The Snubnose option

[Petrol & Powder]

I'm a fan of the snubnose revolver as a concealed self-defense tool. My conversion to that platform occurred many years ago and those details aren't important right now.
Perhaps due to my heightened attention to the platform, I noticed a trend many years ago and I'm curious if it still holds true.

The S&W J-frames were very popular with users that needed a small revolver for concealed carry (they still are to this day). These were people that intentionally selected the little J-frame and didn't want a 2" K-frame or even a 2" Colt.
Those with some money would select the S&W of their choice and be happy. There were two lower cost options popular for those on a tighter budget.
One option was the Taurus model 85 and the other option was the Charter Arms "Undercover" or "Off-Duty" model.

NOW - here's the trend I noticed: People in the Northeast U.S. would select the Charter Arms models almost exclusively and the people in the Southeast were a bit more inclined to go with the Taurus.

In all fairness, I can't say my "study" was scientific nor was the sample size very large but there appeared to be a regional preference.

Some of the people were police officers, some were concealed permit holders and some were......you know....honest people that just needed a concealed gun .

Now I get that Charter Arms was located in Connecticut and Taurus' were imported into south Florida, but is was interesting how much stronger the Charter Arms appeal was in the Northeast.

In any event, there were three dominant choices: Everyone wanted the S&W but not everyone could afford it. When they needed a less expensive option the Charter Arms won out in the Northeast.

Here's my question: Does that trend still hold true ?

 

[RicinYakima]

IMHO, it is availability, that is how many stocking dealers and distributors are in the areas.

 

[fiver]

back in the day it was Iver Johnson etc that ruled the night stands.

quite often people just want a gun, they don't care what name is on the side or whether it'll actually work past the initial 6 rounds in the cylinder.
if it's cheap enough they'll buy it, they don't care if tape is holing the stocks together or if it's scratched up, it holds bullets and that's good enough.

 

[Petrol & Powder]

IMHO, it is availability, that is how many stocking dealers and distributors are in the areas.

That may have been a factor. It was LONG before internet days.

back in the day it was Iver Johnson etc that ruled the night stands.

quite often people just want a gun, they don't care what name is on the side or whether it'll actually work past the initial 6 rounds in the cylinder.
if it's cheap enough they'll buy it, they don't care if tape is holing the stocks together or if it's scratched up, it holds bullets and that's good enough.

While I certainly understand that there are people that just want a gun and price plays the only factor in their decision on what they obtain.
However, I wasn't referring to people that were ignorant about firearms or people looking for a nightstand gun. These were folks that obtained a snubnose about the size of a S&W J-frame for concealed carry, that couldn't afford a S&W J-frame.

 

[waco]

I carry a S&W 642
Very easy to conceal summer or winter. I like that it could be fired for inside a coat pocket without fear of jamming.

 

[Rick H]

I think the issue has been confused buy price adjustments and rebates.....a few months ago (before the current panic shortage) you could buy a S&W JFrame for under $350, approx. the same price as a Charter arms and $100 cheaper than a Ruger LCR. We don't see many Taurus revolvers around here (mostly auto's).

I am not sure price is the issue, and right now, any handgun goes at a premium and 38 special ammo is unobtainium in local gunshops, big box stores, and mail order as well.

My guess is that most people go shopping when they think they want/need a handgun and purchase what is available.

 

[Petrol & Powder]

I think the issue has been confused buy price adjustments and rebates.....a few months ago (before the current panic shortage) you could buy a S&W JFrame for under $350, approx. the same price as a Charter arms and $100 cheaper than a Ruger LCR. We don't see many Taurus revolvers around here (mostly auto's).

I am not sure price is the issue, and right now, any handgun goes at a premium and 38 special ammo is unobtainium in local gunshops, big box stores, and mail order as well.

My guess is that most people go shopping when they think they want/need a handgun and purchase what is available.

