The snubbie revolver, by Ed Lovette

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Hometeached1

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I finished reading this great book!:D He has almost won me over on revolvers being the best handguns for SD, then again I love shooting a DA revolver over any auto I have shot. I still carry an auto as my main CCW, but I think the snubbie will always be my BUG. He also give good advise on tactics as well, geared towards snubbies, but you could apply most of them to any handgun. I thought the story about the young trainee who could not open the cylinder on the k-frame so funny, I thought everybody knew how to do that even holllywood!:eek:
I think anyone who has a revolver for SD should read this book, or anyone with a handgun for that matter.

I'm not sure if this belongs here or in the revolver section, moderators please move this if you think it would be better there.
 
I carried a snubby for 20 years . Working in construction did not leave room for iwb most time so needed something that I could pocket carry. A snubby worked real well for me but I finally changed over to a pistol but I did stay with a double action trigger with that pistol. Some things just feel right.
 
I like revolvers.
And I like the notion of the snubbed-nose revolver.
And I have owned and shot quite a few snubbies over the years.

And they are one of the most challenging handguns to master!

I don't carry one these days, and I don't recommend them.
 
Snubbies are harder to shoot than some other subcompact handguns, in other words you have to practice more. One of the biggest things that will help is getting a set of grips that fit your hands. Now if I was carrying a snubbie as my main/only handgun I would not use a j-frame, I would use a K-frame, D-frame or L-fame. With some practice I can keep all five shots from my 642 in a 6" plate at 7yards as fast as I can pull the trigger with 135gr +p gold dots. This is the revolver that is in my pocket everyday.
 

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I picked up Lovette's book several years ago and agree it's very good info for the snubbie carrier.
 
I've been carrying a snubby "K" frame for as long as I can remember. I own plenty of decent AL's, but when I walk out the door I carry a snubby about 99% of the time.

As for mastering the snubby as a primary SD weapon, it definitely requires a lot of range time, and continued follow up range time to remain proficient with them. I practice with SD loads, and I feel it's necessary to do so. And since I carry full house .357's, the need for continuous range time is absolutely necessary.

GS
 
Although I carry a auto these days, my first purchase for a carry gun was a S&W Model 36. I still keep it available in my house, and even enjoy taking it to the range now & then. it is just fun to shoot.
 
Ok, I've not read the book yet. Those that have, what's the "one thing" that really stood out?
.
 
I love my snubby and it has become my primary carry for the simple reason that it can go everywhere with me. I reload my own practice and SD ammo and my load for my M36 with a 140gr XTP bullet is deadly accurate and easy to shoot. I feel the snub iss all I need.
 
This is a really good book even if you never carry a revolver (though it will certainly make you rethink that ;) )

One of the things I really pulled from it was knowing your role and having a reasonable plan for the skill level your dealing with. He mentions working for the CIA getting employees up to speed, but then realizing most of the people he would be working with were not SEAL's or Delta, but rather Harvard and Yale guys who had never fired a gun their lives.

For them a simple snubby they could create "hell in small place" enough to get away from the bad guys, made the most sense to him at the time.

Very smart, realistic, and grounded fellow.
 
Reading it now. It is excellent, and it covers much more than firearms.

I'll post a short report when I can. In the meantime, I do suggest ordering it.
 
Been packing a LCR for o over a year now with no complaints... Yeah it's somewhat challenging to train with... And you need to train.... But I see plenty of guys at the range shooting semis at 7 yards that look like they are firing buckshot.... You gotta put in The range time regardless of what you shoot.
 
A Must for the Bookshelf

Great book, not just about guns. Has a section on carrying flashlights, pepper spray, and knives. Covers holsters and pocket carry. Includes a discussion of tactics, with emphasis on situational awareness, and touches on carjacking countermeasures; addresses training; touches on some real world encounters, some involving unarmed victims and how they would have been would have been better off had they been armed.

Lovette ponts out that the main advantage of the snubby is that you are likely to have it with you ("the five shot snubby is the modern-day equivalent of the ... derringer"). He looks back at the Detective Special and points out that in the old days, a five shot snubby was best treated as a backup gun. He covers grips, front sight improvements, and lasers. Goes into ammunition choice. Touches on speed loaders, but points out that the quickest reload is a New York reload.

Again, a great read, and a must for the bookshelf.
 
Hometeached1 said:
I finished reading this great book!:D He has almost won me over on revolvers being the best handguns for SD, then again I love shooting a DA revolver over any auto I have shot. I still carry an auto as my main CCW, but I think the snubbie will always be my BUG. He also give good advise on tactics as well, geared towards snubbies, but you could apply most of them to any handgun. I thought the story about the young trainee who could not open the cylinder on the k-frame so funny, I thought everybody knew how to do that even holllywood!:eek:
I think anyone who has a revolver for SD should read this book, or anyone with a handgun for that matter.

I'm not sure if this belongs here or in the revolver section, moderators please move this if you think it would be better there.
Click to expand...
Well I won't say I was 'won over' but he showed there are times the snubby is optimal for the situation.

Deaf
 
I read that one a while back. He makes a good case for the snubbie, and offers some real practical advise on them. Not that I needed much convincing. I've owned and carried D frame Colts and others for decades, though never in a pocket. And Yes I shoot them often.
 
Most of the examples in his book can be summed up as: "If so-and-so only had a gun..."

We've never heard that before. Any gun in 38 Special or greater would have solved the problem.
 
I do not think it would be accurate to characterize Lovette as having described revolvers as "the best handguns for SD."

He discusses the advantages of the snubby revolver (small size, light weight, high reliability, and the difficulty of preventing the carrier from firing it in an extremely close quarters) and discusses how to train with it and carry it. He further discusses how it can be used when a snubby revolver or two is what one has when the need arises.

Most, but not all, of the discussion applies equally well to an automatic with adequate grip, decent sights, very high reliability, and sufficient power. And one more time, the book is worth reading.

Personally, I find a J-Frame trigger difficult to use due to arthritis and tendonitis, and I do not like the five shot capacity.

I carry a 9MM auto most of the time. Better trigger, better sights, higher capacity.

I haven't fired a Detective Special for almost five decades, but Lovette speaks highly of the trigger, the grip, and the sixth shot. I would like to see the introduction of a modernized version.
 
Interestingly, a local cop wouldn't have been convicted of murder if he'd had a .38 snub instead of his semi-auto that was jammed out of battery for a contact shot.

IE; if the cop had shot the bad guy THEN, no problem. But he shot him a few seconds later (still justifiable from the actual info) but the DA was on a headhunt following the Trayvon Martin courts decision.
 
Interestingly, a local cop wouldn't have been convicted of murder if he'd had a .38 snub instead of his semi-auto that was jammed out of battery for a contact shot.

IE; if the cop had shot the bad guy THEN, no problem. But he shot him a few seconds later (still justifiable from the actual info) but the DA was on a headhunt following the Trayvon Martin courts decision.
Which city/state did this occur in?
 
I don't want to derail the thread to discuss this case. Most of the pertinent info won't be found in any news stories, so you won't be able to find out all the facts.

I mentioned it only to illustrate a recent real life example of where a snubby would've worked when a semi-auto did not.
 
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