2. I have a Model 60 3" and it is definitely not a snub-nose. In fact it isn't even a snug-nose. Maybe a schlub-nose. I lub dose a lot.

anything under 6" is a snub in my book

I have a 3" 629-1 and I don't consider it a "snub nose".

+1

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Formerly know as Lucky Derby

I'm going with no. If it doesn't fit in my pants pocket then it ain't a snubbie. Dale

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"Long live the S&W 3rd. Gen.!"

Hey, Badkarma, you should check out the cargo pants at Cabellas. I have a 3" 36 and it fits easily into the front pocket of mine. Does that make it a snub? Dunno, I just think of it as a little gun that fits into my pants pocket. And, no, no one has asked me if I'm just glad to see them.

What I consider N frame snubs, but if I am wrong, who really cares.....?

After reading all of the posts and various opinions, I'll offer a wrinkle to the barrel length conundrum. I just picked up a 66-5 with a 3 1/4 inch barrel for CC. It shoots far better than I do, has the smoothest action of any handgun I own and even fits in my jeans rear pocket with just the tip of the butt exposed. I don't consider it a snubbie but rather a tool that fits my needs.

No.

Colt began its production in 1927 and the famous Detective Special was the first revolver to be coined "snub-nosed."

With it as the benchmark for all those to follow, a 3" revolver doesn't fit the bill.

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Steve
NJ State Trooper (rtd)

Number 2

I don't even think that 2.5 inches should be called a snub nose. 2 inches or less IMO

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Don't look, reload and shoot!

Kinda like calling a slide action shotgun a pump gun. These are movie terms used by neophytes.

Huh, a liberal once told me "Men who own guns are compensating for a small unit." Yet we kinda imply "shorter is better"? Fortunately, I don't have a liberal nearby to analyze it. Some of these are snubby, some not. Joe

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Wisdom chases me; I'm faster

I personally think a 3" and under barrel length fall into the snub nose size.

Here's Wikipedias definition so I guess I'm wrong but do not agree. Notice the FBI's model 13's fit the bill?

Snubnosed revolver - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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V/R
Roger / SG

I think post #11 makes the most sense. Once you have to cut short the ejector rod you make a rough sacrifice. Short barrels can be made up for some with proper ammo selection. The best you can do with a shorter extractor is hit it harder and hope for the best. So to me the new model 2.5 inch barrel J frames are more of a full sized gun. This is of course subjective but it's my thought and I'm sticking to it.

My final theory is that anything that sacrifices real shootability for conealment is a "snub". A 2" and below gives up velocity and sight radius, as well as positive extraction in exchange for being more "packable". In general people don't buy 2" and below revolvers as a first choice for a "range gun". They were made to be carried.

The 3" is a short barreled revolver, IMO, and was an attempt to make a service revolver that could be carried more easily by plainclothes LEO's and govt. agents, and became very popular with civilians. I don't have a 3" S&W but do have a 3" Ruger GP100, and it is not a snub to me. It's a medium frame .357 with a short barrel.

Sir, I really like the three in barrel but do not believe it is a qualifiable snub!

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Sam
S&WHF 333 S&WCA 2198

IMO a 3 inch barrel is not a snubnose.

I have seen and admire some 3 inch but still think of the two down as a true snubbie

3" barrel not a true snub nose in my opinion.

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I am a sheep dog!
1601 (ret)

May have been expressed before.

3"N frame=Snub
3"L frame=Snubbish
3"K frame=????? but Perfect
3"J frame= Not Snub

Hope this clears everything up

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I Love This Site

No, 3" is not a snubby

Not a snubby, It's a snubthree.

Nope - 2" or less = snubby...
.

No. It is not.

+1

But I do love those 2.5-inch and 3-inch barrels. They're just not short enough to be dubbed snub.

A 3-incher is a BUG for purposes of IDPA side matches, so maybe it's a "kinda snub."

My 3-inch 640 and 3-inch 940 seem like snubs to me (probably because they are J frames), but my 3-inch K frames (13, 65, and 66) don't. So -- hanged if I know!

i have a sp101 3 inch in H&R .32mag not a snub so i think 2 inch and less

No, a mid length revolver.

