Snubs - Expert's Gun?

[sharps54]

Your last paragraph, brings to mind the possibility of giving a back up snub to a family member.

True, of course all the standard caveats of making sure they are trained with them. I have zero concerns about a snub as a back up and while I wouldn't recommend two revolvers as an alternative to a semi-auto for carry I wouldn't be as concerned with a revolver as a primary if I was carrying a second as a backup. Of course having that second revolver also gives you the option of arming someone else.

I currently don't carry a back up, just a J frame when I'm on my own or semi-auto if I'm with family. As a civilian (no LEO background) I do worry about extra scrutiny that may result from carrying two guns but I suppose that is what carry insurance is for.

[BillSWPA]

The summer of 2020 destroyed any assumptions I might have had about what my fight might look like. Even before that time, I recognized that I might be required to help a relative who is being attacked some distance from me. Accuracy and capacity are important to me.

A snub would be far down on my list of guns I would want to hand to someone who has not bothered to carry their own. The heavy trigger and potentially unpleasant recoil are not helpful for good shooting if one has not trained with that gun. The worst mistake I made teaching anyone to shoot was letting my wife try a lightweight snub at a S&W event.

I recognize the point that the shootability of snubs has improved considerably. I would still grab a G26 or P365 every time instead of a snub.

[Up1911Fan]

I would still grab a G26 or P365 every time instead of a snub.

As primary absolutely, but to me nothing is better in the pocket as a second gun than a snub.

[Shawn Dodson]

A DAO, internal hammer .32 caliber snub for pocket carry. You can already have a shooting grip on it while appearing casual and non-threatening. It draws more quickly with less risk of becoming snagged than a small autoloader. DAO means no pocket holster is necessary. I believe a DAO snub is superior to an auto for spontaneous ECQF.

With an autoloader as a backup.

[Screwball]

DAO means no pocket holster is necessary.

You can do you… but I’m not a fan of just shoving a gun in a pocket.

My holsters, to include cargo pocket holsters, give me a consistent weapon position to draw from. That is… butt up, muzzle down and sights forward. J-frame in a cargo pocket is going to end up with the sights down, and depending on movement… could have the barrel facing forward or backward. Now you draw blind, and have to play blind man to grip the gun… then start your draw.

That isn’t even touching something getting hung up on the trigger… I know most say that they only put the gun in the pocket, which I agree… but s*** can still happen. When I first switched to 9mm with my 642-1, I tried different ways to carry moonclips. When I tried just the loaded moonclips in a pocket, a string wrapped around the moonclip and made it get stuck in my pocket. Got it untangled, but took some time. After that, I started running Del Fatti moonclip carriers.

If the tangle was around the trigger… and you are rushing to get the gun up… definitely could be bad.

[Shawn Dodson]

You can do you… but I’m not a fan of just shoving a gun in a pocket.

My holsters, to include cargo pocket holsters, give me a consistent weapon position to draw from. That is… butt up, muzzle down and sights forward. J-frame in a cargo pocket is going to end up with the sights down, and depending on movement… could have the barrel facing forward or backward. Now you draw blind, and have to play blind man to grip the gun… then start your draw.

That isn’t even touching something getting hung up on the trigger… I know most say that they only put the gun in the pocket, which I agree… but s*** can still happen. When I first switched to 9mm with my 642-1, I tried different ways to carry moonclips. When I tried just the loaded moonclips in a pocket, a string wrapped around the moonclip and made it get stuck in my pocket. Got it untangled, but took some time. After that, I started running Del Fatti moonclip carriers.

If the tangle was around the trigger… and you are rushing to get the gun up… definitely could be bad.

I don't pocket carry in a cargo pocket. IMO it's like carrying in a flap holster.

I pocket carry in Duluth Fire Hose Flex shorts most of the year. The shorts have a smaller pocket inside the right front pocket, at the bottom of the pocket, that the barrel of my .327 LCR fits perfectly into and reliably retains it in the same position and orientation. The front pockets are very deep too.

Yes, periodically turn your pockets inside out and trim the Irish pennants and remove pocket lint. Standard maintenance for pocket carry.

[Navin Johnson]

The summer of 2020 destroyed any assumptions I might have had about what my fight might look like. Even before that time, I recognized that I might be required to help a relative who is being attacked some distance from me. Accuracy and capacity are important to me.

A snub would be far down on my list of guns I would want to hand to someone who has not bothered to carry their own. The heavy trigger and potentially unpleasant recoil are not helpful for good shooting if one has not trained with that gun. The worst mistake I made teaching anyone to shoot was letting my wife try a lightweight snub at a S&W event.

I recognize the point that the shootability of snubs has improved considerably. I would still grab a G26 or P365 every time instead of a snub.

Uhh….what ammo was in the “snub” (gawd, I hate that word) your wife shot? How heavy was the “snub” that she shot?

[BillSWPA]

Uhh….what ammo was in the “snub” (gawd, I hate that word) your wife shot? How heavy was the “snub” that she shot?

The snub was a .38 spl. airweight S&W J frame. The ammo was from MasterCast, which is a local manufacturer of remanufactired ammo of known good quality. It was standard pressure ammo.

The full size .45 1911 she also shot that day was a pussycat compared to the airweight J frame.

My prior experience at that time was with steel frame guns of similar size. If I had realized the recoil would be that unpleasant, I would have never let her shoot it.

[Tarrrnation!]

I don’t have much to add, other than to say I love short barreled revolvers! I have an DAO SP101, Model 60 and just closed a deal on a 640. I prefer the all steel snubs to help with recoil control and I absolutely believe they are good self-defense tools for the average Jo or Joline that wants to put in the practice time with them to become proficient, like anything else.
I also like that they can be easily wielded one-handed and they are difficult for an attacker to wrest from my grip if I have a full-length rubber grip on them and I can carry in my pocket.

The main reason I like ‘em——-They are COOL!!!

[willie]

Everybody needs at least one 2 inch 38. I fell in love with the genre 45 years ago and have studied and shot them extensively. I know more about this category than most and shot(past tense)them very well. In the big hierarchy of self defense handguns, I place my J frame Smith one notch above my LCP 380. That I think snubs are cool is a poor reason to select one as a self defense handgun. As an elderly guy who is weak and infirm, perhaps I can justify carrying a light weight J frame. Note I ain't fooling myself.