Customer Reviews

Snubby Revolver: The ECQ, Backup, and Concealed Carry Standard

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I believe the previous two reviews to be somewhat harsh. This book is aimed not for the police or for military personnel, but for an audience that is most likely to carry the snubby revolver--civilians who want something light and comfortable for self-defense.

With this audience in mind, the book succeeds quite well. He covers not only the basics of loading and firing the gun, but also various concealment holsters, the most effective ammo to use for concealed carry, as well as an honest assessment of the snubby's stopping power compared to heavier semi-automatics.

True, he doesn't say much about tactics, but that's not the point of the book. NO book on handgunning can substitute for a good class in gun safety, marksmanship, and conflict avoidance.

Personally, and I know I'm going to ruffle some feathers with this statement, I don't see any good reason for a civilian to carry any other weapon than a revolver for self-defense. While semi-automatics are good for cops and military personnel who sometimes require more firepower and greater ammunition capacity, the fact is that civilian gunfights are over in about 2.5 shots on average. Lovette states it succinctly in his book: "Most gunfights are resolved within the capacity of the five or six rounds the revolver carries. Reloading is necessary in about 10 percent of the documented gunfights involving revolvers. There is a great deal of truth to the fact that if you have to reload during the gunfight, you are either missing a lot or you bought the wrong weapon." In short, revolvers are simple, reliable and provide more than enough firepower for the vast majority of civilian gunfights. This book provides important information and is a good starting point for anyone looking for a comfortable concealed weapon.

The Snub-nose Revolver could be classified as a subject in much need of discussion but with limited material available. This is why I wanted to read this book since the snubby .38 Special or .357 Mag is a very common carry gun by licensed civilians and used as a back up by law enforcement officers. There have been many instances cited where this type of gun saved someone's life.

There are flashes of brilliance written in this book but mostly the author loses momentum very quickly and you're wanting for more. Another reviewer stated that this book was a compilation of "gunzine articles" and though I am not sure if it was, the book certainly could flow better.

Some examples of things I liked were the reloading of the revolver. One pearl was that you should reload opposite the way the cylinder rotates so if you have to slap the cylinder shut and fire in a hurry the bullets that were loaded will be available to be shot. Also his technique for aiming at just two cylinder holes versus all five or six promotes accurate and less cumbersome reloading. The author knows the different types of snub nose revolvers and though I would have liked him to be a bit more descriptive, there are certainly examples for you to look at if you are thinking of getting one.

Some things that were big misses: His chapter on the trigger and use of the front sight was just a tease. There are many important factors regarding trigger control that are absolutely necessary for the snub nose revolver to shine and it is glossed over at best. He barely mentions dry firing which is an intricate part of mastering this type of gun if you want to learn how to shoot it well. The proper grip is very important and this is barely covered. The small barrel of the snubby means that you need every tool available to shoot it accurately and take advantage of its close quarters capabilities and the author just doesn't take the time to discuss this. When I tried to learn the revolver I found that I had to hold the gun with no thumb pressure or I would string laterally. I also needed to shoot it with my strong hand gripping the gun no harder than shaking a man's hand or I would shoot low. A shooting wheel like the one in the US Army pistol manual would really help you at the range and the snubby needs as perfect control as you can muster to hit your target, especially at distances greater than 5 yards. You may want to look at www.sportshooter.com in the target section for this wheel. It is free to download. The chapter on tactics is just awful. The author interjects examples, which do not contribute much to the points he is discussing. It just seems to fill up paper.

The book has helpful sections, don't get me wrong, but it could have been a lot better and though it misses its mark it is nice to see a book about a very useful weapon be promoted. The one thing I absolutely agree with the author on is that the first rule of any gunfight is to have a gun and the snub nose revolver makes that a lot easier.

This is a decent book but the title is a bit misleading. There were only about 3 chapters specifically on the snubby. I don't regret buying it but as someone who carries a snubby daily, I didn't learn anything new.

This book provides little useful information for any reader of firearms magazines or internet gun forums. Much of the information is dated, and there are many glaring omissions of current, relevant information on the subject. Issues such as currently available models, ammunition selection and performance, variant comparisons, materials of construction, durability, and carry options are inadequately covered -- if at all.

Much of the book has nothing to do with snubby revolvers. Topics like defensive tactics are not covered particularly well, and were apparently inserted in the book to lengthen the page count. They certainly don't add much to the purported subject matter. There are several other books that cover tactics, combat mindset, and related topics far better than Lovette does here.

While it may be an easy way to write a book -- republishing a series of old magazine articles -- it hardly makes for a satisfying read in this case. Unless one seeks the most superficial introduction to the subject, pass on this book.

