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Author Topic: Need small, lightwt revolver  (Read 7064 times)

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Offline 44 Man

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Need small, lightwt revolver
« on: November 04, 2012, 05:25:17 AM »
Ok, what I am asking for is suggestions.  Something that might be bought for under $300 in a small lightwt revolver.  Preferably 8 or 9 shot and pocketable.  I have a CCW but this will be a 'snake' gun with shot cartridges and regular ammo.  I'm thinking like the small H&R roundbutts, or a short barreled (2" is what I'm looking for) High Standard Sentinel.  Maybe an aluminum frame Tarus.  So what other suggestions do you know of?  I just done want to miss any options when I do a search.  Thanks  44 Man
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Offline Empty Quiver

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Re: Need small, lightwt revolver
« Reply #1 on: November 04, 2012, 05:49:16 AM »
Take a chop saw to a Ruger Single Ten?
 GP 100? in 327Fed feed it what you want from .32 on up. I believe it has the larger capacity.
 S&W does a 6 shot J frame in .327 doesn't it?
 
That budget thing, just remembered that, sorry.
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Offline spruce

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Re: Need small, lightwt revolver
« Reply #2 on: November 04, 2012, 01:49:32 PM »
New?  About the only one that comes to mind would be a Charter Pathfinder for around the $300 mark- believe it's only 6 shot though.
In single action a Heritage would easily make your price point, but is a little larger.  I think they make an 8 or 9 shot optional version now.  With the short (3.75"?) barrel and bird's head grip it would probably fit in a jacket pocket - or the back jeans pocket with some hanging out.
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Offline mcwoodduck

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Re: Need small, lightwt revolver
« Reply #3 on: November 04, 2012, 02:28:27 PM »
Not sure ther is an answer for you.
I have used shot shells out of my TPH to shoot at a snake and at mice in the garage.  The longer barreled ruger Bisley in 22 and the Cz rifle did much better with the shot shells on killing the mice. 
Found the Agillia no power supers to be the best for snakes over the shot shells out of the revolver. 
Have you thought about a Ruger Bear cat?  I know it is a little more than you want to spend and that it is only a 6 shot but the 4" barrel and the small frame may be just the ticket.
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Offline tacklebury

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Re: Need small, lightwt revolver
« Reply #4 on: November 04, 2012, 02:30:58 PM »
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Tacklebury --}>>>>>    Multi-Barrel: .223 Superlite, 7mm-08 22", .30-40 Krag M158, .357 Maximum 16-1/4 HB, .45 Colt, .45-70 22" irons, 32" .45-70 Peeps, 12 Ga. 3-1/2 w/ Chokes, .410 Smooth slugger, .45 Cal Muzzy, .50 Cal Muzzy, .58 Cal Muzzy

also classics: M903 9-shot Target .22 Revolver, 1926 .410 Single, 1915 38 S&W Break top Revolver and 7-shot H&R Trapper .22 6" bbl.

Offline quasne.inc

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Re: Need small, lightwt revolver
« Reply #5 on: November 04, 2012, 05:01:47 PM »
i love my naa mini master.  It has a four inch barrel but is still so small and light you dont realize you have it on you.  I havent shot any shot in it yet, but I have some for when I get around to it.
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Offline 44 Man

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Re: Need small, lightwt revolver
« Reply #6 on: November 05, 2012, 02:19:28 AM »
Actually Empty Quiver has a pretty good idea.  I owned a single six once that was cut to a 3" barrel and the grip had been round butted and grips thinned.  It was pretty neat but alas, it has gone down the road.  The needs to be a .22, and preferably used.  A Pathfinder is a good unit, I have owned one before, but you can only get it in a 3" barrel which doesn't fit in your pocket as well as a 2".  Also I would prefer more rounds than six.  I'd like 3 or 4 shot and the rest 22 LR.  I owned a NAA mini once, didn't like it at all as there are no 'real' sights.  Any gun I own has to be able to hit a bunny in the head at 15 yards and I could not shoot the mini into that 3" standard at 3 feet!  But it is compact, I'll give it that.  No, I'm just trying to think of all of the small revolvers that have been around in the past that I might look at.  I saw a 2" H&R with small grips the other day, should have moved at it, but didn't realize how really good it would have worked.  I'd like one of the new Taurus little tip up autos with the polymer frame but auto's won't function with shot rounds.  44 Man
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Offline Hodr

