3 inch Carry Revolver

[John Wayne]

S&W model 60 Pro. 3" bbl., tritium front sight, adj. rear sight, nice wood grips, tapered underlug, full-length ejector rod, and flatter 5 shot cylinder.

S&W has a $50 rebate on them now, too.

The S&W K frame 3" are nice too but hard to find.

 

[Dave T]

If some of you folks are going to recommend guns with barrels under 3" I guess I can get away with this (smile). The ultimate revolver in the 3" range is the 3.5" Model 27 S&W. No longer made but used ones can be found, although they won't be cheep.

Mine was rescued after years of neglect that left it badly pitted. My gunsmith round butted it while he was restoring it to functional if not original condition.



This 27-2 is a great carry gun in the right holster with a good belt. Not a light weight but more controllable than smaller, lighter guns with full power magnums in the chambers.

Dave

 

[FCDeputy1911]

I have never seen a Taurus 605. It seems that alot of people ar ebig fans of the sp101 I will look into it. I have to be honest though the smiths always hold a place in my heart as they were my first guns. Would Smith and Wesson put a 3 in barrel on a 4 in gun? I dont think there are many gunsmiths around my area that I'd trust.

 

[8emem]

I have a newer 686+ 7-shot 3" round butt, with MIM parts and the lock. It is a little heavy, as it has the full barrel underlug. But the trigger is very smooth and I seem to shoot it well. Full power .357 is a handfull, but mid-range .357 or 38+P are more manageable options. I have K/L frame woooden service grips on it which are small and help with concealment, but the Uncle Mike's rubber fingergrooves that came with it are going to be necessary for the stronger loads.

 

[Sniper X]

LOVE three inch revolvers for carry! I had a really nice Taurus model 88, a Nickel copy of a Smith model 66. It was a GREAT gun and one of the most accurate revolvers I have ever had....here's a pic because I'll bet you guy's have never seen one as it isn't even in gun books.




And not a 3in but my all time favorite carry revolver now...on the hip today...



Not that I would not LOVE a 3in Python, it's just that if you think a 2.5in is hard to find and expensive, a 3in is like hens teeth made of platinum!

 

[Barker45]

S&W 65 Lady Smith 3" RB (if you can find one)
S&W 65 standard 3" RB
S&W 13 3" RB
S&W 681 PC 3" RB ($)
Ruger Speed Six 2.75"

All are good options. Of all my wheelguns, I prefer the 3" K frame S&Ws the best. Best of luck!

 

[lloveless]

I have an ruger sp-101 in 3 inch. I carry IWB with a Ken Null holster. For your price range of $40-$60 look at a Simply Rugged sourdough pancake holster.
ll

 

[kp]

I have a 3" GP100 and a 3" SP101. Love them both and will serve you well as an outdoor or CCW gun.

 

[G27RR]

S&W Model 60-15 Pro Series .357 magnum
Very good trigger and easy to conceal.

 

[thunder173]

I guess one of my personal favorites is a blued 3 inch Model 36 Chief in .38 Special. I just keep migrating back to it,..it fits the hand like the hand shake of an old friend,..and has always been there since the first round down range.

Have had Model 13 and 65's as well,..and they were great guns. Wouldn't mind finding one to follow me home in fact,...but,..the old 3 inch Chief always takes the prize.

 

[ShowMeState1977]

"For your price range of $40-$60 look at a Simply Rugged sourdough pancake holster."

+1 Just got my Simply Rugged sourdough pancake for my 2.25" SP101 in the mail today! It's very nice!

Where would be a good place to get a cut and crown on a S&W 66-7 4"?

 

[S&Wfan]

Hi,

I strongly recommend the 3" S&W K, L and N frame revolvers as being awesome with the 3" tube! Here are my three favorites:

K frame - Model 65 (or the blued version, the Model 13) Fast from the holster, fast from target to target, very accurate and easy to carry.

L frame - Model 686 (or the 586 blued version)
Beefier frame than the K frame, but the bore axis is a little higher above the hand. I prefer the sleeker, faster K frame.

N frame - Model 27 3 1/2"
Bigger, heavier gun that tames recoil better while still being fast to shoot!

And my favorite 3" barreled gun . . . a 3 1/4" custom barreled Model 25-2 in .45 Auto cartridges that are put into moon clips for the fastest reload times possible!

 

[Stainz]

Here is a 3"-er L-frame no one has suggested... a 5-shooter in .44 Special!



Now, if the hard to find 696 above is not quite heavy enough, here is an N-frame to consider - albeit short at 2 5/8" barrel - the re-issued PC627 UDR - an N-frame eight-banger in .38/.357M. You can also find it in .44 Magnum as the PC629 UDR.



The 3" 60, 60 Pro, and 360NG are great smaller (J-frame) examples. The PC627 UDR is not a great amount more, dollar-wise, but a heck of a lot more in features.

Stainz

 

[eldon519]

Charter Arms is back operating under its original ownership (gone are the inferior days of Charco and Charter 2000), and they are re-introducing the original .44 Special Bulldog w/ 3" tapered barrel and exposed ejector. They've also go the 2.5" Bulldog Pugs. Prices are very modest (around $350) and having recently read about the Corbon 200gr DPX's short-barrel performance, it's flying pretty high on my radar at the moment.

 

[FCDeputy1911]

As far as size where does the GP 100 range in comparison to Smith and Wesson is it K or L frame size? Can you still get a 3 inch model 36?

 

[Barker45]

As far as size where does the GP 100 range in comparison to Smith and Wesson is it K or L frame size?

The GP100 is larger than a K frame Smith and, it seems to me, slightly larger/heavier than a L frame Smith. I don't own a GP100 but have the older Police Service Six that Ruger no longer makes. It's a wonderful revolver and similar in size to the S&W K frame. If you are looking for a 3" carry gun I would go with the S&W 65 (k frame) or the 2.75" Ruger Speed Six. Both are fantastic!

 

[waidmann]

Model 60-10 reinforced J-frame 3 inch barrel. A nice carry.

 

[badbob38]

My CCW is a S&W 696 44spl, I load it with Cor-Bons DPXs. It has a 3 inch barl. and is stainless. I stick it in a Galco Combat Master. This holster rides high & tigh to my side. All the knock-down power you need. I hope you can find to rent and run a few thur it. I did and fell in love.

 

[jad0110]

Nice 3" S&W 65s. Here is a pic of it's blued cousin, the Model 13:

 

[Dr.Rob]

3 inch Ruger SP101
3 inch S&W Model 65

or if you can find one:

3 inch Colt Detective Special (Colt made a run of the SF-VI with a 3 inch tube too)

 

[txlawdog]

I carry a 3-inch S&W 642 in a IWB holster. Easy to aim and easy yo shoot

 

[Waldo Pepper]

My 3" carry S&W 629 Talo Special, with Rosewood grips.



Same gun with pretty wood replaced with Pachmayr Decelerator grips for carry and shooting.

 

[Brian Williams]

I really like my S&W 13 with a 3" Barrel.

 

[RidgwayCO]

I just purchased a like-new S&W M64-3 with a 3" barrel. I like it so much that the original wood grips are going into storage (to protect them), and are being replaced with a set of Crimson Trace LG-306 laser grips.

It's a little heavy at 34oz, but I've got no problem with a carry piece in .38 Special. And I like the fact that there are no adjustable sights to interfere with presenting or holstering the weapon.