Just last week helped a lady friend of my wife locate her first self-defense handgun.

Local inventory is kaput but I looked around and found a small gun shop that had a Taurus snubbie new for about $360. I glanced at it, picked it up and opened the cylinder. It had six charge holes in it!

All steel, not much heavier than my 60-7, trigger pull not great but good enough. Rated for +P. She won't use it as a carry gun but will keep it at home.

I could have sworn it was a Taurus 85 at first glance. If she had not needed it I would have bought it for sure!

I voted no because I wouldn’t be interested in a gun any bigger and heavier than a 442, or in steel, the original 40/640.

I made the choice nearly 50-years ago when I bought my first Model 36. Could have bought the Detective Special, and didn’t. I still think five rounds rounds are sufficient in this type of gun.

That was a mean thing to do. As we all know the biggest weakness handguns have for beginners is hitting anything. That is much easier with a service size handgun which will sit in the dresser drawer just as well.

Had there been a used k-frame or equivalent size revolver available I would have steered her that way. At least it's an all steel gun which will dampen recoil more than a 442 or 642.

There are virtually no used K- frames around these parts. Maybe some new ones but prices are out of this world.

I think I did good.

The 856. An interesting gun, sort of the genesis of this thread. If Taurus can do it, why can't S&W

They now have a 3" barrel version of that gun.

S & W chose to make a small concealable revolver when they designed the 5 round J frame 38.

It is not that they can't do a 6 shot {they do in a K frame} It is just they chose to go slightly smaller and make it fit 5.

Everything, in design, is a trade off.

So, if you wish to have small {J frame} and wish more than 5 rounds, you will need to compromise and change caliber {6 rounds 327, 7 rounds 22 or 22 Mag }

Or you can compromise and get the Taurus 856.😊

And I'm going to purchase one as soon as I see one in a shop somewhere.

OOPS...meant 8 rounds of 22 LR. 7 rounds of 22 Mag.{J frame}

compromise might also be a Kimber, doesn't have to be Taurus or compromise and get a K frame.

Or if you need more rounds, compromise and get a L or N frame. Lots of compromises to choose between.

The one thing Taurus has going for it is that the 856 comes in an Ulta Lite version at only 16 ounces. I wish Kimber would try to produce a lightweight version of their K6S.

7 22 Magnums would be good for me. But the m351 is about $200 more than a 442
Six 32 Mags would be fine too. But S&W dropped out of that game
I’ll stick to 5 +P 38s and endeavor to do my best and making each shot count. I don’t want anything bigger than a J frame or LC9s in my pocket

There's no question they could do it if they wanted, and judging from what Taurus is doing, they could probably sell more of them than they need to do it profitably. It would give a lot of people who already have 5-shot Js to buy another gun.

Just to wrap this up, over 50% of people responding to the poll said they'd buy a small frame 6 shoot snubbie from S&W. So maybe it's an idea they should pursue.

I would much, much, much rather buy a 6 shot 327 magnum J frame...

Prob not for me. I like my J-frames just the way they are.

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Some Might Say.

There are 3 J-frame six-shot .32 H&R's on Gunbroker right now listed for $1,200-$1,500. Wow!

No.

They should bring back the Model 12, a 6-shot alloy K-frame in .38Sp.

They should also expand the J-frame lineup to include steel and alloy 6-shot models in .32/.327

No because a 327 J frame would do everything a 38 special could do and more.

I'm sorry but while S&W was dozing, somebody beat them to the punch. Best snubby action I ever felt.

Old thread, but I'll chime in. Yes, I would certainly buy a 6 shot J-frame.

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USMC 83'-87', NRA Member.

Not with the new “features”.

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Sure you did

Yes. I would probably buy 50 of them. Seriously.


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No, why bother. One more round won’t make a dif and if you start the what if game then how about a 7 or 8 round .38? Besides there’s Colt.

A 6 shots 38Spl is already made by S&W. The J frame cylinder dia. is not large enough to have 6 holes in it! So, when you increase the J frame cylinder diameter to have 6 holes you have made a K frame cylinder!
jcelect

I would think it impossible to get six .38s in a J-frame.

It would take a larger frame or a thinner cartridge.

Smith has offered a variety of J-frames in .32 caliber cartridges over the years.

They must not be huge sellers as they don't seem to stay in the lineup.

Maybe with the little bit of marketing splash the 30 Carry is getting, the timing is right to try again.

