Colt Snubbies?

[rWt]

I am familiar with the DS, Cobra and Agent, but know nothing about the .357 Magnum variants, such as the Magnum Carry and Lawman MkIII, both of which can be found with snub-length barrels.

Can anyone tell me about them? Are they "good" choices for carry today?

Are there any others that should be considered?

Thank you.

 

[Jim Watson]

Certainly the Lawman Mk III 2" will do anything you want a medium frame snubby to do, comparable to a 2.5" M19, 2.5" Python, 2.75" Speed Six, or 3" GP100. There was an old Gun Digest article whose author used one to try out various short barrel magnum loads.

I am less informed on the Magnum Carry. It is a smaller gun, the magnumized version of the SF6 - DS II family, not like any other Colt revolver before or after. They were meant as modernized versions of the Detective Special and no doubt less expensive to manufacture.
Some say they are cheaper in quality, too.
The only one I ever seriously considered had a wonderfully light and smooth DA... but I still bought an automatic instead.

 

[brnmuenchow]

Lot's of kick in a .357 Magnum snubbie for carry use.
(I know that was not your question, but I had get that out there.)

If I had a choice though I would look into getting a short barrel Colt "Python", and shoulder holster it under a dress coat or something.

 

[Gordon]

The Lawman snub makes a good outside holster carry CCW but is a few ounces heavier than a 2.5" S&W Model 19 or 3" barrel S&W 13 and slightly bulkier.It soaks up full .357 loads very well BUT is known as an "ear wax" gun for the blast out of 2" barrel!

 

[Standing Wolf]

Are they "good" choices for carry today?

I can't recall not liking a single Colt revolver I've ever shot, though I'll admit I've liked some better than others; that said™, they're considerably more expensive than they used to be.

I've looked at a couple Magnum Carry revolvers, one of which I'd have bought if the price had been... Well, perhaps the less said, the better.

 

[Olympus]

I'd hate to see the day when a .357 ISN'T a good carry choice. I don't have any .357 Colt snubbies, but I have a few .357 S&W snubbies and they are some of my favorite guns.

 

[Dr.Rob]

The magnum carry is the same size as a DS-2 /SF-VI. I use the DS marked speedloaders and any holster marked "Detective Special" will fit it.

However given the relative rarity of the MC (they were made for 1 year only) you might opt for a less collectable carry gun.

Cons: per the manual really fast DA fire where the trigger is not allowed to come fully forward will not advance the cylinder. I haven't experienced this shooting mine yet.

Mine had the ejector rod come unscrewed, making it impossible to close the action. It hasn't happened since so I suspect the gun was detail stripped before I bought it and the rod not fully tightened.

Grip selection is more limited as the SF-VI line is out of production.

 

[brnmuenchow]

I think anyone that claims a .357 Magnum is not a good personal defense choice should get their head examined. (this is obviously in regards to protection against a human assailant, and NOT a grizzly bear.)

 

[ColtPythonElite]

I love the MK III snubs. They are a handful of gun. Here's a shot of one beside a Ruger SP for comparision.

 

[Archie]

The problem with Colt double action revolvers...

Aside from the expense - they're either impossible to find or a collector's item - Colt double action revolvers have a rather complex interior design. The upshot is ALL Colt DA revolvers wear internally and then go out of time. That is to say, they loose the ability to index the next chamber properly and the firing chamber doesn't line up with the barrel.

Usually this isn't dangerous - the gun doesn't blow up - but they spit a lot of lead when this happens and accuracy suffers. Not all gunsmiths can properly repair this sort of problem.

In his book called Shooting J. Henry FitzGerald - "Fitz", the man at Colt - suggested 'pistols' wore out and should be replaced every eight years or so. Aside from the desire to sell more handguns, Fitz might have referring to the revolvers wearing out internally in that length of time.

Colt DA revolvers are interesting and collectable. For actual shooting, they are far outclassed by Ruger and S&W revolvers.

 

[mmitch]

rWt,

I'm looking for a high-grade Magnum Carry, So I can't really speak to that.
However, my Lawman III feels "hecka-stout".



Mike

 

[ColtPythonElite]

Aside from the expense - they're either impossible to find or a collector's item - Colt double action revolvers have a rather complex interior design. The upshot is ALL Colt DA revolvers wear internally and then go out of time. That is to say, they loose the ability to index the next chamber properly and the firing chamber doesn't line up with the barrel.

Sorry, but neither is true. I have bought more than one MK III snub recently and gave no more for it that a similar Smith. Matter of fact, one was NIB for $475....Secondly, the MK III action does not have the same lockwork as the earlier guns. It is more like a Smith. They are stout and will take as much use and abuse as a Ruger or Smith with no more timing issues.

 

[Archie]

New lockwork?

ColtPythonElite, let me guess your favorite series of revolvers...

However, your statement is wrong historically. All the Colt revolvers based on the Police Positive or Official Police or New Service have the lock work that wears and loses timing very quickly. (Not to mention the double action trigger pull is execrable.)

If there is a new line of Colt DA revolvers with 'new' lock work, that is good news. I am familiar with the 'old' ones. I confess guilt in not following new guns much, especially not Colt revolvers as they never suited my style of shooting - double action - or worked as I thought they should. When did these new revolvers come out?

