Snub chat

[GJM]

We have a bunch of specific revolver threads but I'm not aware of ones where folks just talk about what they are doing with snubs. Any interest in such a thread?

[FrankB]

I’m in! My current EDC is a 642 in my jacket pocket, and a Colt King Cobra Carry in my right pant pocket. I have them both loaded with Hornady Critical Defense .38 special 110 grain. Jacket pocket works for inside the car, and both work for having a hand in my pocket readiness.

ETA: I had been carrying a 2.5” and 3” 686+ along with a 642, but the Cobra Carry is MUCH lighter. I carry a single 6 round speed strip. This set up gives me 17 total rounds, and that’s probably 14 more than I’ll ever need.

[GJM]

Rhett (cheek weld guy) put this up recently:

[ACP230]

I have fired snubs at 100 yards on occasion.

My youngest son, the Bullseye shooter, made a five-shot group
about a hand size with one at that range once.
My shots went high and right but the group wasn't too
bad.

Gun was a S&W Bodyguard, 649, and we shot it single-action.

Shoot DA at closer ranges most often.

[Jason M]

I'm interested in a snubby thread.

[JCN]

I’ve gone smaller and smaller in the left pocket.

Taurus View is the smallest and lightest 38 special revolver out there.







It’s smaller and lighter than an LCP Custom…



If going larger than that, I like the 6 shot, 2” Taurus Snub



They sell a factory night sight option that is quite good (orange square with center Tritium).



It’s fairly light too. Very shootable.

And of course the Taurus 380 revolver if you have to do moon clip reloads with your snub.



Here’s a solution I made for moon clip pocket holder



Factory sights stink but they’re aligned adequately.



I can run the Bakersfield and pass with a sub using pocket draw and semiauto par times. Forgive the ammo, the cylinder throat really didn’t like this rounded shoulder ammo.

[FrankB]

Greg Newton used to be an LEO, and is a big proponent of small revolvers for carry. He uses a 4” revolver for home defense.

[JCN]

Here are a few solutions I used to help train retention index with a snub.





Five laser cartridges.

And a J-frame Airsoft gun.

[entropy]

I’m game.

Probably the most carried of any pistol I own. If I walk out of the house, it’s on me. Tons of dry and live fire smoothed it out. Also installed a set of hammer shims. It carries 135gr Gold Dot with same in the strip and/or Winchester 130gr +P depending on what I can scrounge up lately. Drills start at 1.5 yds or contact and go out to 25yds with the emphasis on 0-10y. Two handed, weak hand and strong hand. I need more practice with the strips, but when I can, I carry a Safariland Comp which I consider myself much more proficient with.

Settled on the Pacmayr boot grips. They print a bit more that the factories, but I shoot them better. The Stow-n-Go resembles a dog chew toy, but I just can’t part with it. A Wild Bills Covert Carry is on the shelf and I might finally take the effort to break it in soon. I also have a lightweight shoulder rig I’ve used for extended drives. I avoid it because I’m not practiced much with it, but the wife digs it.

I’ll prolly hit the range Monday and will post something up. Maybe I’ll use the timer if the place isn’t too crowded.

[Lester Polfus]

I fully embraced La Vida J-Frame when I bought a 640 Pro in December. Prior to that, I was toting my scruffy looking Smith 638 most times when we turned right at the bottom of the driveway and headed toward town.

A few observations:

1) The 638 sights worked for me, kinda, when I was a young, broke cop. I am now almost 50 and the 640 Pro sights were worth the money. The 640 Pro is pretty much double the price of buying a 442/642/638 Airweight Smith, but it is a bargain compared to buying a gutter-sighted J-frame and paying for custom installation of real sights.

2) I need to have all three fingers on the gun. I have Houge tamers on the 640 and an ancient pair of Butler Creeks on the 638. I can still pocket carry with those grips.

3) At 14oz the 638 is an optimal pocket gun. At 22oz the 640 Pro is a viable pocket gun.

4) The DeSantis Nemesis has been my go to pocket holster for a very long time for the 638. The rear sight of the 640 Pro catches on the seam of the Nemesis and fouls the draw. I have a Safariland 25 as an interim. I would like to buy an AHolster, but it is not abundantly clear which menu selection I need to make to order one for my 640 Pro. If I don't hear back from them via email Soon™, I will maybe buy a Mika.

5) The Dark Star Gear Apollo makes carrying a J-frame under a t-shirt totally workable for me. I often carry a speedloader in a CD2 just to the left of the holster.

6) The 638 is an optimal wadcutter gun, and viable .38 +P gun.

7) The 640 Pro is an optimal .38 +P gun, and a viable .357 gun with .357 Golden Sabers, which are unobtanium right now. For me, 145 grain Silvertips were a no-go, as was the Barnes 140 grain load. Right now I am carrying Hydra-shok deep. I'd like to try some critical duty. I also have a 158 grain hardcast semi-wadcutter load going maybe 950 fps that is viable as a woods carry load.

8) The sights on the 640 Pro are regulated so full power 158 grain .357 loads shoot to the top of the front sight at 25 yards. That is stupid. With a "drive the dot" hold, the Hydra-shoks work ok.

9) The more effort I put into shooting double action snub nose revolvers, the better I shoot everything else.

10) I have hand arthritis so eventually I may wind up shooting wadcutters out of the 640 Pro and .38 +P loads out of the GP100 when I am a cranky old fart. That idea does not bother me.

Despite owning a substantial* number of Glock 19 pistols, I find myself almost exclusively carrying revolvers these days. The 640 Pro goes to town with a speedloader, speed strip, folder, Izula, and pepper spray. The GP100 goes into the woods. I've actually been taking the 640 Pro on our more front country hikes.

There is a chance I might pick up a 2.75" 66-8 or 2.5" or 3" GP100, but I'm lukewarm on the idea. I'm almost done with gun projects and I kind of like it.

I like being able to go out the door with a 640 Pro, GP100, a Marlin 1894c, a small ammo can of various loads, and a shoulder bag of holsters, speed loaders and other support equipment. I can handle a large number of contingencies that way. When we had a wildfire pop up pretty close to us in 2020, I grabbed that combination (sub the 638 for the 640) and had the "take guns" box checked so I could worry about everything else.


* insert boating accident joke here.