Snub Relevance?

[WestKentucky]

It’s odd that some here think a person, proficient with his 5 shot revolver, should feel less armed than a person carrying (my example) a beretta 92 with 1 in the chamber, 17 in the mag, and 68 more in mags on the belt. 86 rounds is no more armed than 5 rounds, but it sure is a lot more weight to carry.

 

[ericuda]

Just got s & w 637 and I enjoy the way it disappears. I am in very low crime though and basically carry for slithering pests. I don't see where most if not always I will feel okay.

 

[Kleanbore]

Once one understands and accepts the limitations the 5-6 shot revolver has compared to a modern 10-12 shot subcompact semi (Hellcat, 365, Max9, Mossberg, Shield, etc) a 5 or 6 shot revolver is perfectly adequate for daily carry.

How can understanding the limitations of somehing make it adequate if one cannot ensure that those limitations will not be exceeded?

 

[Kleanbore]

It’s odd that some here think a person... should feel less armed than a person

Whether or not one may "feel less armed" than someone else is unlikely to affect anything in reality.

 

[wcwhitey]

Avoid - Detect - Escape if Possible - Counter if Required

If you put as much effort into the first three steps then I submit a snub revolver will do fine, if needed, in the last step.





Situational awareness is key. First rule, have a gun. I have been pocket carrying with an LCP since it came out. I love it. I carried and S&W 640 24/7 for 23 years as off duty and backup. I have zero issue with either as a choice. Have a gun, know it’s limitations and act accordingly. If I do side work that involves additional risk or I feel the need I have other options. But, if you see me there is a LCP in my pocket and a xtra mag in the other. Along with a knife, light and striking device on my key chain.

-Stan

 

[SharpDog]

I guess I'm confused

https://www.handgunhero.com/compare/ruger-lcp-ii-vs-ruger-lcr

I chose Ruger as the Mfg for both sides but comparable results can be found for Sig, S&W, etc.

 

[SimonRL]

I have a 2 1/4 in SP101 which I like a lot, but It will not replace my P365 as my carry gun. 5 rounds may be enough for self defense, but why take the chance when you can carry ten rounds in a package at least as small and certainly as light as anything on the market?

 

[SwampWolf]

86 rounds is no more armed than 5 rounds...

Please explain. Does having 5 rounds make you no better armed than having 1 round?

 

[WestKentucky]

Please explain. Does having 5 rounds make you no better armed than having 1 round?

Not if you are good with the first one, although it is realistic to empty a 5 shot cylinder whereas it’s not very reasonable to expect to empty 5 mags.

 

[SwampWolf]

I'm not sure where you're logic is coming from. Having 86 rounds assuredly makes you "more armed" than having 5, no matter how much more they weigh. If you are always "good with the first one", a muzzle-loader comes to mind-the smoke screen might help you run from the more than one bad guy you didn't count on as being a part of your imagined gun fight scenario.

 

[Kleanbore]

[ans to Does having 5 rounds make you no better armed than having 1 round? }Not if you are good with the first one

The double negative serves to confuse. What are you trying t o say?

 

[WestKentucky]

I'm not sure where you're logic is coming from. Having 86 rounds assuredly makes you "more armed" than having 5, no matter how much more they weigh. If you are always "good with the first one", a muzzle-loader comes to mind-the smoke screen might help you run from the more than one bad guy you didn't count on as being a part of your imagined gun fight scenario.

I guess then we should all stick an m2 in our pocket with a couple thousand rounds linked. The point is that a proficient shooter that gets hits can do as much with 1, 5, or whatever as a panicked shooter with a million rounds. Capacity means nothing if they are wasted. Similarly accuracy means nothing if you get swarmed by a mob. The focus should not be on how many bullets can be sprayed, nor should it be on how precisely a bullet can be placed on target. It’s all about getting hits on a large target in no extremely specific location and doing it quickly. The number of rounds you have with you doesn’t matter, and it doesn’t matter if your gun shoots 1/4” at 500 yards.

Either 5, 50, or 5000000 rounds makes no real difference as long as it’s enough. I personally feel like 5 is probably enough, and I carry an extra 5 in my pocket so I am very confident that 10 is enough.

 

[chicharrones]

Does anyone here carry a snub nose 5 shot as a primary weapon, not just as a backup gun?

I did. My first carry gun when I got a carry license was my Taurus 85UL 5-shot in .38 Special. Since I pocket carried it, I soon cut off the hammer spur to make drawing the gun out of the pocket an easier task.

However, at some point later, I decided I wanted more than 5-shots in my carry gun. For pocket carry, I have a 7+1 .32 ACP and a 6+1 .380 ACP. My regular carry choice is my 6+1 .380 ACP pocket gun (Remington RM380).

If I were to get another pocket revolver, it would be a DAO with a concealed hammer or spurless hammer. And likely a 6-shot in .32 magnum from Ruger, not to mention that I've considered a 7-shot .22 magnum from S&W. But that is a decision I have not made yet and that could take this thread into a bit of a caliber war.

 

[chicharrones]

I guess I'm confused

View attachment 996634
View attachment 996635
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https://www.handgunhero.com/compare/ruger-lcp-ii-vs-ruger-lcr

I chose Ruger as the Mfg for both sides but comparable results can be found for Sig, S&W, etc.

For me, that 4.4 oz. difference is negligible. However, the size difference certainly favors the LCP as a pocket gun.

 

[SwampWolf]

The number of rounds you have with you doesn’t matter

Of course it matters if you don't have enough. If you don't have enough, you lose. And if you're the loser in a gunfight you've likely lost your life. Having "enough" might have everything to do with what neighborhood you find yourself in and what the threat level is. If bullets are coming your way, you'll never have "enough" ammunition, no matter how judiciously you expend your rounds. I'm the author of thousands of police reports of which only a few involved a gun fight but of those that did, no one ever complained of having too many rounds at their disposal. And let's dispense with the stupid notion that just because you are armed with a high capacity magazine automatically means that you will resort to a "spray and pray" mindset. It doesn't have to because proper training and practice insures that it doesn't.

