Should I carry a S&W Model 36?

If you can hit reliably with it carry it. It will require some serious practice time if you are not skilled shooting DA revolvers. You can learn. My wife carried one of those for 15 years and then got one of the first Ruger SP revolvers. Still has both. A Model 36 is a fine carry gun. Get some speedloaders or strips and practice reloading it. Load it with standard 140 to 158 gr. loads. Forget about +P loads - they won't help and will just beat up your wrist and the gun.

I bought my wife a 3" 36 long ago mainly because the lgs catered to the local PD and told me that those officers who couldn't qualify with with a 2" did much better with the 3". Wish I'd never traded it off. Being a steel gun you will notice it when in a pocket. It will weight it down. But, it will be more comfortable to shoot than the light weight models with alum frames. Either one will take some time to master, especially in double action but the lighter will be more comfortable. If you use a belt holster like the Simply Rugged pancake, either one would work. I have a 3" .44 special Bulldog and a 2" ss Undercover that can be carried either iwb or owb with that holster. One is 16 oz and the other 19 oz with heavier rounds. I can tell the difference only when my back is bothering me and I carry all day. For carrying while out and about, something heavier with a good holster and belt can be tolerated by most folks who don't have medical conditions. But you probably know that already.

I learned my da shooting on bowling pins with a 6" K frame revolver. It takes time and trust to not cock the hammer and develop skill and confidence. You are not going to want to cock the hammer in self defense.

If you carry one like the 36 in your picture with the exposed hammer, it WILL snag in a pocket or a shirt from time to time. If that time happens to be when you need it most, it's then too late to choose a hammerless model like the 442/642 or LCR. Either way you need to practice da shooting. We all like to think that we may one day need to cock that hammer for an accurate shot, but that too takes years of practice to pull off. A larger handgun would work much better for that situation. But, that adds weight and we all have different tolerances for how much weight we can or will comfortably carry or tolerate.

I like these snubs for jacket pocket carry. Read up on snub nose carry to see all of the advantages. They come to hand readily. No fishing around with a small pocket auto to get your grip right. You don't have to have that perfect grip to avoid a jam which can happen with a small auto. They will not jam if the barrel is placed against your attacker as an auto might.

The rounds you carry may depend on where the gun shoots. Many older models are regulated for 148/158 grain loads to hit center of target and will shoot 2 to 4 inches lower with lighter rounds. You can always file the front sight to bring that point of impact up if you have a round you prefer. Many hollow points will not expand from these 2" snubs and so many will use full wadcutters that cut a sharp edged hole in paper and through flesh. I've heard they work well on small game also and many leo's carried them in their back ups.

Try one before you buy one. My small lightweight daughter tried a nice ss model 60 snub, then my 6" S&W model 14 with a really smooth action and fell in love with my series 70 Colt 1911 .45. Go figure.

Love my 442 for carry. Your 36 will quickly become your favorite - in my opinion.

Little snubby 38s have been working well for concealed carry since the 50s

I recently acquired a Taurus 856 revolver. Essentially a Colt Cobra (6shot) with a Smith&Wesson triple-lock style lock work. ( Best of both worlds).
It has a decent out of the box action, superb accuracy (shoots POA/POI w/148-158gr ammo), and cost ~$300.00 new, and is available!
Mine is all stainless so is a tad heavy, but that moderates the +P ammo I’m feeding it. I have about a dozen ITWB, and OWB holsters I’ve acquired through the decades. It fits most of the holsters I’ve used for various Smith and Charter Arms revolvers I’ve carried. Did have to get two HKS DS-2 speedloaders at $9.95 shipped. Considering I’ve got ZERO cash in it. I’m elated with it. (Had 3 $100 gift cards and a $40credit on my Academy credit card, plus a $20off coupon.

I have a preference for the S&W M-640 38Spl-(5Rds) as a backup to a S&W Shield 9 X19mm. Capacity favors the shield with a (8) round magazine plus one in the chamber for a total of (9) Rds. Life is full of choices be they good, bad or indifferent!

cokehayes45 said:

I'm looking for one without a lanyard loop, I just took the first photo off google images that came up.

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So, then, you don't have a M36 yet? If you're concerned about the capacity, look for a round butt 2-1/2 inch M19 (blue steel or nickel) or M66 (stainless). They are on the next size up K frame, but not significantly bigger, still makes an excellent concealed carry. They are 6-shot, and are also .357 Magnums, but will shoot .38 Spl. or .38 +P loads, so you have a lot of choices for ammo. A Model 13 or Model 65 are also also an option, they correspond to the M19 and M66 but have a fixed tear sight and no shroud over the extractor rod; that would make them similar in appearance to the M36.

Round butt M66 with 2-1/2" barrel:

I've watched this video several times. This guy is a good shot with his S&W model 60 38 snub.

Pros; Easy to carry.
Cons; only 5 rounds, slow to reload under pressure, short sight radius, harder to hit a moving target under pressure than other choices.

For over 35 years, I daily carried a .38 Charter Arms Under Cover (a 16 once S&W 36 clone). Most of the time it rode as a back up for my primary/duty weapon in an ankle holster on my left leg. Got so used to it that I'd walk funny if I wasn't wearing it. Never had to use it. Qualified with it every year and never felt under gunned. Carried both speed strips and a couple of speed loaders. Now, it's a bed side gun since I started in corrections back in '16. You could do a lot worse.