Ed Lovette's fascinating book " The Snubby Revolver : The ECQ, Backup, and Concealed Carry Standard " ( 2002 edition ) gives the following definition of a snub nosed revolver : any 5 or 6 shot double action revolver of caliber .38 Special or greater, with a barrel no longer than 2 1/2 inches and weighing 30 ounces or less. There is a newer edition of the book available.

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I like Ike.

No, a three inch barrel is not a snub nose.

OK, just to be different, here's my thinking: look at the gun from the side - if the distance from the front of the cylinder to the muzzle is shorter than the distance from the rear of the cylinder to the rear of the backstrap, it's a snubby. If the cylinder-muzzle distance is the same or longer, it ain't a snubby.

Yeah, yeah, I know - I'm weird....

2. No, 3 is too long to be a snubby IMO. And I don't think any L, N, or X frame should be called a snubby regardless of how short the barrel is. Well,maybe I would consider the 2.5" 686 a snubby, I don't know. It's still a pretty chunky piece. Like someone's already said, a snubby should drop into a front pocket.

no a 2.5 is a snubby.

That would be correct, IMHO.

no.
too bad you did not set it up as a poll, but I think the nays have it by a wide margin.

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Ed

I know of no scientific evidence to support the question one way or another.

I do have personal experience hitting within the nine ring of a 25 yard target with regularity using a 3" barrel revolver.

Shooting a revolver with a shorter barrel I have trouble hitting the 25 yard target.

Thus the answer to me is that a 3" barrel is not a snubby.

3" barrels are "on the bubble." I love 'em, by the way!

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195th Session FBINA

For my 2 cents worth, I vote yes that a 3 inch can be classified as a snubbie. Michael deBethencourt, one of the top snub instructors in the U.S. list as a criteria for attending one of his snub classes is a revolver 3 inches or less. So based on that, I would say deBethencourt feels that a 3 inch revolver is classified as a snub and I tend to agree with him. See his web site @
Snub Tactics, Tips, and Tricks

No, a 3" barrel is not a snubby, it's a short barrel, but not a snubby...

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NRA Life Member

not a snub,,

No, not at all! What would you sell it for? lol

According to the Snubbies files, Yes:

"The Colt Detective Special was an American DA/SA revolver first produced in 1927 as a shortened version of the Police Positive Special handgun. It was designed for ease of carry and concealment. It proved very popular and over 1.5 million were produced in several models by the time production finally ended in 1986. Though originally offered in .32 caliber, the most common of the Colt Detective Specials were chambered for the .38 Special cartridge fed from a 6-shot cylinder and had a 2-inch barrel. (Some models with 3-inch barrels can also be found.) It is a classic-style, swing out cylinder, double action compact revolver with fixed blade front sight and notch-style rear sights and full length ejector rod. The cylinder rotates clockwise, unlike Smith & Wesson revolvers. The Detective Special models were also available in other calibers.

The gun first became popular [in 1926] after J. H. FitzGerald, a Colt shooter, began to cut the Police Positive guns down to two inches for use as belly guns. In fact, FitzGerald went even further and bobbed the hammerspurs and cut out the front of the trigger guards in an attempt to make a real speed gun. They called them FitzGerald Specials, and many savvy gunmen preferred them for fighting guns."

So does that translate into, any gun that I can't hit my target with is a snubby?

My vote is a Yes

3"=Yes X 3+=no = Happy shooting either way

2.5 inch= snubby. 3 inch= short barrel.

no to 3 inch

3 and under is a snubby.

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SEMPER-FI

I haven't read all 10 pages of posts, but I suspect that everybody will agree that a 2" gun is a snubby, and a 4" gun is not. Exactly where the line between the two lies is the argument.

I'd argue 2" and less is a snubby....
4" and longer is full sized.

Anything in between is a belly gun.

That's my two cents - Josh M - Charter Member - Belly Gunners Anonymous.

I'm selecting #2