"Best" 6+ shot CCW snub CURRENT MANUFACTURE

[RealGun]

"It's a bit on the heavy side though."

That comes with having a frame big enough to allow that many rounds. That's why 5 shot is the more common by far. 6 shot in 38 Special doesn't require the big frame, but that caliber is now seen as a bug gun caliber in new gun models. My Interarms Rossi 851 is 6 shot 38 Special but 4" barrel (not a "snub"). What happens is the 357s often (or typically?) get loaded with 38 Special and wind up being heavier than necessary.

 

[gotboostvr]

Yeah, hence my want for a alloy framed version. I don't mind it being a little hefty, it helps control recoil without the flash of a compensator, or the diminished reduced recoil loads. I'd just like a alloy frame with a steel cylinder, I don't think a titanium and scandium super airweight would be any fun to shoot even with the larger frame. it's listed weight is at 34oz according to the S&W site, a couple oz less would be nice though along with a tritium front sight if I'm being picky!

I'm actually surprised it wasn't part of the Night Guard series.


The Cylinder isn't too big a problem, and the grip isn't an issue either, (same grip as my 1 7/8th 64 as a matter of fact is wearing the factory grips from my 686 after I broke a panel on my 64! So dimensions aren't an issue.

 

[mdauben]

Yeah, hence my want for a alloy framed version. I don't mind it being a little hefty, it helps control recoil without the flash of a compensator, or the diminished reduced recoil loads. I'd just like a alloy frame with a steel cylinder, I don't think a titanium and scandium super airweight would be any fun to shoot even with the larger frame.

I think the S&W 386 NG or PD are perfect for what you want. Alloy L-frames, 7-shot .357 mag revolvers with 2.5 inch barrels make for comfortable carry. I've got the NG model and while I'll admit at 24.5 oz. its a handful to shoot, its not that bad even with full power .357 ammo (my ammo of choice is .125gr JHP @ 1450FPS). Certainly better than am 11.4 oz 340 with the same ammo! I also think it balances in my hand better than the heavier 2.5 inch 686.

Unfortunatly, both are OOP right now and I don't know of anything similar that is currently in prodction.

 

[torqem]

They are so bulky and heavy that every year, fewer people buy them. They bulge a pocket badly. Even the 5 shooters doe that (and are less and less of a % of the market each year). People have figured out (finally) that they carry the thing for 100,000 hours and shoot it for maybe 100 hours, in a lifetime. So why ccw a big, heavy one? Also, many of the autos have gained a great reputation for reliabity, with jhp's that truly do expand. .38 snubby's typically can't expand even a lhp. The velocity needed to reliably do that just aint present with snubbies. If it weren't for the SA plinker/hunter/cowboy sub-division and crude, cheap DA clunks, the revolver market would be in really bad shape, % of sales-wise for handguns, that is. It's no loss, that such is the case, either, obviously, since many millions get by with "just" autoloaders.

 

[gotboostvr]

Welp, mdauben... Thanks for letting me onto one of my "Grail Guns". I can't believe I missed that on their website! The Night Guard looks like exactly what I'm wanting, the PD (and the SC upon further research) are just too light for what I'd think would be pleasant to shoot (at 18oz!) the Night Guard comes in at 24 oz with a grip that you can actually grip compared to the J-frames... it should be pleasant with .38's and tolerable with warm self defense .357 rounds!

Too bad it isn't in a stainless type finish. It checks all the boxes that actually matter though so I guess I'm just being picky.

But to the OP, I'd say that this is probably exactly what you were searching for when you started this thread. Light, snub nosed 6+ shot carry revolver. It's as far advanced or more than I've seen anyone take the concept of a snubbie.