Snubby Lifestyle

[OldGrunt]

My regular EDC. A Sticky pocket holster for it, and it fits well inside my front pocket of my cargo shorts. Two 5 round speed strips in my opposite front pocket for the more than likely never needed reloads. It is loaded with .357 mag. Hornady Critical Defense. 50 rounds of .357 mag. at the range is all I can stand, than I will switch to .38 Special for another 150 or so rounds to not punish myself so much. It is a hand cannon for sure. I really don't think I will have to use it, and if I did, things will probably be over within a couple of shots. I don't go out looking for trouble, but if trouble comes up to me close up, then there will be a very loud sound, possibly two loud sounds.

 

[Fred613]

JMHO, if you need +P you need a bigger gun.

No, the plus P round is approximately 20% over standard SAMI pressures. This allows the relatively anemic 38 special to be a more effective round without moving up to a larger caliber. These rounds in JHP bullets were carried by law enforcement for many years.

 

[Frontierman]

My Taurus 85 38 spcl snubby stays by my bedside. Eventually looking into something in 32 S&W for EDC.

 

[RedGoat]

A .22 caliber revolver is a nice way to introduce a timid shooter in learning about recoil and the art of mastering the basic fundamentals. Then, when you move the shooter to the 38 spl. Cartridge, use target wad cutters.very little recoil and all the fundamentals staythe same. Then move the shooter to the standard pressure round and then lastly, when the shooter is comfortable, move them to the plus P loads.

I love me some powder-puff wadcutter loads in a heavy N frame or L frame. More fun than shooting a .22 !

 

[RedGoat]

JMHO, if you need +P you need a bigger gun.

Everyone has their own criteria regarding the "minimum power" they require of a carry gun. I do. You do. We all do. It's all for nought if the bullet misses the mark. When the bullet hits the "mark" and your assailant fails to cease and desist, continue to "hit the mark" until they DO stop. There is no such thing as a "guaranteed one shot man stopper", especially in ANY handgun round. Some are probably "better" than others, but none come with a money-back guarantee.

 

[ECS686]

A .22 caliber revolver is a nice way to introduce a timid shooter in learning about recoil and the art of mastering the basic fundamentals. Then, when you move the shooter to the 38 spl. Cartridge, use target wad cutters.very little recoil and all the fundamentals staythe same. Then move the shooter to the standard pressure round and then lastly, when the shooter is comfortable, move them to the plus P loads.

With the exception of 135 Gold Dot (I specifically mention that because I have pics of 2 recovered from a dead felon iyt if a 1 7/8” barrel S&W 642) plus P’s do not get to the velocity to perform so in a snub (less than 3” in most cases) you get the blast with zero benefits.


So a wadcutter is a better choice for a snub to start. Cuts a full diameter hole in a sternum without the need for speed, and gets to 15” easily .

Most tuned in folks do carry a SJHP of some flavor in a speed strip or speedloader for that reload that never happens. The rounded profile is faster to load quickly. (Not that you will reload bur better to have)

 

[Anchorite]

My regular EDC. A Sticky pocket holster for it, and it fits well inside my front pocket of my cargo shorts. Two 5 round speed strips in my opposite front pocket for the more than likely never needed reloads. It is loaded with .357 mag. Hornady Critical Defense. 50 rounds of .357 mag. at the range is all I can stand, than I will switch to .38 Special for another 150 or so rounds to not punish myself so much. It is a hand cannon for sure. I really don't think I will have to use it, and if I did, things will probably be over within a couple of shots. I don't go out looking for trouble, but if trouble comes up to me close up, then there will be a very loud sound, possibly two loud sounds. View attachment 117734

I have the same gun. Firing 357s feels like hitting the palm of your hand as hard as you can with a ball peen hammer.

 

[HayesGreener]

I have the same gun. Firing 357s feels like hitting the palm of your hand as hard as you can with a ball peen hammer.

Yes, I have little use for airweights as training and practice with them is a painful experience. I carried a model 36 3 inch heavy barrel, round butt all steel gun for duty for a time and it was comfortable to shoot.I prefer a 2.5 inch all steel Model 19 round butt, not much bigger and easy to shoot.

