Wheelgun Wednesday: Booligan's Snubbies - Less Barrel, More Character
Welcome back to Wheelgun Wednesday, our weekly article series where we cover everything related to revolvers. Today’s topic is another selection of peculiar wheelguns by TFB’s friend Booligan. True to his style, this time he offers us another look into ultimate conceleability coupled with humorous naming.
Wheelgun Wednesday @ TFB:
Project “Micro-Snub” - Introduction
Booligan’s obsession with making the most portable revolver goes a long way. We can get from his words how this project came to be:
“A few years ago, I started diving into the concept of “Micro-Snub” revolvers: defensive caliber double action revolvers designed to be as small and as light as possible. The first was Project TUSH (Taurus Ultra Snubby Handgun) which was featured previously here on TFB. The goal of that was to build the smallest, lightest, 6 shot +P capable .38 SPL revolver without needing to dive into hyper exotic materials. It started as a meme build until I tested it and found that I could get a hand sized group at 7 yards with over 250 ft/lb of muzzle energy with the right short barrel optimized +P loadings.”
Project “Micro-Snub” - The Charter Off Duty Extreme
Few people would look at the TUSH and think it needs to shed weight, but no body-positive thinking is allowed to Boolingan’s creatures.
“In the quest to build one lighter and smaller, I moved to Charter Arms and their Off Duty hammerless offering. I wanted something snag free with a goal of sub 10 oz (I wasn’t worried about +P compatibility with this one as rounds tend to jump crimp sub 12 oz). Cutting the barrel down to 3/4” total length, doing a half Fitz trigger guard, and smoothing out any snag points created an excellent little pocket revolver. Initially I kept the full grip length and later integrated a flashlight into the right grip panel. This was mid 10 oz but for the smallest and lightest option, I cut down the grip frame further and designed new grips giving me a sub 10 oz setup.”
“Charters are tricky to Micro-Snub as the front of the cylinder is secured with a spring loaded sleeve on the ejector rod. To secure this, I threaded the shortened rod and turned a bolt down to act as the new cylinder lockup point in the frame. This setup has been dubbed Project CHODE (CHarter Off Duty Extreme) because I’m secretly 12 years old.”
We can compare the specifications of this customized Charter Arms to the current Charter Arms Off Duty Lite.
Model | Charter Arms Off Duty Lite | Booligan CHODE |
Caliber | .38 Special | .38 Special |
Barrel Length | 2.0” | 0.75” |
Weight | 14 oz | 10 oz |
Project “Micro-Snub” - The Small Claims Judge
As .38 Special out of almost no barrel may not be everyone’s cup of tea, Booligan decided to step up his game and move to a somewhat larger platform. Again, let’s have him explain to us the thought process behind this aptly named revolver, which looks like it’s cosplaying as a pepperbox.
“For something with a little more punch, I knew that a Judge based model was inevitable. Starting with the lightest Judge out there, the 2.5” Cylinder “Ultra Lite” Public Defender model, I chopped the barrel flush with the frame, leaving just enough rifling to avoid an AOW classification. I fitted the factory semi-bobbed hammer from a different Judge and drilled and tapped the frame to fit a tritium shotgun bead.”
“Lastly, I cut down a factory Taurus small frame rubber grip to a much more concealable length and secured it with a crosspin through the frame. It weighs in at 17.4 oz but my goal is sub 1 lb (16 oz) and to do that, I need to eventually track down the hyper rare Titanium cylinder. One day I’ll make that dream come true and Project Small Claims Judge will be complete.”
While we hold our breath waiting for that day, we can compare this pigmy magistrate with Taurus’ original model.
Model | Taurus Judge PD Ultra Lite | Booligan Small Claims Judge |
Caliber | .410 / 45 LC | .410 / 45 LC |
Barrel Length | 2.0” | 0.8” (?) |
Weight | 20.7 oz | 17.4 oz |
Project “Micro-Snub” - Conclusion?
Booligan leaves us with these thoughts:
“Why build these? I just like weird little revolvers. The Taurus View is one of the inspirations but I wanted to correct its issues. They end up surprisingly practical as pocket gun that conceal very well, deliver adequate performance with the right loadings, and they give me opportunities to come up with childish names.”
What do you, TFB readers, think? Which one of the Micro-Snubs (including the TUSH) is your favorite? Would you like to see similar diminutive wheelguns being brought to the market by actual OEMs? What would you suggest Booligan explore next? As usual, let us know in the comments.
All images courtesy of Booligan Shooting Sports.
Italian firearm enthusiast, Giorgio has a passion for innovative or plainly unusual mechanical solutions. He's also interested in manufacturing technologies with a recent focus on additive manufacturing.You can contact him at giorgio_o at zoho dot com and you'll find him in the comments section as Giolli Joker.
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Yeah, somebody's been watching too many prison movies.
Sometimes, just because you can, doesn’t mean you should.
this is one of those times.