"Some things endure because they do what they do better than anything that can be designed to replace them. And so it is with the short-barreled revolver." So says Ed Lovette on page 15 of THE SNUBBY REVOLVER, and I think he's exactly right.

For most civilian purposes, revolvers, though they may not be as sexy or cool as tricked-out autoloaders, are superior in practical terms. And for concealed carry, it's very hard to beat a good snubby -- it's simple to use and very reliable; when concealed, its rounded, irregular outline generally doesn't 'print' through clothing as much as an auto; and, to me one of the best advantages over an automatic is that you can leave a revolver fully loaded indefinitely and not worry about any spring fatigue (which can be a problem with autopistol magazines, no matter how high their quality, if you leave em loaded long enough.) For all those reasons, I'm a snubby sixgun fan and was delighted to find a book devoted to them. I found a lot of good information and pointers here (I really liked the stuff on knives as supplements to the snubby), and overall the book was an enjoyable, fast read. The author seems to know his stuff, with a background that includes Special Forces, law enforcement, and the CIA.

All that said, I'll agree with some of the criticisms of this book: while the parts focused on snubbies were good, there was a lot of space devoted to 'defensive mindset' matters, which, while certainly important, I thought would've been more appropriate in another book. (Ed Lovette even tells you that he co-authored a book on that very subject; why he doesn't just refer you to that, rather than reprinting chunks of it in this book, is beyond me.) And I'll agree that sometimes there are too many short anecdotes, some of which are kind of served up a la carte without a lot of analysis and explanation of their point.

But I still think this is a worthwhile book for anyone who carries a concealed weapon or is considering doing so. And I for one appreciated the fact that the author did NOT fill up the book with a bunch of ballistics charts and tables and tiresome lists of makes, models, and specs, as so many 'gunwriters' seem to love doing. I'll take practical real-world advice from an experienced person over the theories of armchair ballistics theorists any day.

I was very disappointed with this book. It seems to be primarily an argument of why one should choose the short barreled revolver as a defensive arm( and not a very compelling one at that), but my guess is that most folks contemplating the purchase of this book already own one or more short-barreled revolvers.

I have owned and trained with snubbies for years, and was looking for insights on how to use them more effectively. This book failed to deliver much that was very useful to me. The one useful thing I learned was that Crimson Trace offers blue guns with their Lasergrips already installed.

I really don't think this book would be of much use to a novice, either.

The author gave some IMO very bad advice about choosing ammo types; he advocates Magsafe which offers insufficient penetration for effective use against human predators in all but a few limited circumstances.

The book spends a fair amount of time discussing terrorism; this seemed to be a waste of time and ink to me.

The author also repeatedly mentioned favorably other books published by the company that published this book, Paladin. I didn't buy this book to get a commercial for Paladin's other products.

This is a historical perspective of the Snubby for its use, carry and concealment. The text serves as a supplemental text to "Defensive Living" by the same author. This is by no means an instructional guide. The author covers anectdotal experiences of the advantages of certain carry and concealment methods. He also discusses the choice of ammunition for practical use of the Snubnosed Revolver, practical needs for reloading, using a speedloader, situational awareness, point shooting, and preparational methods. He recommends carrying two guns or a gun + speedloader, and he suggests augmenting your defense plans with non-lethal alternatives. A valuable section is the chapter on thwarting carjacking attempts which seem to be a common occurrence in this current time.

If you're looking for an instructional book, this will not suit your needs. If you're looking for the strategies and rationale of the Snubnosed Revolver, this book is a good read.

After having spent 15 of my 33 years in the US Border Patrol as a full-time firearms instructor at the Border Patrol Academy, I can say without doubt, that this is the best book of its type that I have read to date.

I received it as a gift from a local sheriff's deputy and thought that I'd probably not find anything noteworthy. I was indeed wrong. So far I have read it three times and still find nuggets of information I had missed. I highly recommend it. - Kent Williams

The info in this book outstanding. I have read on and been to a number of classes on the use of revolvers. But the things covered in this book were not covered or received very little attention there. This book is a must have if you use the small ones. When I started this book,I had read over half before I could put it down.

This book represents a personal expression of well-justified perspective on the utility and use of the snub-nosed revolver. The author has formed his opinion, and he states it is his opinion and not fact, for preferance over many years of use and his reasonings are well-founded. The latter half offers some dated tactics for use but most still apply in all actuality. If you carry a weapon for defense it is a worthy read for options. If you like the snub-nosed revolver already it is a fascinating offering on its proven utility. It is a slightly dry read at times, but nothing like Ed McGivern thankfully!