Hi Michael,

I have limited experience with a revolver. My shooting skills are probably intermediate at this point, but beginner for a revolver. I have a few questions if you don’t mind.

• What snub revolver do you recommend?
• Any downside to “hammerless” revolvers?
• I am left handed, do I have other issues to consider?
• Does S & W shooting range let people test revolvers before I purchase?

My intention is to either carry on my hip or on my ankle for personal protection. I am leaning towards a Smith but would love your input on which model.

Thanks for your time and I hope that you have a great holiday.

Best regards,
Jim

m38 Air Weight J-frame

Dear Jim:

Thank you for for the great questions. Here are my thoughts:

What snub revolver do I recommend?

Snub options will depend a lot on the shooter’s hand size but generally I like any J-frame (5-shot) S&W in Air Weight (but not the AirLite guns.) The blue steel guns are also good if you can work around the extra weight. I also like the alloy frame 6-shot Colts and while the alloy 6-shot S&W are great guns their K-frame size is – for some shooters – not optimum for a deep concealment.

Is there any downside to “hammerless” revolvers?

I know all the famous gun writers/trainers rave about the hammerless (Centennial) guns – but I advocate for the shrouded (Bodyguard) styles – or failing that an Air Weight Chief Special with an after market shroud (Full disclosure – I am helping Waller and Son dispose of the last of the J-frame hammer shrouds)

The reason I like a shrouded snub is that there are a few “ready it fire” checks you can do both safely and quickly with a shrouded snub you can’t do with the hammerless snubs

I am left handed, do I have other issues to consider?

The snub is a non-symmetric weapon like a semi-auto pistol but there are no problem shooting the snub left handed in our classes. Currently I have two loading videos for the snub on YouTube – one is for the left handed shooter. It is not as slick as the LFI StressFire method but I think it is more reliable. Either way we cover and advocate skill with both methods. Try “Googling” snub reloading left handed – both methods should come up.

Does S & W shooting range let people test revolvers before I purchase?

The Smith and Wesson Shooting Sport Center does rent snub for use on their public shooting range. You can contact them for current rental rates at 800-331-0852

Advice (?) -

If I were new to the snub this is where I would start: I would find a S&W Bodyguard model 38 (Air weight) – render it double action only (do not “bob” the hammer) and chamfer the cylinders. If it was my only gun I would add a Barami Hip-Grip and a Tyler T-grip adaptor – Such a basic set-up would cover 99% of all your shooting needs.

If I wanted a second gun for back-up or an “understudy” gun for heavy training I would get another snub – a blue steel version of the same gun, the Bodyguard model 49 and render it double action only and chamfer the cylinders.

I would also pick up an Alessi ankle holster and (if I were saving money I would buy another Barami/Tyler grip set-up. If I had some extra money I would order a set of Spegel Boot Grips. If I wanted the best early and had the money I would get a set of Crimson Trace 205 laser stocks. If I could not afford laser stocks right away I would save up for a set.

The only extra I would allow myself is replacing the current “art-deco” style cylinder releases with a classic style set of releases. The old style releases offer several advantages over the new style.

If I had two snub set up in the above fashion I would consider myself “set” for life. The contact info for all that gear is on the “links” page on the SnubTraining web page. For what its worth.

If I missed anything or if the answers lead you to think of new questions please feel free to e-mail me. I hope this helped.

Thank you again for the great questions.

Yours,

Michael de Bethencourt
www.SnubTraining.com

The hammer spur has outlived its usefulness.  For too many snubs riding in too many pant and coat pockets the spur exists solely to either foul the draw stroke or tempt the shooter to hammer cock the weapon.  For a moment let’s just consider the risk created by retaining the hammer spur.

The greater the need for a clean draw stroke the greater the danger if the spur catches on a piece of the concealment or cover material.  Some shooting instructors offer up a modified draw when drawing a snub with a hammer spur from out of a pocket. They suggest that the thumb ride the tip of the hammer spur in order to minimize the danger of catching any portion of the pocket.  Even if this optioned worked one hundred percent of the time (and I don’t believe it will) not every situation is going to permit the shooter the time to cover the hammer with his thumb. There is little enough room for both the shooter’s snub and fist in the pocket without adding to the trouble by trying to reach in, search, find and then shield the hammer spur. It is far faster and safer for the snub owner to remove the danger entirely by either removing the spur or shrouding the hammer entirely.

