Snub Nose Caliber choice

Bob Meyer said:

Left to my own devices I would choose a 38 Special or a 44 Bulldog.

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What he said.

Easy!

I've had .38 and .357 LCR's. Good guns.
Then I got one, now two, in .327. (Well, wife has one)

Money no object, you want the .327.

Carry Federals "reduced recoil" Hydrashok .327 in it or .32 Magnum ammo.

I reload for it and carry .32 magnum ammo.

IMHO a snub nose means 2". For that I prefer the tried and true .38spl.

60=4 with a round to square grip

I fired a 22lr from an naa mini without ears- wow. Very loud.

All gunshots are pretty loud without protection.

If we're focusing on decibels as a deciding factor eliminate any magnum rounds. Looking for most effective, subsonic rounds.

My own experience indicate 38 special or 45 acp from revolvers being the quietest. These offer subsonic rounds, that still have excellent track records for self defense.

Regular critical defense 110 or even 90 grain jhp do well in 38, or you could use a wadcutter.

There's nothing in 38 on your list though.

Just my thoughts.

I know this isn’t one of your selections, but I prefer .38 Special standard velocity loads in a small revolver.

I had an H&R snubbie in .32 H&R Magnum years ago and the snap and report were quite impressive for that round in that gun.

.38 does recoil and is loud but not like the .32 Magnum. At least in my opinion.

For noise, the cartridge with the least powder capacity. It won't be an adequate self defense gun. Not even.

For self protection, a 9mm revolver. More power than a .38, good ammo availability, the cylinder is typically smaller than a .357 for carry. And moon clips for fast reloading. No cases dribbling around on the floor.

I have a .38 Taurus Ultralite with rubber boot grip, shoots nicely, not overly loud compared to my 9's and .45's. On an indoor range plugs and muffs are my minimum now. Most do.

The 22lr , Tho not a great choice by any stretch of the imagination…. with the 60gr Aguila SSS ammo is Slow and heavy. If you can find this ammo…Speed makes the noise and this particular ammo is Slow and has high BC. Just a idea for a small Firearm. My 317 is 8 rounds and weight is 10oz.

Edit- Well ,”High Bc” for a 22lr

Left my *my* own devices, I’d go with a 38 Spl in a true snub, .357 Magnum in a 3”

Tirod said:

For self protection, a 9mm revolver. More power than a .38, good ammo availability, the cylinder is typically smaller than a .357 for carry.

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How do you figure it's MORE powerful? Maybe AS powerful as some .38 Special loads with some loads.

While I will carry a Glock 19 or Browning Hi Power with 147jhps, I've never seen a 158gr. 9x19mm factory round, much less a genuine +P one like Buffalo Bore.

In a suitable gun, the .38 Special can come VERY close to the .357 magnum. After all, it's what the .357 magnum was developed from.

You're unlikely to SAFELY equal the combined bullet weight and velocity of a serious 158gr. .38 Special load in a 9x19mm round, certainly not in one that's usable in a semi-auto, which it must be to be commercially viable.

And that's totally leaving aside the 200gr. .38 Specials.

.32 S&W Long will be the lowest blast, but is a big enough bullet to be reliably effective in terms of penetration. The .32 Mag is naturally louder, but I don't feel it's so much louder that it shouldn't be considered, the issue is with .32 Mag there's only one load that I know of that expands that's not loaded hot and loud like the Buffalo Bore load is and it's Hornady Critical Defense. If you can't find that ammo or get hold of it, you may as well use any .32 S&W Long wadcutter instead.

I don't like .22 in double action revolvers due to the heavier triggers.

.32 is a superior caliber for snub revolvers.

Tirod said:

For noise, the cartridge with the least powder capacity. It won't be an adequate self defense gun. Not even.

For self protection, a 9mm revolver. More power than a .38, good ammo availability, the cylinder is typically smaller than a .357 for carry. And moon clips for fast reloading. No cases dribbling around on the floor.

