By Mike Guffey

The Colt Detective Special was an American DA/SA revolver first produced in 1927 as a shortened version of the Police Positive Special handgun. It was designed for ease of carry and concealment. It proved very popular and over 1.5 million were produced in several models by the time production finally ended in 1986. Though originally offered in .32 caliber, the most common of the Colt Detective Specials were chambered for the .38 Special cartridge fed from a 6-shot cylinder and had a 2-inch barrel. (Some models with 3-inch barrels can also be found.) It is a classic-style, swing out cylinder, double action compact revolver with fixed blade front sight and notch-style rear sights and full lenght ejector rod. The cylinder rotates clockwise, unlike Smith & Wesson revolvers. The Detective Special models were also available in other calibers.

The gun first became popular [in 1926] after J. H. FitzGerald, a Colt shooter, began to cut the Police Positive guns down to two inches for use as belly guns. In fact, FitzGerald went even further and bobbed the hammerspurs and cut out the front of the trigger guards in an attempt to make a real speed gun. They called them FitzGerald Specials, and many savvy gunmen preferred them for fighting guns.

– Jim Wilson, writing in the May, 2003, “Shooting Times:

The original square butt configuration was the most common revolver shown in detective movies during the late 20’s through the early 50’s though the first issue (generation) was only manufactured for about 10 years. It had an unshrouded ejector rod housing which gave it a distinct and unmistakable silouette with its square butt. The round butt was first produced in 1933 and the extractor was shortened and shrouded about 1958. Later issues of this handgun had a less distinct appearance. In all, there were four generations of the Detective Special by the time production ended. There are many of these fine revolvers still in service today, though, sadly, Colt no longer caters to the concealable snubby or the revolver market.

Colts Detective Special is still considered by many to be one of the finest snubbies ever made.

The Most Common Question About Older 2″ Snubbies

(As received in e-mail to this site)
Q: Is it safe to use +P ammunition in my classic Colt not rated for it?

A: The revolver was never rated for this higher power ammunition by Colt, not even the late production models. Anecdotal information suggests that current gunsmiths will say, “Sure, go ahead. No problem.” This, of course, is an easily denied statement since there is nothing in Colt’s literature to confirm or deny this position.

AHEM! While it may be that using +P is not likely to cause a kaBOOM! event, there are other types of damage which may occur. And this type of failure could be caused by a combination of other problems such as cartridge case failure or a bullet lodged in the barrel occuring at the same time high power ammo is used.

Q: Wait, wait, wait. A kaBOOM! event?

A: A kaBOOM! (kB!) event is a catastrophic failure of a firearm when it is fired, an explosion sending damage and debris flying in all directions. There are no statistics available on such problems with any but Glock pistols and that is somewhat of an apples/oranges situation.

Here are the important issues:

1. 1. There is always a possibility a firearm suffers from unrecognized damage by the current or previous owner which may have occurred from the use of high power, hot, handloads or use of ammunition loads for which it is not rated. Cracks and metal fatigue can be cumulative and be unrecognizable by the naked eye. Such conditions amount to an accident waiting to happen.
   2. The blast of +P ammo is noticably greater than that of .38 Special loads. This means if it is fired indoors in a self-defense situation two problems will probably occur. The volume of the blast will temporarily (perhaps permanently) damage your hearing. If fired in a darkened room, the blast will temporarily impair your night adjusted vision.

The Long and Short of It

The use of ammo for which this model firearm (or any firearm) has not been rated is not recommended. It amounts to abuse of the gun and will cancel or exempt any potential liability which its manufacturer might otherwise have had. This is true of factory or hand loads.

So here are your safe options regarding using +P ammo in a revolver with a 2″ barrel: (1) Get a current production S&W LadySmith, (2) Get another late production model Colt or S&W or use one rated for .357 Magnum, (3) Obtain another inexpensive 2″ barrel revolver such as the Taurus Model 85 or a Rossi with a 2″ barrel.

Another Point of View on +P in the D-frame Colts:

“I have a comment regarding the use of +P ammo in .38 caliber Detective Specials. According to the owners manual that came with my .38 Special Diamondback, purchased in the early 1980s, D-frame Colt revolvers, specifically including the Detective Special, can safely use +P ammo, subject to certain limitations. The manual recommends that steel frame guns, e.g. the Detective Special, Police Positive and Diamondback, should be inspected by a gunsmith after firing 2,000 to 3,000 rounds of +P. For alloy frame guns such as the Agent, Viper or Cobra, the recommended number of rounds between inspections is 1,000. I certainly would be hesitant to use any +P rounds in a first or second issue weapon, but assuming that there were no changes in the Diamondback throughout its production life and I dont think there were Id think that any Detective Special made during that same timeframe would be suitable for limited firing of +P ammo. In my case, I usually shoot standard pressure ammo at the range, but keep a couple of speed loaders filled with +P rounds available should a serious situation arise. I have shot enough +P ammo through my Diamondback to know that the POA POI relationship is very close to that of standard pressure ammo.” — Dean Storm

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A friend of mine and I have an ongoing debate about which snubby is uglier, the Centennial or the Bodyguard. The camel hump hammer shroud on the back of the Bodyguard’s frame, while eminently sensible, has never appealed to my eye. However, it is completely functional. The hammer shrouded Bodyguard, unlike the Centennial, remains snag-free for pocket carry while allowing for single-action fire. The hump also helps the Bodyguard to stay in position when carried in a pocket holster.

The Bodyguard is unusual in one way, in that it was introduced first in the Airweight version as the Bodyguard Airweight in 1955. It later became the Model 38 in 1957. The steel frame Bodyguard was introduced as the Model 49 Bodyguard in 1959. The original Bodyguard “Pre-Model 38” was built in the “four screw” configuration.

In 1985, the Model 649 was introduced. It was a stainless steel version of the Model 49, and it was built until 1996. In 1997 the Model 49 was discontinued in favor of the stainless Model 649 in .357 Magnum.

In 1989, The Model 638 Bodyguard Airweight Stainless was introduced. This was an aluminum alloy and stainless steel version of the original Model 38. Also in 1989, the Model 638-1 was produced. It is distinguished from the Model 638 because it as a 1/8″ sight width.

In 1996, the 638-2 was reintroduced on the “J-Magnum” frame. The J-Magnum frame is identical to the original J-frame except for the fact that it is 1/10″ longer, to accept the .357 Magnum cartridge. Even the .38 Special guns produced from this time forward are built on the J-Magnum frame.

In 1997, the Model 649-3 was introduced. This was a stainless steel Bodyguard chambered in .357 Magnum built on the J-Magnum frame.

From Notpurfect we hear:

“Despite its antiquated basic design, limited capacity, and unimpressive power, this might be among the most politically incorrect of all firearms. At least it would be, if more people were aware of its design, and mission. To the uninitiated, this is simply an oddly shaped, sort of freakish revolver. The hump backed model 49 fires the .38 Special cartridge from a 2” barrel, and has a capacity of only 5 rounds. It is really too expensive, and well made to qualify as a Saturday Night Special (whatever meaning that phrase may happen to have at the moment). Like most specialized devices, the strange appearance of the Model 49 is a reflection of being narrowly designed for a particular function. In the case of the model 49, the gun has been designed to be carried, and even fired, from inside of a pocket.” http://www.notpurfect.com/main/m49.html

Perhaps the most infamous photograph of a pistol from the Twentieth Century involves the Smith & Wesson Bodyguard. It was awarded the Pulitzer Prize in 1969. It is the picture of South Vietnamese General Nguyen Ngoc Loan shooting a Viet Cong captain named Bay Lop in the head. I hesitate to bring up this incident, but at the same time, it is impossible for me to chart the history of this hand gun without acknowledging this moment in history.

At the height of the Tet Offensive, the general executed Bay Lop who had been responsible for the deaths of many American and Vietnamese personnel. Photographer Eddie Adams snapped the picture at the moment that the bullet crashed through the prisoner’s brain. It should be noted that the photographer later became friends with the general and had great regret over the effect of the photo on the general’s life. Adams sent an apology to the general’s family at his death. His statement was “The general killed the Viet Cong; I killed the general with my camera.”

“Adams frequently offered a qualified defense of Loan’s infamous act. Within context, and given the inevitable fog of war, he would say, the killing was understandable, if not excusable. As historian Robert D. Schulzinger points out in A Time for War, the executed VC fighter “had killed some Saigon civilians, many of them relatives of police in the capital.” – Duncan Currie, “Photographs Do Lie”

Regardless of this tragic episode, the Smith & Wesson Bodyguard has rendered exemplary service for fifty years and remains a favorite to many in the pocket gun/backup class of self-defense weapons.

By Syd

Mission

The snubnose revolver is a close-quarters self-defense handgun. The design was a response to the need for a compact repeating handgun which could be presented rapidly and concealed easily.

Some Historical Background

The first compact revolvers were not the double action hand ejector revolvers we think of as snubnoses today. Colt, Smith & Wesson and others were building small revolvers from the 1850s on. Both Colt and Smith & Wesson introduced double action revolvers in 1877. The S&W guns were top break designs and the Colts were side-loaders. In 1894 Smith & Wesson introduced the hand ejector design, the cylinder mounted on a crane which swings out for loading and unloading, with the push rod and ejector star to eject the spent cases. With the development of hand ejector, the modern double-action snubnose footprint was pretty much established, leaving only the final touch, the sawed-off barrel to Colt. By 1927, Colt had produced its six-shot Detective Special based on their .38 Police Positive Special. Its entirely possible that the very first snubnose may have been a home-brew full sized revolver with its barrel sawed off. Well never know for sure.

