Snubby Secrets....what have you discovered?

What I've learned over the years is that all that bunk about snubby magnums being inferior to long barreled .38s is just that...bunk. Back in the 80s, all these pontificators wrote articles in gun magazines putting forth such absurdities; however, they had a modicum of truth in that at that time, you really had to use handloads to get the best performance and commercial ammo was somewhat lacking.

But it was still bunk, even back then. The .357 snubs were powerhouses and even .38 Spc snubs did their job as long as they weren't used as a cop's principle weapon. Anyone remember The Onion Field? It changed the thinking of a lot of police and chiefs.

Today, I'd probably carry a Speed-Six over a small SP-101. Too bad the only choice for most people today is either a 686 or a 5-shot (and many times plastic) snubby I wouldn't feel totally comfortable with outdoors.

Or, at least once...the wife ?

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She might shoot back...and not with a water pistol.

There are some trigger control tricks.

- Slide your finger across the face of the trigger as you pull back.
- Experiment with different levels of tension in your fingers, thumb, palm, and front hand to counteract movement of the front sight.
- Dry fire using the concepts shown in "The Bump Drill".

Once you shoot the snub well, you can pretty much shoot anything.

After a lot of shooting/dry firing, the trigger on a S&W J-frame is the greatest thing in the world.

What I learned is That a 637 2-1/2bbl is a much better pocket gun than a 642/442.

rjrivero said:

A great resource for you snubby revolver fans:

http://www.snubtraining.com/

Mr. de Bethencourt is a unique individual. He has spent a lifetime studying the snubby revolver and has some great insights on the topic of the snubby as a fighting handgun.

His videos are interesting as well as thought provoking.

Regards.

RJ

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I recently participated in a snub workshop led by Mr deBethencourt, and my snub reloading skills improved immensely as a result.

If the snub revolver is depended on for its intended mission (backup gun, or if a primary carry.....encounters that occur at arms length or even closer), it is the best weapon for many reasons.

For me, snubs are my primary carry. I practice for: body contact shots, while lying in awkward prone positions, drawing from under clothing while moving, and reloading under pressure.

Regardless of the tired old arguments of "357 is wasted in a short barrel" or "firing 357 from a snub is like getting hit in the hand with a ball-peen hammer", I practice with and carry with quality .357 magnum ammo.

wrs840 said:

What I learned is That a 637 2-1/2bbl is a much better pocket gun than a 642/442.

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Hey wrs840 -- just for my personal edification -- I'd appreciate hearing what prompted you to reach that conclusion. Thank you.


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rcmodel said:

I have discovered how much harder it is to put 5 shots in a 50 cal ammo can at 100 yards with a snubby now then it was when I was 26 years old and shooting for 5th. Army AMU!

At 69 years old, none are nearly as accurate as they used to be then.

rc

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I have the same problem except I didn't start out as good! Even though adjustable sights don't perfectly go along with snubbies, I've found that I shoot them much better just because my older eyes pick up the sharper edges of the flat sight blade better than milled or thicker fixed sights. I've put a laser on one of my larger fixed sight HD revolvers and it has done wonders. I think if I were to set a snub up for carry all the time I would set it up with either sharply cut fixed sights, fiber optic sights, or a laser. Perhaps 2 out of the three.

They are loud and I have no need for one in 357 !

JFrame said:

...what prompted you to reach that conclusion...

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I own a 442 and a 637. I've owned the 442 longer. The 637's 5/8" longer bbl still allows for pocket carry in a Desantis Nemesis with no trouble, although I carry it IWB about 20% of the time also, which presents no noticeable difference either. The hammer does not impede my draw in either case, which is a thumb-placement function.

The real difference is I can keep the 637 on 8.5x11" paper at 20 yards (firing SA) and I can't do that with the 442. Yeah I know, they're supposed to be close-range tools anyway, but I like being more confident in my shot-placement at any distance, and the 637 does that for me. I can't even remember what prompted me to buy a 637 with a 2-1/2" barrel, but I have grown very fond of it, and the 442 just sits in the safe ever since. I think I carried it at a wedding exactly once since getting the 637. I do, however, opt for a full-frame 9mm IWB about half the time also, especially in street-wear. I'm at home on the farm right now and the 637 is in the pocket of my Carhharts, with two speed strips in my back pocket, each has five Rem +P 158gr SWCLHP R38S12, and one CCI shot-load... (... for Copperheads, I hate those things... a neighbor's three-year-old daughter almost lost a leg to one...)

I carry a S&W 640 and won't change!

First, you need to practice and then practice some more. Remember, if you pull the trigger and it doesn't go "bang", the drill is to pull the trigger again. Very simple and effective. There is no rack the slide, bang the magazine, rack the slide, shake the house, etc. I like autoloaders, but a malfunction in a critical situation is harrowing. And again, PRACTICE!

