Where did the full-size snubbies go?

[jdgabbard]

2" medium frame .357s have always been rare. As for the 2-3/4" Ruger Six series, they may not be common in OK but they're not hard to find overall. I've had a couple of them and really like them a lot. However, they handle and carry more like a 3" than a 2".
Your idea of fitting a snub .38 barrel to a Model 65 or similar is a good one. Or, it might be easier to find a Model 10 or 64 snubby and fit a .357 cylinder to it. That's probably what I would do if I were looking for something like that. In fact I would probably get a 10 snubby and carry it in stock form while looking for a donor .357 cylinder and a gunsmith to install it. Some of the specialty ammo makers can supply .38 +P+ ammo that is very close to .357 performance, so you wouldn't be losing much while you shop for a cylinder.

Either way the barrel would likely need pulled to turn down the barrel shank the necessary length to accomodate the cylinder. Probably would be easier to find the 2" barrel that way.... This was more of a thought than an actual immediate plan.

[MT Gianni]

For a good sized 2" snub gun in a carry a lot, shoot a little, go with a CA Bulldog in 44 special.

[jdgabbard]

For a good sized 2" snub gun in a carry a lot, shoot a little, go with a CA Bulldog in 44 special.

I've heard good things about the bulldog. But if I'm being completely honest, that crane design has always given me the shivers. It looks VERY thin in the pictures.... Although I can't say I've ever shot one, let alone handled one....

[rintinglen]

From the looks of things, the 2" barrel may not have to be shortened much to get it to fit. I don't have a 357 fixed sight K-frame, but a casual comparison between Pugly, my 2" Model 10-8, and my 357 Model 66 2 1/2" suggests that the cylinders are about the same length. I personally find the 3 inch guns to be easier to shoot well than the same guns with a 2 inch barrel. But I wear a size 12 4E, I can't tell anybody else what size to buy based on my needs and experience.

However, you will have to get an new center pin and extractor rod--the 2 inch guns are shorter. What I have toyed with was looking for a heavy-barrel model 10 and shortening it to 3 inches, having the rib milled for a new sight and making a sort ersatz FBI special. Those 3 inch guns are excellent--I wish I had kept one of the ones that passed through my hands back in the 90's. I had two or three Police trade ins, but was flipping them for a few dollars profit. I never dreamed they'd be as expensive as they are today.

[sigep1764]

Dan Wesson also made revolvers that cam with multiple barrels as well. Again, a bit pricy.

[Winger Ed.]

Am I missing something? Where did all of the full-size 6-shot 357magnums go? I swear it seemed like there used to be a lot more on the market....

There is still some out there, but the world seems to have moved on over to automatics for every need.
With less new ones being sold, it'd make sense to see less of them on the used market too.

I can't remember when the last time I saw a Police Officer wearing a revolver.

[shooting on a shoestring]

Jdgabbard, it sounds like you’re dialed in on what you want and the hunt is on!

I strongly advise to hold out for exactly what you want. It’s going to cost money and you might have to mail order, and it’ll take some time. Settling for something else will leave you always wanting. Way better to get the real deal and be happy!

[shooting on a shoestring]

There’s a retail shop in Houston called Collector’s Firearms. I see they have 3 used K-Frame 38’s in stock with 2” barrels. Their website is cumbersome. Makes you flip through lots of gun pics………sheesh!

[Forrest r]

Last thing I'd want is a 38spl for sd/ccw.
Last thing I'd want to use in a snub-nosed 357mag is a 125gr hp.

The ca bulldog is one heck of a hard hitting light weight revolver. This revolver has well over 1000 44spl p+ loads down the tube. CA uses the same crane for their 357mags. I've carried a ca bulldog since the 1980's. Never any issues.
[IMG][/IMG]

Typical 44spl p+ loads used in that bulldog pictured above. A +/- 200gr bullet doing 1000fps is just about perfect for that snub-nosed revolver.
[IMG][/IMG]
Heck standard pressure 44spl loads will rival what a snub-nosed 357mag brings to the table. Playing around at 25ft doing rapid fire drills (5 shots/20 seconds). Interestingly enough the same 8.0gr of pp pushing a 245gr swc & 200gr wc gave the same velocities.
[IMG][/IMG]

Myself, I wanted a snub-nosed 357mag. So I got a s&w l-comp. 7 shots, comped and easy enough to conceal. Don't use a light bullet in it, a 170gr fn doing 1200fps+ gets the nod.
[IMG][/IMG]

Carried the s&w 29 off and on for decades. Used several different +/- 260gr bullets doing 1200fps+ for loads. Sold it off a couple years back.
[IMG][/IMG]

Still have the $$$ laying around to buy a s&w 69. Still haven't decided on a 2 3/4" bbl and sell the ca bulldog. Or go with a 4.25" bbl and the heavy bullets again.

Small light revolver and recoil present their own issues. The tradeoff becomes low recoil loads or lighter bullets.

[FergusonTO35]

Love my Taurus 856! Carries as easy as a J frame, six shots, as easy to shoot as a K frame. Ruger, why didn't you come up with this gun? All it would take is opening up the SP-101 a bit which is already big and heavy for a five shot.

[jdgabbard]

Love my Taurus 856! Carries as easy as a J frame, six shots, as easy to shoot as a K frame. Ruger, why didn't you come up with this gun? All it would take is opening up the SP-101 a bit which is already big and heavy for a five shot.