In 1942 Smith & Wesson built a few Victory Model Military & Police revolvers with 2″ barrels. In 1946, they began commercial production of the pre-Model 10 (Military & Police) snubnose. In 1950, Smith & Wesson introduced the 5-shot J-frame Chiefs Special in .38 Special. It was much more compact than previous renditions of the snubnose, and it has become the archetype for compact revolvers. It remains in service and production to this day. Sadly, the Colt Detective Special and the Cobra (Detective Special with a Coltalloy frame) are no longer in production. The Model 10 snubnose is no longer in production either.

What we do know is that the snubnose emerged in the shadow of full sized service revolvers like the Colt Single Action Army, The Remington New Army, and the Smith & Wesson Schofield. These were large and powerful single action revolvers chambered in .44 or .45 with 4, 6 and 8 inch barrels. These large revolvers were replaced by equally large double action Colt New Service and the Smith & Wesson Military and Police revolvers. These guns had long barrels and full grips. With six and eight inch barrels, they produced respectable muzzle velocity and superb accuracy. So what would be the rationale for sawing off the barrel and grips, and thereby reducing the sight radius, muzzle velocity and general controllability of a handgun?

The Rationale of the Snubnose

We always talk about the conceal-ability of the snubnose how easy it is to carry and conceal in a pocket or purse, and this is true, but there is another reason for building a short barreled revolver, and that is speed. If you have ever actually strapped on a Colt Single Action Army six-shooter, drawn that gun and fired it, you will understand that this operation is not all that easy to do quickly. These guns are heavy and the long barrels have to be hoisted high to clear the leather. Now, I have seen guys like Bob Munden do amazing quick draw tricks with Colt SAAs, but even Bobs guns are 4 models, and Bob is a natural phenomenon. For the rest of us mere mortals, drawing a full sized revolver and getting its sights on target is a slow affair. Try it for yourself if you have the equipment: draw a 6 barreled revolver from a holster, and then put a snubnose in the same holster, and see how much faster and easier you clear the leather with the snubby. There’s just less distance to travel, and therefore, less time involved.
What exactly is a belly gun? It is just what the word implies? A kind of hardware you jam against the other man’s navel and trigger off a burst. It has to be done in a twinkling or else he is apt to take the gun away from you and that could be bad. Since the trick of the thing depends on speed, the pistol must be short and handy-short so that it comes out fast and lines up lethally and handy so that a man points it like he does his finger. Col. Charles Askins, Belly Guns, Guns Magazine, 1955

The second and perhaps most enduring glory of the snubnose is its ability to be easily concealed. When rendered with modern light weight metallurgy, you get a handgun that still ranks as one of the best combinations of reliability, power and comfort in carry of any handgun ever built.

The Art of Compromise

The snub-nose .38 Special is a study in trade-offs. The .38 Special is an excellent cartridge coming out of a 4″ barrel. Launched from a 2″ barrel, it can suffer velocity and expansion problems. On the other hand, a .38 with a 4″ barrel wont fit in your pocket. A snub-nose .38 can launch a bigger bullet than any other pistol of its size and weight, a 158 grain slug, but it can only launch five or six of them before you have to reload. Its small size and weight make it a dream to carry, but a pain to shoot. Modern .38 Special +p ammunition from Federal, Remington, Speer, Cor-Bon and Winchester has addressed the velocity and expansion issues fairly well. Nevertheless, when you select the snubby as a self-defense handgun, you have to come to grips with the compromises involved with them.

You trade ballistics, accuracy and shooting comfort for speed, conceal-ability, and carry comfort. That’s the deal. This is just simple physics. The issue is how to deal with it. What kinds of things do you need to do to compensate for the shortcomings of the snubby and accentuate its strengths? Here are my thoughts on this question:

1. Practice.

(Well, duh, I hear you say.) The fact of the matter is that most people don’t practice much with their carry guns. When we go to the range or matches, we engage our egos and shoot the big full-sized guns with their long barrels and superb triggers, but then, when we leave the range, the gun on our hip is some little compact revolver or auto. As Walt Rausch is fond of saying, We talk .45s, shoot 9mms and carry .38s. The big gun gets 300 rounds and the carry gun gets 10. This is really backwards. Shouldn’t the gun you bet your life on get the lions share of the practice? When was the last time that you actually did an IDPA match with a J-frame revolver? If you haven’t, you should. Its enlightening. Can you empty your snubnose into a pie plate at seven yards in five seconds? If you cant, you need to go back to the range and pop caps until you can. (And that’s five seconds drawing from realistic concealment) Can you do that while moving to cover? Can you hit anything with a snub gun weak hand only? I think you get my drift. Treat the carry gun realistically, because its the one that’s most likely to pull your bacon out of the fire.

2. Practice reloads.

Most times these days, when I go to a match, I’m running a Springfield XD-9 with 16 round magazines. I never have to reload unless I want to. Snubbies aren’t like that. My greatest complaint with the snubby is that it only loads five or six rounds. For the most part, you shoot 5 rounds and then have to reload. Can you reload your revolver under stress? Have you ever tried it? While it is true that most civilian self-defense encounters are resolved with 5 rounds or less, with my luck, Ill run into the four zombies from Hell, and if I survive the opening salvo, I will need to reload. Practice your reload until its smooth and fast. It can be done. I’ve watched Jerry Miculek shoot, and he can reload a revolver faster than most of us can reload an auto. (For that matter, Miculek can reload a revolver faster than most of us can do anything.) For the video of Jerry Miculek shooting the world record and reloading, click the play button on the player to the right.

3. Carry a reload.

Five rounds may not be enough, although it probably will be. I always carry a reload. Its usually a speedloader in my strong-hand pocket. Often I will carry a second speedloader in a pouch on my belt. When everything else is equal, more ammo is better than less. Work out the way you’re going to carry your reload and then practice actually using it. The chances are good that you will discover little screw-ups and problems with your reload procedure that only practice at speed will reveal. Ill share with you a big one: many of the grips that Smith & Wesson put on their J-frames are not properly relieved to handle speedloaders smoothly. Hogue Monogrips and Crimson Trace Laser Grips are relieved properly for speedloaders, but the default Uncle Mikes boot grips and Uncle Mikes Combat Grips are not relieved properly for speedloaders. If the reload defeats you, consider carrying a second gun. In gunfighter parlance, this is referred to as The New York Reload, and its faster than any other kind of reload.

4. Study and understand ammo performance in short barreled revolvers.

This is an important point. When a gun fires, the powder is not burned instantaneously. It continues to burn as long as the bullet is traveling down the barrel, and the longer it burns, the more pressure it develops. More pressure means greater muzzle velocity for the bullet. Greater velocity means better hollowpoint performance and terminal ballistics. The snubnose has a very short barrel so you need an ammo which burns its powder fast and develops some velocity. Know also that .38 Special revolvers are calibrated to 158 grain ammunition, and smaller faster loads will tend to shoot low because the bullet emerges from the barrel sooner in the recoil cycle of the gun. Some of our preferred loads include Remington Golden Saber +p, Speer 135 grain +p, and Cor-Bon 110 grain DPX. See also Snubby .38 Special Ballistics.

5. Practice point shooting.

I’m a Cooperite and I believe in aimed fire. At the same time, when you are threatened and drawing at close range, you probably will not have time to align the sights and fire that way. You will whip the gun up, looking over the top of the gun, maybe get the front sight on the target, and pull the trigger. One study I saw showed that most police officers tended to actually use the point shooting technique when under close-range attack. They aren’t trained that way; its just something we do under the stress of a close-in lethal assault. Also, once we cross the age of 50, few of us have the eyes of a 21-year-old fighter pilot. We may not have the visual acuity to see the sights in an emergency. Hence, while I believe that the sighted fire method is to be preferred, we may face self-defense situations which will preclude the use of it. Practice both.

What You Have Going For You

Speed and Simplicity

The snubnose indexes naturally, almost as if it were an extension of your hand. Being light, and compact, it draws easily and rapidly. I would hazard the guess that there are more snubnose .38 Special revolvers currently deployed for the purpose of self-defense than any other single type of firearm. They are simple and effective. They continue to work, so people continue to use them. The cartridge is powerful enough to be lethal when adequate hits are made, and the ammunition is readily available all over the world. Women and non-dedicated personnel like them. Better a .38 Special in your pocket than a 1911 .45 at home in a dresser drawer. The snubnose is simple and uncomplicated. There are no safeties to remember. There is no complex manual of arms to master and commit to muscle memory. Its point and click. I prefer revolvers for the home defense role because there is no confusion about them. I know that every member of the family has practiced with them, and there are no tricky safety sequences to explain.

