“Back In The Day,” when revolvers ruled as both police sidearms and concealed carry guns, the “snub-nose .38” was the dominant weapon but cognoscenti recognized the advantages of adding an inch to the barrel.
The extra inch of barrel was just enough to make pocket carry or ankle carry less feasible but it offered a distinct advantage in sight radius for more accuracy, slightly better pointability and increased bullet velocity. In the Smith & Wesson sixguns whose front lockup lug required a shorter ejector rod, the extra inch allowed for an ejector rod long enough to completely clear spent casings for a fast reload if needed.
In his classic 1960 book Handgunner’s Guide, quick-draw champ and pioneering concealed carry holster designer Chic Gaylord said his ideal carry revolver would be a .38 Special Colt Police Positive with a 3″ barrel and a bird’s-head grip. He called it the Metropolitan Special. Colt, Gaylord’s favorite brand, pretty much had him covered with the round-butt Detective Special (all steel) and Cobra (aluminum frame), on the same compact “D-Frame” as the 6-shot Police Positive Special. Colt’s recently re-introduced Viper should fill the bill today. Gaylord added, “The Smith & Wesson Chief Special with the 3″ barrel is the best and most effective carry gun available ‘as is’ from the factory.”
Choice of Professionals
That 3″ Chief Special was the choice of some of NYPD’s most educated gun experts for concealed carry. My friend and mentor Frank McGee, when he was head of the NYPD Firearms and Tactics Unit, wore a 3″ Chief Special with semi-square butt grip daily when I knew him. So did his successor Tom McTernan. So did Augie Luciente, one of the sharpest-shooting members of NYPD’s famous Stakeout Unit.
The last standard issue service revolver for FBI agents before they went to auto pistols was the Smith & Wesson Model 13 K-Frame Military & Police blue steel .357 Magnum with round butt, 3″ barrel and fixed sights.
The 3″ RB K-Frames now go for big bucks as shooters have rediscovered their Goldilocks qualities of balance and shootability. Back in the ’80s, my testing determined that for me personally, the 3″ heavy barrel S&W K-Frame shot exactly the same as a 4″ tapered barrel variation, with a heavy barrel on the 4″ gun giving only a slight advantage over either. Need a 3″ K-Frame with adjustable sights? S&W made their Combat Magnums — the blue steel Model 19 or stainless Model 66 — on special order though they were never catalogued options. I can tell you ejection is much more positive on my 3″ Model 66 than on my much more common 2.5″ 66.
The Advantages
Another plus of an inch-longer barrel on a concealed carry gun is, surprisingly, concealability. It seems counter-intuitive but the longer barrel bearing on the hip in a belt holster pushes the gun butt tighter into the body, reducing bulge and “printing” in concealed carry.
I recently tested the round-butt 3″ barrel L-Comp from the Smith & Wesson Performance Center. I was pleased with how well it carried in an outside-the-belt holster. I was also pleased with the 1.65″ group it gave me at 25 yards, with the best three of those hits in eight-tenths of 1″ with Federal’s legendary fight-stopping 125-grain .357 Magnum semi-jacketed hollow point.
The 3″ concealable revolvers are not only still with us but they are coming back. I mentioned the Colt Viper. S&W still makes the .357 Combat Magnum with a round butt and barrels just short of 3″, with ejector rods still long enough to get the job done. Colt is selling hell out of the 3″ barrel version of their 2020 iteration of the .357 Magnum Python. Mine wears Wilson Combat sights and is a sweet revolver indeed.
I was recently given a Taurus model 856 revolver in .38 Special with a 3″ barrel and rounded butt. Taurus’ gun-savvy marketing manager Caleb Giddings is largely responsible for its introduction, and from what I hear from the gun shops, Taurus is also selling the hell out of these.
The compact 3″ barrel round butt 6-shot revolver in .38 Special/.357 Magnum may now be more popular than it was in its heyday. However, I for one welcome it back. It will “hit the spot” for a lot of today’s law-abiding armed citizens.
