The Snubnose Revolver

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Petrol & Powder

Well-Known Member
The short barreled Colts (Detective Special, Cobra and Agent) certainly have a lot of history. A 6 round cylinder and a decent size grip are nice benefits. In terms of size, the Detective Special fits in the snubnose lineup between the S&W J-frames and the S&W K-frames.
 
Winelover

Winelover

North Central Arkansas
I'm a big fan of snubnose revolvers and carry one daily. Started with a model 60 in stainless steel. Decided that the exposed hammer and steel frame was not my cup of tea. Progressed to the model 642.......... up until Ruger introduced the LCR. IMO, the 357 LCR is just about the best carry option for a revolver. Good trigger and better sights, right out of the box, than anything S&W has to offer.

I also own a CA Bulldog, with the shrouded hammer. It is not as pocket-able, with it's 2.5" barrel, unless you have really deep pockets. My hunting outfit, does. Weight wise it's fine, but recoil can be brutal. I only carry it when bow hunting or working around the acreage. The 44 Special offers better snake loads than the 38/357 does. OTW, gets the nod while doing chores.
 
Rick H

Rick H

Well-Known Member
When I worked the Detective Bureau my boss issued me an old Colt Detective Special (as in unshrouded ejector rod that had been bent sometime in the past and wobbled a bit when the cylinder spun). It was my "Office Gun" the boss was uncomfortable with my 1911. I humored him and carried it crossdraw in a Don Hume paddle holster. I had to add a Tyler grip adapter to make it comfortable. It shot very well. When I left the office the 1911 went on.
 
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Petrol & Powder

Well-Known Member
StrawHat, no apology needed, no worries.

Winelover - I am almost totally in your camp. Hammer spurs and snubnose guns don't go together in my world. I will not accept a hammer spur on a snubnose that I carry.
357 magnum in a snubnose, particularly lightweight one such as the Ruger LCR,..........you're a better man than I Gunga Din :cool:
357 mag from a 2.5" Model 19 is about the limit of my skills.

Rick H - I've seen more than one early Detective Special or Police Positive Special with a bent ejector rod. I think those unshrouded rods suffered a bit when those revolvers were occasionally used as impact weapons instead of firearms. Colt finally put a shroud on the third generation Detective Special and I think that was a good idea.
 
Bret4207

Bret4207

At the casting bench in the sky. RIP Bret.
I always thought the Colts ejector rod hanging out there looked like someone forgot to finish the gun. Not like that would stop me from buying a nice Colt if I saw one, but I don't think I've seen a Colt outside of a 1911 and one obscenely expensive Python in 12 or 14 years up here.
 
CZ93X62

CZ93X62

Official forum enigma
Not a lot of time-in-grade with the snubnoses, as defined by the O/P. I am learning to get along with the little S&W Model 642 I bought about 5 months back. It is much more tractable to shoot with since the grip upgrade with the Pachmayr Compacs, but not quite as compact. Like Oupost, I am not as keen on the 5-shot format as I am on the 6-shot. I had about 4 years of good service from a S&W Model 10 x 2", and STUPIDLY sold it off not long after we added 45 ACP autopistols to the sidearms roster at work. Good, accurate revolver--6 shot cylinder, +P-capable, and enough grip to hold on to (with Pach Compacs) and its round butt form. About perfect, really.

My view--the single-best snubgun ever produced in this country was the Gen 3 Colt Detective Special. 6-shot, +P-capable, shrouded ejector rod, and a mite smaller than the K-frame S&W. PERFECTION in a snubnose 38 Special. These are scarce as can be now, and the tariffs are steep when they are located.
 
Jack Swilling

Jack Swilling

New Member
I have owned 10 and sold 9 J Frames

The Ruger LCRs are superior

The only Jframe I have left is a .357 12 ounce model 360
It had a 14 pound trigger
Clipped the spring and now it is at 10 pounds
Still a suck-fest for a $800 plus gun 12 years ago
I will never shoot a full-on .357 round out of that gun ever again

No, give me a LCR anyday and everyday over the S&W J Frames
Let's just say I have a few LCRs

I have owned and sold 5 SP 101s
To me the worst of both worlds
Too heavy for the pocket
And too light, for me, to shoot full-on .357 mag loads

Good that we all still have a few choices in this category
Love most anything that works as a pocket gun
 
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Petrol & Powder

Well-Known Member
In the world of snubnose revolvers, I will not even pretend to tell someone else what will work for them. Everyone is different.
I will say that concerning the 2" (1 7/8") J-frames, their greatest strength is their small size and their greatest weakness is their small size.
Snubnose revolvers require practice, and lots of it, to master the platform.
A short DA revolver offers a lot of power in a small package and that performance includes a high degree of reliability, even under bad conditions.

Jack Swilling - I agree that we are fortunate to have a lot of choices.

As for the SP101, I'm a little torn on that gun. It is just a little too bulky and a little too heavy to be a pocket gun. I've owned several over the years and they are capable of decent accuracy but they are a holster gun in my book. The SP101 is seriously strong.

Al, I totally agree that the snubnose Colts (Detective Special, Cobra, Agent) fit right between the 5-shot J-frames and the 6 shot K-frames. I've owned a few, including a pristine Agent that I sold. My current Detective Special is a 3rd Gen. I never warmed up to the trigger on the D-frame Colts. I can shoot them but I'm not comfortable with them. I will not say the Colt action is weak, because it is not. I will say the actions of Ruger's and S&W's are stronger.