Rick, I agree and think that the current situation is a total aberration. In fact, I don't believe we can use the current situation as a yardstick for anything other than an example of how far from the norm the current situation is.

Taking a longer view, 30+ years ago, new S&W revolvers were always more expensive than their Charter Arms and Taurus counterparts.

In all fairness, the market has changed. 30+ years ago you either purchased what was available in your local area gun shop or you got your local dealer to order something for you. Back in those days if your gun shop stocked S&W revolvers and Charter Arms revolvers, your lower cost option was a Charter Arms revolver or no revolver , If your dealer stocked S&W and Taurus, guess what? Your lower cost option was Taurus.

 

[fiver]

my cost choice would have been take the S&W or leave it in that circumstance.
the charter would have been [and was] my choice because it was available in 44 special.

now?
the current situation dictates round count more than worrying about 1-2 guys in a parking area.

 

[Walks]

I've carried a Colt Cobra ever since I bought it New in 1979. First carried it in my suitcoat pocket working Downtown LA. Later bought a M38, a bit slimmer. A bit harder to shoot then the Colt. Still prefer the Colt.

When I worked at Gunshops in the late 1980's &'90's we sold Taurus 85 and the even cheaper Rossi's by the pallets.

Charter Arms Bulldog wasn't a carrying option. I had to remove the thumb piece as it bloodied by thumb.

 

[CZ93X62]

I am not an adherent to or fan of snubnose revolvers. I have owned exactly four, and had use of one other. One remains, and it is the smallest of any of them--a S&W Model 642 I bought about a year ago. It is better than nothing, but not as good as a Gen 3 Colt DetSpec or S&W Model 10 x 2". None of those are as good as a Glock 23 or S&W 686. Often the 642 gets pocket-carried as a supplement to the Glock 23. I live in an interesting part of the country, and even in retirement this welfare wonderland and sanctuary of homeless and stateless low-life the occasional need for more than a kind word has cropped up.

 

[Missionary]

Good morning
Been carrying 5 & 6 shot revolvers a long time. Probably will do so until someone else pulls it empty out of my older still fingers.

 

[Winelover]

Myself, I wont even consider a six shot snubbie. Or an exposed hammer, for that matter. It's all about weight, rather lack of there of. Don't know of any six shot hammer less revolvers that weigh less than 20 ounces. Otherwise, I'd consider them. When you carry all day long, that extra weight of a all steel pistol gets tiresome.

Charter Arms Bulldog got my business, not because of it's finish. It fit my criteria for a decent lightweight, hammer less, pistol in a major caliber. Nobody, but Taurus chooses to compete with CA. Taurus, isn't noted for their Customer Service.

Wish Ruger would make LCR's in calibers that start with a four.

 

[obssd1958]

snip...

Wish Ruger would make LCR's in calibers that start with a four.

I carry an LCR in 38+P, and the thought of an LCR in .41 mag makes me giddy like a school girl!!

 

[Petrol & Powder]

Well since we are drifting this thread like a teenager in a stolen Honda, ......

The snubnose DA revolver is an incredibly useful tool. The guns themselves are capable of fine accuracy but it takes some skill to extract that potential accuracy. I am solidly in the camp with Winelover in regards to exposed hammers on snubnose revolvers - I will not have a hammer spur on a snubnose.
The capacity has never been a concern for me and I don't get hung up on 5 shots or 6.
Weight is a consideration and for a gun that is carried a lot and shot a little, weight can be a serious consideration.

The overall size of the gun is also an important factor to me. For pocket carry, a S&W DAO J-frame is the preferred model. I suppose the Ruger LCR would work but I don't own one. Once you get into the 2" K-frames, you're in holster territory, at least in my book.

I've never understood the practice of placing large grips on a J-frame. Sure it makes the gun much easier to shoot but it defeats the purpose of selecting that little frame to start with. Once you place large grips on a J-frame, you make the gun the same size as a K-frame, you might as well step up to a K-frame.

