Snubbies; 38, 9mm & 22 plus other pocket guns.

[BN]

I've had a love hate relationship with Snubbies for years. Back in the mid 1990s I won a Taurus 85 at a match. I has been a very good gun, but at the time I wanted capacity. I carried various small autos in my pocket but they weren't always as reliable as I wanted.

I got a S&W M37 but the barrel was turned and it didn't hit the sights. Plus it wasn't fun to shoot. S&W replaced it with a no lock 442. It hit to the sights when I could see them, but still wasn't fun to shoot.

Tried an Airlite S&W that had sights, but it was even less fun to shoot.

I have 2 Taurus 856s and they seem to be good guns. One is "stainless" with a bobbed hammer and one is an UltraLite with concealed hammer. They shoot OK but I haven't shot them enough to carry yet.

I got a 9mm Ruger LCR and it was very unpleasant to shoot. I put about 500 rounds through it trying to get good enough to carry it. The recoil about ruined my wrist and hands. Arthritis became very bad and I quit shooting it.

Now we come to the pocket 22 revolvers. I got a 43c and mine works pretty well. I put CT laser grips on it and I can shoot it very well. It weighs next to nothing in my pocket. It's now my every day carry.

I also got a Ruger LCR in 22 LR and it shoots good also.

I have big sights on both. The factory XS white dot on the 43c and XS dot for 22 on the LCR. I can get mostly down zero hits on an IDPA target out to 25 yards and a little farther.

22 does not hurt to shoot. I find myself shooting way more with the 22s than with any of the centerfires and I can do much better work with the 22s.

I can get by with shooting wadcutter level loads in the centerfires but the results on target are much worse.

43c at 25 yards.


LCR 22 at 40 yards


Sights on my 22s.


I put a S&W sight on my ULCH 856.



I've been shooting revolvers a lot in the past and I'm familiar with them.

[Lon]

Those are good choices. I’ve had a bunch of pocket wheel guns. My favorite was the LCR .38Spl. But I’m tempted to get an LCR in .22LR or .22WMR. My least favorite was my 940. I put exactly 5 cylinders worth of ammo through it and promptly sold that motherfucker.

[1Rangemaster]

@BN : hard to argue with those targets. I’ve had a dalliance with a Smith 317 over the past few weeks recovering from some eye surgery.
Claude Werner has some weekly exercises which I’ve enjoyed. A .22 rimfire probably is better than harsh language; multiple shots close would hopefully be discouraging.
To paraphrase my friend, Walt Rauch (RIP), no one wants to get shot…

[jh9]

Heresy in the revolver forum but have you tried the .380 Sig 365 or Glock 42? The Glock 42 is rimfire-level recoil in a larger caliber.

[Buckeye63]

I don’t pocket carry often .. but I like my 642

[feudist]

Hand pain from a long bout with "trigger finger" and resulting chronic tendinitis (in my dang trigger finger) and advancing arthritis has me weighing .22s for CCW.
I bought a LCR .22 and it's reliable to a fault but the trigger is so stiff that it aggravates the Trigger Finger tendinosis and gave me a bruise on the contact point. I have to tape a plastic guard to my finger to shoot the thing.
I've been using my LCP2 .22 a lot and it has settled down reliability wise. I've got perfect cycle function with Minimags and a total of 12 misfires out of 2221 rounds.
At robbery ranges the thing is shockingly fast and surgically precise(pairs at 3 yards in the upper "A" from the pocket in .85 seconds on demand, down to .75 a respectable number of times)
I would prefer a revolver for the ability to cycle past misfires...but at a 1/2 of one percent misfire rate I guess I can trust it.
I thought about a .22 WMR for a few reasons: a couple of inches better penetration, the ammo seems to be a little higher quality across the board, it's still the second cheapest ammo, and the flash/blast/unburnt powder might contribute to the F!IBSA! effect(Fuck I'm being shot at!)
But the trigger on the LCR has cooled that notion.

[JHC]

Have 6 J frames incl one old Taurus clone that is top notch and the best trigger of them all. I love everything about these small snubbies.
Model 36 2"
Model 36 3" - incredible shooter
Model 317
Model 43C
Model 351C
Taura 5 shot from at least the '80's maybe late '70s.

All solid.

[Shades]

I have a 642 with CT laser grips, the larger ones (305?) that let me get my pinkie on the grip. I can shoot quite a few standard pressure loads without much discomfort, in spite of a bit of osteoarthritis in the hands and strong arm tennis elbow. In a De Santis Nemesis it conceals great in the right front pocket of most of my old guy pants. I have considered some of the RF options and may try one as prep for the day even .38 WCs become problematic.

[lee n. field]

I put a S&W sight on my ULCH 856.

No modifications to the sight to get that to work?

Good to know.

[BN]

Hand pain from a long bout with "trigger finger" and resulting chronic tendinitis (in my dang trigger finger) and advancing arthritis has me weighing .22s for CCW.
I bought a LCR .22 and it's reliable to a fault but the trigger is so stiff that it aggravates the Trigger Finger tendinosis and gave me a bruise on the contact point. I have to tape a plastic guard to my finger to shoot the thing.
I've been using my LCP2 .22 a lot and it has settled down reliability wise. I've got perfect cycle function with Minimags and a total of 12 misfires out of 2221 rounds.
At robbery ranges the thing is shockingly fast and surgically precise(pairs at 3 yards in the upper "A" from the pocket in .85 seconds on demand, down to .75 a respectable number of times)
I would prefer a revolver for the ability to cycle past misfires...but at a 1/2 of one percent misfire rate I guess I can trust it.
I thought about a .22 WMR for a few reasons: a couple of inches better penetration, the ammo seems to be a little higher quality across the board, it's still the second cheapest ammo, and the flash/blast/unburnt powder might contribute to the F!IBSA! effect(Fuck I'm being shot at!)
But the trigger on the LCR has cooled that notion.

https://www.amazon.com/Strengthener-...-1-spons&psc=1

I've had good success with these exercise tools to help my trigger finger. It takes a while to get better. I have mine laying by my keyboard and pick them up to exercise while surfing PF.

My LCR 22 had a stiff trigger when I first got it, but it seems to have gotten better with use. I think the trigger on my 43c is a good bit better. It still has the factory springs. I've heard of people changing springs on the 43c to get a lighter trigger.

I've been carrying either CCI Velocitor or Federal Punch in mine. I've shot 3 bricks of Velocitor and 1 of Punch with no failures. I often practice with cheap stuff.

An LCP2 in 22 is on my wish list.