Conceal-ability

I have more holsters for my snubnoses than any other firearm platform. I have more hours carrying the snubnose than any other gun. Why? Because they carry so well. An Airweight Smith & Wesson snubnose is the most comfortable gun to carry of any I have ever tried. They are light and ergonomic. A J-frame fits to the human body better than most autoloaders. Autoloaders tend to be blocky and square. The extra magazine also adds weight and bulk. The snubnose is a bit wider at the cylinder than a 1911, but everywhere else, it is thinner and more rounded. They’re just comfortable, and they’re light. An Airweight snub weighs about 15 ounces empty, whereas an empty Government Model M1911 weighs 39 ounces. The conceal-ability of the snubnose also contributes to its speed. You can carry the gun in the pocket of a jacket and have your hand on the grip without anyone noticing it. You can even fire the gun from inside a pocket if you have to, although I don’t recommend that technique. Even so, its a lot quicker than drawing from a holster.

Snubbies fit in purses, fanny packs, leg and shoulder holsters, pants pockets and belly bands. Don’t neglect conventional belt holsters and IWBs. A lightweight snub gun in a belt holster is a delight to carry.

Dependability

It is possible to jam a revolver. It is possible, but highly unlikely. I have been firing revolvers for going on 40 years, and I have yet to have one jam on me. (Generally, my autoloaders don’t jam on me either, but it has happened.) How can one jam a revolver? Mostly, it has to do with crud. If crud gets under the ejector star, it can cause the revolver to seize up when the cylinder is closed. Crud build-up on the front of the cylinder and rear of the barrel can cause the cylinder to stop turning. With very light-framed guns using lead bullet +p ammunition, the bullets can pull out of the cases during recoil and cause a jam (Always use jacketed hollowpoints in lightweight snubs), and last, the lock work in the gun can get messed up and cause the gun to fail to fire. All of these failures are very rare. Mostly, revolvers just work with almost monotonous reliability. If you can pull the trigger on a revolver, it will go off, regardless of whether you support it well or not. It doesn’t care about ammo much. It will fire and advance the next cartridge to the firing position. If you are weak or injured, the revolver will still work for you. The other learning at this point is the revolvers are not zero maintenance. They should be fired, cleaned and periodically checked out by a qualified gunsmith.

A Gun That Is Always With You

A gun writer whose name is regrettably lost in the crevasses of my faulty memory, once wrote an article about self defense handguns for hiking. He talked about the standard range of handguns from .22s to .44s, but the thing I remember about the article was that he related that on the two occasions in which he actually had to use a gun for self defense, the gun was a .38 Special snubnose. The reason? Because that’s what I had with me. The snubnose .38, and especially the lightweight models such as the S&W Airweight, remain, in my mind, the most comfortable guns to carry and the most versatile in carry modes. Since they are so easy to carry, you’re more likely to have one with you when you need it.

Far from being obsolete, the snubnose revolver remains one of the most important, versatile and utilitarian options for self-defense.

By Tom Line
The author’s experiments with small framed S&W revolvers, like the Chief’s Special and J Frame revolvers, proved that they are some of the most effective point shooting pistols!

Point Shooting Defined

Point Shooting is generally recognized as the skill of discharging a firearm quickly, usually a hand-gun, in self defense, with minimal or no use of the sights on the gun. While this skill always works good in the movies, especially cowboy movies, in order to point-shoot well in real life and death situations, a certain amount of self-education or formal training is required, along with as much practical practice as possible. While fast draw may be considered by the uneducated to be the same as point shooting, it is in fact an entirely different animal. Fast draw should not be of primary consideration to those who truly wish to master point shooting for real life practical self defense in genuine life and death situations. In practicing point shooting, being quick on the draw will come, but should be secondary to point shooting itself.

History and Background of Point Shooting

Some gunfighters of the old west used point shooting techniques but very little is available to document this. E. A. Sykes and W. E. Fairbairn, once of the Shanghai Municipal Police before the Japanese occupation, are generally acknowledged as the fathers of modern point shooting development and Colonel Rex Applegate of the military’s Office of Strategic Intelligence (OSS – Precursor of the CIA) is credited with documenting and bringing it into popular use for clandestine military operations. Many books are available that paraphrase their work, at great length in fact, in promoting the art of point shooting during WWII training of OSS agents. Throughout this time however, point shooting was practiced by shooting advocates in law enforcement.

Why Master the Shooting Discipline of Point Shooting?

In a nut-shell, real gun fights happen in low light conditions, at very close ranges. Things happen so quickly in a real life threatening situation, that citizens, soldiers, and police find that skills learned in the formal target shooting arena have evolved more to provide shooting range safety than deadly force in self defense. In real shoot-outs, people automatically assume fighting stances that are contrary to formal target shooting. Point Shooting instead takes advantage of these natural physiological reactions of the human body, and is thus based on fighting stances that the human animal will automatically assume when challenged and threatened.

Choice of Weapon

In order to Point Shoot effectively, one is best served to practice point shooting with the weapon they will be using in a real situation. What is essential to recognize, is that different guns of various styles and configurations, provide significantly different results when used for Point Shooting. Generally speaking, any pistol will work. However know that different guns, when fired quickly without focused use of the sights, will impact very differently at the target due to differences in weight, recoil, and probably most importantly, the ergonomics of the pistol’s design. People are built differently too. A firearm that one man can quickly master for the purposes of point shooting, may be ineffective for another equally skilled shooter. For practical purposes, stick with one style of gun for the purposes of point-shooting. The gun or type of gun should be the one you’ll most likely have with you in a life threatening situation.

Notes on Point Shooting

*The following notes on point shooting are based on limited experimentation performed by the author. You results may, and probably should vary, depending on your choice of weapon, and your individual physical characteristics.

Snub Nose Revolvers:

The authors experiments with small framed S&W revolvers, like the Chief’s Special and J Frame revolvers, proved that they are some of the most effective point shooting pistols. The pistols, when provided with older style original S&W wooden grips, provide consistent accurate grouping when utilized for one handed point shooting. When used with the newer style rubber grips, the guns are less effective for the sake of accuracy when used for point-shooting.

Full Size Revolvers:

The standard and larger K Framed S&W revolvers, while more accurate than the snub nose revolvers at aimed fire, are much less effective for the purposes of point shooting than the snub nose revolvers. In point shooting practice, the medium size S&W pistols tend to lay fire very high and bit to the left. It it the authors opinion that much practice would be required to master effective one handed point shooting with such a revolver, if mastering point shooting with such a weapon is in fact possible. Such a weapon however, may prove to work well for different people, or for two handed point shooting use.

Small Frame Automatics

Experiments with military model small frame automatics yielded poor results overall for the author. Shots were very unpredictable, except at very very close range. However, considering their intended design and rapid fire rate, small frame automatics may be acceptable for close range self-defense. Note reports of Keltec’s producing good results.

Large Frame Automatic Pistols

Large frame automatic pistols yielded various results. It is with the automatic that small differences in the gun’s design become very significant for the purposes of point-shooting.

For the authors experiences in practicing point shooting, the 1911A1 model produces better results than the standard 1911 design. Note the subtle differences in the designs of the two old fine pistols. Raising the backstrap changes the pointing attributes of the gun significantly for the purposes of point shooting.

In addition to government model differences, most pistols, including newer 1911 style pistols, tend to be slightly thicker than the old G.I. pistols which will also vary the pointing characteristics significantly.

In general, the larger automatics work very well for point shooting, but considerable patient practice is necessary. The gun should be raised from below and pointed at the target, rather than held in the air and lowered at the target. The large automatics will work fine for point shooting, and an additional advantage of the large frame automatic is the high volume of firepower than may be delivered very quickly to the target.

Note that WWII G.I. vets report that the Luger, with it’s different geometry and light weight front-end, may point-shoot best when pointed at a target from the raised position rather than from the pointed down position. This may be similar for the Nazi P38’s as well as the U.S. Military Beretta 9mm which is based on the Nazi P38 design.

“Standing Tall” Vs. “Folding in” to the Gunman’s Crouch

Jelly Bryce uses Gunman’s Crouch, while Bill Jordan uses classic lawman attitude; standing tall. Applegate uses a slight crouch which is more useful for continued movement during a shootout and brings his 1911 45 automatic into a “sight plane” without actually using the sights to maximize accuracy.

Try both methods to see what works for you. Both men were fast and deadly.

By Stephen A. Camp

Out of vogue for many these days is the snub-nosed .38 Special revolver. Some still do tote one by choice as either their primary concealed carry handgun while others relegate it to backup duties for a more potent piece. Snubs can be had in several calibers and more than one frame size, but this article will focus on the J-frame Airweight .38 Special. I suggest that what is discussed here would apply equally to J-frames be they of steel, stainless, or one of the newer metal alloys used these days. I prefer to Airweight (aluminum frame) to all-steel as I tote the snub via pocket holster and find the latter a tad heavy for this convenient mode of concealed carry. The Airweight is plenty light but heavy enough that one does not usually have to worry that certain bullets will work out of their cases under recoil. This cannot be said for some of the newer revolvers that are even lighter than the Airweight. If I couldn’t find an Airweight snub, I’d go for the heavier rather than the lighter versions.

