Obscure Object of Desire: The S&W I Frame Terrier

I’ve at all times preferred snub nosed revolvers. There’s a sure mystique to them that goes again to previous personal eye and detective reveals. Plus, they’re nonetheless a fairly compact carry gun, and stay well-liked even nicely into the twenty first Century. I’ve owned a couple of through the years and the one one I’ve saved is my 3-inch Ruger SP-101 in .357 Magnum, and I don’t completely depend that with its 3-inch tube. I saved getting drawn to them although and at one level determined that if I used to be going to get one other one I ought to give in to that previous detective story enchantment and get an previous one.

There’s No I in Crew, however There Is in Terrier

After I began wanting round, I initially was pre-60s Smith & Wessons and Colts. I knew this was primarily going to be a novelty gun for me so I didn’t wish to spend a ton on it. In my head the .38 Particular is the quintessential snubby spherical, however after I began older weapons I discovered that wasn’t at all times the case. .38 S&W was fairly well-liked even into the Nineteen Sixties and so was .32 S&W Lengthy. I additionally discovered that weapons in these chamberings are apparently much less fascinating, and the costs mirror that. I think about it’s a mixture of the details that ammo may be more durable and dearer to search out for these calibers, and that fashionable protection ammo isn’t generally accessible. That is sensible, however for my need to have a traditional to take to the vary every so often that wasn’t a difficulty. Plus, I used to be already taking pictures different weapons in each calibers so I wasn’t including something new to the ammo cupboard.

Older Colt snubbies, even in .32 or .38 S&W nonetheless appear to command an honest worth and don’t appear to be fairly as frequent as Smith & Wessons in these calibers. I discovered a good variety of Smiths accessible, often on the Terrier platform. The Terrier was Smith & Wesson’s nomenclature earlier than transferring to mannequin numbers within the late 50’s. The Terrier fashions had been small body, 5-shot revolvers in both .32 S&W Lengthy or .38 S&W. Barrel lengths ran from 2 to 4 inches, however 2-inch ones had been what I used to be in search of. So, a small body with Smith & Wesson means a J body proper? Sure, that’s true, however that wasn’t the one small body that Smith supplied. In these older weapons I discovered that whereas some Terriers, and the later Mannequin 30, 31, 32 and 33’s had been in truth constructed on J frames, the early ones used an excellent smaller I body.

The I’s Have it

So what’s the I body? Mainly it’s a compact body just a bit smaller than a J body. It was first used with the Hand Ejector sequence means again in 1896, and holds 5 rounds of .38 S&W and 6 rounds of .32 Lengthy. The cylinder and cylinder body window are shorter than the J body and wouldn’t accommodate the .38 Particular, which is why the J body was later developed. The grip dimensions are barely smaller as nicely. Though the J did finally exchange the I body, each had been made concurrently for some time. There was additionally a transitional mannequin that had an extended cylinder and body window to simply accept the .38 Particular however nonetheless had an I body grip. These had been referred to as the “Child J” or Child Chief” by collectors.

As soon as I discovered in regards to the I body, I made a decision it was sufficient of an oddball at the present time that it was simply what I wanted. Plus, for my curiosity in a pre 60’s snub nostril it was good. Whereas much less identified now, the I body would have been fairly frequent for the time.

My Terrier

I ended up discovering a pleasant Terrier in .38 S&W on Gunbroker. It’s in what could be categorised as Very Good situation, with a little bit of holster put on on the muzzle. It had a set of properly checkered unique grips and an added bonus of an aluminum Tyler T grip. It was below $400, so not filth low-cost however lots lower than a present snubby from Smith, and most significantly, it was precisely what I used to be in search of.

After I picked the gun up from my native store and pulled it out of the field (only a delivery field, it didn’t have the unique field) I knew I’d made the precise alternative. The blued end, checkered walnut grips, the rounded entrance sight all screamed Nineteen Forties or 50s. The lockup was stable and the motion was nice. Clean, both from fingers on consideration to element when it was made, or from put on from use.

The gun was undoubtedly used, however not abused, and nicely maintained. Possibly it was the carry gun of a non-public eye or police detective? It might have sat within the drawer of a store hold or in somebody’s nightstand, too, however I’d prefer to suppose that the addition of the T grip indicated it was owned by somebody who used the gun, moderately than simply stashed it away “simply in case.”

My Terrier is a 5-screw mannequin with a coil predominant spring, which makes it put up World Battle II. Between the options and the serial quantity it was made someplace between 1948 and 1953 when Smith began making the 4-screw, “Improved I Body” mannequin.

Punching Holes

At this level I in all probability must be supplying you with a spread report with take a look at targets and chrono information, however truthfully I by no means did any of that. I’ve had the gun for years at this level and by no means got down to do a assessment of it, contemplating what it’s. I’ve casually shot the Terrier at full measurement silhouette targets at 5, 7 and 15 yards from standing positions, each with my major hand and offhand, and principally in double motion. I by no means critically tracked group sizes, and didn’t chronograph something.