As for caliber, I've shot .357 magnum in snubnose revolvers and while I can honestly say that I can shoot magnum rounds out a snubnose and hit what I aim at, I can also say it is not something I care to do. Because practice is important with the shot barreled guns, I stick with 38 Special.

 

[Winelover]

As a handloader, one doesn't have to load practice rounds to their full potential..........just to the same POI. I own a 357 LCR, it's a pussycat, compared to the 2 1/2" CA Bulldog in 44 Special.

 

[Charles Graff]

I like snubbies also, but have never owned or shot any make but a Smith and Wesson or a Colt. If I can't afford a top line revolver I wait until I can.
My current carry revolver is a 2" Model 64 Smith.

 

[Hawk]

I've got two S&W model 60s, a S&W Model 36 and a Colt Detective Special.
My wife has one of the model 60s that she carries, due to its simple ease of use. Pull the trigger, it goes bang. No jams to clear, no safetys to fool with. At home, she also has a Glock model 17 as a back up.
I used to carry a model 60, but opted out for a Glock Model 27 when going someplace nice or a Glock Model 22 when going someplace not so nice or traveling.
The amout of ammo matters to me.
I also have two magazines for the model 22 that will also fit the model 27.
That 30 extra founds, in case I find myself barricaded in a really bad spot.
I try to stay away from really bad neighborhoods, but sometimes, you just have to go thru them.

 

[358156 hp]

I Guess I'll cast a dissenting vote, since the threads drifting a bit anyhow. I only carry snubbies around the house anymore, I don't take them on the street because of my concerns about the current "street" conditions in our country. I'm less concerned about a potential scenario that only involves one or two assailants than I am about a larger group of them. The current street children roam in packs, and appear to be generally armed with a number of bludgeons, knives, and other weapons. Oddly, the favorite bludgeon appears to be a skateboard, of all things. The smart thing for an old guy like me is to stay at home, but that luxury isn't always available to any of us.

So yes, I carry semi-autos, my primary carry is a Gen. 1 S&W 9mm M&P Compact, carefully chosen out of everything else for its features. First of all, it's slightly narrower that a five shot J frame, and significantly narrower than any six-shot. The basic dimensions are very close to my 2-1/4 357 649, but it holds 12 rounds in the magazine. My minimum requirement was set at 10 rounds, and this one surpasses that a bit. The ergonomics are better for me, my preferred grip for a J Frame is Pachmayers "Compac" grip, which is really comfortable, but a bit chunky. I have problems with J Frames twisting in my hand with the small grips, and I've tried almost everything on the market until I decided to start barking up a different tree.

So I also shoot the Compact better, I even have a pocket holster for the little cutie. I'm a revolver man, first and foremost, but I felt I had to do something different in this area. Oh yeah, my 9mm Compact was slightly less than many of the current 5 shot revolvers, and just slightly more that S&Ws "entry" line J Frames like the 442 or the M&P Bodyguard. And my reloads are a lot faster too.

 

[CZ93X62]

Pachmayr ComPac grip sets are not "large". I will not carry any arm I cannot aim and control well, and the tiny little Magna grips on most J-frames DO NOT MESH with my big paws. I have tried mightily to make them do so for 40+ years, and it ain't happening.

The OEM grip set placed on Gen 3 Colt DetSpecs are about as perfect a set of grips as has ever graced a snubgun, in my view. Those work very well for me.

I love my S&W wheelguns, don't get me wrong--but they tend to over-do some design elements from time to time. J-frame in 357 Magnum.......The Governor.......to each his or her own, but too much of a "Good" thing isn't always "Good". Too little of a good thing isn't good either--and grip/control is something I am very concerned about. Just my dos centavos.

 

[Petrol & Powder]

Getting this thread back on track, Do regional preferences for Charter Arms and Taurus snubnose revolvers still exist ?