It's a bit of a shame that by the time Colt finally produced a stainless snubnose and came out with the SF-VI (DS II) and the Magnum Carry, they were on the verge of yet another company failure. They have re-introduced a stainless snubnose and resurrected the "Cobra" name but the prices are another topic all-together. I think I would place the SF-VI and later models in the category of a 2.5" Model 19 .

The 2" , fixed sight K-frames (S&W models 10 & 64) are awesome guns but getting close to the upper end of maximum size for my personal criteria.
 
CZ93X62

CZ93X62

Official forum enigma
I had no illusions concerning the size of the 2" Model 10. I didn't try true pocket carry with it--it usually rode in a shoulder rig under my car coat. The barrel and cylinder got semi-concealed in the car coat's slash pocket while I held the revolver in my right hand unobtrusively. I worked A LOT of night shifts as a patrol deputy, since I was such an apple of Admin's eye (SNORT!) I kept stats on what follows--almost 70% of the people I contacted between 10 P.M. and 4 A.M. were arrestable. Many were armed. The truly mangy critters come out late at night. Accordingly, I am almost never outside my home after 9 P.M. since retirement.
 
462

462

California's Central Coast Amid The Insanity
One of my gun selling regrets was a S&W Model 49. Never carried it on my person -- no CCW then -- but it did spend much time in stated in my truck.. Sold it to the CHP son of my gun purchasing enabler, for use as a backup, then when he moved on to a S&W M&P .45 SHIELD* he sold the M49 to a fellow CHP.

I have a 2 1/4" .357 Mag. SP-101 that I've thought about adding to my CCW, but the Glock 27 is so much more concealable and the bigger holes it makes increases blood outflow. (What was that old cigarette TV commercial about a silly "millimeter longer"?) Also, the SP-101 smacks the middle finger something fierce.

*California cops can buy the .45 SHIELD, but law-abiding California citizens can't, otherwise I'd be carrying one, instead of the Glock.
 
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Petrol & Powder

Well-Known Member
Bret4207 said:
Al, it's funny how you almost never met up with the BG's on their way to work at 7:30AM! ;)
Click to expand...
One of my favorite lines from the movie Raising Arizona was "You're young and you got your health, what you want with a job". (spoken by one of the escaped convicts)

There are two types of people out in the wee hours of the morning: Those that have to be because their job requires it and criminals.
 
CZ93X62

CZ93X62

Official forum enigma
Ah, night work.

One fine morning about 3 A.M. I enter the freeway (W/B I-10 @ Fields Road) at the Morongo Indian Rez's S/W corner and see a red Toyota econo-box hauling pagodas westbound in the #1 lane. Radio traffic is non-existent, mid-week on Watch I. My useless sergeant was likely asleep, and/or with his adjunct main squeeze--the other deputy was at the other end of I-10 (20+ miles west), but what the heck--let's stop this miscreant and see what falls out of his/her pockets. I accelerate to overtake this car, which takes a couple miles--and match him at 95 MPH. That is a bit much. Add in that he had trouble maintaining lane position, and methinks thou art impaired. ENOUGH--on go the disco lights, and the solo occupant slows and pulls over at the Pennsylvania Street exit.

Sixth sense--second sight--Listen To Your Gut. DO NOT APPROACH THAT DRIVER'S DOOR......

I didn't. I trained the spotlight on the driver's mirror, and walked around the back of my car, and approached on the car's passenger side. Engine was still running, brake lights on. The driver was doing a lot of moving around, mostly trying to see behind him--intent upon that area. I walk up almost even with the driver's position, and see a silver-plated object in his right hand--a small pistol. I am about 25 feet to his '3:30' position. I point my sidearm at his right ear, and yell "DROP THAT #$@^ING GUN!"

This startles him, and he visibly gives a start and drops the pistol out of view (later found on driver's floorboard). He starts caterwauling, "I CAN'T GO BACK, I CAN'T GO BACK" repeatedly, and starts crying. I get on the radio and request assistance, and Beaumont PD wasn't busy either--they arrived within a couple minutes. By that time I had the driver put the transmission in Park, shutoff the engine, and toss the keys out of his window. The PD rolls up and we get the guy out of the car without much fuss and bother, other than his whiny demeanor. Stolen car, parolee-at-large, ex-con with gun, methed out of his gourd, and had small sales-weight meth on his person. Yessir, better living through chemistry. Don't pass "GO", don't collect $200. The pistol turned out to be one of those POS Ring-Of-Fire 25 ACP Raven or Lorcin abominations. I would have been very P/Oed to get shot with something like that. Insulted. Demeaned.

Ah, night work.
 
Bret4207

Bret4207

At the casting bench in the sky. RIP Bret.
Oh yeah, walking up on car and the hairs on the back of your neck go up and your Spider Sense is tingling like mad. Been there, done that and listening paid off almost every time. The drunk with the 44 Mag Ruger BH, the cray cray chick with the knife she came out the window at me with, the dude on the floorboards of the backseat with the 410. Oh yeah, lotsa golden memories on why I always kept some extra skivies at the barracks.
 
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