I love revolvers, but I do think the 5 shot snub nose is getting eclipsed by the plethora of small and reliable 380 and 9mm.

The main reason for the 5 shot snub was pocket sized reliability. There was a time when reliable small autos were few and far between. Today, the newer small autos are very reliable.

Also, 5-6 rounds may not be enough today. Multiple attackers, terrorists with rifles, and mass public shooters with long arms are a real possibility. When the 5 shot snub was popular, a good guy was most likely going to up against bad guys with revolvers. Now, bad guys will have 18 shot pistols at a minimum.

You can find many cases of police officers (both on and off duty) and armed citizens who either died or lost a gunfight due to running their 5-6 shot wheelguns dry. Many of these situations were much like what a private citizen might face (mall shooting or the like).

7-9 rounds of 380 or 9mm, with a fast reload, beats 5 shots of 38 and a slow reload.