Self Defence Revolver Barrels - The Firearms Forum

TranterUK · 05-06-2009, 03:23 AM

What is your choice of barrel length in a self defence revolver? To be carried as well as in the home.

I always loved 3". It seemed, to quote Goldilocks, 'just right' but others often disagreed.

Any opionions?

oscarmayer · 05-06-2009, 04:48 AM

the 3in barrel seems to me a good choice as well. they seem better balanced. and as for a carry gun if you can hide a 2 inch you can hide a 3 incher just as well with one exception... pocket carry. though i carry a colt detective special 2in barrel i've given alot of thought to replacing it with a colt viper i have with a 3 in barrel . or as my daughter puts it join the 21st century and start packing a automatic ( not going to happen )

Tony22-250 · 05-06-2009, 05:25 AM

I have to go with a S&W 686 with a 6" barrel i want people to know im armed and that i have a REAL GUN!!! besides its the only hand gun i have at the moment so that's what i will use :P

ampaterry · 05-06-2009, 06:52 AM

2" carry fits in the pocket better
4" home

for both?
3" compromise

pawn · 05-06-2009, 10:10 AM

2 inch for carry

Dirtypacman · 05-06-2009, 10:33 AM

Also 2" for carry but If I could conceal it better I would go with 3" as it would be better overall for home and carry.

carver · 05-06-2009, 10:47 AM

I voted for 4". If you carry any of the major auto pistols you could carry any 4" revolver, IMHO. The 44 mag. might be a little too heavy for CCW but .357 on down should not be any heavier, or bulkier than the major autos. Of course you would have only 6 - 7 shots, as compaired to 8 - 18! Yet, you know that the revolver will not jam.

USMC-03 · 05-06-2009, 12:51 PM

The general rule I've always used is 6" for target use, 4" for service/defense use and 2" or 3" (depending on size and caliber) for concealing. I myself almost always go for a 4" barrel on any revolver; for my it usually seems the best for ballance and feel. My nightstand gun is a S&W model 15 .38 with 4" barrel and I also have a model 18, which is the exact same K-frame, .22lr with 4" barrel for practice. This is a great package for defense and training.

CampingJosh · 05-06-2009, 01:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ampaterry

2" carry fits in the pocket better
4" home

for both?
3" compromise

This was pretty well my exact thought process.

olmossbak · 05-06-2009, 05:58 PM

I figure that I can hit middle mass with a 2" revolver at the range where I won't be prosecuted for pulling the trigger. That would be about any distance in my house and up to 15 yds elsewhere.

I am more likely to to have the 2" revolver or the PPK/s than any of my larger pistols/revolvers simply because of concealment and comfort.

delta13soultaker · 05-06-2009, 06:08 PM

I used to compete with a 4" revolver.

For CCW/self-defense revolvers I've always liked the speed and retainability of 2". I'd be open minded about a 3" though.

TranterUK · 05-07-2009, 06:42 AM

Thanks for the feedback. I have fired revolvers of almost every barrel length, including 8"! and still think a 3" is the best all round for defence. Preferably a heavy barrel as in I think a Smith 65.

It seems to me to be the best compromise between controllability and portability. I like the 2" Js, and have carried several over the years but never got good enough results shooting a 2" as 3". I know the extra will make almost no difference as to accuracy for purpose, but perhaps the extra inch sight base does.

sakeneko · 05-20-2009, 08:49 PM

I carry an S&W Model 60 with a 3" barrel: my only gun so far. Picked it because I wanted something that could shoot a real defense round, and after trying a 2" snubby with .357 practice/target loads, decided that the extra inch made all the difference in my ability to control the gun. ;-) My husband has a Springfield XDM 9 mm with a longer barrel, but he has his sights set on winning target shooting matches. (And, to be honest, is a better shot than I am.)

jpmccr · 05-21-2009, 08:37 PM

I have a Colt .38 Special Diamondback with a 2.5" barrel so 3" is perfect for me.

kutaho · 05-21-2009, 09:27 PM

stuck in gunslinger mode, 7'' with a barrel that looks like a cave

kilogulf59 · 05-23-2009, 12:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TranterUK

What is your choice of barrel length in a self defence revolver? To be carried as well as in the home.

I always loved 3". It seemed, to quote Goldilocks, 'just right' but others often disagreed.

Any opionions?

Agreed Tranter...100%

I always felt that the 3-inch M10/M13 and M64/M65, of which I own the latter and so do my daughters, were one of the best, all-around close combat weapons made.

Though I do not own one, I love the 3-inch J-frames as well...a great CCW if there ever was one.

Lotsdragon · 05-23-2009, 01:43 PM

I carry an old Star 380 as a rule but if I had to carry one of my wheel guns it would be my old smith model 10 38 with 4" barrel.Not real heavy and another that is just a joy to shoot.

noslolo · 08-07-2009, 01:15 AM

This has been an issue for me. I really wanted an auto for ccw, but with the prices shooting up, I started to look back at the wheel gun. I have a 6inch 686 that I love. Checking out the snubbies really opened me up to the idea of a small wheel gun. I do like the amount of ammo a semi auto has, but the cost of a decent lite semi auto and the price of a lite weight revolver has me thinking in a new direction.

