6 Reliable ‘Pocket’ Revolvers For Off-grid Defense

Arguments over the best carrying weapon will probably never stop, but if there is a correct response, it is “the one you have when you need it.” If your preferred handgun is one that you like and are happy with, you are far more likely to carry, and that makes it a question of what you personally prefer. “It’s easy to” prove “that a custom 1911 loaded with .45 + P rounds is a better defensive weapon than a Walther P22, with statistics regarding muzzle energy and ammo power, but a .22 plinking pistol in your hand is much more helpful than a 1911 stuck in a cabinet at home because you were fed up with its weight and bulk. The safest gun for you to carry is the one that you want. And many individuals want revolvers.

There are strong reasons for carrying weapons in favor of semi-automatics. They appear to be cheaper than revolvers, in general. Nearly all of them carry more ammunition, and they are quicker to reload. A major benefit is that they are flatter, making them easier to hide-the cylinder of a revolver will create an apparent bulge in clothing.

Revolvers, however, still have their strong points. For one thing, they’re more reliable. As a good modern semi-automatic is very reliable, the distance has narrowed, but revolvers still have an edge. Even the best semi-auto can be stopped by a misfire in its tracks, pushing you into a stoppage drill, and that eats up potentially critical seconds, even for a qualified soldier who used to do it in battle tension. All you need to do if a revolver has a misfire is pull the trigger again, putting under the hammer a fresh round.

It’s true that semi-automatics carry more rounds, but on a smaller base, a revolver will pack more of a punch. Yes, in Magnum loads, semis are chambered, but they appear to be huge. A .44 Magnum Desert Eagle is almost eleven inches long and weights over four pounds; it is three inches shorter and half the weight of a Smith & Wesson Model 69 in the same caliber. If you’re looking for a .44 Magnum, which makes more sense, can you carry it every day?

If you don’t shoot a lot, and only want a self-defense carrying gun, revolvers have one enormous final advantage: they’re as easy as they get. Simply draw the rifle, aim it at the target and pull the trigger. There are no decockers, slide release catches or even safety features to think about (usually). However, as long as you hold your finger off the trigger when you do not intend to shoot, it is still very safe to carry modern revolvers. Finally, because under continuous compression, there is no magazine spring to lose pressure, you can keep it loaded for as long as you want without raising the chance of a stop.

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For a pocket revolver, the minimum recommended caliber is .38 Special, and if you go for this round, it’s better to get a gun that can handle higher-pressure + P loads. Any .38 special load can also be fired from a .357 Magnum, making it very versatile and perhaps the best option for a pocket revolver. You can look for a double action design, so you can shoot by simply pulling the trigger, and the chance of the gun snagging in your pocket is minimized by a spurless hammer or “hammerless” design (where the hammer is hidden in a built-up frame). Nice features to have are also low-profile sights and the ability to reload with speedloaders or half-moon clips.

Anyway, that’s enough talk; here’s our choice of six of the best pocket revolvers.

Ruger LCR Model 5450 (.357 Magnum) 

One of the most modern revolvers out there is the LCR from Ruger. It combines a stainless-steel frame and cylinder with a polymer trigger group in a five-shot shrouded-hammer design, so it weighs in at just 17 ounces. The general length of a 1.87-inch barrel is up to six and a half inches. Ultra-low profile sights and the .357 cylinder with the smallest diameter on the market boost concealability and help remove snags.

The LCR was built right out of the box to accept Crimson Trace Lasergrips, and that adds up to a great self-defense package-this gun has a lot of strength, and every time the laser lets you put it on target. And with full-power Magnum loads, it is still incredibly controllable.

Six calibers are available, beginning with .22LR and .22WMR, .38 Special + P, 9 mm and .327 Federal Magnum, but the fair option is .357. It produces the largest hole, and through it, you can also shoot .38.

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Smith & Wesson Airweight Centennial Model 642 (.38 Special)

The 642 is classified for continuous + P use with a S&W J-Frame, with a stainless two-inch barrel, shrouded hammer and lightweight aluminum frame. In a lightweight stainless-steel cylinder, it carries five rounds and comes standard with ergonomic rubber grips. It’s just 6.3 inches long and under fifteen ounces in weight.

If you have a little bit of a handful of .357, the Model 642 is a perfect pick. It is small and compact, with integral low-profile sights to help prevent snags, and fire is very controllable. The most common J-Frames are the 642 and its non-stainless relative, the 442, and there is a reason for that.

It’s also available with a trigger lock controlled by a key. This isn’t something you want to use on a gun, but it might be worth looking at if you have kids at home.

Smith & Wesson M&P 340 (.357 Magnum)

The Military & Police 340 is essentially the same gun but chambered for .357 Magnum if you like the compactness and light weight of the 642, but aren’t so keen on the caliber. It’s the same size, it has the same capacity for five rounds and the same profile for snag-free.

There’s a big difference in weight. The M&P tips the scales, unloaded, at just under 14 ounces. By having a super-light scandium alloy frame cast, supporting a stainless barrel and cylinder, it manages this.

Ferocious recoil is one side effect of the extreme low weight, but in exchange you get a pocket powerhouse that weighs as little to nothing as a full-bore handgun would ever do. The only real drawback is that you can’t use bullets under 120 grains-S&W say they leave the case too easily, and the frame can be eroded by burning powder.

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Rossi R46202 (.357 Magnum)

Rossi’s R46202 is a little chunkier than the guns we’ve looked at so far, weighing 26 ounces, but with a two-inch barrel it’s still just 6.5 inches long. Owing to its uncovered hammer, it’s also not quite as snagless. On the other hand, this is a decent choice if you’re looking for a full-bore revolver on a budget. The suggested retail price is just $359.

Made in Brazil in the same factory as Taurus’s sister company, the polished R46202 stainless steel is a lot of money shot. It comes with nice rubber grips, and the low-profile but powerful integral sights are reliable. It has a total six-round capacity and a conventional double action lock as a bonus.

Colt Cobra (.38 Special)

Colt’s Cobra, another six-shot gun with a standard hammer and traditional double action, weights 25 ounces and has a two-inch barrel over all, 7.2 inches long. That makes it slightly bigger than some of the others we’ve looked at, but the upside is that it allows a grip configuration that is more controllable. The rear-sight is the normal notch in the frame, while the front blade has high-visibility fiber optic inserts, combined with its weight, which makes it surprisingly accurate for a snubby firearm, and it has good low-profile sights to make the most of that. It is also valued for continuous + P use.

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Charter Arms Bulldog (.44 Special)

The popular Charter Arms Bulldog is for you if you want a bigger bullet without moving your gun too hard. It’s actually smaller with a 2.5-inch barrel than either the Colt or Rossi, at 21 ounces and 7.2 inches long, but packs .44 Special in five rounds. This caliber does not have the brutal .44 Magnum recoil, but a decent self-defense load (try a short 200-grain bullet) provides the target with a reasonable amount of thump and leaves a satisfyingly wide hole in it.

The Bulldog has been around for a while, but it is still one of the big-bore handguns that is most concealable. There are no sharp edges for the frame to snag, and in either mode, the conventional double action mechanism has a strong trigger pull.

Charter’s new Boomer is a Bulldog-based snubby with a two-inch ported barrel, spurless hammer and no front sight, if you want anything even more concealable.