Clint Smith is reputed to have said something to the effect, “Handguns are meant to be comforting, not comfortable”. I tend to agree if one is pretty sure of treading a hazardous path, leads a high-risk life-style, or works in a dangerous profession. Before retiring as a full-time peace officer, I seldom carried less than a 9mm or .45 automatic off duty. Were I in the jewelry business in Los Angeles or a bodyguard or something similar, I would not rely solely on a snub. More than likely I’ve served my last arrest or search warrant. I’ll not kick in any more doors or be sworn to confronting and arresting wanted felons known to be dangerous on sight. These days I’m around the house feeding ducks or goldfish, writing a bit, at the range, or hunting lease and that’s about it. Before he passed, my father was in need of constant medical attention. On one hurried trip into a large city after the midnight phone call, the snub was in my pocket all right but there was a cocked-and-locked .45 in a strong side belt holster as well. The area around the hospital had been the scene of a recent homicide and several aggravated robberies. Going into a know risky area I wanted “comforting” more than “comfortable.” You get the idea; for most of my time I’m in a very, very low risk environment. True warriors will opine that one could be under deadly attack at any time and that is true, but we all play the odds to a degree. Knowing that a dozen gang bangers were heading my way to rid the world of my shadow and that I couldn’t retreat or get police intervention, I’d go with something other than a handgun to be sure. At the same time, I refuse to be “naked” and want a firearm on or near me 24/7. More than any compact 9mm or .380 ACP, the snub .38 meets my own personal requirements at least to the minimal level. For me, the .38 snub excels as a pocket gun. If going to a belt gun, OWB or IWB, a more effective and larger handgun can easily be carried.

At the same time, I absolutely reject carrying a weapon that cannot be used effectively. The compact snub can be (depending upon how one defines “effectively”), but it takes work. At my personal minimum for “power” and with limited shots on tap before reloading, it is essential that the snub user be able to make each and every hit a decisive one.

If you carry or plan to carry a snub, perhaps my practice recommendations might be of at least some use. Most of the time I go to the range and shoot some sort of handgun at least once per week. Frequently I might go two or three times depending upon my schedule or if a project is in the works. I make it a point to shoot my J-frame at least once every other week and often more. The snub is shot slow-fire for practice at precision work, rapid-fire for when that might be essential, and a bit of point shooting is included. I also suggest some strong and weak hand shooting in additional to the usual two-hand hold.

“But the snub ain’t no target gun. It’s a belly gun meant for up close and personal!” True enough until it’s not. What if you’re required to make a shot where you can only see part of your aggressor? What if you have to take a “rescue” (head) shot at 10 yards? What if you have two opponents and but two shots left and they’re rapidly advancing? You’d have to almighty quick to reload with a full five before they get to you in most instances, Jerry Miculek excluded.

The old saying that “practice makes perfect” is not true. Perfect practice does or at least lets us see improvement.

The very attributes that make the snub so easy to carry work against making it easy to shoot well. It compactness translates to short sight radius. Lightweight equals greater felt recoil and a harder gun to hold steady against the double-action trigger pull. The small cylinder means 5 shots instead of the usual 6. The 1 7/8″ barrel results in lower velocity than longer barrel revolvers and we don’t get full case extraction unless the ejector rod is depressed briskly.

Accurate shooting of the snub is possible despite the preceding downside issues. All shooters have the desire to be good shots. Fewer have the desire to do the work required to get there. I am certainly not a master shooter, but several approaches to marksmanship have helped me and translate well to the snub revolver.

Assuming that one already has understanding of shooting fundamentals like trigger control, breathing, grip, sight alignment, sight picture, and so forth, let’s tailor a little shooting regimen for the snub .38.

Start at relatively close range: Even though we’re speaking of accurate “target shooting” here, most are best served by starting off at 3 to 5 yards. Error magnifies itself with distance. Seeing groups come down in size builds confidence and that encourages practice. As repetitions of correct trigger pull, etc, burn themselves into the shooter’s hardwiring distances can be increased. Don’t get into too much of a hurry to do this and don’t get in a rush for firing more quickly

Don’t shoot beyond your individual fatigue limit: 99% of shooting is done “between the ears.” In other words, we have to use our brains. This requires concentration and concentration is the handmaiden to fatigue. The great marksman and Marine sniper, Carlos Hathcock, said that when “working” he would “crawl inside his bubble.” He was saying that he was concentrating at the maximum level on his sight alignment, breathing, and so forth. It’s exceptionally easy to fire the gun, but not so easy to make the bullets go where we want them. There is a price. It’s concentration and mental fatigue. Just routinely burning ammunition is not good once we get beyond checking for reliability and familiarity with the snub. When tired I tend to let down my guard so to speak. I think we all do and this allows for bad traits such as jerking the trigger, etc. to crop up. It seems like these bad habits can be ingrained with but a few shots, but require many to break! Bad shooting technique is hard to “unlearn.”

For many beginning shooters, 50 to 75 meaningful shots are about right for the serious range session with the snub. The number of rounds that can be fired using correct techniques will increase as the shooter’s practice continues over the weeks, as will the distances at which hits can be made.

Use realistic targets: A 1″ dot at 25 yards is not a realistic target for the snub. I suggest a bullseye roughly 4″ in diameter for distances out to about 15 yards. I also use the same size target at ranges of but a few feet. Is this not roughly the size of a human heart? For most folks it has been my experience that this size target allows them to not cover the target completely with the front sight, obscuring it. There is also a place for humanoid targets with the snub, particularly when the shooter gets to more rapid firing or wants to practice “failure to stop” drills which involve chest and head shots combined.

Shoot regularly: If at all possible practice with the snub at least once a month at the minimum. It has been my experience that 10 really good shots fired each day accomplish more than 50 fired at one time at the end of the work week. Most of us do not have ranges at our homes and cannot get to a firing range each day so this is not attainable. That said, most reading this do shoot. Take the snub and a box or two of ammunition to the range with you and put forth the effort to have a short, but meaningful training session.

Shoot ammunition you can handle: Ammunition intended for defensive purposes is often a bit more powerful than standard loads not having expanding bullets. While it is necessary to shoot some of the ammunition we intend to carry in the gun, not each and every shot has to be. Who has heard the dictum, “Practice with what you carry”? It’s my view that this is more applicable to ammunition for use in semiautomatics. Feeding and extraction reliability are more ammo dependent than with the revolver. This emphatically does not mean that revolvers cannot malfunction and it does not mean that some ammunition can contribute to this. Years ago a friend of mine was involved in a shootout. His .357 was loaded with ammo he’d never even fired. All six shots were required and he could not reload. The fired cases had expanded so much that they couldn’t be extracted. Fortunately, the “problem” had been “solved” by that point, but we see that the reliable revolver is also ammunition dependent to at least some degree.

My practice loads are either handloaded or are the inexpensive FMJ sold by Federal, Winchester, or Remington. I use Remington 158-gr. LSWCHP +P for carry. Most of the time I practice with the inexpensive ammunition, but do fire a cylinder-full or two of the hotter loads when changing carried ammunition for fresh. Felt recoil is greater, but such will not be felt in a life or death defense scenario. It will have a slightly different point of impact than the usual practice rounds, but the difference is minute, particularly out to about 7 yards. At ten yards if the practice load hits near the middle of the suggested 4″ target, the 158-gr. LSWCHP +P will, too.

Most of the inexpensive FMJ ammunition used for the range weighs 130 grains. If you’re really concerned with slight variations between points of impact with the heavier +P load, there are standard velocity JHP’s in the 110 to 125-gr. range. I prefer the heavier 158-gr. LSWCHP +P.

At least once per month, fire a few rounds of your “carry ammo.”

Practice reloading: Five shots are not many. For most of us private citizens, they are enough, but that cannot be a hard and fast rule. Be sure that you can fully eject fired cases from your snub with one hand. I carry and use the HKS speedloader and carry at least one in addition to my snub. I find that these are easy to carry concealed and are quicker for me than Bianchi speed strips. The strips are flatter and can be used when more than one reload is being carried. Whichever you prefer, practice with them.

Make sure that your snub “fits” you: Usually this primarily refers to having a set of grips that are comfortable. Unlike belt guns to a degree or target pistols, there are limitations on grips for the snub. Sometimes we have to balance concealability against comfort. The small stocks common to J-frames decades ago were certainly easy to conceal but they allowed the gun to really twist during recoil. Most of us added Tyler grip adapters to fill in the space along the front grip strap and under the rear of the trigger guard. This helped immensely and I have no problem with that set up today. More comfortable grips could be had from several makers but they were just too large. I see little point in putting grips nearly as large as those for K-frames on the J-frame snub if the pistol is to be carried concealed. I offer this general rule of thumb for picking J-frame concealment grips: no longer than the bottom of the grip frame and no covered back strap. Each increases the size of the butt with regard to concealment. They may very well be more comfortable to shoot, but they will be harder to hide.

So far the “best” carry grip I’ve tried for pocket carry has been the checkered rubber copies of Craig Spegel’s popular boot grip. These come standard on S&W J-frame snubs. I find the J-frame snub significantly easier to control with these than with the old grip from years ago. I actually prefer the rubber to wood in this instance. The reason is that pocket carry in hot climates lends itself to sweat coming in contact with grips day in and day out. Eventually this will stain the wood grip next to the body and it can sure lead to a rusty grip screw. I cannot abide rust. I wipe off my carry snub each day and also put a bit of oil on the grip screw. This will not be absorbed by the rubber grip, but can be with wood. Whether you opt for wood or synthetic, I strongly recommend the boot grip style stocks for the snub.

Forget ego and shoot beyond your comfort zone: Those damned bullseye targets are unforgiving things! They show each and every mistake and resulting poor shot. Once we have gotten to where we can keep our shots in a nice tight group, we tend to keep repeating it. We tend to “like” that which we do well at. The problem is that if this is at but 10 feet, we’re pretty limited in our ability with the snub.