I used a mixture of numerous manufacturers of 148-grain lead spherical nostril rounds from my ammo locker, in addition to some Steinel Ammunition’s .38/200 load that I take advantage of in my MK IV Webleys. The 148s are nice to shoot and work their means down vary at someplace round 650 fps relying on the model. The Steinel makes use of a heavy 200-grain bullet chugging alongside at a sedate 540 fps. You may not be capable to outrun it, but it surely’d be shut. The heavy 200-grain bullet hits with much more authority than the 148s although, particularly on metal.

My intestine was to make use of the 200s, which had been very similar to the previous .38 S&W New Police masses from again within the day. Whereas they shoot nice in my Webleys although, the little Terrier didn’t like them practically as nicely. They shot nicely off from level of purpose and didn’t group that nicely out of the 2-inch barrel. The 148s shot just about to level of purpose, and I might cowl five-round teams with the palm of my hand out to about 15 yards. Additional out than that and all bets had been off, though that’s probably simply my ability, or lack thereof, with a snubby revolver.

I had one final load to strive although and this one proved a winner all the best way round: the Buffalo Bore 125-grain Laborious Forged Flat Nostril .38 S&W, popping out at a relatively screaming 1,000 fps out of a 2-inch barrel. The Buffalo Bore spherical was designed to offer all of those older revolvers on the market some punch, and it does that. The 125-grain onerous solid lead bullet at 1,000 is creeping up on a 124-grain 9mm, and on par with many corporations’ .38 Particular 125-grain +P masses. Whereas the opposite .38 S&W masses are fairly nice to shoot this one’s a little bit of  a thumper. It feels such as you’re taking pictures a +P load out of a snub revolver. The 125s shocked me by taking pictures level of purpose at 7 and 15 yards. Teams had been truly the tightest of something I shot. I wasn’t measuring as I wasn’t actually planning on scripting this up, however I’d guess about 3 inches for double-action teams, standing offhand. I’m calling that ok for presidency work.

Buffalo Bore additionally makes the same load for the .32 S&W Lengthy for people that also have these floating round as nicely. It’s value noting although that these are rather more highly effective than most different ammo corporations .38 S&W or .32 Lengthy choices. Buffalo Bore cautions in opposition to utilizing them in previous break prime .38s and .32s or older solid-frame revolvers that will have been made for blackpowder masses initially. I’d in all probability add within the myriad of Spanish Smith and Colt clones that was once frequent within the 20s and 30s to that warning record as nicely.

Holsters and Grips

Regardless that I used to be unlikely to hold my Terrier, I nonetheless wished leather-based for it, simply in case. Discovering I body holsters wasn’t simple, however finally I stumbled upon an Italian-made, inside-the-waistband mannequin listed for an I body on Ebay. Good! I jumped on it and anxiously awaited its arrival. After I bought it, it appeared to suit nicely sufficient, however after I regarded nearer on the stamping, I noticed that it was actually a J body holster. I don’t fault the vendor, the stamp did appear to be it could possibly be an I moderately than a J. Nonetheless, my lesson discovered was that the I and J are so shut that you should use J body holsters with out problem. I ended up choosing up a Bianchi 9R the other way up shoulder rig shortly after that as nicely, simply because I at all times wished one, and now had a gun that might match it.

Now, the identical reciprocity between I and J frames cannot be stated for grips. I had a set of previous butterscotch Micarta Tyler Tru-Match grips for a J body that I assumed I might use on the Terrier. I preferred the wooden it got here with, however wished to make use of the Tyler’s so I gave them a strive. I came upon for positive that the I body is totally different. It’s shorter, and J body grips don’t line up accurately. So in case you want substitute grips, then you definitely would want to search out I body particular ones.

What’s it Good For?

So, what’s an I body in .38 S&W good for today? Nicely, it’s a stable, high quality made revolver, with a very good set off. With these Buffalo Bore masses it doubtlessly could possibly be a viable protection gun even at this time. With that stated, I’ve loads of different carry choices so it in all probability isn’t going to fill that function. For me, it’s principally nostalgia. It scratches an itch for a traditional wheel gun with some enjoyable mystique round it. That’s truthfully ok for me. It’s a neat little gun, with attention-grabbing historical past, and being an I body moderately than a J body makes it a bit of quirkier, which I like. As a retired police detective, I like that connection as nicely. I carried a .40 S&W Glock 27 throughout most of my time in plain garments, however I think about if I used to be working within the 40s or 50s one thing just like the Terrier would possibly nicely have been what I might have used.

I’ve grow to be form of enamored with the platform now and would like to get a .32 Lengthy Terrier, and possibly a 4-inch sq. butt Regulation Police as nicely. I gained’t probably carry these both, however they’ll be enjoyable ones to take to the vary from time to time.

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