 

[RedGoat]

Yes, I have little use for airweights as training and practice with them is a painful experience. I carried a model 36 3 inch heavy barrel, round butt all steel gun for duty for a time and it was comfortable to shoot.I prefer a 2.5 inch all steel Model 19 round butt, not much bigger and easy to shoot.

In the past I've never had any problem running 50 to 100 rounds through my 642. However, in recent times, my old bones start to "talk to me" and call me ugly names if I overdo it. I was recently doing some load development and firing heavy 38 loads through several guns having various barrel lengths, including the 642, in a single session. I evidently "overdid" it for a single session because I was starting to flinch badly when firing my test rounds in the 642. Rather than contribute to development of a severe flinch habit, I called it a day, packed up and went home. I've never done that before in my life. Getting older ain't for sissies.

SOME of the loads I was testing were in the 38 +P category. I can't imagine what a true full-house 357 load would feel like in one of the S&W scandium (I think that's what they call their ultra-lightweight J frames) revolvers. Given what some of the full house 357 loads using H110 or Longshot under the Hornady 158 gr. XTP feel like to me out of a full-size 357 revolver, I know it would be absolutely brutal out of one of the ultra lights.

Since that day when I over-ran my current personal limit with the 642, I've revised my load development protocol and only test with the 642 once I've achieved my load development goal in larger, heavier revolvers. I still make it a point to put rounds through the 642 every range trip just to keep up my proficiency, but I make it a point to NOT overdo it.

 

[The Night Rider]

I'm not sure how to say this but I've followed Tamara Keel and read her articles for a while (I don't know her personally but I know people who do). She dresses like what she calls "A Tactical Hobo". 5.11 pants, the untucked shirt and all that. She could probably hide a Desert Eagle in most of the photos Ive I've seen. If she's telling us that a snubby is all you really need someone is paying her to.

There is a similar discussion happening now on anoTHeR forum. They're drawing a slightly different conclusion.

What they're saying is "You should carry the best gun you can reasonably conceal under your current circumstances."

In TKs piece she's postulating 1 to 3 bad guys a block from a Police Station who are likely (but not Guaranteed) to bail at the first shot.

What if they don't? I mean, you've already hit the lottery that three bad guys attacked you in broad daylight a block from the police station in Broad Ripple Indiana, I wouldn't want to bet my life that three attackers who did all that are going to bail at the first sign of resistance.

Tamara Keel is a well respected trainer and if anybody could pull off 2 good hits each on three (presumably) moving targets it would be her but what if 2 good hits aren't enough? Again, the fact that we're here at all proves today is not your lucky day.

She does mention a small Semi-automatic might fit "The Snubby Lifestyle" . That would be my choice. Glock 26 with a 12 round magazine fits the "Best Handgun I can reasonably conceal " metric that they're postulating on the oTHeR forum.

 

[RedGoat]

I'm not sure how to say this but I've followed Tamara Keel and read her articles for a while (I don't know her personally but I know people who do). She dresses like what she calls "A Tactical Hobo". 5.11 pants, the untucked shirt and all that. She could probably hide a Desert Eagle in most of the photos Ive I've seen. If she's telling us that a snubby is all you really need someone is paying her to.

There is a similar discussion happening now on anoTHeR forum. They're drawing a slightly different conclusion.

What they're saying is "You should carry the best gun you can reasonably conceal under your current circumstances."

In TKs piece she's postulating 1 to 3 bad guys a block from a Police Station who are likely (but not Guaranteed) to bail at the first shot.

What if they don't? I mean, you've already hit the lottery that three bad guys attacked you in broad daylight a block from the police station in Broad Ripple Indiana, I wouldn't want to bet my life that three attackers who did all that are going to bail at the first sign of resistance.

Tamara Keel is a well respected trainer and if anybody could pull off 2 good hits each on three (presumably) moving targets it would be her but what if 2 good hits aren't enough? Again, the fact that we're here at all proves today is not your lucky day.