Move the distance out a little. If you’ve been practicing at 5 yards and can keep your shots in the bullseye, begin shooting some at 7 yards. Continue this until you’re seeing that, by golly, you actually can shoot tight groups farther out. If you can work your skill level up to the point that you can practice confidently at 10-yards or so, the snub .38 will probably serve well in a deadly force encounter. When at this level, practice some at greater distances and keep doing the work closer in, too. I think ten yards is a reasonable training distance for folks used to the snub and one worth working toward for those who are not.

Each of us has our own cadence when shooting. It’s one we’re sure of getting the hits with; it’s comfortable. Too often, it’s slow. Earlier I railed against shooting too fast, but once accuracy levels have been met, we need to build our speed a bit. At the same time we do not want accuracy to go out the window.

If you’re shooting well at 10 yards, move in to about seven. Now, shoot a bit faster than you normally do, but do not forget about sight picture and trigger control. Your first few attempts will probably result in slightly larger groups. Try it another time or two and see if you’re holding your own. If you are, just keep working at that pace and see if the groups don’t drop on back down with time. If they do not, slow down a little. It may be that smaller increments of speed are in order.

Don’t just assume that you can do no better. Push yourself a little; you might be very pleasantly surprised, but don’t go beyond your fatigue point. (As you become a more seasoned shooter with the snub, I bet you find that this point comes later and later.) If you can, shoot with folks who are better than you are. Much of the time this tends to make us bring our levels up to more closely match those more skilled.

Shoot in various ways: Most of our shooting is done two-handed. I strongly suggest that we practice some one-handed shooting, too. Do this with both strong and weak hand. It will not initially help our egos, but it might just save our lives if we work at it. (You will appreciate those boot grips here!)

I am a proponent of using the sights whenever possible. What if it’s not possible? What if we have to fire at very close range and have but an instant?

Once the shooter can get the hits with the sights, I think it’s wise to practice shooting at the same targets pointing the gun with one hand and looking over the top of it. Nothing says that our first “invitation” to a deadly encounter might not be the loss of a hand or a broken arm. By the time we try point shooting I’m hoping that we’ve become considerably more familiar with the snub. It usually is not too difficult at closer range. I limit my point shooting to 7 yards or less; usually about 5 yards. If we can, I believe that even a “flash sight picture” is better than none at all. It that is just not possible, having more than one tool in the box can be a lifesaver.

The snub .38 is not the best defensive arm available. In my opinion it is among the best that can be unobtrusively and comfortably carried. It offers no free rides. Compared to some .380’s it is definitely harder to shoot well. The reward is that you can shoot a heavier bullet at velocities similar to the .380. The downside is that you have fewer shots and more recoil. We’re also blessed with a very simple manual of arms with the revolver and very good reliability.

To make the small .38 snub work, we need competence. That comes from dedicated practice and effort.

Best.

Visit Stephen’s site at Hi-Powers and Handguns

By Syd

I have an abiding mistrust of battery-operated gee-gaws that are supposed to make my guns work better. My basement is a veritable graveyard of electronic gadgets that suddenly and mysteriously quit working, never to come to life again. Being a dedicated adherent to Murphy’s Law, I have observed that the tool with the fewest parts tends to be the one still functional at the end of the day. I have sent any number of mowers to lawnmower heaven, but Granny’s garden hoe still works. So, is there any room in my Luddite self-defense universe for a 21st Century laser aiming device?

Maybe so, and besides, they’re really cool.

The Crimson Trace Lasergrip is a creative concept which integrates a laser aiming device into the right grip panel of the gun. The grips are sculpted to nearly the same shape as the original grips so that all of your holsters still work. There is only a small hump at the top of the right panel under which the laser is mounted and the activation switch midway down the front of the grip. The grips are made of a sturdy black polymer plastic material (or combat rubber depending on which model you buy) that is tough and feels good in your hand. Lasergrips are installed by simply replacing the factory grips. In the case of the snubnose, this mean one screw and you’re done. No other modifications need to be done to the gun. It is adjusted for windage and elevation with two of the tiniest Allen wrenches I have ever seen. It is powered by two wafer-style 2032 lithium batteries.

So, what can Lasergrips do for you?

1. Aid in training.
2. Enable target acquisition in low light situations
3. Provide rapid and positive sight indexing on the target
4. Make possible easier target acquisition from weird positions and from behind cover
5. Facilitate visual communication and muzzle awareness
6. Threat de-escalation

Training Aid

The first thing that got my attention with the Lasergrips was their capacity to give instant visual feedback for what I was doing with the gun. The little red dot will quickly show you if you are milking the trigger, flinching, or pulling your shots to one side or the other. People with “mixed dominance” vision (right-handers with left-dominant eyes and vice-versa) can get a clear sense of the tricks their eyes may be playing with their sight picture. While it’s a controversial technique, point shooting can be dramatically improved by watching the dot when you draw. At twenty five yards, I found it easy to keep all the shot in the A-zone while holding the gun at approximately chest level and putting the red dot on the target without ever looking through the sights. I have pretty good eyes, so Im speculating, but I have a hunch that people with impaired vision would be helped in getting onto the target by the laser, and I think they would find it much easer to get good hits with the laser than by trying to use iron sights. Instructors could be assisted in diagnosing problems by watching the student and observing the behavior of the laser on the target.

Target Acquisition in Low Light Situations

I never have been overwhelmed with Tritium night sights. They’re better than no illumination at all, but not by a whole lot. The laser sight is much quicker and more positive in low light conditions. Its not a flashlight, although it does splash a little bit of light around. If you’re going into a pitch-black darkness, you still need a flashlight, but if there is any ambient light at all, the laser will get you on target quickly and in a very positive way without having to force your vision through those dim Tritium notches and posts. The advantage that the Tritium does have over the laser is that they don’t give away your position like a laser beam can.

Rapid and Positive Target Acquisition:

Crimson Trace Lasergrips are no replacement for iron sights, and if I had to make a very precise shot, I would still rely on the iron sights as long as I could see them. At the same time, getting the red dot on the target is very quick and bypasses the need to align the rear notch, the front post and the target. It is a medical fact that as we age, the eyeballs become less flexible. The eyes adjust their focal point by flexing, becoming slightly longer or shorter to focus at different points in the distance. Older eyes, being less flexible, do not adjust as quickly or at all to different focal points. Some people have difficulty getting a sight picture even under optimum conditions. For those with less than perfect vision, getting a sight picture can be slow, and they may not even be able to get just the front sight in focus well enough to make the shot. In these situations, Lasergrips can be a real help in getting on the target quickly. With relatively good vision, corrected with glasses, I found that getting the dot on target quickly in a match setting was easy. I have always had a tendency to drop my shots just a bit, and when you’re shooting Pepper poppers at a distance, dropping the shot can cause the popper not to drop by hitting it too low. Using the laser sight, my percentage of quality hits definitely improved on the poppers at longer distance. At closer distance, I think the laser may have actually slowed me down just a bit because I was looking for the red dot rather than just shooting the target with front sight press. One situation did completely defeat the Lasergrips. A popper had been painted fluorescent orange and the red dot simply disappeared in the orange paint. I had to revert to iron sights on that one.

With the relatively poor sights found on most snubnose revolvers, the CT grips are really helpful. I have done the experiment of taking people to the range and letting them shoot with similar guns, but with one equipped with a laser sight and one not so equipped. The result is always the same. People shoot tighter patterns quicker using the lasers.

Easier Target Acquisition from Weird Positions and From Behind Cover:

When using iron sights, you must place at least part of your head behind the gun, and expose the gun and some of your face and head to hostile fire. With the Lasergrips, if you can see the target you can aim the pistol without exposing as much of your head. Under certain circumstances, this could be a distinct tactical advantage. Additionally, an officer who was down and wounded could still aim his pistol even if his wounds prevented him from aiming the pistol in the normal way.

Visual Communication and Muzzle Awareness

In a team context, the laser sight could be used as a pointer to indicate the position of a hostile or to signal potential paths of movement without making any sound. In a team training setting, the laser can be used to increase muzzle awareness and allow instructors to see clearly who is covering who.

“Threat De-escalation”

I love euphemisms like this. “Threat de-escalation” simply means making the little red dot dance on the chest of a potential evil-doer and producing a rapid change of heart in said evil doer by giving him a clear visualization of where the hole is going to go if he decides to pursue his current course of action. Of all the benefits of the Lasergrips, this one is the most problematic for me. Why? Well, there’s no assurance that the aggressor is going to see the dot and make the right decision about it in the desired time frame. Second, this capability could tempt a person to draw and point their gun at a person in order to control them, but this could leave the user open to a charge of brandishing or even assault with a deadly weapon. Put another way, pointing a gun at another person has serious legal ramifications, and should only be done in circumstances that justify the use of deadly force. Nevertheless, a goodly number of police officers and soldiers have reported successful “de-escalations” in violent aggressive subjects with the use of the laser, and if the laser legally applied prevents a shooting, that’s a plus.

