This and the wadcutter thread gave me a really dumb idea.
A Contender, but scaled down from N frame size to J frame size. Use J frame grips and as many J frame action parts as made sense to use. All the same advantages of lightness, short overall length, long barrel with closed chamber, etc. Dovetail the barrel for adjustable, low-profile Novak sights. No cylinder to make it fat in your pocket or in a pancake when tromping under the trees. No need for anything more powerful than .38 SPL +P. Could be pretty cool.
Last edited by OlongJohnson; 05-08-2021 at 05:13 PM.
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Not another dime.
S&W made a 32 long revolver with a 4" barrel. 32 APC is nice but if you want small game that's your ticket. Pretty amazing J/I frames but ammo is non existent. It's what they call a dead cartridge.
I see 32 APC on the shelf, or did, but 32 Long is long gone. It died with the I frame revolvers. RIP.
Last edited by Borderland; 05-08-2021 at 06:47 PM.
In the P-F basket of deplorables.
Men freely believe that which they desire.
Julius Caesar
I have a slightly different take, a K frame Smith. The K-22s are crazy expensive. Im sort of keeping an eye out for a beater grade K frame centerfire with adjustable sights that I can make a 32 out of. I have a K-22 barrel that can be rebored to 32, and am watching for an affordable 22 cylinder to do the same with.
“Far better it is to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs, even though checkered by failure, than to take rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy much nor suffer much, because they live in the gray twilight that knows neither victory nor defeat.”
― Theodore Roosevelt
Ruger® New Model Single-Six® Single-Action Revolver Model 6538
There is this, if only you could find one right now. I have emails in place to do the .410 conversion thanks to
I am thinking a birthday present to myself, its a big one in September.
I was really fortunate to acquire a 16-4 back when they weren’t collectible. I have a couple of .32 Mag J frames that get a bit sporty running heavier bullets. The K frame just absorbs that recoil like a champ. Running .32 Longs through it is an absolute pleasure.
I have a cosmetically challenged 17-5 with an 8 3/8” barrel that I’ve pondered converting to .32 Mag...of course then I’d need to acquire another K frame .22.
Men freely believe that which they desire.
Julius Caesar
A long time ago there actually was something kinda along those lines; the Stevens Model 35 in 32 Rimfire. Lower power than you are talking about, but super slim and light and more than a 22. http://ericnestor.com/the-forgotten-...tip-up-pistol/
Have you ever played around with a contender with a 6" barrel? A skinny 3-4" barrel with a minimal handguard and a cut down grip would be maybe a little lighter than you think, but still more than many revolvers and no sort of pocket pistol. I foolishly passed on a 6" .357 magnum barrel that Ron's in Bossier city had years ago. I have a picture of it somewhere but can't find it right off.
An old 4" Colt Police Positive is a lovely thing for this kind of work also, particularly in .32 NP / S&W Long. There are a decent number of 3" 60s vintage Cobra's our there in .32NP also....
I have 10-inch octagon barrels in .22LR and .38 SPL for my Contender. Haven't really looked into shorter, but as you suggest, it's just hard to see it being a pocket option, no matter how short the barrel. I don't think you can get it usefully more compact than a K frame, let alone a J.
I have a Browning 1911-22 that's delightfully flat and compact, as well as a Buck Mark Challenge 5.5 with the pencil barrel that has a URX grip in the box next to it.
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Not another dime.