Top 13 Snub Nose Revolvers

[Bigbird48]

From Combat Hand Guns Mag and Personal Defense World 2 NAA Mini's in the top 13
https://www.personaldefenseworld.com/2015/01/top-13-snub-nose-revolvers/

[Ruger]

Wow - Thanks Bigbird . . great to see!

[PaducahMichael]

They sure do love some Charter Arms, don't they?

OTOH, they love some minis, too!

[Bigbird48]

2 charter, 2 minis and 2 Taurus

[cbl51]

What's not to love in a nice concealable little wheelgun?

[David Culp]

Thank you for sharing!

Love me some NAA s and ruger lcrs

[zburkett]

Nice opinions, but I had already made up my mind.

[Bigbird48]

I'm looking for a snubi and looking hard at the SxW 642 air 38, anybody own one do you like it, also looking at other in that same category, Recommendations   

[WECSOG]

I think a more apt title for the article, instead of "Top 13 Snub Nose Revolvers", would be "13 Random Snub Nose Revolvers Found On The Interwebz."
I mean seriously; their number one choice for "deep cover carry" is a clunky Armscor that weighs 25 ounces empty and isn't even rated for +P? Their 3rd choice is the ungainly, 24 oz Rhino? And the basic steel Taurus 85, a proven, very packable revolver that costs the same or less than the Armscor but is finished better, 5 ounces lighter, has a much better warranty and is rated for unlimited +P doesn't even get a mention?

Don't get me wrong. I would like to have one of the Armscor .38 revolvers to play with. But for what they cost, I would rather have a Taurus 85. And for the price of a Rhino I could buy a new Redhawk .45 Colt/ACP. And would be far more likely to do so.
In fact, if I ran across a deal on a Rhino for the price of a new Armscor 206, I would choose the Armscor. 

[tocsn40]

I'm looking for a snubi and looking hard at the SxW 642 air 38, anybody own one do you like it, also looking at other in that same category, Recommendations 

I have one love in as a carry piece  but wish it had a hammer when plinking

[Uncle_Lee]

Hey Bird, Thanks.

[grayelky]

What WECSOG said. How in the planet can you have a list of compact revolvers and not mention the J frame Smith & Wesson?

Which brings me to Bigbird48: S&W 642 needed to be on that list. Excellent choice, if you can control the recoil. I prefer its first cousin, the 351. Just like the 642, except, in 22 Mag, 7 shot instead of 5, and 11 ounces instead of 16, The recoil is almost nonexistent. Did I mention it only weighs 11 ounces? I can wear mine on my ankle for 10 plus hours easily.

[Uncle_Lee]

At times my wife and I carry Taurus 85's.
She has her's all the time.
Like me and the Pug and Black Widows.

[top dog]

Looks like all of you made very nice choices.

Nothing wrong with the NAAs,Charters,and Taurus products. Backed up by superb customer service.  Ruger too.

                                                                                                    Top Dog

[Bigbird48]

 Yes but in my searches the 351 is over $200 more then the 38, I actually found a 642 for 299 but after reading the seller reviews I'm not guying there. To bad.Nest best price was 394 LGS

What WECSOG said. How in the planet can you have a list of compact revolvers and not mention the J frame Smith & Wesson?

Which brings me to Bigbird48: S&W 642 needed to be on that list. Excellent choice, if you can control the recoil. I prefer its first cousin, the 351. Just like the 642, except, in 22 Mag, 7 shot instead of 5, and 11 ounces instead of 16, The recoil is almost nonexistent. Did I mention it only weighs 11 ounces? I can wear mine on my ankle for 10 plus hours easily.

[Bigbird48]

I was thinking hammer-less for ease of draw, less chance of getting snagged on anything, especially if its in your pocket. Don't think I'd be doing a lot of plinking with a 38, just target practice. I have plenty of 22's to go plinking with cheap LOL   

I'm looking for a snubi and looking hard at the SxW 642 air 38, anybody own one do you like it, also looking at other in that same category, Recommendations 

I have one love in as a carry piece  but wish it had a hammer when plinking

[seaotter]

I have 3 snubbies: a NAA LR, a BW, and Taurus model 85. They all work well, and I am happy with all of them. My son in law would disagree, but IMHO my M85 is a better choice than his S&W 38 Air light. Not a better fire arm, just a better compromise between weight and comfort. And I like having a hammer. I have tried to train myself to cover the hammer when drawing it, and being able to fire single action can be useful at times.
I mainly carry my M85 in the woods, but when I can carry I have one of minis in my pocket.

[heyjoe]

Yes but in my searches the 351 is over $200 more then the 38, I actually found a 642 for 299 but after reading the seller reviews I'm not guying there. To bad.Nest best price was 394 LGS

What WECSOG said. How in the planet can you have a list of compact revolvers and not mention the J frame Smith & Wesson?

Which brings me to Bigbird48: S&W 642 needed to be on that list. Excellent choice, if you can control the recoil. I prefer its first cousin, the 351. Just like the 642, except, in 22 Mag, 7 shot instead of 5, and 11 ounces instead of 16, The recoil is almost nonexistent. Did I mention it only weighs 11 ounces? I can wear mine on my ankle for 10 plus hours easily.

im very happy with my smith and wesson 638 with the shrouded hammer. it doesnt snag coming out of your pocket and can still be fired single action if you want to plink. it is light and very accurate.

[JRobyn]

Love them J-frames.... Agree that at least one flavor should have been included.

[Bigbird48]

Yea I like the 638 also thanks for showing that haven't looked at that till now. I like it maybe a better option

Yes but in my searches the 351 is over $200 more then the 38, I actually found a 642 for 299 but after reading the seller reviews I'm not guying there. To bad.Nest best price was 394 LGS

What WECSOG said. How in the planet can you have a list of compact revolvers and not mention the J frame Smith & Wesson?