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Re: Need small, lightwt revolver
« Reply #7 on: November 05, 2012, 03:31:56 AM »
charter Arms is currently available in six shot versions; 22 lr 2" snub, 4" and a 22 lr 22m 4" barrel combo
 
Hodr
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Offline gcrank1

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Re: Need small, lightwt revolver
« Reply #8 on: December 19, 2012, 09:22:39 AM »
W.W.E.K.D.?
44 Spl. shot loads, of course!  ;) , in a CA Bulldog?
Though 38 would work for me (actually my favored kitgun cal. now). FWIW, We do have the new SS CA in 22LR x 2" and the trigger has smoothed up nicely with about 500 cushioned dbl action dryfires and shoots to POA pretty well for fixed sights, You are right, I think, that the adj. sight model is only available in the longer barrel, but we know you know how to fix that.
A friend just picked up a low mileage older H&R, a rare buy here at about $200ish, IIRC. WOW, I remember when..........
I think the CA is a better built piece.
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Offline 44 Man

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Re: Need small, lightwt revolver
« Reply #9 on: December 20, 2012, 05:44:13 AM »
Actually Gcrank1, I do have an older 3" CA .44 that I enjoy very much!  But I'm still thinking .22, drop in pocket revolver.  I do like the new Taurus poly frame, tip up barrel semi auto, but those won't dependably cycle with a couple of shot rounds up the spout.  Yes, for snakes a .44 shot capsul would do just fine (probably better) but as you said yourself, a .38 snub makes a good 'kit' gun also and I have a couple of those also.  Do carry a big bore here anyway but that's for the wild hogs rather than snakes and has a hard cast, flat nose bullet up first.  So I'm still thinking about a little .22 that won't break the bank.  I did have one of the 4" barrel H&R's at one time, and it would be fine with a short barrel and bird's head grip, so that is a consideration.  It will likely all come down to what I run across, at a good price when I have the money.  I just wanted to get some 'outside' ideas from the group here.  Oh and by the way, you can smooth up that CA even more with a Wolff mainspring!  All my CA's have them.  :)  44 Man
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Offline SHOOTALL

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Re: Need small, lightwt revolver
« Reply #10 on: December 20, 2012, 05:49:50 AM »
ruger LCR in 22 would that work ?
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Offline gcrank1

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Re: Need small, lightwt revolver
« Reply #11 on: December 23, 2012, 10:12:19 AM »
Wouldnt ya know, here I sit down for a winter read with an old Gun Digest, 34th., 1980, and there on p.43 is the article 'Picking a Packer's Piece', most of it regarding what to carry for (serious) snakes. The author makes a strong case that the 22RF stuff is 'for the birds' (ie, 'little or no success') and his CA 3" 44Spl. with shot loads is deadly on slithering reptiles of size out to 25 ft.
The handload of 170gr. #9 was like having a pocket 410, according to him. Two of those, indexed for 1 &2, with the next 3 (its a fiveshot) of a suitable conical defensive load were his walkabout medicine. PM me for the powder charge info if interested.
Sounds mighty good to me! That 22 idea might be OK for rampaging mice, but iffn its a biter I want to put it down NOW!
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Offline Ladobe

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Re: Need small, lightwt revolver
« Reply #12 on: December 23, 2012, 04:00:33 PM »
If I was going to carry mostly for snakes, 22RF birdshot would not be a choice at all, not even a last choice.   Birdshot in several 357MAG's, a 44SPL snubbie for a time, but the 22RF's I carried for same shot bullets, and doubled for small game.   Any of several 22RF revolvers long ago not as compact, S&W kit guns, Ruger Bearcats, etc, an Astra Cub 22Short for a time... the last one bought for the use a Beretta M21A Bobcat 22LR (they are also available in 25ACP).   
 
