I believe the snub nose revolver will be one of the most popular models ever brought out for police and protective use and I feel that I have been very instrumental in bringing thhis about.
John Henry Fitz Gerald
we use guns because they provide lethal force in a very portable package
and if youre carrying it every day you want the smallest package possible
sometimes you just have to have a little gun
this is the colt detective special
from the 20s to the 90s it was one of the premier handguns for serious use
and its story is deeply entwined with a man named fitz
lets use the clam machine to go back to the late 1800s
woogawoogawooga
so fitz was playing with guns since he was like 10
stole his daddys pistol and accidentally shot his friends toe off
this kid wasted no time
he progressed to taking guns apart and building duplicate parts
invented forensic ballistic study
its pretty clear this kid has moxy
so he made friends with cops
became a state trooper
got hired by iver johnson
then hired by colt
hed done so much tinkering its unbelievable
and he was a huge proponent of armed citizenry
im reading his book and he might be my hero
so around 1925 he started making custom colts for the knowledgable dudes of the roaring 20s
like charles limbergh and clyde barrow
the guns were called fitz specials
and they were uh
unorthodox lol
he started with a regular revolver like a colt police special
cut the barrel to 2 inches
rounded the butt
chopped the hammer
dehorned everything
tuned the springs
oh and cut the friggin trigger guard off lol
but everything was specifically to make this the best gun for someone to snatch from a pocket and ventilate a crook
specific advantages of a short barrel according to fitz
-
less leverage for the wise guy to snatch your gun out
-
less chance for a squib to get stuck in the barrel
-
and obviously a faster draw
well it got so popular that by 1927 colt started selling a revolver with a shortened barrel called the detective special
detectives dont have holsters on their hips and were major fans of the design
it was so popular like a million and a half were made
and it lasted until the 90s when colt itself went bankrupt
but the concept didnt die with colt
go to your local gun store and i bet you a box of .38 youll see a half dozen different makers of snubnoses
even in a world with polymer autoloaders the snubnose is going strong
one advantage of the colt over its competitors is it holds six rounds just like its bigger brothers
by comparison a smith and wesson snubby only holds five
and they didnt even start making snubbies until the 50s lol
so what if you dont want any of the copies
what if you need a colt
well with well over a million made i bet you could find one
and i have good news too
colt recently started making revolvers again
and one even has a factory bobbed hammer
it turns out there are certain realities of self defense that transcend time
and the snubnose lives on
pew pew
#click here for previous articles
BillyLuath ago
Sorry, I'm not going to learn a third way to open a cylinder, it took me forever to learn to push "in", instead of forward.
I'm not going to buy a gun I have to push "back" to dump the brass.
Besides, S&W has the best ribs and underlugs.
clamhurt_legbeard ago
dude
thats exactly why i did the smith and wesson
im like
pull to open
wtf lol
Outstretched_Bill ago
Hey thanks for this. I appreciate it.
clamhurt_legbeard ago
glad to hear it dude
there are more if you like em lol
clamhurt_legbeard ago
so many unfired used guns
heh heh
Laffey ago
I've never understood the, "but it's gotta be tiny so you can carry it!" crowd. See no need for a barrel less than 3", and I prefer 4".
Colt revolvers are cool though.
clamhurt_legbeard ago
depends on how you carry
putting a 4 inch barrel in your pocket or down your pants is harder than a 2 inch
con77 ago
I have a colt agent snub I bought new in 1983. Total of maybe 200 rounds through it. Looks brand new. sat in a holster in a drawer for 30 years.
clamhurt_legbeard ago
fuck yes
once you told a story where you bought a new motorcycle and rode across the country with a revolver in your pocket
was it that agent
con77 ago
w/ a speedloader
clamhurt_legbeard ago
fuck yeah
doin it right
con77 ago
yuuup!
ManchesterT ago
Single-stack 380s and 9mm's have made these obsolete. Slimmer, more capacity.
Battlefat ago
It’s what my heart says, but the Shield in my pants says otherwise
clamhurt_legbeard ago
i disagree altho i own those too lol
revolver has no safety so its immediately ready to go and left hand friendly
revolvers are way more customizable in the grip department
my wifes slim single stack polymer 9mm needed a zippo and a half hour to change the grip
meanwhile ive changed my revolver grip back and forth countless times
Battlefat ago
That Night Cobra is a sexy bitch
clamhurt_legbeard ago
dude
isnt it tho
like yowza
Battlefat ago
I’m at the point where an $800+ pistol better call me pretty because it’s probably not gonna make me shoot better than one half it’s price — but I look at it and want it almost as badly as an M45A1
clamhurt_legbeard ago
true shit
my bersa was 350 new
500 for a west german sig 226 from a coworker
above like 600 you better do something special
most i spent on a handgun was my snubby amusingly
like 750 i think
Battlefat ago
226 master race
clamhurt_legbeard ago
west german marked slide
clamhurt_legbeard ago
dude
honestly
we can talk about bleeding edge bullet design and polymers
but the biggest reality is pulling a gun wins most fights
and most of the rest are solved by 3 rounds of anything
and revolves are simple and solid
self defense really doesnt change that fast
CultureOfCritique ago
Funny, I just watched a Gun Jesus (Forgotten Weapons) video on a Fitz Special revolver and he explained how it was the progenitor to all the snubnoses of today. Good writeup as always, now I want one and God knows I don't need another gun...
clamhurt_legbeard ago
haaaaaa
dude id watched that video a while back
but i highly recommend reading the book by fitz i linked to
its free and very interesting historically
CultureOfCritique ago
Thanks, I'll check it out.
thedirtypuma ago
Nice one. I really do like snub noses. It was the first gun I ever bought even. It wasn't a colt though, it would have been cool if it was. It was a taurus ultra lite, it's still kicking with 1000's of rounds shot through it. Then I bought another snubby (taurus 605) but one that could shoot 357 because I want to feel the recoil the next day. I will probably buy another in the future (s&w model 638 or 649).
clamhurt_legbeard ago
exactly what i mean
i have a smith and wesson model 60
tho i havent shot 357 yet
thedirtypuma ago
NIce on the 50 yard accuracy with a snubby. I have never even tried going more than 15 yards with mine. The 15 yards already seems like a but of a stretch.
357 probably isn't worth it with such a short barrel. It does make a bit of a fireball when you shoot it though which is fun.
Have you ever thought about writing about the Mateba?
clamhurt_legbeard ago
i was shooting a big ol propane tank
and missed half the time
but that means i hit half the time
and it has a 2 inch barrel
and i suck with pistols
i was very happy
i dont know much about the mateba but i have heard of it
as for 357
i like the option
and really like the extra durability
if it can handle that
my 38 isnt going to wear it out any time soon