I've wanted a 2.5-3" Model 10/19/64/65 for the past year or two, but they go for more on GunBroker than I'm willing to pay without seeing/handling them in person. Once they're hitting $700+ without a bunch of good pictures, I start thinking I'd just get a new Model 66 Combat Magnum with no forcing cone worries instead.
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...does the sight of a 3"....
- Thread starter SuperMan
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BoulderTroll
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5" has always been the most visually appealing look on a revolver for me. Unfortunately, it's not a very common barrel length.
5" just looks perfect to me on N-frames, and the tapered 5" Performance Center L-frames also look well-proportioned.
DR505
US Veteran
3 Inch Barrel Conjecture
Revolver? With the wide acceptance of the "three shots, three yards, three seconds" dogma, no need to carry a hi capacity gun.
Revolver? With the wide acceptance of the "modern hollow point designs" doctrine, the .38+P has been accepted as "just as good" as a .45, probably true, and furthermore many people such including LuckyGunner believe and teach that any caliber will do including the 32 long, even a 22.
3" BBL? With the widespread practice of appendix carry, a 4" BBL is too long. It digs into your crotch when seated. A handgun barrel needs to be the longest you can carry. Law enforcement went to the 4" BBL because of sitting in a cruiser all day. The longer barrel is fine on horseback, but bumps into the seat and pushes your Sam Brown Belt up. If you carry cross draw, you can easily use a longer BBL but the department does not want to do specialized retention training for the few officers who want to do that. This is the reason there are no more shoulder holsters. Armed citizens don't need to copy the cops. I think appendix carry comes from poor posture, shoulder impingement, and poor physical conditioning.
2.5" BBL? With the wide unquestioning acceptance of FBI ballistic gel testing, people have decided that tiny increments in length make a big difference. The shorter barrel sticks down your pants just fine but many people say that an extra .5" gets the velocity up to almost enough to expand, especially with unreliable Hornady XTP hollow points. Hence the 3" BBL.
I have no way to know whether any of this is valid. I can say with certainty that these things are commonly believed and taught. Please correct me with my thanks!
BrianD
Maybe a gun store owner can shed some light on it.
Revolver? With the wide acceptance of the "three shots, three yards, three seconds" dogma, no need to carry a hi capacity gun.
Revolver? With the wide acceptance of the "modern hollow point designs" doctrine, the .38+P has been accepted as "just as good" as a .45, probably true, and furthermore many people such including LuckyGunner believe and teach that any caliber will do including the 32 long, even a 22.
3" BBL? With the widespread practice of appendix carry, a 4" BBL is too long. It digs into your crotch when seated. A handgun barrel needs to be the longest you can carry. Law enforcement went to the 4" BBL because of sitting in a cruiser all day. The longer barrel is fine on horseback, but bumps into the seat and pushes your Sam Brown Belt up. If you carry cross draw, you can easily use a longer BBL but the department does not want to do specialized retention training for the few officers who want to do that. This is the reason there are no more shoulder holsters. Armed citizens don't need to copy the cops. I think appendix carry comes from poor posture, shoulder impingement, and poor physical conditioning.
2.5" BBL? With the wide unquestioning acceptance of FBI ballistic gel testing, people have decided that tiny increments in length make a big difference. The shorter barrel sticks down your pants just fine but many people say that an extra .5" gets the velocity up to almost enough to expand, especially with unreliable Hornady XTP hollow points. Hence the 3" BBL.
I have no way to know whether any of this is valid. I can say with certainty that these things are commonly believed and taught. Please correct me with my thanks!
BrianD
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I have at least a dozen three inch guns of various makes. Now that I think, it may be closer to twenty. It's always been a hot spot in the market. I'm not sure why Smith does capitalize on it more. A three inch Ladysmith K, without the Ladysmith stamp, would sell.
Given the current riot mob mentality, most folks would be better suited to a semi with multiple mag reloads as well.
Some would argue that if you drop the first couple of attackers, the rest will flee. I suppose there's some truth to that, IMO.
But none of the posters ever seem to mention shooting under severe stress & how that affects accuracy. For the average Joe/Jane Schmoe, that's a critical factor. Massad Ayoob has written several articles about shooting under stress that are well worth reading, IMO.
JWintergreen
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They are very practical, high quality guns and many have been out of production for years. Not surprised to see the current prices.