You bought a Mk II recently and paid less than $500. Good for you. That is less than a pinned barrel model 19 would cost. Frankly, I'm not too well disposed toward the new S&W revolvers, either. They are now cheap copies of S&W revolvers.

mmitch, the Colt revolvers have always been 'stout' in terms of frames and barrels. They seldom suffer a catastrophic failure. It's the internal workings that wear out. Not so much a part breaks and the gun locks up, but when one part wears, the other parts change in relative position. Unless this is one of the 'new' revolvers CPE mentions.

 

[ColtPythonElite]

However, your statement is wrong historically. All the Colt revolvers based on the Police Positive or Official Police or New Service have the lock work that wears and loses timing very quickly. (Not to mention the double action trigger pull is execrable.)

What is historically incorrect in what I said? The OP wasn't talking about the old actions with leaf springs like I assume you were referring to when you said "ALL Colt DA revolvers wear internally and then go out of time"....The OP was asking about the MK III line which has a coiled mainspring similar to a Smith. It's not really a new design. They came out in 1969.

 

[LawofThirds]

My MK III reminds me most of a J-Frame internally, with lots of nice stout lockwork and no tiny fiddly bits to break. The trigger pull is much heavier than an equivalent pinned and recessed 19 but the lock time is super short and very smooth, which makes up for it.

 

[Jim Watson]

I am old enough to consider the V spring Colt DA revolvers as "standard" but I remember when the coil spring Mk IIIs came out in 1969. They were described as "permanently timed" and the only fitted part was the hand. About their only weak point, discovered as time wore on and reported on the gunboards after Algore invented the internet, is that dryfiring without snap caps can break the firing pin and replacement is a factory job.

The intent was to have a full lineup of ".41 frame" guns.
The most common is the Trooper Mk III .357 with adjustable sights, but there were also the Lawman, Metropolitan, and Official Police Mk III. There are some Trooper Mk III .22 LR and .22 WMR out there, as well as a few Officer's Model Match Mk IIIs.
And I saw one of the very few Python Mk IIIs in a store at a VERY high price some years ago.

 

[vanfunk]

Hi Archie:

As others have pointed out, there's simply little similarity between the actions of the "old" Colt lockwork (which has a dramatically overblown and largely undeserved reputation for going out of time) and the "new" Colt lockwork as evidenced by the introduction of the Mark III in 1969. Jerry Kuhnhausen has remarked on the stoutness of the Mark III action, even going so far as to pronounce it the strongest of the mid-frame revolvers of any manufacturer. As Jim said, about the only weak point is the firing pin, which, if broken, requires a trip to the factory for repair. And it's a non-issue if one uses snap caps or doesn't dry-fire the weapon.

As to the "old" lockwork wearing out- yes, the design is more prone to wear than others, but by no means should that be misinterpreted to mean "fragile." I have had literally dozens of Army Specials, Official Polices, Police Positives, New Services, Detective Specials, Cobras and Agents, and have never had a single one go out of time (well, one 1917 was out of time when I bought it, but it had been re-assembled incorrectly. Easy fix). Outclassed by Ruger and S&W? No - I think most will disagree heartily with you there. A Ruger action feels like a pot-metal Khyber Pass special compared to just about any Colt, and I like Rugers!

vanfunk

 

[WVleo]

Lawman MKIII 2"

A little stout for IWB for Me but carries well in this Front-Line Isreali made OWB holster. Have the Pachmyr grips on it for the Wife ( as well as stuffed with .38's ) with the minty stock grips in the gunsafe as My Wife doesn't hold the same reguard for the stock grips as She does Her Fenton art glass, Go figure Women LOL !.....WVleo

 

[Guillermo]

vanfunk,

you are sweeping against the tide.

some folks ignore reality and believe what they want to believe...it is no use trying to use facts.

 

[bannockburn]

I have had several MK. III's and MK. V's and have found every one of them to be built like the proverbial tank. Extremely solid construction, and while the lockwork doesn't have the same smoothness as a comparable S&W, it is still very strong and very reliable. I always wanted a 2" Lawman as it reminded me of being like a Webley Bulldog revolver from long ago.

 

[Vern Humphrey]

Colt revolvers are top quality. As for a snubbie in .357, well, shoot a box of 50 full-charge .357 loads in one session through any snubbie and tell me how it feels.

 

[Dr.Rob]

Feels very much like bruised fingers Vern

 

[Vern Humphrey]

That was my experience, too.

 

[Dr.Rob]

Still, full power 125gr Remington JSP's are AWESOME out of a Magnum Carry... but on the chronograph not as impressive as the 'bark'.

 

[gamestalker]

I just ran 100 JHP 125's and 158's loaded with H110 out of one of my snub S&W 66's today, and tonight I'm wearing an ACE wrap on my right wrist. But what can I say, it's a lot of fun and accuracy is impressive even for a snub.

About the Colt's wearing out of time. A buddy of mine was out at the range today with his Colt that is only 7 yrs. old, and he just had to have the timing works re-done and he doesn't shoot all that much, he isn't a reloader.