-=BDD=-

David E said:

I wonder which one you'd do better with if you shot both of them DA....

It's not difficult to master DA shooting, it just takes slightly more effort than shooting SA.

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You're no doubt right. When a Rabid Skunk trundles out from under the woodpile tarp however, I want the advantage of a SA shot to put it down without getting too close. I ain't a competition-grade shooter.

I learned that...

...even after carrying a plethora of concealable autos over the years, I always return to (and have finally settled on) the snubby as my primary CCW. Either a S&W Model 36 or a Colt DS. Its hard to beat a snubby.

I'll agree with that last statement. Autos just don't last long in my rotation.
My latest carry is an LCR and just maybe my last since it so far seems to be perfection.

So far...

I learned to shoot my 642 (the first gun I ever owned) by switching to a Hogue over-molded grip, and once I got good with that I went back to the factory boot grips. I don't know if I'd like the gun nearly as much as I do if I hadn't taken that step.

1. The Taurus 850CIA original grips do not allow enough clearance to run speedloaders! HKS and Dade both get hug up on the front lip of the rubber grip. As Mr. DeBethencourt suggests, 2 5-load speed strips loaded 4 each, with the open slot between them, works well enough.

2. If you have Nyclad rounds, they are great for snubbies. if you don't, there is a tremendous amount of stuff said and written about using flying-soda-can wadcutters at mid-range velocities (I do NOT endorse Buffalo Bore!), with a reload of standard pressure standard non-hollow-point semi-wadcutters. They have been working since the 1950's.

3. Front pocket carry with a nice pocket holster works well. HOWEVER!!! In line at the local coffee shop, it was NOT the 'printing' of the revolver in the pocket, it was the stainless steel frame that 'winked' back at me, from the base of the frame butt!!! There is a school of thought that suggests that blued guns work better for concealed carry.

4. Snubbies are the tool-of-choice for CCW. As a former CIA guy is on video stating: "All the things that are wrong with the 'j-frame', are right for the 'j-frame'!" In fact, it is on record, that when the CIA was gearing up, there was the choice between the Browning Hi-Power semi-auto in 9mm, or an SandW Model 10 j-frame snubby in .38 Special. The Agency chose the j-frame! (Works for me!)

5. Any foo-faw on the so-called lowly 38 Special, I refer to the autopsy report of Lee Harvey Oswald. All that damage was done with an old-school 158 grain lead round nose bullet, from an old Colt Cobra, at close range. I do not suggest using them, over using wadcutters, or semi-wadcutter -non-hollow-point. Lastly, Civil Defense (remember them?) Auxiliary Police Departments, loaded SandW Model 15's with wadcutters.

Have a nice day!

I discovered that I like snubs.

3. Front pocket carry with a nice pocket holster works well. HOWEVER!!! In line at the local coffee shop, it was NOT the 'printing' of the revolver in the pocket, it was the stainless steel frame that 'winked' back at me, from the base of the frame butt!!! There is a school of thought that suggests that blued guns work better for concealed carry.

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They're is also a school of thought that says it's a good idea to cut off the pocket that comes with today's save-any-penny-you-can pants, and have a replacement pocket made from heavier material sewed to what's left to increace the depth.

Also a short strip of dark colored tape works wonders.

I learned overalls are the best carry clothing made. Lots of large deep pockets front,back, bib & on the legs.

flylo said:

I learned overalls are the best carry clothing made. Lots of large deep pockets front,back, bib & on the legs.

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Exactly! Snub rides in back or front overalls pocket just fine.

SFsc616171, when you said,

...SandW Model 10 j-frame snubby in .38 Special.

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you pretty much lost all credibility. The Model 10 is, and always has been, a K-frame.

Dave

2. If you have Nyclad rounds, they are great for snubbies. if you don't, there is a tremendous amount of stuff said and written about using flying-soda-can wadcutters at mid-range velocities (I do NOT endorse Buffalo Bore!), with a reload of standard pressure standard non-hollow-point semi-wadcutters. They have been working since the 1950's.

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Nyclads and snubbies?

you pretty much lost all credibility. The Model 10 is, and always has been, a K-frame.

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True, but I don't see any loss of credibility over a typo...

MikeJackmin said:

I put a Crimson Trace laser on my airweight. The activation button in right under your middle finger on the inner curve of the grip, it's perfect.

This is the best training aid for the snub. During dry-fire practice you can draw and point shoot, and not only see exactly where you are shooting but you can also see what's pulling you off target. Bad trigger pull? Poor presentation? Point of aim changing as you squeeze tighter? The laser shows you exactly where the gun is pointed during the whole sequence.

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THIS!

I put a set on a mdl 36 Chief's Special I gave to my daughter. The laser changed it from a point and shoot minute-of-man gun to a tack driver at anything inside 20 yds. The old fixed sights were nowhere near actual POI, but the laser dot doesn't lie.