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Snub nose revolvers are an American classic. These micro-sized revolvers have a proud and interesting lineage that ties back to something known as the Fitz special. While the Fitz was a bit different than the modern snub nose, Fitz clearly inspired what would become the snub nose revolver. This includes the shortened barrel, the trimmed hammer, and the fixed front sight.
This custom gun from a Colt employee has spawned an entire genre of revolvers. These guns have become known as detective specials and Chief’s specials. They’ve been popular in both real life and film for their small size and capability. In 2023 you have tons of options. Some companies produce so many snubnoses it’s a wonder they don’t all compete with each other.
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The Benefits of the Snub Nose
Snub nose revolvers offer you an interesting tool for concealed carry. These guns can vary wildly in terms of caliber. Shooters can choose calibers as small as .22 LR up to .357 Magnum and even beyond with some specialized tools. Weight and size can vary, but they tend to be on the smaller, lighter side. Some can be so light they are painful to shoot.
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Snub nose revolvers offer a capable and reliable tool for self-defense. They are extremely capable of close-quarters fighting. They can be safely carried out in several different ways with ease. This includes pocket carry, ankle carry, shoulder rigs, OWB, IWB, appendix, and anywhere in between.
They remain a favorite option for self-defense even after semi-automatic handguns have dominated every other major market.
The Best Snub Nose Revolvers
With that in mind, who makes the best currently on the market? This isn’t the best of all time because several excellent options are now out of production, and it’s tough to gauge old guns versus new guns fairly. Plus, who wants a list of antiques that aren’t great for anything other than collecting?
Ruger LCR
If you want affordable, modern, and downright great, the Ruger LCR is the route to take. It’s not the best-looking revolver, and purists might scoff at the heavy use of polymer, but the gun works. It’s also on the more affordable side of revolvers. Revolvers are not cheap in general, so having a major company release a modern and capable option for a fair price point is quite nice.
The LCR comes in a wide variety of calibers, from .22LR to .357 Magnum, with some oddballs like .327 Federal Magnum and even 9mm mixed in. The standard LCR is a DAO revolver, but the LCRx offers a hammer for cocking. I don’t think you need it because the LCR trigger is downright terrific. It’s one of the best stock DAO revolvers on the market. It’s smooth and fairly light, with excellent consistency.
For the money, I think the LCR is the best snub nose on the market. It’s priced fairly, reliable, easy to shoot, and has an amazing trigger. It’s the Glock of revolvers, but much like a Glock, it works.
S&W 638 Airweight
Smith and Wesson is that company that makes so many micro-sized revolvers they seem to be practically fighting with each other for market dominance. They make hammerless DAO designs, more classically inclined DA/SA revolvers, and then they make the S&W 638 Airweight which is a bit of both. The S&W 638 offers you the benefits of the standard DAO design.
It’s snag-free and easy to draw from deep concealment without difficulty. It’s smooth and simple but also offers the benefits of an exposed hammer. The 638 has a tab that allows you to manually cock the hammer if you so choose. This provides a shorter, lighter trigger pull that can help add some precision when it’s required.
This is a .38 Special revolver that holds five rounds of .38 Special. The farmer is an Airweight, so it weighs only 14.6 ounces. The small, pint-sized pocket revolver is very easy to conceal and easy to draw, but you still get that thumb cocking capability.
Colt Cobra
The Colt Snake guns are back! Much to the excitement of everyone who likes revolvers, Colt has decided to bring back their classic snake guns. The Cobra is the concealed carry version of this classic. The Colt Cobra series is a bit larger than most snub nose revolvers. Sure, the barrel is two inches long, but the frame holds six rounds and features a nice full-sized grip.
This big grip might not be the best for deep concealment, but it allows for good control and makes shooting .38 Special +P plenty comfy. The gun is rated for those +P loads, and they are a very popular option for concealed carry and defensive shooting. The Colt Cobra comes in with that wonderful Colt trigger that everyone should get to know. Its brass bead sight is easy to see and engage with and is more than just a ramp.
Colt makes several variants of the Cobra. Most differences are just simple, like the finish. However, guns like the Night Cobra have a bobbed hammer, G10 grips, and a night sight, so the differences are worth paying attention to.
Kimber K6S
Kimber is an M1911 company, right? Oakley, so they occasionally make bolt action rifles too, but mostly 1911s. People were surprised when they released a revolver and even more surprised that it was a well-made revolver. The Kimber K6S follows the classic layout of a modern snub-nose revolver. The barrel is two inches long, and the frame is quite compact.
The K6S holds six rounds, as the name implies, and is about 6.6 inches long. It’s compact, lightweight, and fairly easy to conceal and carry. What the K6S does a little differently is what makes it stand out. First, it’s a .357 Magnum and weighs only 23 ounces, which makes it the lightest six-shot .357 out there.
Second, it has real sights, not just a trench and front sight. They are low profile and snag-free, which I can’t help but appreciate. The gun comes in .38 Special and .357 Magnum, and certain models like the ultra-small K6XS are .38 Special only. There are DA/SA options, as well as some special editions. It’s a family of revolvers that deserves mention on this list. Doing things a little differently is how the industry evolves.
Taurus 942
Taurus has had an upswing as of late, and they’ve been producing some fantastic stuff. The Taurus 942 is one that often flies under the radar. This little gun is perfect for shooters who might not have the hand strength to deal with the recoil of a .38 Special or .357 Magnum. It’s a .22LR or .22 WMR revolver. These 942 come in numerous sizes, but obviously, we are focused on the snub nose variants.
The 942 series doesn’t pack a massive punch, but it packs plenty of them. These are eight-shot revolvers, which are tough to beat on a platform this size. They conceal with ease and reduce recoil even more by weighing right around 23 ounces. They are real kittens to shoot, and arthritic shooters will certainly appreciate the soft recoil.
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An exposed hammer helps shorten the trigger pull, which is great because .22LR revolver triggers tend to be heavy. Heavy triggers help with rimfire reliability. Additionally, as a revolver, if a round fails to ignite, you just pull the trigger again, and it really helps deal with rimfire problems.
Carry On With Your Snub Nose
The classic snub nose revolver won’t go away. It refuses to go into that good night and let automatics rule the concealed carry world. They remain relevant and capable in the small gun market. Good guns go a long way, and I hope you are a little more educated on what options you have out there for the classic J frame.
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