A while ago there was a story of an old white gentleman in South Africa who took on three thugs armed with AK - 47's. The old guy had a .38 5 shot snub nosed revolver. Take a guess who won that confrontation? Yep the old guy. It's not the power of the gun, but the guts of the gent/lady behind it that makes all the difference in the world

Sarge7402 said:

For over 35 years, I daily carried a .38 Charter Arms Under Cover (a 16 once S&W 36 clone). Most of the time it rode as a back up for my primary/duty weapon in an ankle holster on my left leg. Got so used to it that I'd walk funny if I wasn't wearing it. Never had to use it. Qualified with it every year and never felt under gunned. Carried both speed strips and a couple of speed loaders. Now, it's a bed side gun since I started in corrections back in '16. You could do a lot worse.

A while ago there was a story of an old white gentleman in South Africa who took on three thugs armed with AK - 47's. The old guy had a .38 5 shot snub nosed revolver. Take a guess who won that confrontation? Yep the old guy. It's not the power of the gun, but the guts of the gent/lady behind it that makes all the difference in the world

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Beware the man who owns one gun. He probably knows how to use it.

I say absolutely. Just picked up this flat latch 36. It goes well with my 3" too!


3" 36-1

ThomasT said:

If you can find a copy of "The Snubby Revolver" by Ed Lovett get it. Its out of print now and sells for stupid prices but I promise you will never look at your snub the same way again.

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Another good title is "Protect Yourself With Your Snubnose Revolver" by Grant Cunningham.

Here is my model 36. I shot it with the factory grip panels then added a BK grip adapter that helped my grip. After deciding that I would only belt carry it or keep it as a vehicle backup I put the Hogue Monogrip on it. That grip really helps.



It looks goofy with the Monogrip but it fits my hand better and I am a better shot with it.

Pat Riot

I still have my Rogers Combat Grips for my J frames. Very comfortable to shoot with but just a little bit too long for concealment. I still like my Tyler T-Grip adapter with the factory wood grips or the factory rubber boot grips for carrying.

Aesthetics has absolutely *nothing* to do with a choice such as this. Either it is a beneficial feature, or it is irrelevant. Any of the various J frames would work well in a CCW role, whether a Chief's Special, Centennial or Bodyguard.

Nothing wrong with a Mdl 36/37 as a CCW, just have to remember the hammer's tendency to snag on the draw, and cover it with your thumb as you draw. I would personally recommend a "Centennial" type Smith- either a 40/42, or some variation of the newer X42 Airweight models- they can be had without a lock, if that is of importance to you. For the *intended purpose* of this firearm, single action is absolutely unnecessary.

I would carry a reload on a speed strip, just on principle. Regarding carry.... the old 125grn +P JHP is still as good a round as ever it was, though I'd stick to standard pressure loads in an Airweight, simply due to recoil management. Failing that, a 148grn wadcutter is a better defensive bullet than RNL, while still being manageable in firing. From examining and testing buddies set-ups, I've determined *for me* that pocket carry will never work, not in jeans or slacks.

Also, another helpful (to me) benefit of a Centennial is that one can get a higher grasp on the backstrap, bringing the bore axis slightly lower.


To add to this in an edit, a single action may be beneficial on extraordinarily rare occasion. I personally have always held the belief that if you have time to use the sights, you have time to cock the hammer.

GeoDudeFlorida said:

Beware the man who owns one gun. He probably knows how to use it.

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That has not been my experience, I my experience he knows it's a 9mm Luger or Ruger or something and he shot a box of cheap FMJs thru it back when he bought it and now it's on the shelf with a 20 year old full box of hydroshoks that he bought for protection.

I suppose the guy that may know how is out there though lol.

I have a model 60 2" I really like. So, how many times have you had to fire more than 5 rounds when you were last attacked? 1 Round? I have a couple of speed loaders, but if I can't discourage some with 5 rounds as I run in the other direction, I am really in trouble. So far in 49 years of having a carry permit, none of the guns that I have carried, every came out of their holsters except to be put away for the night.

Bob

Some images of snubbies just as reference.

My Charter Arms undercover with standard hammer and also with the replacement DAO hammer. It's a very easy user friendly swap between the two hammers.

As it came from the factory:


With replacement grips that work best when pocket carried:


With two different grips and the DAO hammer:

bannockburn said:

I still like my Tyler T-Grip adapter with the factory wood grips or the factory rubber boot grips for carrying.

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I also like my factory rubber boot grips on my S&W 442. I have tried other grips on it but the factory grip always ends up back where it belongs.



It’s really too bad you can’t get these particular grips any more.

Carry what you like I say.

J Frames make good carry and backup pieces for sure...

GeoDudeFlorida said:

Beware the man who owns one gun. He probably knows how to use it.

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How about the man with one bullet

Just kidding! I love Don Knotts!!
We all know guys & gals that have only a few firearms but know how to use them. And guys & gals have many firearms and can't hit the broadside of a barn with any

Little guns take time to learn how to use, but snubby revolvers make great carry pieces.