I am certainly not arguing that a person is insufficiently armed unless they're packing an automatic teeming with bullets to spare. Speaking for myself, depending on the environment, the weather, the social circumstance, etc., I often carry a Ruger LCP .380 auto or a Colt Cobra .38 Special revolver. But I'm not kidding myself: if, for whatever reason, I'm toting, say, a six shot revolver when the unthinkable becomes reality, I have chosen to be less armed than I otherwise could have been and I will have only myself to blame.

 

[Risky buisness]

I have carried revolvers for years and never felt particularly under gunned, 6 or 5 shot.
I still carry one working around the homestead where its size is less likely to get snagged or hung up on things. I also carry a compact 9 going to town or other situations and am perfectly satisfied with either. I spend about an equal amount of training time with both and have irritated at least one instructor that was used to hi cap semiautos by doing it.
The secret is to use what ever you carry effectively which calls for lots of practice and training
Good luck with what ever your choice ends up with.

 

[ColoradoMinuteMan]

While a little bit dated, I have always found this analysis of NRA "Armed Citizen" information pretty interesting.
https://tacticalprofessor.files.wordpress.com/2014/12/tac-5-year-w-tables.pdf

 

[webrx]

I carry an LCP when I need to pocket carry, and I even sometimes but not always carry a spare mag. My primary for a long time was a ruger LCRX. I replaced it with the LC9s because I shoot it better than a revolver in DA.

Also the lc9 sits tighter to my waist. I OWB at 3:30 always unless pocket carrying so thinner is important to me.

I have never felt unsafe with any of these options. Primarily because depending on where I am going and how concealed I need to be, they each provide me with an option to defend myself and my family which I would not have if I didn’t have an lcp to pocket carry

Dave

 

[Tallball]

I generally prefer to carry snub revolvers.

Lately it's been a CA Bulldog, but when my current health/clothing issues are settled I'll go back to my LCR 38 special.

I shoot revolvers better and am more comfortable with them.

If I suddenly stop posting, you'll know it wasn't enough.

 

[Riomouse911]

How can understanding the limitations of somehing make it adequate if one cannot ensure that those limitations will not be exceeded?

I see time and time again that you revel in being antagonistic, but look at what you wrote and how asinine your statement is.

How does one do what you ask? Consult a crystal ball? Tarot cards? Never leave your yard again? Only leave the house with a squad armed with M-4’s and grenades so any possible “ limitations will not be exceeded” in a potential armed encounter?

Really? I believe I outlined the limitations of the snub revolver in my post, especially compared to higher capacity compact semis. What, in all honesty, was that post intended to do? Make me or other posters feel bad? Make yourself feel superior? Sorry pal, that doesn’t impress folks.

I’ll be brutally honest here in public because I think it’s called for; You may be a moderator, but you’re really good at pissing on everyone’s charcoal.

 

[WheelGunMan]

I carried an LCR357 with a speed strip as my primary for years. I switched to semiautos for increased capacity. Still carry my LCR on occasion when I dress light as it literally disappears in an IWB holster. Never feel underfunded with it.

 

[couldbeanyone]

With my aging back I’m finding more and more a lighter gun is just about all I can comfortably carry day in and day out when concealing inside the waistband. One gun I am interested in is the Ruger LCP. I greatly appreciate the reliability of a snub nosed revolver but are these guns capable enough to serve as a primary weapon? I live in a low crime neighborhood.

Does anyone here carry a snub nose 5 shot as a primary weapon, not just as a backup gun?

The question is not whether the gun is capable, but whether you are capable. Jerry Miculek with an LCR and a couple of speedloaders is good to go. Most of the people I see at the range, uh, not so much. I have shot a couple of uspsa matches with a j frame. Not a recipe for a high ranking finish. Shooting double taps on everything is good mental exercise with a 5 shot cylinder as your round count never comes out right. I have also shot an airlite in rimfire in steel challenge. The guns are capable, but you've GOT to practice.

 

[Kleanbore]

I see time and time again that you revel in being antagonistic...you’re really good at pissing on everyone’s charcoal.

I was respnding to the following:

Once one understands and accepts the limitations the 5-6 shot revolver .... a 5 or 6 shot revolver is perfectly adequate for daily carry.

I do not understand that at all.

How can understanding the limitations of something make it adequate for daily carry?

Please try to explain what you mean.

 

[EMC45]

I believe armed and prepared begins between the ears long before it starts with what's hanging off your belt, or jammed in your waistband. High crime, low crime or no crime is inconsequential if you are ill prepared or not well versed with your equipment.

I often find that folks talking about "limitations" of a snub nose (either shot placement or power) have not spent a lot of time on the trigger of one. I have heard the terms "difficult to shoot", "not accurate", "low capacity" etc. etc. bandied about for years and years. It is a viable option for defense. The limitations are with the loose nut behind the trigger.

Get what you can afford, shoot accurately/comfortably, and will carry and you'll do just fine. Shoot it A LOT.

I've shot my .38 Special snubs with loaded ammo ranging from 105gr SWC to 200gr. heavy solid and everything in between. Apart from sight regulation (148gr-158gr bullets) the loads print where they need to and are consistent and repeatable.

 

[Kleanbore]

I believe armed and prepared begins between the ears long before it starts with what's hanging off your belt, or jammed in your waistband. High crime, low crime or no crime is inconsequential if you are ill prepared or not well versed with your equipment.

Yes indeed--it's mindset, skillset, and toolset, in that order.