A Few Things That Lasergrips Aren’t:

They aren’t a replacement for your iron sights. They aren’t a shortcut to practice and good marksmanship. They aren’t a flash light, and most of all, they aren’t a cool toy with which to intimidate and mess with people’s heads. A couple of years ago a cadet in our local police department got into a verbal confrontation with a patron at a bar. The cadet was in uniform and, while tempers apparently got heated, the mouthy bar patron finally backed down and left. But as he walked away, the cadet drew her service pistol which was equipped with a laser sight and put the dot between the patron’s shoulder blades. This moment of indiscretion resulted in the cadet losing her job and the possibility of ever working as a police officer. Had she been a civilian, she probably would have been charged with a felony. The moral of that story is, don’t put the little red dot anywhere that it wouldn’t be appropriate to put a bullet.

Testimonial on Toughness and Water Resistance:

A SWAT Team Captain and Instructor writes:

“I teach basic to advanced building search classes and SWAT tactics. I have been using the Crimson Trace laser on my Glock 17 for almost five years now. [We will forgive the captain for his poor taste in guns for now] I use my weapon each time I instruct to demonstrate the use of white light as well as the tactical advantage a laser sight has in a CQB/building search environment.

I carry my weapon on a daily basis while on and off duty, subjecting it to the daily ‘wear and tear’ of being jostled about and bumped around while getting in and out of a unit, etc. It has never failed to function properly when I needed it.

More importantly, I also work the major holidays on the Colorado River for our Department’s Boating under the Influence (BUI) Program. This duty requires being on the water in a patrol boat 10 to 12 hours a day. It is not uncommon to respond to emergencies that require entering the water to assist someone.

When this occurs there is no time to remove your weapon or other gear. The first time I went in the water with my weapon on I didn’t give a thought to the fact that I subjected the laser system and its electrical components to complete emersion in water.

Later, after I got off duty, I was in the process of getting ready to clean my weapon when it dawned on me that I had probably destroyed the laser system by going in the water with it. I hit the pressure switch, and quite honestly, to my amazement IT WORKED!

I can’t tell you the amount of times I have been in and out of the water with my weapon on, but each time I go in so does Crimson Trace’s Laser System. It has never failed to work when I need it, even after being completely immersed in water on numerous occasions. This is quite a testament to the reliability and durability of your product.

I thought it important for you to know this and be able to tell other users of the reliability of your system and the type of abuse it can be subject to and still operate.

Although I can’t state the agency I am employed by, you may use my personal experiences, confidence and endorsement of Crimson Trace and your Laser System.”

— Captain James D. Stalnaker

Testimonial on Toughness and Threat De-escalation:

My name is SSG Sieler. I am currently deployed in Tikrit Northern Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom with B Company 2-4 Aviation Regiment 4th Infantry Division.

I purchased one of your outstanding sighting systems to go with my Aviation Life Support Equipment. I use it everyday and must say that it is one of the best combat multipliers I have in this combat theater. I must honestly say it has saved lives over here. Not only those of U.S. services members but also the lives of Iraqis.

Often we are faced with tense situations where the “little red dot” makes the difference between the use of deadly force or the power of intimidation. Even with the language barrier the little red dot speaks volumes for us.

I’m sure you have had soldiers here try to contact you to purchase ones for themselves, as everyone I run into loves mine. The environment here is extremely inhospitable and my M-9 takes a beating on a daily basis. The OPTEMPO in Army Aviation here is staggering and all the aircrews carry the Berretta 9mm. Many soldiers here have bolt-on personal sighting devices but none are as transparent in use, (your grips fit just like the original equipment and never hinder operations as others do) or nearly as durable. Mine has outlasted all the others.

Once again I would like to thank you for an outstanding product. It has made my job that much easier. I have no idea how I ever got along without it.

— SSG SIELER

Nits to pick:

They run on batteries. I will never completely trust anything that runs on batteries. I feel compelled to test the laser every time I put the gun on which runs the batteries down.

Ergonomics:

The grips shown above are the Model LG 305 which are the larger of the two models made for S&W J-frames. Crimson Trace also makes a smaller version, the Model LG 405 which are closer to the size of boot grips. The Model LG 305 grips are longer and a bit wider than boot grips. The increased size of these grips improves comfort and control when firing without giving up too much in terms of conceal-ability. For a person who prefers pocket carry, the more compact Model LG 405 would probably be better. One drawback on the Model LG 305 is that holsters which use a thumb-break around the backstrap of the grip such as Galco shoulder holsters, will no longer fit when the 305’s are installed.

Lasers and the Snubnose

While the snubnose may point very naturally, its small grip, short sight radius and heavy trigger make it a difficult handgun to shoot accurately. Additionally, the sights on most snubbies are nominal and often hard to see, especially in low light and for people who may not have good eyesight. Lasergrips make a quick index on the target in poor visual conditions easy. The question has been raised that looking for the red dot might actually slow down the shooter in an emergency. This is an issue which should be considered. If you are already fast and practiced enough that you can snap off a shot in the twinkling of an eye and get a good hit, the Lasergrips might not be an asset in a speed shooting situation. I have been practicing for fast shots much longer than Lasergrips have been around, and I retain a certain mistrust of electronic gadgets. In a spitting-distance slug fest, I might not worry about the red dot or take time to look for it. However, in bad light conditions and when the target is somewhat further away, like 10-20 yards, the Lasergrips really speed up your target acquisition. In the “putting your money where your mouth is” column, I have two sets of CT grips, one for J-frame and one set on my Commander. Additionally, I have an Insight X2 light/laser sight combo on my Springfield XD-9. I like the laser sights.

Summary:

Crimson Trace Lasergrips are an innovative concept that can provide a number of training and tactical advantages. I wouldn’t consider them something I couldn’t live without, but many tactical situations and circumstances come to mind in which the Lasegrips could be a significant asset. They are a meaningful assist in aiming the snubnose revolver.

Specs:

Dot Size: Approximately 0.5″ diameter at 50 feet.

Beam Intensity: 5mw peak, 633nm, class IIIa laser. Maximum output that federal law and technology allow. Also available in infrared for law enforcement and military only.

Power Source: Two #2032 lithium batteries (included). Provide over four hours on on-time use and have a five-year shelf life.

Activation: Integrated momentary pressure switch(s) (all models) and a master on/off switch (most models).

Adjustment: Fully adjustable for windage and elevation with Crimson Trace’s precise sight-lock calibration screws.

Warranty: Full three-year no hassle warranty on all parts and labor.

By Syd

There is little dispute that the .357 Magnum works. After all, there aren’t many handgun cartridges that can claim to have brought down moose, elk, and grizzly bears. Most of the other handguns that can lay claim to felling large game are generally considered to be too large and have too much recoil for practical self-defense applications. The .44 Magnum would be a good example. (Yes, I know the .41 Magnum has done it, but I have yet to run into a person packing a .41 for personal protection?) Yet, the .357 Magnum has done it while remaining manageable in a personal defense sized handgun. It’s a tail kicker, but it has its downside. The sound of a .357 going off is tremendously loud, even when wearing ear protection. Setting off a .357 indoors without ear protection would most certainly do damage to one’s hearing which could be permanent. The muzzle flash is very bright in the dark and could cause temporary vision impairment.

Controllability is a concern with the .357 Magnum. It was originally introduced for large-frame guns. In a smaller gun, the recoil is stiff. Follow-up shots could be difficult or at least slower as the shooter struggles to regain control of the gun after the recoil. You can control it if your hands and arms are strong, you can control it, but I think that even for a strong person who is used to powerful handguns, shooting performance would be improved by using .38 +p, especially on follow-up shots.

An issue with .357 Magnum ammo is its penetration. (It won’t go through the block of a ‘49 Buick unless you are firing steel core ammunition). A normal 158g .357 hollowpoint can penetrate about a yard in ballistic gelatin. This means it’s going to slice like a hot knife in butter through walls and siding. It can also shoot through large animals and emerge on the other side with enough velocity to hurt someone else. Over-penetration is a definite possibility. These are serious considerations that should be weighed before adopting the .357 Magnum as a carry load. For most situations, and especially in an urban setting, a solid .38 Special +P would be a better choice for personal defense. Its more controllable for follow-up shots, less prone to over-penetration, and less damaging to the sensory organs.

If, on the other hand, your primary area of operation is rural and wilderness, places where you are more likely to come across a mean pig or a hungry bear than you are the human variety of predators, and be outside during the encounter, the .357 Magnum with its greater power and penetration would be highly desirable. Sadly the range of a .357, one of its best features, is wasted and may be a liability in an urban environment. The .357 is a flat-shooting cartridge that retains better terminal ballistics at 150 yards than most other personal defense handgun cartridges. The mid-range trajectory of the .357 Magnum at 100 yards is only 3.5. At 50 yards it is only .8. At 100 yards, the 158g JHP .357 retains about 67% of the energy it had when leaving the muzzle (this means 360 foot-pounds of energy with a velocity of 1,015 feet per second). It’s easy to see why the range and ballistics of the .357 would be an asset in the country and a liability in the city.

.357 Magnum History

The 1920s launched an era that would change firearms history forever. Prohibition sent the United States into a tizzy. Illegal gin mills, moonshiners, bootleggers and speakeasies secretly fought against the new law, refusing to be forced into a dry nation. Along with the illegal operations came organized crime. Law enforcement struggled to battle gangsters with their inadequate .32 and .38 double-action revolvers. Cops demanded better guns and more firepower. Their weapons simply could not penetrate the bulletproof (ballistics) vests worn by the gangsters, nor could it combat the steel and glass of the automobiles that were coming into common use.

