I am thinking about purchasing a snub nose revolver for concealed carry. The maximum barrel length will be 2.5 inches.

I am leaning to a .357 mag over the other options. Yes I know that the short barrels do impede velocities greatly.

I have 4 revolvers that I am interested. In no particular order the revolvers are:

Ruger SP101 in .357 mag.

Colt Night Cobra in .38 Special +P

S&W Model 360 in .357 mag.

Kimber K6S in .357 mag.

I am hoping that the THF members can offer insight based upon their experiences with any of these revolvers.

Convince me on which firearm I should purchase.

Had the 360 and didn’t shoot mine but a buddy had the same gun. It’s very light and easy to carry but because it is so light full power loads were not the most fun to shoot. But anything small and light would be the same. My biggest complaint was the front sight wasn’t the greatest with contrast but it’s replaceable.

Like my River SP101. My ex really liked shooting it with full power loads.

I'll bet he did......

sorry

Just as funny as the first comment........

I have never had those exact models.
I do have a S & W model 638, and I am very pleased with the little revolver.
It is light weight.
Easy to shoot.
Reliable.
Disappears in a little front pocket holster.

I have a S&W j frame that I love mostly for sentimental reasons. It's way more accurate than a snubbie should be. That said, the sp101 is built like a brick [censored] house. If you took away the sentimental value, the sp101 would be my favorite of the two.

For me a snubbie is something to carry when a larger pistol is not optimal. Because of this - smaller and lighter is better. You are more likely to carry it. For that reason I would pick an ultralight S&W or even a Ruger polymer over a SP101. All things being equal, you give up very little with a 38 +P+ load in snubbie.

S&W 360...great for summer carry, very light weight.

I have carried an LCR in .357 and an SP101. For carry, LCR wins all day. However, the SP101 is quite doable and is a lot more pleasant to shoot. What I figured out is the only way I liked carrying the SP101 was OWB. With that considered, a GP100 was just as carriable. I still own the LCR, the SP101 has been long gone.

I'm not a fan of short barreled .357s due to the velocity loss and the flamethrower level of muzzle blast. On the other hand, if you like the pistol, you can always shoot .38 +P in it. Personally, I've got a 2.5" S&W 686 and a Performance Shop tuned and ported S&W 36. Both are great guns, but the 36 is clearly the more reasonable carry option.

Absolutely no reason to get a 357. The only upside is that it may easier to sell after you shoot it and hate it

I have a Ruger LCRx in 357 that I carry frequently. It is easy to carry and you have the option of rat shot in the first chamber if you are out and about. I prefer it to the Smiths I have carried.

Charter Arms Bulldog in .44 special.

L to R, 2.5” model 19, its stainless clone model 66 and a three inch model 65. Of course all S&W’s.

you aim a gun with a 2.5" barrel?

My wife and I both have LCR-357. Like them a lot as a close-range easily concealable "get off me" gun. The trigger on the Ruger is far better than the S&W model.
Yes, you lose a whole lot of velocity with such a short barrel, but I suspect that the rounds would be lethal at close range.

They both get shot on a regular basis and 158gr .357 Mag loads have not torn them up at all since 2011.

I seriously considered going the .44 Special route. I like the idea of a bigger hole.

I decided that most factory rounds are designed for the .44 mag. Since snub nosed pistols already lessen velocities, I reasoned that most bullets would not reach sufficient velocities to expand. Another factor is that I already have the components and dies to reload in the .38 caliber platform.

I have a Taurus concealed hammer, double action only, 2 1/2" barrel. It's okay but I regret I didn't go with a conventional set up where I could shoot either single or double action and have an exposed hammer. At the shooting range I can slowly pull back the trigger until I know the gun is about to shoot- essentially making it somewhat like a single action. A 2 1/2" barrel is a lot more accurate than I thought. You could do okay at 25 yards. I want to trade it for a S&W. On 357 mag- IMHO that's too much for a small revolver. You can take wadcutters and load them backwards- world's biggest hollow point and load to plus P levels- as a defense round- should be fine. I like S&W over Ruger although I have several of each.

I have the Kimber Snubnose 357. I LOVE IT!! I shot a handful snubnose and I like it by far! LOOKS FEELS AND Functions functions like a pro.

Of the 4 listed

Kimber has the best double action

I'm a fan of snub nosed revolvers, my favorites are the LCR in 22WMR and 357. Midway had a sale on Crimson Trace laser grips for the LCR a while back for $89 and they make shooting much more consistent. They're light, easily concealed and fun to shoot. The 22mag gets the most use since the ammo is readily available.

Well the one I carry isn't on the list but were I to carry one on the list it would be the S&W in plain old 38 Special. A 357 Mag in that size pistol probably causes more trouble than it's worth but you can always shoot 38 Specials. Hell I'd even stray away from +P's in most cases. A Snubbie is for poking holes at short distance so less flame and less recoil the better, I even stay away from Hollow points and shoot factory FMJ's, they penetrate better than the HP's do. Some of these flying ashtrays they load perform poorly from short barrels. Sights are not a concern for me, if I have time to use my sights I have time to get the hell out of the situation or at least try to.

I carry a Charter Arms Bulldog Pug 44 Special loaded with 200 grain FMJ's, they run about 750 fps, but I have used Winchester 200 grain silver tips. Charter Arms makes a Pitbull chambered in 45 ACP that looks interesting and offer a 40 S&W and a 9mm. A Pitbull in 9mm would most likely be my choice.

My wife carries K6S and loves it. It’s a little heavy. But it’s incredibly smooth and accurate. I can shoot a foot squared plate at 100 yards with it. Obviously not that you ever shoot that far with it playing around.