That one would be my first choice for the OP's want of very small and very light 22RF (2.4" BBL, less than 5" OAL, 11-12 ozs) with steel barrels/slides and alloy frames.   They are very durable and reliable, single or double action, have very easy controls easily useable with gloves on, have very good safeties, are plenty accurate for even small game at surprising ranges, have the advantages of a tip up barrel, 8 shots is plenty an extra mag if you want more and can be bought brand new below the price limit, for less used.   Extended pinkie mags are available as are other grip choices, gloss blue, matte or stainless finishes.   Add a cheap nylon belt holster or stick it in a pocket and you'll never know its there until you need it.    It's only drawbacks is it is very loud, not a plinker without ear protection; and some folks have said they are picky about ammo because they are a true blowback.   Never found that to be the case with mine at all, it shot everything well and reliably from cheap bulk pack Federal AE's to the super velocity ammo's.   I never had a misfire, jam or failure to eject with it.  Mine actually got used way more for cook pot fodder as most rattlers got a free pass.   A couple of Mojave's that had me cornered and wouldn't back off, continued to advance aggressively as they usually do and I couldn't get past them without stepping over them, so they didn't fair so well.   And a Western Diamondback that had my wife cornered and dead to rights ready to strike inches from her feet.  One shot was all it took to behead it from maybe 8-10 feet away to the side.    She fully trusted my abilities with it, but the muzzle blast still made her jump.    Second time I had to rescue her in the same situation, the first in the early 70's with her 40'-50' ahead of me on a hiking trail.   I was packing a Colt New Frontier Buntline as it was on a tree squirrel hunt, but it got it done just fine.
 
 
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Offline darkgael

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Re: Need small, lightwt revolver
« Reply #13 on: December 24, 2012, 12:43:39 AM »
I was looking for the same revolver some years ago....looked at the options.....I wanted a little gun that I could carry while hunting the Uplands......a gun that I could drop into my back pocket. What I ended up with is not in your budget; it wasn't in mine either but it was exactly what I wanted so I saved a bit more.
S&W 317 Airlite.
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Offline hunt-m-up

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Re: Need small, lightwt revolver
« Reply #14 on: December 24, 2012, 01:52:50 AM »
Saw a little Taurus 22mag snubbie at a local shop here the other day, not sure if it's still made, but looked interesting.
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Offline Victor3

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Re: Need small, lightwt revolver
« Reply #15 on: December 25, 2012, 11:07:41 PM »
 I have something I use for snakes that never misses.  ;D



 [size=78%]This one was tossed off the trail and down a steep slope.[/size]


 If I really want a snake dead, they get the Mexican drug cartel treatment...











 Shooting rattlesnakes has been frustrating for me so I don't do it anymore. Hard to kill with a 22 and body shots. If you hit them in the head, venom can be splattered around.


 Regardless, I'm going to buy a Ruger LCR in 22 soon.
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Offline BAGTIC

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Re: Need small, lightwt revolver
« Reply #16 on: January 08, 2013, 04:46:19 PM »
If a snake is close enough to be a genuine danger it would have already hit you before you got you gun out.
A lot of people just like to shoot snakes and use 'self defense' as an excuse to justify it.
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Offline gcrank1

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Re: Need small, lightwt revolver
« Reply #17 on: January 08, 2013, 05:43:48 PM »
J.H. Fitzgerald, the old 'front man' for Colt's, thought a snubbied New Service .45C was a fine 'small, lightweight revolver'; IIRC he carried a matching pair in his front trousers pockets......
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Offline SHOOTALL

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Re: Need small, lightwt revolver
« Reply #18 on: January 09, 2013, 02:28:10 AM »
Quote from: BAGTIC on January 08, 2013, 04:46:19 PM
If a snake is close enough to be a genuine danger it would have already hit you before you got you gun out.
A lot of people just like to shoot snakes and use 'self defense' as an excuse to justify it.

That might be a fair statement in some cases . On the other hand I have killed 6 copperhead snakes in my driveway last summer where my wife and I park . They are with in several feet of my house. They were not the first over the years there have been others . One bit my lab. I stepped on one in the dark. I consider them a genuine danger .
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Offline Empty Quiver

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Re: Need small, lightwt revolver
« Reply #19 on: January 09, 2013, 07:37:52 AM »
Quote from: SHOOTALL on January 09, 2013, 02:28:10 AM
Quote from: BAGTIC on January 08, 2013, 04:46:19 PM
If a snake is close enough to be a genuine danger it would have already hit you before you got you gun out.
A lot of people just like to shoot snakes and use 'self defense' as an excuse to justify it.

