Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Handguns Why the snub nose revolver is the best CC tool.

Kevin's description lacks a few details, George.

FWIW, I've done a fair bit of hours in the gym learning disarm/defense techniques using plastic blue Ring's guns. It's amazingly easy to screw it up as you do the moves one-on-one. I would suggest that if you truly want to study retention/disarm techniques, take a class in it. Massad Ayoob teaches this stuff in his LFI-2 and -3 classes... although they're called something elsenow since he split the business from his ex-wife.. MAG-80, I think...

I am pretty small, at 5'7", less than 185 fighting weight. I have never had an issue carrying a full size 1911, Hi Power, or my current choice a 5" slide S&W M&P Pro with nothing more than a regularly sized polo shirt. Nothing oversized, nothing baggy. The key is in holster selection, and a good belt.

There was a time when I carried a small gun everywhere. The more I carried a gun, the less comfortable I was with a small gun, with its limited shootability and capacity. I quickly learned to deal with a full sized gun, and an accompanying spare magazine.

This thread is rather comical.

I carry revolvers often. I also carry polymer framed "high capacity" autos often. I also slum a 1911 when the mood strikes.

I'd love to read an author expound on the snub nose revolver trumping a pistol that holds 10+ rounds when it comes to an Aurora, CO type shooting. Fact is, if a guy is comfy with a Glock 19, that Glock 19 will beat the [bleep] out of a snub nosed revolver (all other aspects of the equation being equals of course).




Travis

Absolutely. I have also found that semi autos of the G19 size are far easier to shoot well than a snub revolver. They are easier and faster to reload. They are faster and easier to remedy malfunctions in. They are, all in all, a completely better platform in every conceivable way.

I still like snubguns. They are as viable today as they were 50 and 75 years ago. They have, however, been rendered all but irrelevant.

Yes sir. More bullets trump less bullets 10 times out of 10.

Not to mention sight radius...


Travis

ok you guys talking about 1911's and being a good CCW gun ummm yeah you really start to loose me. the 1911 is a freaking range gun!!!!! if you carry it concealed great, I am not, have no desire to, nor do I think it should be touted to other people as anything other than a range gun. other guns are lighter and have way more rounds in the magazine.

the snubby's are concealable alright but the j frame I had in 357 mag I could not hit the side of a barn with, despite having a 3# single action trigger that broke like a tuned rifle trigger. in comparison when I bought a LCP this gun ran circles around around the j frame in the accuracy department. I also had troubles with bullets coming unseated because of the violent recoil. I would hate for this to show its ugly head in a self defense situation. I feel ALOT better armed with my glock 26.

^^^^^^ Mostly agreed.

Except Glocks are fugly.

But there are many other good choices. I carry whatever happens to conceal well with whatever I happen to be wearing, rotating between 3-5 primary choices.

I believe the reference was initially meant to illustrate that the 1911 is as easy, or easier, to conceal than a J-frame snub. On this, I concur.

As for a range gun, I am not so sure. While its not my choice for a serious use gun anymore, its far from the point of being relegated to a toy.

To each his or her own - I carry a J-frame airweight .38 special that puts 5 158 grain cast FN into 2 " at 25 feet - and I carry a Kimber Gold Match that is scary accurate - and a serial # AL003 model 17 Glock that is as accurate as any handgun could be - and then again I also carry a S&W M&P 9mm that is a great pistol. My Colt Defender ain't too shabby either. Each has a specific use and reason for my use. Use what you believe will serve the circumstances. You can't always choose the perfect weapon but you can most of the time.

Terry

I carried a J-frame for quite a while, as a "run and grab a gallon of milk" gun. Drop it in my pocket and go. With the advent of small, service caliber autos such as the M&P Shield, even this use has stopped for me.

I have heard of Ayoob before, and he seems to be quite the teacher. Might have to research his classes.




A glock may be easier to shoot well with at first. This is because the snubby is difficult for a non-experienced shooter to wield.

With a speedloader and experience the speed argument is kaput.

A revolver effectively has no malfunctions. While a glock must have a consistent grip to cycle, can stovepipe, jam. If you have a FTF you have to rack the slide. What if shot #1 was your only one? What if you can only use one arm?
All you do with a snubby is pull the trigger again.

