page_title: Snubnosed revolver
section_title: History
hierarchical_section_title: Snubnosed revolver / History
context_page_description: A snubnosed revolver is any small, medium, or large frame revolver with a short barrel, generally 3 inches or less in length. Smaller revolvers are often made with "bobbed" or "shrouded" hammers, and there are even "hammerless" models, all allowing the gun to be drawn quickly with little risk of it snagging on clothing. The shrouded and hammerless models may even be fired through a coat or jacket pocket. The design of these revolvers sacrifices power and range for maneuverability and concealment.
  Snubnosed revolvers were extremely popular in the United States until the 1950s and 60s, when most states passed laws limiting or prohibiting the carry of concealed weapons. However, the passage of "shall issue" firearms license laws in the mid-1990s, creating new markets for small, simple, reliable, concealed carry firearms, and resulted in a resurgence in the popularity of snubnosed revolvers in the United States.
  The increased demand for snubnosed revolvers has been met with the introduction of numerous new models from Smith & Wesson, Colt, Ruger, Taurus, and other manufacturers.
context_section_description: The first snubnosed revolvers were the 6 shot, 3" barreled Colt Single Action Army revolvers made without ejector rods, officially called the "Sheriff's Model," and the "Storekeeper's Model", also unofficially known as the "Banker's Special." The 4¾" barrel models were known as the "Gunfighter" model. The 5½" barrel models were called the "Artillery," and the "Cattleman" or "Cowboy" models. And, 7½" barrel models were called the "Army", the "Cavalry" and the "Standard" models.
  The British Bull Dog was a popular type of 5-shot, solid-frame, double action, pocket revolver introduced by Philip Webley & Son of Birmingham, England, in 1872, and subsequently copied by gunmakers in continental Europe and the United States. It featured a 2.5" barrel and was chambered for .442 Webley or .450 Adams cartridges. Webley produced smaller scaled .320 Revolver and .380 calibre versions later, but did not mark them with the British Bull Dog name. The term "bulldog revolver" would go on to become synonymous with large caliber "snubnosed revolvers."
  The Colt M1877 Double Action Revolver is a 6-shot, double-action revolver manufactured by Colt from January 1877 to 1909 for a total of 166,849 revolvers.  The Model 1877 was offered in three calibers, which lent them three unofficial names: the .38 Long Colt "Lightning", the .41 Colt "Thunderer", and the .32 Colt "Rainmaker". The M1877 was the first successful US-made double-action cartridge revolver. The M1877 was offered from the factory in two basic finishes: nickel-plated or a case-hardened frame with a blue barrel and cylinder. The revolver was available in 2.5" and 3.5" barrel length and was available with or without the ejector rod and housing. The shorter barreled versions without the ejector rod were marketed as "Shopkeeper's Special".
  The Smith & Wesson Safety Hammerless models were produced from 1887 to World War II. It is a small, concealable, 5-shot, double-action revolver chambered in either .32 S&W or .38 S&W. They were most often produced with 2", 3" and 3.5" barrels. These top-break revolvers were designed for fast reloading and concealed carry as the hammer was internal and would not snag on drawing the revolver from a pocket. They also had a grip safety. They were known as "The New Departure" to reflect the company's new approach to designing revolvers. The design of these revolvers sacrifices power and range for maneuverability and concealment. Similar "hammerless" designs were manufacturers such as Iver Johnson and Harrington & Richardson and proved popular for concealed carry.
  The FitzGerald Special, "Fitz Special", or "Fitz Colt" is a snubnosed revolver concept that was pioneered by John Henry Fitzgerald (AKA: "Fitz"), an employee of Colt Firearms from 1918 to 1944. Fitz Special revolvers are made by shortening the barrel to two inches, shortening the ejector rod, bobbing the hammer spur, removing the front half of the trigger guard, and rounding the butt. Reshaping the hammer and the butt allows the gun to be drawn quickly with little risk of the weapon snagging on clothing. The halved trigger guard facilitates quick trigger acquisition, even for shooters with large fingers or gloves.
   Fitzgerald first came up with his concept sometime around the mid 1920s when he modified a .38 Special Colt Police Positive Special revolver, whose shortest available barrel length at the time was four inches. He later modified two .45 caliber Colt New Service revolvers in the same manner. and was known to carry the pair in his front pockets. The FitzGerald Special was the precursor to the modern snubnosed revolver and specifically the prototype for the Colt Detective Special.
  The Colt Detective Special is a carbon steel framed double-action, snubnosed, six-shot revolver. As the name "Detective Special" suggests, this model revolver was used as a concealed weapon by plainclothes police detectives. It was made with either a 2" or 3" barrels. Introduced in 1927, the Detective Special was the first snubnosed revolvers produced with a modern swing-out frame. It was designed from the outset to
caption: Colt Cobra
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