So far, in the previous seven parts of this series, I kept the talk about revolver positives to a fairly general point. I did not bring up different specific revolvers to talk about differences in them, since up to now, the focus was a generalized approach that would encompass all revolvers. 

However, For this installment, I am going to take a look at a subset of wheelguns, the smaller ones. OR, in other words, snubs. A very popular choice for self-defense, and probably the one area of fighting revolvers that still were popular the last couple of decades when Striker Fired Wonder Nines ruled the roost. 

There are two areas where even when gun companies were churning out semi-autos like the S&W Shield, G43, P365, etc. , these weapons were at times taking a backseat to the classic snubs like the 642 or the LCR. First, the favorable geometry of the revolver is magnified when you are trying to maximize concealment without sacrificing too much performance. As mentioned in the last part of this series, the curve of the snub makes for an even easier match with the curve of the human body. 

The second area will be the main thrust of this article. 

Ask any long time and experienced shooter or firearms instructor and they will tell you that while the duty size semi-autos are some of the most rugged and reliable mechanical tools around, something happens when they start to shrink. The alchemy that interacts to make something like a Glock 19 be awesomely dependable, starts to fade a bit as you shrink the machine down. It does not take a ton of time involved to see lots of little things interfere or even choke the operation of a micro nine, ranging from pocket lint, to body parts or clothing getting in the way of the slide, or even the accidental pressing of the mag release. 

For whatever reason, those things rarely impact the small snub nose revolver. The shrinking of the mechanism does not seem to change the overall function. The most logical guess is that since a revolver is operated entirely by the pull of the trigger, there is less to go wrong. 

It is very difficult to find a real world instance of a snub not working when it was needed to work to save a life. They just work, and along with the ease of concealment, caused the snub wheelgun to still be used by knowledgeable gunfighters even if their main gun was a Wonder Nine. 

In sum, small revolvers work exceptionally well, and are a smart choice as a backup gun, or for the non-permissive environment.