New wave in carry revolvers...

T

Tamara

Moderator Emeritus
Airweight alloy-frame five-shot snubbies are nothing new... unless they're chambered in .41 Magnum that is.

From the medium frame total titanium Tauri in .44 Special, .45 Colt and .41 Magnum (as well as a seven shot .357) to the L-frame "Centennial" 242 and 296, there's been a renaissance of medium-frame carry-oriented wheelguns on the market. I'd even put the 4" Titanium Tracker in this category; with its' space-age Ti construction, ported muzzle and seven-shot .357 cylinder, it sort of strikes me as a futuristic rendering of the concept behind the original Model 19 Combat Magnum.

Anyone out there avail themselves of this bumper crop of new carry wheelguns?
 
Big snubbies

I keep wondering why this doesn't catch on, perhaps the fact that S&W is boycott-branded and Taurus is not yet held in the same esteem as old line makers. Maybe it is just that going BACK to a revolver seems odd, or that picking a revolver would seem odd to those just getting into this type of shooting (defensive carry). Plus, they are a bit thick to carry, compared to a normal auto. Still, I have picked up the L-framed .44 Special version with shrouded hammer several times and thought "This is a neat idea."
I wonder if old Skeeter Skelton is thinking the same thing?
 
I just started to carry......

a *&* 686"P"(.357) with a 2.5" barrel. It weighs 34.5 oz empty. I have a very good IWB holster and a heavy belt. Makes for a very comfortable concealed carry. IMHO compares niceley with my SA 1911 (38 oz empty) in terms of comfort and weight. The Taurus Tracker is a nice carry too. The revolvers as a carry weapon are okay by me.:)
 
While I haven't managed to get myself around to sampling the new "crop", I did carry my Taurus 441 4" for about a year. Felt perfectly comfortable with that.

I have always been a bit mystified by the admonishment against wheel guns for carry because they are "too thick" or "too wide", etc. Admittedly, the cylinder of your typical revolver is wider than the frame/slide of an auto. But that is the only part of the piece that is thicker and it is only nominally longer than the cartridge it chambers - slightly more than 1 7/8" for a 44 mag. The concealment of that much does not seem to be such a daunting task.

Just my opinion and worth exacly what you've paid for it. ;)
 
642 J-frame Smith in .38 is a great BUG.

Hate shooting the bloody thing as it kicks like a mule.

My wife bought it for her own use and ended up switching to p95 due to the pain she experienced shooting it.

At 25yards it's amazingly accurate. I put 5 out of 5 in the head of a silhouette. With a 1.5 inch snubby that aint bad at all.

It'll end up being my lightweight carry or BUG.....
 
A gun that combines the carrying ease of a lightweight with the power of a large bore cartridge is, to me, a welcome development.

And yet my 296 sat in the display case at the local gunshop for over a year before I bought it. It was a brand-new gun, but it was pre-pact, so S&W's betrayal was probably only a secondary reason that no one wanted it. I remember a lot of people looked at it with interest and sometimes with amazement. And in fact, we're used to more or less lightweight .38s going back to the Model 37. But a lightweight .44 is quite an innovation!

But of course there's a trade-off. The 296 is light and compact, all right, but not so light and compact as a 342. Among the customers at the local shop, no one but me seemed to think that the big bore was worth the little bit of extra bulk and extra weight that the trade-off demands. Then also, the .44 Special is just not as popular a cartridge as the familiar .38. The bottom line is that, for whatever reason, the local gunshop sells a lot more .38 Special than .44 Special lightweights.

Anyway, I finally bought the 296 because I needed an absolutely non-snagging gun for a certain fanny pack that I regularly wear, and also because I've been a .44 Special fan for a long time. But even with me, it took, as I say, a year before I decided to spend the money. BTW, by the time I bought it, the dealer was willing to get rid of it cheap. :)

As far as my 296 itself is concerned, it's one of the best made and best finished S&Ws I've seen in quite a while. The action is smooth, and I don't mind the recoil when shooting Silvertips. I do mind the recoil when shooting warmer .44 Special loads, like PMC 185 gr., so I avoid these.

Just my $0.02.
 
Last night my wife went and got her Total Ti...

..Taurus +P, 38 Special and compared it with my new .32 H&R Ultra Light. "Mouse gun", she sniffed. (It was a joke. She knows I have guns with calibers of "more resolve" and also knows that the power of the .32 mag is nothing to be "sniffed" at.) She now wants a Total Ti in .45 Colt. And you know what....I'm going to get it for her. The woman has NO FEAR of noise or recoil. (I think she LIKES it!) I just love her to death! You ought to see her with "our" AR15 and a 30 round mag. She thinks she's "Rambo-ess". :) She out-shoots me handily almost every time we go to the range. The last time we went the range-guy said, "Don't worry, it happens a lot". I told him, "Thanks loads".

KR
 
Tamara - I looked at the SW 296 but I looked too masculine with it in my pocket. I got the 38 in Ti instead and believe that with the right ammo it will protect as well as the 44 sp. First chamber up has a 158 jhpswc+p backed up by 125+p Gold Dots.
Seems ( to me ) the medium frame "crop" are really too large for what I imagine is their purpose. Front pocket carry is not realistic unless your are the Jolly Green Giant.
A SW 629 Ti Mountain model in 44mag is what I would like to see but not shoot. I would use my ss model to shoot and the Ti to carry.
PS What are you driving now? If I hear of a Mini Cooper with a 427 I'll let you know.
PSS How about posting a picture... there is way too much mystery surrounding you.
 