The snubby is as viable as it was when first introduced, because a better tool has not been introduced. If a glock is your choice, recognize that it comes with its own short comings.






I do not have the literature in front of me to give a citation (Or multiple) however I will dig through the books tomorrow.

More may be better, but the average self defense situation is 2 shots. I would rather have 5 or 6 I know will fire than 8+1 in a 1911 or what-have-you in a glock.

Hate to break the site radius to you, but most people point shoot in adrenaline fueled situations. Yes I am more accurate with a 5" K frame S&W, or a 1911, but I can hit all 5 on a man sized target with a snubby in either hand double action, and that is what counts.
An intelligent arugment should not be "What if aliens rape me, and there are a dozen? Should I carry 6 33rd glock mags?"





Even with Milt Sparks holsters and quality belts (Thick and stiff) I still have problems with 1911's printing. I am taller, but skinnier than your build. Still, to each their own.




I try to stick to one system so I am familiar with it intimately. So the Baby Chief (Used to be an 80's model 36) gets the nod. I carry it everywhere.

No my intention with the additional guns included was to show a reference of size and weight, both with and without a holster. A 1911 is not as concealable as a pocket holster J frame. Yes you can conceal both well, but I can walk on my hands and you won't know I have a piece. An IWB system is inferior to a pocket system IMHO.

Sticking with one may work for you. That doesn't mean it's the only right choice for everyone else. Whatever gun I'm carrying, be it a S&W 642 or one of several semiautos, they all have two things in common: 1) I need only draw, point and fire, and 2) I'm intimately familiar with each of them.

That's what works for me. Asserting that only snubbies are "the best CC tool" is a bit absurd given the wealth of choices available today and the street-proven track record of semiautos.

I spent my first several months as a trooper in El Paso in the winter of '59-60. There were lots of samples of Fitzgerald's work floating around out there back then. Way too big for my purposes. I think the open front trigger guard served two purposes. Speed and in a scuffle, should one occur, your trigger finger doesn't get broken.

I, early on, settled on air weight J frames for CC tools. I still have four J frames My favorite is the Centennial ( model 42). I lost my first one and still have the replacement. I have carried them for years and years in the rear pocket with a handkerchief folded and placed so as to break the outline. The light snubby ammo has been a real advantage in air weights. The other three are an air weight chief, model 37 IIRC, and two model 60s, all are 2".

I have two smaller automatics. One is a Colt's pocket .380' and the other is a Ruger LCP .380. I gave the LCP to a daughter, it is just too small. The colt tucks into a waist band nicely, and sometimes rides in a Seventrees holster made for a PPK. Just a little re shaping at the muzzle end and it is a perfect fit.

I have been retired for years, lots of new stuff has come along, and I'm sure some of it is good. Be advised that none of the six mentioned are shooters, they are defenders. You do not want any of my three daughters shooting at you within say seven to twelve yards with any one of them. If you are defending against a gang, your Glocks may be the way to go. If you are expecting trouble, carry a rifle or a shotgun. Wearing a suit or sport coat, maybe you can hide your 1911. I have two, but they are easy to spot. They do not hide for me all that well, and the weight is a disadvantage. There is lots to be said for the small air weights. The main thing is to have something when you need it, even if it is a good stick. Jack

Define fugly...


Travis

You have a LOT to learn. And I mean oodles.

You've damn near confirmed yourself as a troll as far as I'm concerned.



Travis

It's alright to be ignorant. It's not alright to stay ignorant.


I own several glocks and several 1911's both of which have occasional malfunctions. I carry a J frame S&W which has yet to have a malfunction.

Please note that I did not present a hypothesis that air weight revolvers are the only way to go. Whatever works for you is fine with me. They work for me. Most gunfights do not use up five rounds (per side) but some do. I was once sent a video taken on a dash cam where our trooper was attacked by four armed assailants. Lots of shots fired. Results: two dead, one wounded, all bandits. The other one fled to a cane patch, and was later captured. Troop was not hit. Jack

Sounds like a personal problem.