TranterUK · 08-07-2009, 08:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by noslolo

I have a 6inch 686 that I love. Checking out the snubbies really opened me up to the idea of a small wheel gun.

The 686 is an excellent revolver, I had one myself for a while. Its no CCW though. If your up for a revolver for defence, I would look for a Mid size like a K Frame with a shorter barrel. My revolver of choice was a K frame with a 3" tube, as mentioned at top. It just seemed the bast balance between concealability and usability.

The little compact J frames are popular, but are mostly limited to five rounds and those little guns can be a lot harder to shoot well than the larger K frame.

ninjatoth · 08-08-2009, 02:15 PM

I don't carry,it's only a home defense gun,but even so,I chose a 2" anyway.Mainly because I think it's manueverable and hard to be grabbed out of the hand,plus I can answer the door with it behind my back if I don't know who it is,and if it is just a neighbor,I don't look like a jerk with a big gun hanging out,they won't be the wiser with a 2"

View Poll Results: Self defence revolver barrel length? Home and carry.
2" Barrel	11	36.67%
3" Barrel	11	36.67%
4" Barrel	6	20.00%
other	2	6.67%
Voters: 30. You may not vote on this poll

05-06-2009, 03:23 AM	#1
TranterUK Advanced Senior Member Join Date: May 2008 Location: Cambridge UK Posts: 5,103	Self Defence Revolver Barrels What is your choice of barrel length in a self defence revolver? To be carried as well as in the home. I always loved 3". It seemed, to quote Goldilocks, 'just right' but others often disagreed. Any opionions? __________________ DVC - Diligentia, Vis, Celeritas - Accuracy, Power, Speed. The light at the end of the recession tunnel IS a train coming the other way! -->

05-06-2009, 04:48 AM	#2
oscarmayer Advanced Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2008 Contributor Posts: 2,387	Re: Self Defence Revolver Barrels the 3in barrel seems to me a good choice as well. they seem better balanced. and as for a carry gun if you can hide a 2 inch you can hide a 3 incher just as well with one exception... pocket carry. though i carry a colt detective special 2in barrel i've given alot of thought to replacing it with a colt viper i have with a 3 in barrel . or as my daughter puts it join the 21st century and start packing a automatic ( not going to happen )

05-06-2009, 05:25 AM	#3
Tony22-250 Advanced Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Snellville, GA Posts: 1,146	Re: Self Defence Revolver Barrels I have to go with a S&W 686 with a 6" barrel i want people to know im armed and that i have a REAL GUN!!! besides its the only hand gun i have at the moment so that's what i will use :P __________________ Bullets change governments far surer than votes. The most powerful weapon you can buy isn't a .50 caliber. It's a Senate Seat.... "When injustice becomes law, then resistance becomes duty." Thomas Jefferson

05-06-2009, 06:52 AM	#4
ampaterry TFF Admin Staff Chaplain Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: West Tennessee Contributor Posts: 6,277	Re: Self Defence Revolver Barrels 2" carry fits in the pocket better 4" home for both? 3" compromise __________________ A woman who demands further gun control legislation is like a chicken who roots for Colonel Sanders. Larry Elder

05-06-2009, 10:10 AM	#5
pawn Advanced Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Crossville, TN Posts: 1,469	Re: Self Defence Revolver Barrels 2 inch for carry __________________ Take care when you get information. The truth is generally seen, rarely heard. -Balthasar Gracian

05-06-2009, 10:33 AM	#6
Dirtypacman Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Merrimac Valley, MA Posts: 908	Re: Self Defence Revolver Barrels Also 2" for carry but If I could conceal it better I would go with 3" as it would be better overall for home and carry. __________________ Member HHRG and HSC, NRA Life Member, GOAL Member LTC-A

05-06-2009, 10:47 AM	#7
carver TFF Moderator/Host Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: DAV, Deep in the Pineywoods of East Texas, just west of Shreveport, LA Contributor Posts: 11,245	Re: Self Defence Revolver Barrels I voted for 4". If you carry any of the major auto pistols you could carry any 4" revolver, IMHO. The 44 mag. might be a little too heavy for CCW but .357 on down should not be any heavier, or bulkier than the major autos. Of course you would have only 6 - 7 shots, as compaired to 8 - 18! Yet, you know that the revolver will not jam. __________________ Y'all be safe now, ya hear! Lamentations Chapter 5: 1. Remember, O LORD, what is come upon us: consider, and behold our reproach. 2. Our inheritance is turned to strangers, our houses to aliens. 3. We are orphans and fatherless, our mothers [are] as widows. 5. Our necks [are] under persecution: we labour, [and] have no rest. 16. The crown is fallen [from] our head: woe unto us, that we have sinned! 21. Turn thou us unto thee, O LORD, and we shall be turned; renew our days as of old.