Which brings me to Bigbird48: S&W 642 needed to be on that list. Excellent choice, if you can control the recoil. I prefer its first cousin, the 351. Just like the 642, except, in 22 Mag, 7 shot instead of 5, and 11 ounces instead of 16, The recoil is almost nonexistent. Did I mention it only weighs 11 ounces? I can wear mine on my ankle for 10 plus hours easily.

im very happy with my smith and wesson 638 with the shrouded hammer. it doesnt snag coming out of your pocket and can still be fired single action if you want to plink. it is light and very accurate.

[miker]

BigBird - Can't go wrong with a 637/638/642, they're the Glock 19 of revolvers!

The 637 will need practice to pocket draw with your thumb covering the hammer. 

You probably won't miss the hammer on the 642, it's easy to stage and I see no loss of accuracy compared to a single-action.

They all kick some so find light practice loads, and practice a lot - snubby trigger time will pay off with all your other guns too.

miker

[gebe]

...And the basic steel Taurus 85, a proven, very packable revolver. Don't get me wrong. I would like to have one of the Armscor .38 revolvers to play with.

I recently bought a Taurus M85 SS UL and love it. So light and handy and shoots +P's. Sure at 17oz., shooting them it kicks a little but I find it's nothing anyone couldn't handle. Shoots standard powered rounds easily. I have a newer model with the redesigned grips and they are wonderful. I have a S&W 442 and even though it's a great snubby too, I actually prefer the 85 and it's a bargain at it's price point.

I also have one of the Armscor snubbies and it's a fine revolver and also inexpensive. It's heavy though compared to the 85 and 442 but it's all steel and built like a tank and recoil is negligible.

[WECSOG]

My 85 is the basic blued steel version; it weighs about 21 ounces. I pocket carried it daily until I got my LCR .357, but I still carry the 85 sometimes.
If I ever get an Armscor, I think I would prefer the 4" barrel. I have no problem with shooting standard pressure only in it. That's what I do with my S&W K frame .38s.

[ghh3rd]

My 642 has disappeared into my front pocket for about seven years.. I was sure it was going to be mentioned.  There's not enough room for all of the good guns.  Glad NAA made it into the list.

[grayelky]

Yes but in my searches the 351 is over $200 more then the 38, I actually found a 642 for 299 but after reading the seller reviews I'm not guying there. To bad.Nest best price was 394 LGS

What WECSOG said. How in the planet can you have a list of compact revolvers and not mention the J frame Smith & Wesson?

Which brings me to Bigbird48: S&W 642 needed to be on that list. Excellent choice, if you can control the recoil. I prefer its first cousin, the 351. Just like the 642, except, in 22 Mag, 7 shot instead of 5, and 11 ounces instead of 16, The recoil is almost nonexistent. Did I mention it only weighs 11 ounces? I can wear mine on my ankle for 10 plus hours easily.

Yes, it is a little expensive. For my $.02, the 7 rounds, lack of recoil and the 11 oz weight, more than make up for the $200.00.

[Bigbird48]

I'm on a budget

[seaotter]

I also own a Taurus M85 ultralight. It is lightweight, reliable, and relatively accurate. I like it! It seems to be functionally as good as my son-in-laws S&W. I'd like to get a M605 (357 version) to go along with it!

[Uncle_Lee]

3 Taurus, 1 Rossi.

[holiday009]

Thanks for the link.

I like the looks of the Rock Island .38

[JRobyn]

3 Taurus, 1 Rossi.

Uncle, out those grips, which do you like best and why?

[MR_22]

Cool list. I find it curious that they picked the .380ACP Taurus revolver over some of the other Taurus revolvers. I like that model. I don't have one yet, but honestly, it's not commonly owned. It's actually quite rare.

[Bigbird48]

I think maybe the 380 is less common because you can get 38's and 357 near the same size and weight as the 380 just my thoughts.
After reading some of the reply's here I might start looking at the Taurus models. Well I have actually looked at them but kind think the SxW is a better gun, but you guys think their comparable. So I really have to get in the LGS get them in my hand and see how they all feel.Thanks for all the input    

[Uncle_Lee]

3 Taurus, 1 Rossi.

Uncle, out those grips, which do you like best and why?

For shooting:
The Rossi (bottom right).
I can get all three fingers around it.

For carry:
The top right Taurus.
That is the one that I am used to because I carry that one.

[JRobyn]

3 Taurus, 1 Rossi.

Uncle, out those grips, which do you like best and why?

For shooting:
The Rossi (bottom right).
I can get all three fingers around it.

For carry:
The top right Taurus.
That is the one that I am used to because I carry that one.

Thanks!  I forgot to also ask: are those all factory grips or Pachmyer/other?

[seaotter]

I think maybe the 380 is less common because you can get 38's and 357 near the same size and weight as the 380 just my thoughts.
After reading some of the reply's here I might start looking at the Taurus models. Well I have actually looked at them but kind think the SxW is a better gun, but you guys think their comparable. So I really have to get in the LGS get them in my hand and see how they all feel.Thanks for all the input    

I wouldn't say that the Taurus was as "good" as a S&W. If money was of no concern I would love to have a traditional Chiefs Special (model 36) Smith! But I do maintain that the Taurus 85 is a better over all compromise in the weight/cost/value/accuracy/durability equation. My Taurus 85 cost about 1/3 the cost of a new model 36, but weighs about the same, shoots just as accurately, and seems to be just as durable under normal circumstances. And mine has proven to be just as reliable. For me,?the Taurus was a better match. But, even though I like and own several Taurus firearms, I would have to admit that the S&W is a better product. Just not for me.