7/25/2024 4:24:24 PM
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Section 10: Defense Weapons/Ammo Subject: Snub-nosed Autos? Msg# 1208263
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The curmudgeon in me pops out every time I see an article claiming that snubbies are better because people will carry them when they would leave their real gun at home. I freely admit this is partly because my curmudgeon layer isn't buried very deep but I also believe most of the time that line of thinking flies in the face of common sense.
First, why are they leaving their real gun at home? Did they suddenly forget why they decided to carry a gun in the first place? It isn't much of a step from "better than nothing" to "the same as nothing" in this case if the carrier doesn't practice regularly with the snub and doesn't realize the velocity penalty he's causing himself, and doesn't keep in mind the resulting reduction in his maximum competent shooting distance. In other words, you are shrinking both your defensive perimeter and your ability to damage an attacker. Any other advantages you'd like to shift to your attacker? I don't mean "you" you of course as this subject has come up here a few times and our opinions agree, I'm referring to readers everywhere who encounter this subject and feel a misguided tendency to believe in it. I'd like to see it made clear in these articles that this is something you do as a last resort, not as an everyday expression of style or comfort. You described the people I'm talking about: I do think that many people own and carry them every day because they can't be bothered with anything larger or heavier, and as they don't know much about ballistics, it doesn't matter to them. I agree about Grassi's regular dive into minutiae, when he shifts into this or that drill on this or that target I tend to doze. Having said all that, I should report that the Peoples' Republic of Washington will soon allow me to pick up my latest acquisition, an old Colt snubby. I found a lonesome looking early model Cobra at my favorite gun shop and they made me an offer I couldn't refuse. Colt made three kinds of them back in this one's day; the all-steel Detective Special and the aluminum-framed Cobra and Agent models. I used to have a nice Detective Special but I've never owned one of the lightweights. Here's a shot of the old DS: The Cobra is not something I'll carry but I might make it my recliner gun... I will definitely shoot it to help keep me humble and I may have to spring for another Tyler T-Grip... |
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For reference, the above message is a reply to a message where: Editor’s Notebook: Snubnosed Auto Pistols? Rich Grassi wrote this article on short-barreled semi-autos. It's a timely discussion, as "snub-nosed" auto pistols are de rigueur these days. In fact, they are so popular that they have become the primary carry gun for many many people. To Grassi's credit, he does consider that many of us who own a snub will only occasional carry it because our normal carry is larger and a perceivably "better" self-defense firearm. Yet as he gets into his spiel he begins talking as if the snub is the only pistol you'll find in his pocket, so... I did catch one interesting thing--he mentions that the first rule of a gunfight is to have a gun. (That line should have been credited to Mark Moritz--but no one knows that anymore). This of course is true--and an argument for the snub. He does refer to the snub as the "gun you have when not armed," and these are still standard lines among carry aficionados--but why? I'll carry a snub revolver on rare occasion. But the reason is always dictated by external circumstance--a location where I absolutely must not appear armed or to be dressing as if I might be armed, etc. Not because I'm so lazy the little gun is just more convenient. I do think that many people own and carry them every day because they can't be bothered with anything larger or heavier, and as they don't klnow much about ballistics, it doesn't matter to them. At articles end, Grassi does entertain us with the oh-so-critical details about how he shot his snubs one day at the range... Still, if the article generates some discussion here, I'll be happy. Possible questions for discussion: Do you own a snub(s)? Revolver, auto, or both? Do you carry a snub? How often? Do you practice with your snub(s)? How often? (This was something Grassi commented on as important). Are the ballistics for a snub important to you? In what sense? |