My kingdom for a modern 6-shot .38 snubbie - anyone else?

[SAWBONES]

Carrying J-frame "snubbies" in .357 Magnum is largely a sort of fantasy, IMNSHO and IME.
I've shot lots of .357 Magnum loads in any number of J-frame guns.

Sure, you can shoot .357 Magnum loads in them, but it's neither fun , nor practical, nor fast.

Many years ago, having gotten older and having tired of long carrying relatively heavy semiautomatic higher capacity pistols, I decided to try carrying just a S&W 340PD as a sort of best balance between a "most easily carried" and "most powerful" sidearm.

In anticipation of this, and to hopefully choose a "best load", I shot ALL available premium factory .357 Magnum loads in the guns, in bullet weights from 110 to 158 gr.

As an aside, I'm not "recoil-sensitive".

I shot a minimum of 20 rounds and a maximum of 50 rounds of each load.

IME, NONE of the .357 Magnum loads were either particularly consistent nor precise in these little featherweight guns, though I had really hoped to find a "best choice" example in that loading.

As it turned out, the most accurate and most precise load, in my hands, was the Speer Gold Dot 135gr Short Barrel .38 Special +P 135gr round.

Well and good, but since I'm less than sanguine about carrying just a 5 shot J-frame revolver as a primary CCW gun nowadays, I simply don't feel confidant that it's my best CCW option (especially given the slow shot-to-shot recovery with shooting .357 Magnum loads in these little guns), and I opt instead for carrying either a Colt 1911 CCO or a Glock 26 for CCW.

[Gary1911A1]

I have no hands on experience with Armscor Revolvers. I just throwing this out there. I'm sure someone will say to throw it back at me.

https://youtu.be/qrY9r4XxKt4

[LSP972]

I have examined/fired a dozen or so of them at the lab. In my opinion, they are like Tauri revolvers... generally decent product, but one that should be kept as a limited-firing firearm. A stash revolver in the utility room/bathroom/vehicle/etc. would be perfect.

The reason is, they are not built very sturdily. You want a hardcore shooter? Get a Ruger or a steel-frame S&W.

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[Buckshot]

No. Those medium frame (K/L frame) revolvers with 6 shots you speak of are all far too big for pocket carry. About the biggest you can go is a Colt Detective Special (which I have and is no longer made) and a J-frame (5 shots) is the only thing currently made that will work for it (and the Ruger LCR which is the same size as a J-frame and also 5 shots). I'd be looking at carrying it IWB most of the time, and it's not that you can't carry a K/L-frame IWB it's that something smaller (like a Detective Special) would be easier to carry that way and why have it be any bigger than it needs to? I don't need .357, .38+P will do, and in that case, if all you're going to use is .38+P, then all the K/L frames are bigger than they need to be. In other words, I'd like to see a modern version of the Colt Detective Special made, I don't care if it's Colt or S&W who does it.

Strong disagree on your FAR too big comment - totally depends on the cut of your clothing as I've carried a Model 12 in my front pocket many times in certain pairs of pants.

[LSP972]

Strong disagree on your FAR too big comment - totally depends on the cut of your clothing as I've carried a Model 12 in my front pocket many times in certain pairs of pants.

Yeah. He also said that the Ruger LCR was the same size as the J frame.

Wrong again...

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[Jeep]

I have examined/fired a dozen or so of them at the lab. In my opinion, they are like Tauri revolvers... generally decent product, but one that should be kept as a limited-firing firearm. A stash revolver in the utility room/bathroom/vehicle/etc. would be perfect.

The reason is, they are not built very sturdily. You want a hardcore shooter? Get a Ruger or a steel-frame S&W.

.

Very much agree with this. Fire a box of not-too-hard recoiling .38's through it to find how it shoots; clean it and then set it aside as an emergency gun. My guess is that they will take 500 rounds but I wouldn't bet on 1,000. Still, they are cheap and can serve a useful function.