The Work Horse

FOR IT’S TRUST & RELIABILITY, THE SMITH AND WESSON J FRAME IS A MAINSTAY FOR ARMED CITIZENS

- Dave Workman

RELIABILITY AND PERFORMANCE ARE TWO OF THE MOST IMPORTANT QUALITIES ONE REQUIRES IN A DEFENSIVE HANDGUN, AND WHILE THE “NEW” GENERATION SEEMS ENAMORED WITH THE LATEST Semi - auto Whiz-Bang, THERE IS A GOOD ARGUMENT THAT A REVOLVER MORE THAN 65 YEARS ON THE LANDSCAPE IS THE SIDEARM THAT GETS THE JOB DONE FOR A LOT OF PEOPLE

The J-frame Smith & Wesson: Ah, what a history this little five-shot revolver enjoys.

Chambered in .38 Special, this model has been produced in so many variations that it is impossible for them all to be listed here. I bought my first J-frame, a square butt 2-inch revolver that had seen some use, when I was in my early 20s and I was working as editor at a small town weekly newspaper. It had the old diamond checkered grips, a finish that had seen better days, but it shot pretty good out to 25 yards.

MY EXPERIENCE

I carried it in an ankle holster inside a cowboy boot, loaded with 125-grain Remington hollow points. There were a couple of occasions when that gun came in handy.

Like just about every other serious hand gunner, I had more than one holster for that little wheelgun. I also had an upside down Safariland shoulder holster and a used high-ride belt holster I bought from a game warden. And I slapped on a pair of factory oversize grips at one point to give me a little better control of the recoil.

The J-frame has been made in both exposed hammer and hammerless configurations. The compromise model was dubbed the Bodyguard, with an oversize frame and shrouded hammer that could be thumbed back for single-action use.