 Some shooters argue that removing the hammer spur will reduce the overall mass of the hammer and can affect primer ignition reliability.  Is this true?  I honest don’t know. There are skilled (and some semi-skilled) gunsmiths I know who claim it is not true when the job is done right. There are an equal number of skilled (and some semi-skilled) gunsmiths I know who claim it is true regardless of how well the job is right. Each camp likes to throw around the history of their gunsmithing pedigree and the quality of their formal training. Judging solely on my (personal) experience, bobbing the hammer spur – on some guns – done by some gunsmiths will reduce reliable ignition. This tends to be a little more common with Colt hammers because the availability of very skilled Colt gunsmith is more limited than gunsmiths skilled with other brands of snub revolvers. Am I personally concerned with ignition issues with my self-defense snubs? Frankly, no. But I know and trust the skill level of the gunsmiths I turn to for such work and I test all my modified snubs with the hardest primers I can locate.  If the shooter feels he needs a spurless hammer and is concerned about ignition he should locate a skilled and trusted gunsmith who can easily remove the spur and add a heavier spring to increase the striking force of the hammer.

Another alternatively it is to remove the hammer spur risk by enclosing the whole of the hammer in a hammer shroud.  W. Waller and Son continue to produce hammer shrouds for both the Colt and Smith and Wesson J-frame sized snubs. They also sell other models that fit some models of the Taurus, Rossi and Ruger revolvers.

There is a vocal group of hammer shroud detractors and while many of them are not as polite in voicing their opinion as would be hoped, they are speaking from personal experience and that experience should be valued. A longer review of the pros and cons of the hammer shroud will be given later. For the moment what options are their beyond bobbing the hammer spur or adding an after market shroud?

Many manufactures offer several factory produced spur shielded snub revolvers. Smith and Wesson produces their excellent “frame as hammer-shroud” Bodyguard and their completely hammer enclosed Centennial to name only two.  These styles of snub revolver has become so popular that a number of major brand holster makers offer several holsters models that do not require the traditional hammer spur in order to secure and retain the weapon.

In the next two blog postings I will offer up a few thoughts on both the shrouded hammer and the enclosed hammer.

Waller and Sons hammer shrouds are available for $40.00 each and checks should be made out to Rick Mastin. Shrouds are available for a S&W J-frame or a Colt Detective Special.

To order a hammer shroud please mail either a 3″ x 5″ or 5″ x 8″ padded envelope and affix $1.51 in stamps for the return postage.

Be sure to print your return address and note whether you are requesting a blue-black or chromed color hammer shroud, and specify the revolver.

The mailing address is: SnubTraining.com, Attn: Hammer Shrouds,
8 Kingsbury Lane, North Billerica, MA 01862

If you have any questions or would like to talk about hammer shrouds pros and cons, please feel free to e-mail me at SnubTraining@hotmail.com.

As some of you have noticed from the web site, Waller and Son have transferred to us all of their remaining revolver hammer shrouds. SnubTraining.com will be offering them as a courtesy to both Waller and Son and any interested snub shooter.

These hammer shrouds come in both black and chrome finishes and are available for Colt Detective Specials, Smith and Wesson J-frames, Ruger SP 101s, and some Taurus and Rossi revolvers.

Hammer shrouds do require drilling and tapping by a gunsmith with one hole drilled on each side of the frame near the rear sight and a third hole tapped high on the back-strap.
 
When installed hammer shrouds create a slight “bump” high on the back-strap. Some folks argue against attaching a hammer shroud because they believe that the “bump” will be driven into the web of the shooting hand upon firing.  This may be true for some shooters but I have never felt nor have any of the students and friends who have shot with them in my classes.
 
In support of the hammer shroud I would say I have them on all my self-defense and training/teaching Colts except one. That lone Colt remains shroud-free in to order demo a few class holsters that requires a hammer spur to keep the gun in place.
 
Bobbing the hammer is less expensive than attaching a hammer shroud but I think the shrouds solve many more problems than bobbing the hammer will. Of course both options have their fans and detractors.
 
The remaining hammer shrouds are available for $40.00 each and checks should be made out to Rick Mastin.

To order a hammer shroud please mail either a 3″ x 5″ or 5″ x 8″ padded envelope and affix $1.51 in stamps for the return postage.

Be sure to print your return address and note whether you are requesting a blue-black or chromed color hammer shroud, and whether it is for either a S&W J-frame or a Colt Detective Special

The mailing address is: SnubTraining.com, Attn: Hammer Shrouds,
8 Kingsbury Lane, North Billerica, MA 01862
 
If you have any questions or would like to talk about hammer shrouds pros and cons, please feel free to e-mail me at SnubTraining@hotmail.com.
 
Michael de Bethencourt