Elmer Keith, Idaho rancher and firearms enthusiast, began to work on a new type of ammunition that would surpass the commonly used .38 ammo. At the same time, Phil Sharpe, a gun writer and NRA technical adviser, set out to design a new type of ammo with higher velocity and more stopping power. The goal was to hit a muzzle velocity of 1,400 feet per second (FPS) using a 150g bullet. Sharpe approached Smith and Wesson Vice President Dan Wesson with the idea of creating the new ammo. Wesson saw the need for the new round and jumped on board. The three men pooled their talents. Smith & Wesson joined up with the ammunition division of Winchester Repeating Arms, and by 1934, the design had been completed. The design modified a .38 Special case, lengthening it by .125-inch. The cartridge held a 158g bullet that fired at 1,515 FPS. The following year, Smith & Wesson launched the .357 Magnum Revolver.

The .357 is credited with introducing the “Magnum Era.” Despite ups and downs, it remains a superior self-defense round often used by law enforcement. Law enforcement, military personnel, and Special Forces teams still use .357 Magnum handguns, mostly as backup and clutch pieces.

New Developments in the .357 Magnum

The impact of the .357 has not waned over time. However, the round isn’t limited to a revolver. It can be used in a small number of semi-auto pistols, lever-action rifles, and carbines. Applications include law enforcement, self-defense, target shooting, competition shooting, and hunting.

Today’s .357 Magnums are a far cry from what was available in 1935. One example of a new platform is the Smith & Wesson Model 60 5-shot revolver that was introduced in 1996. The gun couldn’t compete with the original since it could only shoot bullets 125g or less. Fortunately, newer styles don’t have such limitations. Several models have come and gone but the basic framework remains the same. The .357 Magnum continues to offer a high level of stopping power. Its levels of kinetic energy are enough to cause hydrostatic shock, a true benefit when a target needs to be put down.

A significant advantage of the .357 Magnum over other handguns is the ability to chamber a .38 Spl cartridge, although the .38 round is shorter. The same cannot be said for the .38. A .357 round is too long to fit in the chamber and a .38 Spl cannot withstand the pressure of the more powerful .357 Magnum round. This allows .357 users to load the lighter ammo, save money at the range, and enjoy the benefits of lighter recoil and less muzzle flash.

The introduction of semi-automatic weapons caused the .357 to lose popularity.

Semi-automatic pistols have a higher capacity and faster reloading times. Some believe that semi-autos are more powerful than a .357 Mag, but that’s not necessarily true.

.357 Magnum in the Prepper Community

It’s difficult to pigeonhole the type of weapon preferred by all preppers. Prepping has come into vogue in recent years, so the opinions of the new school and old school don’t always mesh. A .45 Magnum revolver is a sound choice in some instances but overkill in others. It’s readily available and adaptable to many situations. However, it isn’t a good choice for home defense, self-defense, or hunting. There is a good chance of overpenetration and collateral damage if used in the home or other tight spaces. In hunting, a .45 may leave nothing behind which often defeats the purpose.

There is also an issue of the “us vs. them” mentality. Revolvers vs. semi-automatics. Good points can be made on both sides. At the core, pros recommend a revolver to beginners or those that don’t fire guns regularly. A revolver has the intimidation factor for the target but doesn’t overcomplicate the process with unnecessary bells and whistles. Semi-autos share the intimidation factor, have higher capacity, are readily available in more styles, and offer many of those bells and whistles.

There is further division. In the revolver community, the argument centers on long barrel length vs. short barrel length handguns. Again, there are good points on both sides. If a person wants to carry concealed or keep a gun in the bedside table, then a short barrel snubby is probably your best choice. Serious preppers often choose a long barrel revolver because of the power and level of accuracy. In the end, it comes down to which gun meets the majority of your needs and makes you the most comfortable.

When it comes to traditional hunting, many preppers will use a .357 as a backup weapon. An old fashioned rifle may be a better bet if you’re going up against big game. The same can be said for the mythical angry bear that invades your camp in the middle of the night. (Sure, bears do enter camps but it’s usually because they are hungry, not angry. They aren’t hard to scare off.) If you’re hunting small to medium game, a .357 has more than enough power to do the job.

.357 Magnum for Concealed Carry

Using a .357 for concealed carry usually conjures images of long barrel length. While the weapon is a good choice in some instances, it is not ideal for concealed carry. It’s simply too heavy and too large to carry in an ankle holster or tuck into a pocket or purse. If you are considering a .357 for a concealed carry gun, your best bet is to latch onto one of the Smith & Wesson short barrel, or J-frame models. The 2- to 3-inch barrel makes the gun easy to handle and carry. It is still powerful and will provide the necessary stopping power in a home defense or self-defense situation. You could also go for a compact K-frame or a Ruger SP101 snub nose. Keep in mind that although the gun is small enough for concealed carry, it will be heavier than a typical .38 Spl. You should also be aware that ammo selection is critical for accuracy and recoil. Check out popular styles like JHP and FMJ (easy to reload)  from top manufacturers like Smith & Wesson, Speer Gold Dot, Hornady, Buffalo Bore, or Taurus.

Here are some other things to keep in mind when choosing a .357 for CCW. The pressure of a .357 is significantly stronger than a .38 Special. That means you will experience heavier recoil which can affect your accuracy. The bonus to carrying a .357 is that it can also be used with .38 Special and .38 Special +P ammo. However, a .38 Special cannot fire a .357 because of the high pressure. Doing so can cause a misfire, jam, damage the gun, or worse, injure the shooter.

Conclusion

The .357 Magnum has been popular since its introduction in the 1930s and shows no sign of vanishing from the military, law enforcement, and/or civilian use. Regardless of which camp you’re in, the revolver or semi-auto camp, there is a .357 Mag ammo to fit your needs. Proper training is key to find the gun and ammo that are right for you.

By Combat Controller

I was asked why someone would consider a .44 special over the .357 magnum for carry or general defense. Lets take a look at a few numbers first.

.44 special

180 gr XTP bullet with 10.7 gr of VV N350 will clock you about 1173 fps. Not too shabby. That is 549 foot pounds of energy from a .44 diameter bullet. Toting that around in a .44 snubbie will let some Goblin or Wild Critter know you were thinking of them.

.357 magnum

180 gr JHP over 12.5 gr of WC820 clocks at about 1,013 fps for 410 foot pounds. To push it up to 747 foot pounds we would need to go to a TMJ round over 13.8 gr of VV N110 for 1,368 fps. Possible, but really hot and quite the penetrator. In a hunting load that is great, in a defense load not so much. The average 180 gr hollowpoint handload will give you performance more in line with the first load, not the second. The hole of course will be a bit smaller and present less bullet surface. the hole will be .358 or so in diameter.

Lets take the .44 down to 145 grs. 356 foot pounds can be expected with a velocity of 1,056 fps.

The .357 on the other hand can get really moving with a hot loaded JHP and perform rather stunning feats. 920 foot pounds with a screaming 1,691 fps. A factory loading will give you something more like 1261 for 511 foot pounds though.

Moving up to 250 gr bullets we see a velocity of 1186 for 780 foot pounds in the .357.

The .44 special on the other hand will give you 1032 for 591 foot pounds.

Now the .357 typically gets loaded with lighter rounds, as it is a smaller diameter. Lets look at factory loads for a minute with off the shelf loads that a typical shooter might find themselves with and not the handloader.

110gr Winchester White Box 1,298 fps out of a 2 1/4 ruger SP 101 for 411 foot pounds. A 124 gr load will give you 1350 fps for 501 foot pounds. A 158 gr will give you 1320 fps and a foot pounds of 611. These are standard winchester factory loads I have clocked.

Now with a .44 you tend to get heavier ammo out of the chute. 180gr loads is where it starts for 920 fps and 338 foot pounds. Standard load though is 240 gr at 950 fps for 480 foot pounds.

For out of the box performance it is a bit of a wash, the .44 having the edge with a bigger diameter by a third again as much. Now the .357 might be a bit much according to some folks for self defense, as it is known to go through something and keep on going out the other side. Whereas a .44 special tends to plow into more stuff and come to a halt having dumped more effective energy into the target. The amount of energy the target retains is what it is all about. How many of those foot pounds is lost keeping that .357 trucking along after it exits? This is why the thunder ranch guys have semi-recently become enamoured of the .44 special in a combat wheelgun, and there are special models of .44 special (mind the puns there) for sale with the TR logo on it. Both will most certainly do the job on a goblin. The cost of practice ammo is a consideration though, so getting into handloading is a good idea if you do a lot of shooting.

I find the recoil on the .44 a bit less in a snub nosed revolver FWIW, YMMV.

By Stephen A. Camp

For as long as I can remember, the question of whether or not the .38 Special snub is as potent as the .357 magnum in a snub-nose revolver has been debated again and again. This is not an extensive article, but I think the answer becomes pretty clear.

I didn’t have a .357 with a barrel as short as the 1 7/8″ barrel on my snub thirty-eight’s so I just fired the .38 Specials out of a 2 1/2″ Model 19. The magnums were fired from the same revolver. It is true that .38 Specials will lose a little velocity when fired from a revolver chambered for the slightly longer .357 Magnum. The figures are slight, but later on, we’ll “give” another 50 ft/sec (which is a generous amount) to the measured thirty-eight special velocities.

