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Old 03-31-2012, 01:22 AM
wrangler5 wrangler5 is offline
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Location: Missouri
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Dragon88 is right on - you'll have an enormous amount of fun with a K frame 38 Special. At least, that's been my experience with my under-$300 Model 10 with a 4" heavy barrel. Hundreds of rounds of 158g lead rounds at cowboy load velocities leave only soot, not lead, to clean up. And no hand or wrist pain on old joints, even if I throw in a dozen or two +P rounds just for grins.

That said, I probably shoot as many if not more rounds through my 2" 649 (all stainless.) It IS harder to knock down steel plates at 25 yards consistently with the snubbie than with the longer barrel, but it's a lot more satisfying when you do. The steel gun is heavy enough not to be particularly punishing with cowboy loads, but I find that an Airweight 442 snubbie starts to get old pretty quickly, even with light loads, unless I put a big cushy Pachmayr grip on it. YMMV on this point if your joints are younger and/or tougher than mine. But if it were me looking at a snubbie I'd go for an all stainless gun unless I absolutely knew I wanted to carry it in a jacket or pants pocket, were the much lighter weight DOES make a big difference.

You say you have a shotgun for home defense. I wouldn't argue against that choice, but you might also consider the "convenience" that a small but powerful handgun might offer over the long gun if you were to find yourself maneuvering in a confined space (hallway, curved staircase, etc.) With a laser grip on it, a snubbie revolver will put a round exactly where the red dot is (if you've adjusted the sight properly and practiced a bit) without your having to align sights in front of your eye. And there's very little for an attacker to grab in an attempt to disarm you, should things ever get to that close quarters. Just a thought.
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