She does mention a small Semi-automatic might fit "The Snubby Lifestyle" . That would be my choice. Glock 26 with a 12 round magazine fits the "Best Handgun I can reasonably conceal " metric that they're postulating on the oTHeR forum.

Each person who chooses to carry a firearm daily (and I'm talking about non-LEO, non-military folks here) must make a hopefully informed choice as to WHAT they carry under WHAT circumstances. There are tradeoffs to every choice in life.

The concealed handgun carrier has already chosen to "stack the deck" in their own favor for a situation which, if and when it occurs, is a true one-off event. We know from simply watching the daily news, both local and national, that these events happen, and when they do it is not just a statistic for the parties involved. And "stacking the deck" is about all we can do from a practical standpoint. One can always dream up a theoretical scenario (and every scenario is theoretical until it actually happens to YOU personally) where a given choice of preparedness will not be adequate. The trade-offs involve how much extra inconvenience one willingly adds to their daily routine versus the likelihood (unlikelihood?) of an event where that "extra inconvenience" proves inadequate. Everyone must choose this balance for themselves.

As I've stated here several times since joining this forum, the handgun(s) that one chooses to carry daily is a very personal choice. Some live / work / travel in places where the likelihood of an "event" that would require us to utilize a handgun is higher than others who live / work / travel in other places. This "risk profile" is should factor into one's own personal calculus regarding choice of carry handgun(s), as well as one's own comfort level (paranoia level?). I believe that is the point of this particular article by Tamara.

By the way, my favorite "concealed carry" joke goes:
Q. "What do you call someone who carries a five shot airweight J-Frame and no extra ammo?"
A. "An optimist."

 

[ECS686]

I'm not sure how to say this but I've followed Tamara Keel and read her articles for a while (I don't know her personally but I know people who do). She dresses like what she calls "A Tactical Hobo". 5.11 pants, the untucked shirt and all that. She could probably hide a Desert Eagle in most of the photos Ive I've seen. If she's telling us that a snubby is all you really need someone is paying her to.

There is a similar discussion happening now on anoTHeR forum. They're drawing a slightly different conclusion.

What they're saying is "You should carry the best gun you can reasonably conceal under your current circumstances."

In TKs piece she's postulating 1 to 3 bad guys a block from a Police Station who are likely (but not Guaranteed) to bail at the first shot.

What if they don't? I mean, you've already hit the lottery that three bad guys attacked you in broad daylight a block from the police station in Broad Ripple Indiana, I wouldn't want to bet my life that three attackers who did all that are going to bail at the first sign of resistance.

Tamara Keel is a well respected trainer and if anybody could pull off 2 good hits each on three (presumably) moving targets it would be her but what if 2 good hits aren't enough? Again, the fact that we're here at all proves today is not your lucky day.

She does mention a small Semi-automatic might fit "The Snubby Lifestyle" . That would be my choice. Glock 26 with a 12 round magazine fits the "Best Handgun I can reasonably conceal " metric that they're postulating on the oTHeR forum.

I know Tamra personally and she was in a couple John Hearne classes. One I hosted as well as one I AI’d for John. I will say while she does write articles for income she doesn’t sell BS or get paid to shill products. She just would politely decline. She writes what is a common interest and with Bolke and Eastridge expanding the AFR and east coast snub Revolver rohndup a couple years ago (now Revolverfest) the interest is definitely thwre (Revolverfest sold out in short time this year so if your going I will also be there October Columbus Day weekend)

That said there are a couple thought processes and neither is wrong. 1st, guns are suppose to be comforting not comfortable (Clint Smith) carry as big as a gun hih can and dress around it (why a Glocl 19/Commander size shines)

Then 2nd there is the snubby Lifestyle (Darryl Bolke)

There it’s the better to have a gun. Shorts and not interjecting into others drama, having awareness and not going to stupid places woth stupid people at stupid times (avoiding liquor stores, gas’s statins where people are milking around in the parking lot not buying anything etc.
the other benefit in snubs is they are oretty comfortable in your shorts/pants pocket going to the mail/trash and siting in your favorite recliner in the case of home invasion.

So while everyone needs to decide which applies to then I would say it could depend on which part of the country and what size urban sprawl you are in.