Velocities are based on 10-shot strings of fire about 10′ from the chronograph screens.

• Ammunition Average Velocity (ft/sec):
  • Federal .38 Special 129-grain Hydrashok +P: 846 ft/sec
  • Winchester .38 Special 158-grain LSWCHP +P: 858 ft/sec
  • Remington .357 Magnum 125-grain SJHP (Full-house load): 1243 ft/sec
  • Handload: Rucker 158-grain CSWC: 1100 ft/sec
• Notes:
  • 7.0 grains Unique
  • Winchester Small Pistol Primer
  • Starline Case

At this point, I’ll have to ask you to accept that the 129-grain .38 bullet is approximately the same as the 125-grain .357 and that the 4 grains would not make any real difference. Also, the handloaded .357 round was used simply because I had no data on any factory magnums in that bullet weight. Note that this is not a “hot” handload in that caliber and bullet weight.

Now add the 50 ft/sec we spoke of earlier to each of the .38 average velocities and we get an “adjusted average velocity” of 896 ft/sec for the Hydrashok and 908 ft/sec for the LSWCHP. Compared to the 125-grain .357, we see that the magnum bests the .38 by 347 ft/sec. I find this a significant gain. With the heavier .38 Special bullet compared to the same weight slug from a .357 handload, we find a difference of 192 ft/sec in favor of the magnum and a medium handload.

The data provided was not extensive, but based on it and what I’ve seen on more than one occasion in the past, the little .38’s main advantage as a carry gun or BUG is that it’s light, small, and easy to conceal. Its ballistic payload is not equivalent to the .357’s in most cases. While it is true that both S&W and Taurus offer .357’s in very nearly the same size package, it’s been my experience that they border on being uncontrollable when shot in rapid-fire. Others may have had better luck. I’ll take my .357 magnums in a K, L, or N frame.

Little in this world is a hard and true fact and the same applies here. I note that out of a 1 7/8″ barrel S&W Model 642, Corbon’s 115-grain +P+ JHP averages an amazing 1188 ft/sec. This is in the .357 range of velocities and might be thought of as a “quasi-magnum” load. A Ruger SP-101 averages 1278 ft/sec with Triton 125-grain Quik Shok +P ammo, so we see the magnum winning again, but the .38 load does surprisingly well. Sadly, both of these loads are discontinued, as Corbon no longer uses and Triton’s out of business. Out of the 2 1/2″ Model 19, Winchester’s 110-grain .357 JHP averaged 1166 ft/sec so the Corbon .38 Special load beat it slightly in both velocity and bullet weight. These are exception to the rule. FWIW, with the thin forcing cone in the J-frame S&W, I’ve quit using the 115-grain load for fear of cracking it.

The notion that the .357 is so inefficient in the two-inch guns that it’s no more effective than a hot .38 Special just doesn’t seem to be true. While neither is at its best in the snub, the magnum is the more potent of the two with most ammo.

Best.

Visit Stephen’s site at Hi-Powers and Handguns

It’s a question I get a lot, “I have a 1930 vintage Colt Detective Special that I inherited from my grandfather, and I want to know if it’s okay to use +p (plus P) ammo in it. The factory won’t tell me anything.” Hmmm… perhaps there’s a reason for that? The fact is that they probably don’t know for sure and are unwilling to take the legal risk of telling you that it is okay without any qualification. Metallurgy in this country during the early years of the 20th Century was good, but not as good as it is now. Manufacturers often used substandard batches of metal due to limited availability. Hardening techniques in firearms weren’t universally applied even as late as WWII. Consequently, it is impossible to say without qualification that it’s okay to use hot, modern ammo in the aged wheel gun.

The inconsistencies in early snubnose revolvers make sense when you consider their humble beginnings. No one knows the exact details of the invention of the snubnose. Historians believe it was created sometime in the 19th century when a bad guy or lawman sawed off the end of his shotgun. Voila! A powerful, portable gun usable almost anywhere. Snubnoses became a staple easily found (or made) in the local blacksmith shop, and the news traveled fast. Eventually, firearms manufacturers like Smith & Wesson put snubnose handguns on their menu. Today some see the weapon as outdated. However, many still swear by the reliability of a revolver, even if it takes a bit longer to reload than the more popular semi-auto.

Colt Detective Special

The Colt Detective Special is classic for a reason. In 1927, Colt introduced the Detective Special, modeled after the Police Positive Special handgun. The DS has a shorter barrel, designed for concealed carry. The gun was originally chambered in .32 caliber. During the firearm’s run, the majority of the revolvers were chambered in .38 Spl. The double-action DS had a 2” barrel, held six rounds in a swing-out cylinder, and featured a fixed blade front sight, notched rear sights, and a full-length ejector rod.

The gun became the go-to for law enforcement since the “belly guns” were easy to conceal, draw, and get the job done. Today, people say that the DS isn’t accurate. That’s not entirely true. It takes practice to have pinpoint accuracy at a distance, but it does just fine in an up-close and personal situation, much like those faced by the police.

When it comes to loading the Detective Special with +p ammo, one must exercise caution. Although The Sporting Arms and Ammunition Manufacturers’ Institute (SAAMI) was founded in 1926, it hasn’t rated the DS for higher pressure loads or +p ammo. The absence of rating includes the newer and reproduction models. Any claims that the DS can easily handle +p cartridges is opinion, not fact.

You’ll find shooters who pooh-pooh the idea that using +p ammo in a DS runs the risk of facing a kaBOOM! event. Picture Wile E. Coyote or Elmer Fudd getting their faces blown off when their guns explode. While that might not happen, you should consider the aforementioned metal fatigue or worn parts that may not be able to handle the higher pressure. The pressure could easily crack the barrel or other integral parts. While that may be the case, loading +p into a gun unequipped to handle it can cause misfires, barrel damage, and more. If the firearm is a newer model, you can forget about the warranty or any insurance claims you may have. Misuse of a product makes those things null and void.

Loading a +p round into a DS or other snubby brings with it other problems. First, the noise can be deafening. Shooters stand a chance of temporarily or permanently damaging their hearing. Second, the muzzle flash can blind everyone present, which adds another problem in a self-defense situation. When all is said and done, it’s not worth taking the chance.

Now I get to play devil’s advocate. I have never run into a story in which someone blew up a gun by firing a factory-loaded, regular, +p cartridge in it, regardless of the gun’s age. The proof loads for S&W revolvers are said to be twice the standard pressure. Once, by accident, I fired a .38 Special +p in a Smith & Wesson Airweight Model 637. This gun was made before the +p designation ratings. The round held 11.2 grains of Winchester 231 powder under a 125g bullet. While I felt like I had caught a major league pitcher’s fastball without a glove, the gun held together and was not damaged in any way. (Kids don’t try this at home – as I said, this was an accident, and I would not knowingly pull the trigger on that type of cartridge.) Guns are pretty sturdy most of the time, and, typically, normal +p loads are not much hotter than standard pressure loads.

So, why is there such nervousness about recommending +p rounds in old guns? Besides the metallurgy factors I mentioned earlier, there can be hidden corrosion, defects, and even “metal fatigue” in antique firearms that are not apparent to casual inspection. Consequently, neither I nor anyone else living in this litigious society will give you an unqualified green light to run the hottest modern +p ammo in a revolver that is seventy years old.

What Is +P Ammunition?

Simply put, +p ammunition has 10% more pressure over a standard round. The practice started in 1972 when manufacturers began to lower the pressure of standard pressure rounds. Shooters with the need for more stopping power, such as law enforcement, demanded a higher pressure round. Aside from the increased pressure, +p ammunition uses the same ballistics as standard ammo. However, manufacturers of magnum cartridges, such as a  .357 Magnum or .44 Magnum, changed the dimensions of +p cartridges to prevent them from being fired in weapons not suited to high-pressure ammo.

While SAAMI has official standards for +p ammo, it does not have standards of +p+ loads. SAAMI establishes proof pressures, so one can consider +p+ pressures are 30-40% above standard loads. Magnum calibers have as much as twice the pressure of the original cartridge. Law enforcement commonly uses overpressure rounds, typically in expanding ammo like jacketed hollow points (JHP). Overpressure ammo is also a top choice for defense purposes. Shooters uncertain about the pressure of ammunition should check the designation of the round on the box or headstamp.

Popular manufacturers, like Hornady, Speer Gold Dot, Remington, and Winchester, produce +p ammo. Popular rounds include .38 Special +p, .45 ACP, and 9mm Luger.

Final Thoughts

If you’re concerned about whether to use +p ammunition in your handgun, check the owner’s manual. These days, manuals appear mostly online but still contain all pertinent information about the firearm. Check out reputable online forums for valuable information to back up the manufacturer’s guidelines. Once you have a solid knowledge base of what your handgun can and can’t do, you can choose which ammo works best. In the end, the only worry-free solution to this problem is to retire the seventy-year-old warhorse and buy a modern snubby rated for +p ammo. Consider purchasing a current production S&W LadySmith, late model Colt, Glock, Ruger Blackhawk, or an inexpensive 2” revolver such as a Taurus Model 85. You could also use a gun rated for +p or .357 Magnum. If that is not an option, stick to standard pressure ammunition in your old guns. Your hands and face will thank you.