dampen the recoil of .38 Spl ammo a bit more.
S&W does offer a wider variety of variations than Ruger does with regard to caliber, barrel length, and hammer type (tradition spur hammer, shrouded spur hammer, or fully enclosed DAO hammer). Also, while both brands have good aftermarket support, the S&W J-Frames will have a wider variety of accessories such as grips and holsters available than the Rugers will.
Lightweight revolvers will reduce weight a good bit more. The Ruger LCR .38 Special weighs 13.5oz while the .357 Magnum version weighs 17.1oz. The S&W airweight J-Frames including the 438, 442, 637, 638, and 642 all weigh about 15oz. Scandium frame S&W's can be had very light with the lightest probably being the being the 360PD and 340PD which weigh a scant 11.4oz (I've not personally shot one, but I'd be willing to bet that the recoil of these revolvers with .357 Magnum ammunition is vicious).
Honestly though, weight is not what I think makes a small revolver so concealable. My personal pocket gun is a S&W M36 which, due to its all-steel frame, isn't lighter than a number of semi-autos. What I like most about a small revolver as a pocket gun is their more rounded shape. When carrying a gun of decent size in a pants pocket, it is very difficult, if not impossible, to eliminate printing completely. When a small revolver prints, however, the more rounded contours of it don't make it obvious that there is a gun in your pocket, just that there's something in there. The more angular contours of a semi-auto, on the other hand, looks more obviously like a gun to my eye when printing through a pants pocket.
Now, bear in mind that I live in an OC state so if, by chance, I am "made" it's still not a big deal for me as I still haven't broken the law. If your state's laws dictate that you absolutely cannot be "made" under any circumstances, then you may want to explore carry options that eliminate printing all together.
As to the choice between S&W and Ruger, both are great guns and neither is really better than the other though they are quite different. In the more traditional offerings including the S&W J-Frames and Ruger SP101, the S&W will have a more consistent DA trigger pull while the Ruger will have more noticeable stacking near the end of the trigger stroke. The LCR does have a lighter trigger than the SP101 or S&W's offerings, but the pull and return stroke are longer and have more noticeable stacking than the S&W's will.
The cylinder-release latch also works differently. Ruger uses a push-button type release while S&W uses their traditional forward-sliding thumbpiece. This is purely a matter of personal preference as neither type is objectively better than the other (I prefer the S&W type simply because that's what I'm more accustomed to).
The LCR 38 is the lightest offering with the exception of the S&W Scandium PD models which, even for a used specimen, will likely be well above your stated price limit. 1.5oz, however, is a negligible difference IMHO and I very much doubt that you'd notice it when carrying either revolver. Between the LCR 38 and the LCR 357, the 38 is lighter and cheaper, but the 357 offers more ammunition options and the extra weight will help to dampen the recoil of .38 Spl ammo a bit more.
S&W does offer a wider variety of variations than Ruger does with regard to caliber, barrel length, and hammer type (tradition spur hammer, shrouded spur hammer, or fully enclosed DAO hammer). Also, while both brands have good aftermarket support, the S&W J-Frames will have a wider variety of accessories such as grips and holsters available than the Rugers will.
I regularly carry one of two of my snubs. One is a Taurus 85 stainless steel and the other is a S&W model 36. Both are chambered in .38 Special.
The Taurus needed no work; came with a smooth, wide trigger and bobbed hammer spur and had a very light and smooth double-action trigger pull.
The S&W 36 came with a very heavy double-action pull, a narrow grooved trigger, and a hammer spur. I did extensive work on the trigger smoothing, lightening, and swapped it out for a .400 wide smooth one. I bobbed the hammer and ended up with a pull as nice as that, that came with Taurus.
I carry them in Bianchi pocket holsters. The holsters keeps the guns in the correct position in the pocket and they shed the holster reliably when drawn. The Bianchi holsters are quite inexpensive (about $20), compared to the other makers, but show that it is not always true that, "...you get what you pay for..." Having actually experienced their reliability, I would not pay any more for a pocket holster than what I paid for these.
The Taurus needed no work; came with a smooth, wide trigger and bobbed hammer spur and had a very light and smooth double-action trigger pull.
The S&W 36 came with a very heavy double-action pull, a narrow grooved trigger, and a hammer spur. I did extensive work on the trigger smoothing, lightening, and swapped it out for a .400 wide smooth one. I bobbed the hammer and ended up with a pull as nice as that, that came with Taurus.
I carry them in Bianchi pocket holsters. The holsters keeps the guns in the correct position in the pocket and they shed the holster reliably when drawn. The Bianchi holsters are quite inexpensive (about $20), compared to the other makers, but show that it is not always true that, "...you get what you pay for..." Having actually experienced their reliability, I would not pay any more for a pocket holster than what I paid for these.
matthew261
New member
Lots of great advice and I would just end up repeating most of it. Before you buy, I would say go to the range and try your top two or three choices. I've found that Smiths, Tauruses, and Rugers all have pros and cons. Knowing which of these fits your needs best is easier to decide after putting some lead down range through them.
I carry a Taurus 85 Ultralight everyday in my pocket.
It has the hammer spur which I put my thumb over as I draw from the pocket.
That keeps it from snagging.
Rides in the pocket very well and is'nt recoil monster even with the +P 124 grn's I carry for self defense.
The stock rubber grip helps in that.
I was and am still on the stove for buying a 642.
I consider it probably the finest gun for the money you can buy for concealed carry.
Bud's has them for $361 brand new right now,I think.
I bought a 638 but my old hands could'nt control dropping the hammer from single action so I sold it and used the money for something else.
That 442/642's a winner though and I'll own one in the near future.
It has the hammer spur which I put my thumb over as I draw from the pocket.
That keeps it from snagging.
Rides in the pocket very well and is'nt recoil monster even with the +P 124 grn's I carry for self defense.
The stock rubber grip helps in that.
I was and am still on the stove for buying a 642.
I consider it probably the finest gun for the money you can buy for concealed carry.
Bud's has them for $361 brand new right now,I think.
I bought a 638 but my old hands could'nt control dropping the hammer from single action so I sold it and used the money for something else.
That 442/642's a winner though and I'll own one in the near future.
My top 2 picks are the S&W Airweights or the Ruger LCR in .38 Special. I found the .357 magnum in such a small and light package is less effective. Recoil is too much and too much velocity is lost. .38 Special +P is my choice in a S&W 642. And yes, much lighter and easier to carry than my Glock 23.
Shadi Khalil
New member
I've had a few Taurus revolvers and a few Smiths in my day. While all the Taurus had problems (some minor, some serious) out of the box, the 2 of the Taurus revolvers had very smooth triggers. My S&W revolvers have always started out a bit stiff but after a couple range trips and lots of dry firing, the triggers are about perfect.
Lots of suggestions for S&W, a few for Ruger and Taurus, and only one for a Colt? 
In my search for a nice 2" .38 special snubby, I ran across a lot of used Colt Detective Specials (steel frame), a few Colt Cobras/Agents (alloy frame) and Charter Arms. Fwiw, in the last few months, I have purchased two Colt Cobras and a DS. Great pistols, six shots, old school look and reliable as the day is long!
In my search for a nice 2" .38 special snubby, I ran across a lot of used Colt Detective Specials (steel frame), a few Colt Cobras/Agents (alloy frame) and Charter Arms. Fwiw, in the last few months, I have purchased two Colt Cobras and a DS. Great pistols, six shots, old school look and reliable as the day is long!