Yeah, the SP-101 is definitely an over-built gun. I have one in 38spl, and it amazes me how well it was made.

I think I've decided what I am going to do. I'm going to be keeping my eye out on a Model 19 with a 2-2.5" barrel. But I may also look into buying a Rossi RP63, 606, or another of the like.... The RP63 has a 3" barrel, the 606 a 2" barrel - but it's not made anymore. They may not be as nice as the S&W, but they seem to be relatively well built.

[Jtarm]

I don’t get the desire for a 2” .357.

2 3/4 to 3” gets you a full-length extractor stroke, better ballistics, longer sight radius, better recoil control and is just as concealable on a belt.

[cpaspr]

It seems you're wanting the six round capacity in a short barrel, non-adjustable-sights package. Anything not ticking those three requirements is out. And that's fine. There are guns out there that meet your requirements. They're just few and far between coming up for sale, and spendy when they do.

Me, I opted for the Ruger LCR-357. 1-7/8" barrel, 5-shots. I went with the .357 version rather than the .38 specifically because it was about 3.6oz heavier (at 17.1oz), and I can shoot .357s if I choose to. The trigger is not light, but it is very smooth. Even though it's double action only, I regularly shoot bowling pins at 15 yards with it. I don't feel under-gunned.

[Outpost75]

I went onto Gunbroker and bought early 1970s Colt Agent with true 2-inch barrel and shrouded ejector rod and heavy barrel, Parkerized as my EDC. Weighs a pound loaded.

[jdgabbard]

I went onto Gunbroker and bought early 1970s Colt Agent with true 2-inch barrel and shrouded ejector rod and heavy barrel, Parkerized as my EDC. Weighs a pound loaded.

That is a nice gun. I’m a little jealous…

[jdgabbard]

It seems you're wanting the six round capacity in a short barrel, non-adjustable-sights package. Anything not ticking those three requirements is out. And that's fine. There are guns out there that meet your requirements. They're just few and far between coming up for sale, and spendy when they do.

Me, I opted for the Ruger LCR-357. 1-7/8" barrel, 5-shots. I went with the .357 version rather than the .38 specifically because it was about 3.6oz heavier (at 17.1oz), and I can shoot .357s if I choose to. The trigger is not light, but it is very smooth. Even though it's double action only, I regularly shoot bowling pins at 15 yards with it. I don't feel under-gunned.

Obviously that’s what I’m in the market, or at least evaluating the market for. But I guess the original intent of the post wasn’t so much trying to find one, as much as a genuine question of where they went / why we don’t really see them in current production so much. Along with comments about what’s out there now, and options for older guns… The topic just kind of turned into what it is…

I own multiple J-Frame sized pistols. I’m not opposed to them. I have a SP-101 and a Taurus 85 Ultralite that I carry fairly often. They work well, and I’ve been happy with them. I guess my personal preferences are just leading me back to medium sized 6shots intended to be concealable.

[challenger_i]

Meaning no disrespect, but I always thought of the Fitz Special Colt New Service as a "Full-Sized Snubby"...

[Bigslug]

As for the OP question of "where they went". . .

Practically, as a "combat gun" that needed to walk the line between being concealable for a plainclothes detective type, while still holding six rounds, using standard issue speedloaders, etc. . . a three inch barrel was kind of the magic number because it allowed for an extractor rod that was long enough to completely push a spent case clear of the cylinder.

This allowed the thumb of the left hand to run the extractor, sure of getting rid of all the brass, while the right hand was reaching for the next speedloader.

What I'm teaching these days with the short-rodded 1 7/8" to 2 1/4" snubbies that CAN'T completely drive the cases free, is to hold the revolver vertically with the left hand, "spank" the extractor rod briskly with the right in the hope that momentum and gravity will pull the cases clear, continue downward with the right hand to strip free any cases that remain hung up, and only then continue the movement with the right hand toward the fresh ammo.

The six shot guns used to be common as a primary mode of self defense and that easier reload of the slightly longer extractor rod was seen as a benefit. Not so much in today's auto-prevalent world where you can put 15 rounds of 9mm in a gun smaller and lighter than a 2.5" K-frame. The emphasis of the five shot snubs is more toward concealment and they are often carried without a reload.

So the short answer to the OP question is, they kind of got to be dinosaurs. Still being made, but the main niche for them doesn't really exist anymore.

[Outpost75]

Big Slug nailed it! Excellent summation.

[Bigslug]

If you've not handled a 3", fixed sight GP-100, it's worth your time. It is NOT just the 4" gun with a shorter barrel - it has (or at least used to have) a smaller grip spur, and in the older days of them coming exclusively with the Jordan-style grips with wood inserts, a slightly smaller version of that grip. While it isn't quite as svelte as the 3" Smiths, it captures almost all of that "NIIIIICE" feel without having the K-frame's weaknesses with regards to full-tilt .357 ammo.

In a little more modern terms, I've seen the .40 S&W wear out a lot of guns and gun parts because the guns were originally engineered for 9mm. The proper fixes for that were to design a brick of a handgun (HK USP); replace the two-piece stamped slide/separate breechblock with solid steel (Sig); or fatten the slide up to .45/10mm dimensions (Glock Gen 5 line has a .40-specific slide). Similarly, the K was a .38 asked to house the .357, and they had problems. As I like to say, the effect on both was like cramming Hemis into Hondas. The Ruger GP and the Smith L's and N's aren't as slinky, but there's no free lunch if you want to run the .357 in Toasty Mode.