Why Aren't There More Small Frame 6 Shot Revolvers?

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weblance

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I just bought a Charter Arms Police Undercover .38 Special. I wanted a 6 shot, small frame snub, for my wife to have, for her peace of mind. She wanted a snub, I wanted it to be a 6 shot. The Police Undercover was the only small 6 shot I could find, except for the old Colt Detective, and I didn't want one of those laying in her sock drawer. The Police Undercover is a small frame(think J frame, or SP101). I started to wonder why there aren't more small frame, 6 shot .38, or .357 revolvers. Now, before someone says... "Well, if there was a demand for them, they would build them..." I don't buy that. I think if Ruger or S&W added a 6 shot cylinder to the SP101 or J Frame, they would sell a ton of them. The frame on my Police Undercover is the same size as those frames, but with a larger cylinder window. Charter Arms says the Police Undercover is built on the .44 Bulldog frame. Well if Charter can manage 2 different small frames, I'm sure Ruger and S&W could also.

So, the question is... Why aren't there more small frame 6 shot revolvers?

Here is the Police Undercover, next to my 638, for scale.

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Because there isn't enough room to drill 6 .38 caliber holes in a J frame cylinder?

The Police Undercover is built on Charters bigger (.44 Bulldog) frame at 20 oz. Their 5 shot Undercover is smaller at 16 oz.

Smith makes the K frame .38 special that is a 6 shot, but, it's a bigger frame.
 
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Take a look at the two guns. The frames are the same size, with the exception of the cylinder window. Make the cylinder window in the J frame larger... add in a 6 shot cylinder...
 
Or... look at it this way... Charter has the standard frame that all the .22s, .32s, and 5 shot .38s are built on. Then they have a very slightly larger frame that the 9mm, .40 and .44 revolvers are built on. If Charter, with its much smaller market share, can manage to make 2 different frames, that are very close in size, and make those revolvers profitable, why can't S&W or Ruger do the same. Its obvious that you cant drill 6 holes in the J frame cylinder, or jam a larger cylinder in the J frame the way its designed currently, but it wouldn't take much to make the J frame, or SP101 capable of holding a 6 shot cylinder.
 
Personally, I prefer the slimmer 5 shot J frame. It is easier to conceal.
Even the K frame had to have a flat spot on the bottom rear of the barrel to accommodate the cylinder. The L frame has a large enough cylinder to avoid the flat spot. Large enough for 7 shots. Just a matter of cartridge size and geometry.
The new K frame Magnum avoids the need for the flat spot by using a two piece barrel. I would buy one in a snubby length. Preferably, a 2.5 inch fixed sight version M65. Be nice if the sights were like my M640 Pro. 3 inch would be OK, also.

Best,
Rick
 
Ruger does...

Ruger offers their SP 101 in a 9mm, 38 Special, or 357 Magnum five shot configuration. But they offer the same pistol in a 327 Federal Magnum six shot, or 22 LR eight shot. All built on the same frame and overall cylinder dimensions. I'm thinking that adding one more round in one of the three larger calibers would add to overall frame and cylinder size at which point you may be buying an SP 100 perhaps. ;)
 
S&W did that. They enlarged the frame a little bit and created the C frame model 73. A 6 shot .38 to compete with the Colt Detective Special. It didn't work very well, all but a few were destroyed.
 
I think small revolvers are a lot like manual transmissions in cars. People say they would buy them if they were available. However, when they are made available, the folks who said they wanted them still buy semi-automatic pistols and automatic transmissions. I love to shoot my revolvers and drive manual transmissions but when it comes to buying and using every day, I buy semi-automatic pistols and automatic transmissions. The only revolver I have bought new was my "cowboy" revolver to go with my "cowboy" lever action Henry. I guess it's the difference between toys and tools.
 
he Police Undercover was the only small 6 shot I could find, except for the old Colt Detective, and I didn't want one of those laying in her sock drawer.
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Taurus has, or had, one. Sorry, I do not recall their model designation. Taurus 856. "no longer in production".

Rossi (looking at their website) makes at least one six shot snub.

As does Armscor.

You got choices. Just not the higher prestige/quality ones you want. Unless you find an old Colt or K-frame snub.

Even the K frame had to have a flat spot on the bottom rear of the barrel to accommodate the cylinder.
The new K frame Magnum avoids the need for the flat spot by using a two piece barrel.
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My old Taurus Model 66 is a (more or less) clone of the S&W. It used a one piece barrel, just like S&W at the time, and did not have a flat at the bottom of the barrel below the forcing cone.

No, I never examined the two side by side, to try to find out why one could do it and the other not.
 
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Make the clylinder "window" of a j-frame taller to accomodate a 6 round .38sp cylinder, and it ain't a j-frame anymore.

As spacecoast noted, the 6 shot .38sp cylinder is also too fat side to side for the purpose of the gun: concealed carry.

The answer, of course is make the holes smaller: .32 H&R magnum seemed to work, and the .327 Mag offers more power yet ....
 
Really?!?!!???!?!
ALL THIS TIME I thought I was carrying a weapon and NOW you tell me it's JUST A TOY?????????
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I consider my semi-autos, 38 revolver, shotguns and rifles as weapons but I consider my "cowboy" guns as toys. I play with them and carry the others or have them near my bed.
 
S&W already offers 6 different frame sizes if you include the Governor.

My opinion: I don't think it would be very beneficial in the business sense to engineer and introduce a whole new frame size somewhere in between a J and K frame just to allow 6 shots in a small-ish .38 cal carry revolver. And as mentioned before about the K-frame forcing cone, would it really be that much smaller than the K-frame anyway??


I just don't see it being a big seller when we already have J's and K's, at least among existing S&W customers.

I know I'm not thinking outside the box, but I would bet that if S&W thought it a worthwhile venture they would probably have already done it. Case in point: I submit the 8-shot N-frame revolvers in 357 and 9mm.
 
Take a look at the two guns. The frames are the same size, with the exception of the cylinder window. Make the cylinder window in the J frame larger... add in a 6 shot cylinder...
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No, they aren't. The Bulldog frame is bigger than the Undercover frame.
 
No, they aren't. The Bulldog frame is bigger than the Undercover frame.
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Im comparing the J frame to the Bulldog frame, not the Bulldog frame to the Undercover frame.

There is a very marginal difference between the Bulldog frame, and the J frame. Not even enough to make a difference.
 
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