Bret4207
At the casting bench in the sky. RIP Bret.
Figures! I shoulda grabbed it.
The 3" DA Revolver
- Thread starter Petrol & Powder
- Start date
Figures! I shoulda grabbed it.
RicinYakima
High Steppes of Eastern Washington
I remember an article about them in Gun digest or Handloader Digest? years ago.
Bret4207
At the casting bench in the sky. RIP Bret.
Ya know Rally, I got my dream guitar, maybe some day I'll get the other item on what amounts to as close to a bucket list as I'll ever get- A Beaver Trooper style winter hat. I want one with a brim, skin cancer dontchaknow, so they are harder to find. Your pic with the pelt reminded me of that.
Rally
NC Minnesota
I catch the critters, have them tanned, and then have them sewed the way I want them. I wear them all winter. I have 10 I think, made from different types of fur, for different usage. There are people who do custom fur sewing . My favorite two have both died in the last five years. I know there are several throughout the US. If your looking for somebody to make one let me know and I’ll get you in touch.
Petrol & Powder
Well-Known Member
David S- It appears to meet the criteria: DA, caliber over 32 and a barrel of 3".
I should have phrased it differently. You mentioned the Charter Arms Bulldog and the Ruger GP-100 but not the "L" framed S&W's. Frame size and weight wise the S&W 696 is in the Ruger Speed/Service-Six and GP-100 class. Not light weights by any means. On the plus side like the Charter Arms and Ruger a 44 Special option. I have a trio of "J" frames but all with 4" barrels. The S&W 696 is my only snubie hand gun. It's outside your 3 inch parameter and requires a holster but if you like the 44 Special in a light carry able package a pretty good case can be made for the S&W 329 air weight 44 magnum. With 44 Specials it really remarkable how easy it is to shoot well in a true light weight package. My holster may out weigh the revolver. But it is a 4 inch barrel and the "N" frame. But you do get six 44's. Two interesting threads you have running Petrol & Powder'
Petrol & Powder
Well-Known Member
Just my own criteria but I don't consider anything over 2.5" to be a snubnose.
I consider the 3" guns to be a class all by themselves.
I consider the 3" guns to be a class all by themselves.
Bret4207
At the casting bench in the sky. RIP Bret.
You end up talking minutiae in discussions like this. Why is a 2.5" bbl a snubbie when it's 5/8" longer than an 1 7/8" barrel, but a barrel 3" long, which is only 1/2" (4/8) longer than a 2.5" not a snubbie? Is a holster gun a snubbie? Some people would say it's got to be a pocket sized gun. Opinion and personal preference, that's what it all is.
Everybody is entitled to their own opinions, of course. However, before I bought my 60-4 (the year they were released) and put it on the range, I would have found it difficult to believe how "shootable" this little baby is. It is truly "the perfect Eastern Packin' Pistol"! Marvelous in concept and proven in the field!
Dale53
Dale53
Rally
NC Minnesota
Well if I were to get a 631 and a 696 it would about round out my bucket list. Saw a 631 last summer but it was a snubbie and the owners daughter had laid claim to it. Like Dale mentioned above, pretty tough to beat the 60-4 for what I do, and I have a Star press in .38 Spl. To feed it. Good combo.
I've had a blue Speed-Six 2 3/4" for over 40+years. A stainless Service-Six 3" from the last year of Production; 1988, "round-butted" it so I could put Pachmayr Compacs on it. And a S&W 624 3" that took over as "Camp Gun" from the Speed-Six.
Had a S&W M65 3" for a few years, but the .38-44 Loads sorta beat it up. They didn't seem to affect the Rugers though. The "Skeeter" loads in .44Spl were a bit stout in a 3" bbl. These days backed down a bit. Still hoarding some Hornady .44 cal swaged lead SWCHP's for just that revolver. I have a pancake holster just for it, a bit "Butt heavy" in a std belt holster.
And they are fun to shoot at the indoor range, lots of muzzle flash with Unique. Bullseye is a better choice for indoor shooting with short bbl'd revolvers.
Had a S&W M65 3" for a few years, but the .38-44 Loads sorta beat it up. They didn't seem to affect the Rugers though. The "Skeeter" loads in .44Spl were a bit stout in a 3" bbl. These days backed down a bit. Still hoarding some Hornady .44 cal swaged lead SWCHP's for just that revolver. I have a pancake holster just for it, a bit "Butt heavy" in a std belt holster.
And they are fun to shoot at the indoor range, lots of muzzle flash with Unique. Bullseye is a better choice for indoor shooting with short bbl'd revolvers.
Petrol & Powder
Well-Known Member
Agreed - but you have to draw a line somewhere and that's where I choose to draw my line.
Everyone is welcome to draw their line wherever they see fit.
RicinYakima
High Steppes of Eastern Washington
The 3" is a pocket gun if you buy Duluth Trading jeans and wear suspenders like I do. 