I have a .38 Taurus Ultralite with rubber boot grip, shoots nicely, not overly loud compared to my 9's and .45's. On an indoor range plugs and muffs are my minimum now. Most do.

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I'm looking for a non-38 revolver for my wife, good concealability but manageable enough for tiny hands and wrists. She has the sig 365 SAS but claims it kicks too much for her. You think any of these 9 mm revolvers
might be tame enough (compared to the sig 365) and compact enough to tote?

__steve__ said:

I'm looking for a non-38 revolver for my wife, good concealability but manageable enough for tiny hands and wrists. She has the sig 365 SAS but claims it kicks too much for her. You think any of these 9 mm revolvers
might be tame enough (compared to the sig 365) and compact enough to tote?

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Not if a .38 is too much. Try a .327 LCR loaded with .32 H&R or .32 S&W Long. At least you get an extra shot.

__steve__ said:

I'm looking for a non-38 revolver for my wife, good concealability but manageable enough for tiny hands and wrists. She has the sig 365 SAS but claims it kicks too much for her. You think any of these 9 mm revolvers
might be tame enough (compared to the sig 365) and compact enough to tote?

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A revolver will generally have more felt recoil.

I definitely notice it more with my Taurus M66 (4", all steel) even with .38 SPL than with my Glock 19.

My wife has damaged hands and wrists. She shoots 32 H&R just fine.

I have damaged hands, wrists, elbows, knees, etc, etc...

WestKentucky said:

32 acp s semirimmed and will work in 32 revolver chambers. The only issue with revolver chambers is with pressure testing and heat treating. Some of the older guns are not made to take the pressure. Anything LCR 32 caliber would fire a 32acp safely… but with almost an inch of freebore it’s not going to be very impressive in power or accuracy.

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You really don't have to worry about the pressure of firing 32acp in a 32 caliber revolver. The cartridge fit is sloppy and the undersized bullet will keep the pressure down. Since the bullets are undersized for the bore you don't have to worry about accuracy either. There won't be much if any. I know because I have already tried it. But it will make noise if thats what you are after. Of course firecrackers make noise too and they are much cheaper.

If you want to shoot your 32 caliber revolver buy the ammo it was made for. You will be much happier. The old 32 caliber revolvers were made for lead bullets in the .314 diameter range. Both of my S&W guns have .313 bores and .314 throats. The .311 bullets from the 32acp are a drop through bullet and do not fit the bore at all.

Kleanbore said:

Can you point us to anything that supports that?

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The blast is subjective, I'm sure .22 Short has less blast than .32 S&W L., but I'm never going to recommend someone choose .22 Short over .32 for self defense.

The penetration with .32 S&W L. from a snub is well documented by the Lucky Gunner tests.

Your best bet IMO, is the LCR in 327 loaded with 32 Long or 32 H&R Magnum. Not only do you get an extra round, the recoil is significantly less than the 38 Special, enabling faster follow-up shots. If you use 32 Long, get the wadcutters. HP are likely to not expand well. As far as being a fight stopper, unless you are a cop or military, the first shot fired will send everyone running. Yes 327 is quite loud, so I would stick with the 32 long and magnum. Do NOT use 32 ACP. You have no idea where the rounds will go and they can be harder to clear from the cylinder. I will never do it again except in the direst emergency and at arm’s length range. If you decide to go with 38 Special, get the 357 version. I have the 38 version and do not enjoy its snappiness, since I like to shoot a lot of rounds through snub noses at the range. Either way, you will like the trigger on the LCR. 32 ammo can be harder to find at times, especially the H&R magnum, but it is usually available somewhere. Just stock up when you find it or reload.

skippy1729 said, "My primary consideration is noise levels."
With noise level as the primary consideration, the .22 short is the obvious winner. However, a Ruger LCR firing a .22 short will still be loud enough to require hearing protection in practice sessions.