Please understand I'm not saying the .30 Carry is better than the 327mag or the .32h&r.

It's getting some press though and that counts when trying to sell guns.

I voted no. I would like for them to bring back the snub nose model 12.

That would make it a K-frame by definition!

How about a six-shot J frame in 30 Super Carry?

Why don't they just go back to making the model 10, 15, 64 and 67 ? Make it in all the old barrel lengths (2", 3", 4") and

That was very interesting about the C frame, I never knew about that. The knowledge on this forum is truly amazing!

I chose undecided, but in the end I probably wouldn't buy one. I have a 642 PC J-Frame and a 3 inch 686+. I'm not sure why I'd need something in the middle. Especially as my 642 is about as big as I can use for pocket carry and even then it doesn't fit all of my pockets. YMMV.

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M&PC FS BG Shield+ 642 686+

The 100g JHP Buffalo Bore round in 32 Magnum has more muzzle energy than Remington's 158g LSWC round in +P 38 Special. Not a lot more, but more. It kicks like it, too. (Data collected on the same day over same chrono setup using 2" J frames for each round.)

That BB load is also safe for "unlimited use" in my 30-1 and 31-1 that have been reamed from 32 Long to take 32 H&R Mag, according to an email from the owner of BB.

Keep looking for that .32 Magnum J or get a 30-1 in 32 long and bore it on out to 32 Magnum, you won't regret it. Here is my 30-1 with a modified cylinder installed. I kept the original unmolested. I also have a 332 but no picture.

Attached Images

left side.jpg (44.0 KB, 11 views)

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SWCA 3417 HF 642 NRA-TC

No, because I have several 6 shot J frame 32s and a couple of them are 32 H&R mags. I have a J frame 357 and several 38 specials if I miss 5 times with those another round wouldn't fix the problem. I also have a 2" model 10 and a 2" model 12. So I am covered. Over covered really.

Besides my regular carry gun is a 325 and hold 6 45acps.

I have several J-frame sized, six shot revolvers in 38 special. They’re called Colt Detective Specials! ��

Down side is they’ve become too valuable to carry regularly.

With moon clips?

Your Colt is not a J frame sized gun it is a C frame sized gun! A model 73, which was produced in answer to Colt's Detective Special. It was never a cataloged gun and the 5000 that were produced were destroyed because of functionality problems. Only 2 or 3 exist today.
jcelect

No J is gonna accept 6 .38s... K yes.. So maybe a new frame, a 'P' frame. Like a Colt Dick.

But if it is real well made, yea for the right price. Sadly a Colt Magnum Carry goes for over $2500 now!! And a new Colt 2-3 inch Cobra cost around $700.. so it has to be around $700 or less.

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Deaf

It's been showcased on the cover, and detailed inside, their 2022 catalog.
Unfortunately, still in the un-ob-tanium stage. I might decide to beta test one if it ever sees the shelf of a LGS.

steelslaver, you are ahead of me.

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SWCA 3417 HF 642 NRA-TC

Im still waiting for a 4 shot.

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Thirty characters. Exactly...

No. I have a 3" 6 shot K frame, with fixed sights. I really like it. I carry a semi-auto, however.

In .45ACP???????? Larry

Quite interesting to have a poll on something that will never be produced because, it can't be. {wouldn't be a J frame to fit 6, in 38 cal}

Well I like J frames. I voted no but I should have learned by now to never say never. The 32 mag is on my radar now.

One of the main reasons I like the J frame is the thin profile.

I just noticed this thread got reactivated.

I think this issue came up before. The K frame is more than a J-frame stretched for a 6 round cylinder. It's beefed up and with a bigger grip frame. If you kept the rest of the dimensions of the J-frame, but stretched the frame opening for the cylinder slightly to fit a 6 round cylinder, the result would be a small, very concealable gun with one more round. Picture a 442 sized to fit one more chamber, but everything else the same.

And as for the K-frame, AFAIK, Smith doesn't make a 6 shot .38, two inch barrel, two finger grip K-frame. They could do that, and go the other route to the same effect.

Perhaps a 6 shot .30 Super Carry with moon clips? Although I am not a fan of moon clips per se. But a 6 shooter could use two 3 round half moon clips.

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otis

If I didn't already own a 432PD the answer would have been yes.

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Life Member SAF, CCRKBA, FOAC

The 327 magnum is pretty much what you are describing with a slightly longer round.

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