Seems ( to me ) the medium frame "crop" are really too large for what I imagine is their purpose. Front pocket carry is not realistic unless your are the Jolly Green Giant.
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Well, I envision them more as IWB revolvers in the classic Model 19/686 snubby vein...
PS What are you driving now? If I hear of a Mini Cooper with a 427 I'll let you know.
Click to expand...
BMW Z3 2.8 and a Suzuki TL1000S
PSS How about posting a picture... there is way too much mystery surrounding you.
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Look on my homepage or in the recent "Broken HK's" thread over in the semiauto forum. That's all I have to say about that... ;)
 
HAVE YOU EVER ACTUALLY FIRED ONE OF THESE LIGHTWEIGHT WRISTWRECKERS?

Had a customer try the 41 Ti, but he said it had stupid recoil.

Stupid recoil! Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!
Try testing "heavies" (MY kind of "heavies") all day searching for the perfect load.

Wore a 4" Security Six IWB for some years, but eventually went to a 'flat' gun for big-gun carry.
(Not a weight thing, but a poking-me-in-places thing.)

Appeal of the big-bore medium/larges is limited to those few who find the concept appealing; will it be economically viable to maintain manufacturing?

(Hmmm, no.)




This opinion delivered by a 5'9" 180lb man who occasionally wears 5.5" Redhawks.
 
Our third-best-selling new revolver in the shop (after the Taurus 85 and 605) was the Taurus 450.

Some people really just connected with that Holland Tunnel-sized muzzle in a K/L-frame size gun.
 
Have been interested in the lightweights since the Chief's Special Airweight came out. But never interested enough to shoot em much. If I don't shoot one much, don't feel comfortable carrying it for defense.

For years I carried a 1911 and either a M&P or 36. Always one and sometimes both concealed.

Just for drill tried five guns concealed this Saturday. Spent 12 hours with two very experienced people, one badge and one hobby shooter. None tripped that I was wearin a gun store. Showed one gun and that is all they thought I had with me.

Collection was.....4" 29,.. 6"19,... 2½"19...3"36.....4 1/4" 1903 pattern hand ejector. All blue steel. Two Yaqui slides, two pocket holsters, one armpit. Speed loaders and speed strips.

Boots, jeans, sweatshirt and medium jacket. Belt AND suspenders.

Wearer 5'6", 140 lbs.

Sam
 
When I decided to get my CCW I already had an EAA Witness in .38 Super that I thought would be just the ticket. But I always wanted a wheelgun, so when I got tired of carrying all that steel around, I decided t get a Taurus 445. I got the blue steel version 'cause the SS Ultra Lite .22 Mag. I have has had too many problems (back to the factory 2 times, and they ALWAYS put the factory hammer spring back in, which was my main problem - 15# DA trigget pull!!) and I didn't want to risk it. Besides, at 6'1" and something over 250# I can handle a little extra weight. I do like the big hole in the end, and with the blue steel finish the silvertip HP's or the Gold Dot HP's (in the Blazer load) really make an effective contrast.

I'm still wondering where Tamera carries her .44 at the beach!

Doug444
 
The thing...

...that most attracted me to the 296 was that it struck me as almost the perfect gun for a very specialized niche in my handgun battery: purse carry.

Not only is it light, but the enclosed hammer prevents it from being fouled if fired from inside the purse's carry compartment, and the big 200gr slugs are an iffy proposition in the expansion department anyhow, so clogging them up with leather from firing through the purse shouldn't adversely affect bullet performance too much.
 
Real Life experiences with the .41

One of the men that my Maternal Grandfather offed during his tenure on earth was taken with a .41 Magnum. It blew the guy off the front porch. This was from a heavy frame S&W. How in the world could one handle this level of power from a snub?

Has Taurus improved their line up in the past couple of years. My wife has a 605 3" loaded with Winchester 110 Grain .357 HP's in the office of her company. I feel like she's in good hands.

Can a plain jane Model 85 take plus p now?

Thanks
 
What?
You mean people actually CARRY revolvers? What in the world would the pomeranian and sig355 think of this?

Do you think we would have their blessing?

Edit
Tamara, I see your little Mauser is tickling your fancy by your byline. We need to see some more details on the little puppy.
End Edit
 
How in the world could one handle this level of power from a snub?
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Porting, high-tech "Ribber" grips, and a lot of fortitude. A lot of the unpleasant recoil in small-frame revolvers comes from the 2-finger grip forced by the miniscule grip frame. These guns, being roughly L-frame size, at least let you get a full grip on them.

(Hey, I shoot .44 Magnum in a ported snub; it's not that bad... ;) )

Can a plain jane Model 85 take plus p now?
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Yup.:cool:
 
Thanks Tamara.

I was destined to buy a Smith Snub but if the Tauri will handle the +P, I will stay in good graces with TFL and go for the Taurus line.
 
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