NEW! - Jeffersonian

until the moment of use. The snubby is
rugged and will continue to give good service
with a minimum of care, and in some
cases, outright neglect. Easy to swing in
tight places, such as across a steering
wheel, they more than earn the high regard
and affection we have for them. Nevertheless,
we are left with the power problem.
We have several legitimate uses for the
handgun and the most important is protection.
Through unpreparedness, mentally
or materially, I may not do well on the
pistol range and my penalty will be a low
score, loss ofreward and esteem. Failure to
be properly prepared in a serious social
confrontation can exact a far greater
penalty, loss of life. In our quest for adequate
protection, map.y situations and
weather conditions dictate the lIse of the
snubby. For the off-duty officer and the
armed civilian there are times when a
larger piece is not feasible.
Ken Hackathorn, an informed small
arms weapon authority, once noted that individuals
who carry small, concealable revolyers
do so from fear of trouble, not
Many years ago, J. Henry FitzGerald of
Colt, pioneered two-inch barrel revolvers
by cutting down a pair ofNew Service .45s.
But these still remained large, heavy
sidearms-despite the surgical
accomplishments of this colorful innovator.
Old Fitz carried both guns in his reinfOrced
trQuser pockets. FQr a time, the Colt
factory would make up these guns on special
order. Included were cut-away trigger
guards and cut-off hammer spurs, and
two-inch barrels. They were called, and
are known to New Service collectors today,
as Fitz Specials.
So, we see tbe need for snubbies has always
been felt, but to have an authoritative
caliber without undue weight and bulk
seems to have been beyond liS-Up to now.
The first glimmer of light into this
dilemma came with the introduction ofthe
Charter Arms Bulldog in .44 Special caliber.
A five-shot, double-action revolver
that weighed only 19 ounces, it wasn't a
true snubby; in factory issue, it sported a
three-"inch barrel and rather large grips for
a concealable handgun. Still, it was a place
to start.
My desire for an adequate snubby simmered
on my mental back burner for a
number ofyears. During that time, I saw a
few articles on experiments revolving
around the Charter .44. None of the
finished products met what I considered to
Smooth walnut stocks and Tyler T-grip
make this big bore snubby ideal for
concealment, and light enough for an
ankle holster if ~esi';ed. Empty revolver
and 5 cartridges weigh 22 ounces.
expectation of it. This gets to the heart of
the matter. Ifwe expect trouble we will do
well to equip ourselves with something
more appropriate for the occasion. As
most daily situations bring no threat of
great violence, or expectation of trouble,
the armed citizen and off-duty officers can
be well served by light, easily carried, short
barreled revolvers.
But t!J.e tantalizing thought remains,
wouldn't it be nice to have a snubby ofadequate
power? An effective big bore
snubby that could place its large slug
exactly where needed, with the same concealability
and easy handling characteristics
of the smaller caliber guns. It became
my dream to have One.
AMERICAN HANDGUNNER • JANUARYIFEBRUARY 1983
Shown here is a big bore snubby for
size cOmparison with CI Walther Model
pp in .22 caUb,r. The five-shot .44
Special is a customized Charter Arms
revolver with a shortened" barrel.
Looking down the barrel of this .44
Special snubby, loaded with 5 rounds,
can be a somewhat frightening experience.
Yes, snubbies do "shoot super."
35