That might be a fair statement in some cases . On the other hand I have killed 6 copperhead snakes in my driveway last summer where my wife and I park . They are with in several feet of my house. They were not the first over the years there have been others . One bit my lab. I stepped on one in the dark. I consider them a genuine danger .
They have now invaded your habitat and with that come consequences. ;)
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Offline SHOOTALL

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Re: Need small, lightwt revolver
« Reply #20 on: January 09, 2013, 07:47:07 AM »
Copperheads are quite a problem around my house . Some reach over 40 inches in length.
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Offline Victor3

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Re: Need small, lightwt revolver
« Reply #21 on: January 09, 2013, 11:14:52 PM »
Quote from: BAGTIC on January 08, 2013, 04:46:19 PM
If a snake is close enough to be a genuine danger it would have already hit you before you got you gun out.
A lot of people just like to shoot snakes and use 'self defense' as an excuse to justify it.


 Yeah, the average venomous snake can only strike to a distance of ~1/2 its length. I generally just keep my distance if I'm not harvesting them. Using a gun on them is usually about as necessary as shooting poison mushrooms; a shovel does a better job on both.  :)


 If they're in my yard or campsite though, that's the only excuse I need to justify making a hat band out of them.
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Offline SHOOTALL

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Re: Need small, lightwt revolver
« Reply #22 on: January 10, 2013, 03:03:11 AM »
the ones you see can be taken out with a hoe ( i like the hoe better than a shovel  ;) ) but in poor light many no used to looking for snakes won't see them in time . So I try to keep the area void of them. Keep in mind I'm not concerned with them in the woods just by the house. And as for relocating them , it would just cause someone else a problem.
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Offline gcrank1

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Re: Need small, lightwt revolver
« Reply #23 on: January 10, 2013, 03:13:52 AM »
Reminds me of a story I heard long ago:
"Saw a snake in the dusk light, grabbed for the hoe on the ground and grabbed another snake........."
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Offline SHOOTALL

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Re: Need small, lightwt revolver
« Reply #24 on: January 10, 2013, 03:15:33 AM »
Grabbed a pile of tobacco sticks once and one was a copperhead. That will make your skin crawl.
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Offline jjas

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Re: Need small, lightwt revolver
« Reply #25 on: January 16, 2013, 03:34:28 AM »
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Offline gcrank1

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Re: Need small, lightwt revolver
« Reply #26 on: January 16, 2013, 04:09:28 AM »
That is just too cute.........a mean ol' gun shouldnt be cute.......... :o ;)
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Offline Graybeard

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Re: Need small, lightwt revolver
« Reply #27 on: January 16, 2013, 04:41:27 AM »
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Offline Mike in Virginia

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Re: Need small, lightwt revolver
« Reply #28 on: January 17, 2013, 07:48:29 AM »
I love the looks of that Shopkeeper.  Gonna have to look into that.
Re. snakes, a rattlesnake and a copperhead have distinct attitudes that make them different.  In my experience here in VA with both snakes, the rattlesnake does not want to strike.  He will warn you or leave the area if possible.  The copperhead will actually come toward you with deadly intentions. 
I was bitten once by a small timber rattler.  I was turning over rocks in a mountain stream looking for lizards to use as bait.  I turned over a rock, moved my hand away, then saw the lizard I hadn't seen before.  Twice I reached over that rattler trying to get the lizard before the snake struck my hand.  Not a fun ordeal.
On dirt roads, I've come across copperheads that slithered toward me upon seeing me.  Scary thing, a copperhead. 
For protection, I don't think a gun is a good option.  If you are in danger from a snake, you won't have time to shoot it.  Shotshells are good for taking them out, but not in self defense.  If you have time to draw and shoot, you have time to step back. 
Another close encounter with a rattler was during our early squirrel season in September.  I was sneaking through the woods and started to step across a log.  On the other side lay one of the largest timber rattlers I'd ever seen.  I simply did not finish the step, but backed away and took another route.  As a youngster, I killed every snake I saw, but out of ignorance.  No way might we curb the population.  They have a purpose, although I don't know what it is.  I don't kill them anymore.     
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Offline gcrank1

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Re: Need small, lightwt revolver
« Reply #29 on: January 17, 2013, 08:02:55 AM »
44Man, Im thinking that the way things have just become that finding something to meet your OP criteria isnt likely possible 'under $300 anymore'!
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