05-06-2009, 12:51 PM	#8
USMC-03 Advanced Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Peoples Republic of the Pacific Northwest Posts: 1,825	Re: Self Defence Revolver Barrels The general rule I've always used is 6" for target use, 4" for service/defense use and 2" or 3" (depending on size and caliber) for concealing. I myself almost always go for a 4" barrel on any revolver; for my it usually seems the best for ballance and feel. My nightstand gun is a S&W model 15 .38 with 4" barrel and I also have a model 18, which is the exact same K-frame, .22lr with 4" barrel for practice. This is a great package for defense and training. __________________ Let not the rifles of good and free men be reforged into plowshares, but may they rest in a place of honor; ready, well oiled and God willing unused. For if the price of peace becomes licking the boots of tyrants, then "To Arms!" I say, and may the fortunes of war smile upon patriots. - Fortes Fortuna Javat -

05-06-2009, 05:58 PM	#10
olmossbak V.I.P. Member Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: NE Tenn Posts: 212	Re: Self Defence Revolver Barrels I figure that I can hit middle mass with a 2" revolver at the range where I won't be prosecuted for pulling the trigger. That would be about any distance in my house and up to 15 yds elsewhere. I am more likely to to have the 2" revolver or the PPK/s than any of my larger pistols/revolvers simply because of concealment and comfort. Last edited by olmossbak; 05-06-2009 at 05:59 PM.. Reason: trying to get fingers to work

05-06-2009, 06:08 PM	#11
delta13soultaker Advanced Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Depends on Uncle Sam's whim every 3 yrs. Posts: 2,948	Re: Self Defence Revolver Barrels I used to compete with a 4" revolver. For CCW/self-defense revolvers I've always liked the speed and retainability of 2". I'd be open minded about a 3" though. __________________ Never say die! "A nation who forgets its defenders is soon forgotten itself." "A good shot must necessarily be a good man since the essence of good marksmanship is self-control and self-control is the essential quality of a good man." – Theodore Roosevelt

05-07-2009, 06:42 AM	#12
TranterUK Advanced Senior Member Join Date: May 2008 Location: Cambridge UK Posts: 5,103	Re: Self Defence Revolver Barrels Thanks for the feedback. I have fired revolvers of almost every barrel length, including 8"! and still think a 3" is the best all round for defence. Preferably a heavy barrel as in I think a Smith 65. It seems to me to be the best compromise between controllability and portability. I like the 2" Js, and have carried several over the years but never got good enough results shooting a 2" as 3". I know the extra will make almost no difference as to accuracy for purpose, but perhaps the extra inch sight base does. __________________ DVC - Diligentia, Vis, Celeritas - Accuracy, Power, Speed. The light at the end of the recession tunnel IS a train coming the other way!

05-20-2009, 08:49 PM	#13
sakeneko V.I.P. Member Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Nevada Posts: 83	Re: Self Defence Revolver Barrels I carry an S&W Model 60 with a 3" barrel: my only gun so far. Picked it because I wanted something that could shoot a real defense round, and after trying a 2" snubby with .357 practice/target loads, decided that the extra inch made all the difference in my ability to control the gun. ;-) My husband has a Springfield XDM 9 mm with a longer barrel, but he has his sights set on winning target shooting matches. (And, to be honest, is a better shot than I am.)

05-21-2009, 08:37 PM	#14
jpmccr Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: NJ (really don't know why?) Posts: 530	Re: Self Defence Revolver Barrels I have a Colt .38 Special Diamondback with a 2.5" barrel so 3" is perfect for me. __________________ J.P. "The Desire to Serve, The Ability to Perform, and The Courage to Act." *"God invented whiskey to keep the Irish from conquering the world!"* "There are none so blind as those who will not see."

05-21-2009, 09:27 PM	#15
kutaho Advanced Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Peoples Republic of the Pacific Northwest Posts: 1,852	Re: Self Defence Revolver Barrels stuck in gunslinger mode, 7'' with a barrel that looks like a cave __________________ No man stands in the same river twice If all else fails grab a rock Mi Taku oyasin

05-23-2009, 01:43 PM	#17
Lotsdragon Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Potosi, Mo Posts: 813	Re: Self Defence Revolver Barrels I carry an old Star 380 as a rule but if I had to carry one of my wheel guns it would be my old smith model 10 38 with 4" barrel.Not real heavy and another that is just a joy to shoot.

08-07-2009, 01:15 AM	#18
noslolo Advanced Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Johnstown PA Posts: 1,558	Re: Self Defence Revolver Barrels This has been an issue for me. I really wanted an auto for ccw, but with the prices shooting up, I started to look back at the wheel gun. I have a 6inch 686 that I love. Checking out the snubbies really opened me up to the idea of a small wheel gun. I do like the amount of ammo a semi auto has, but the cost of a decent lite semi auto and the price of a lite weight revolver has me thinking in a new direction. __________________ I'm a heck of a "obesito illegitimo"

08-08-2009, 02:15 PM	#20
ninjatoth Former Guest Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Sanford,Michigan Posts: 369	Re: Self Defence Revolver Barrels I don't carry,it's only a home defense gun,but even so,I chose a 2" anyway.Mainly because I think it's manueverable and hard to be grabbed out of the hand,plus I can answer the door with it behind my back if I don't know who it is,and if it is just a neighbor,I don't look like a jerk with a big gun hanging out,they won't be the wiser with a 2"