Posted: 8/10/2026 2:53:07 AM EDT
 I’m just going to say it: 4.2-inch revolver barrels are an affront to proper gun etiquette. Four inches. That’s the civilized standard. Four. A nice, sensible, aesthetically correct number handed down through generations of wheelgun ownership. But then somebody decided revolvers needed 4.2-inch barrels to accommodate Canada. Canada. A country whose existence remains, at best, an unverified rumor. A people supposedly living somewhere beyond the northern border, apparently communicating in kilometers and demanding an additional 0.2 inches of barrel before they'll allow a revolver into their make-believe realm. And here’s the crowning absurdity: after American gunmakers went to the trouble of appeasing this tiny northern market, Canada went and imposed a national freeze on handgun sales, purchases, and transfers anyway. So what exactly did we accomplish here? We desecrated the sacred proportions of the American revolver for a market that subsequently decided it basically didn’t want a handgun market. That isn’t product development. That is heresy. It is false hubris of the highest order: believing you can improve upon the divinely ordained four-inch revolver by adding 0.2 inches of Canadian regulatory compliance. My original Ruger GP100: 4 inches. My S&W Model 686-3: 4 inches. My Colt King Cobra: 4 inches. These revolvers came from an era when manufacturers understood geometry, tradition, and the fundamental moral distinction between 4.0 and 4.2. Then Ruger bent the knee to Big Canada. And soon Colt and S&W followed. And for what? This entire episode violates the most basic principle of America First principles in revolver manufacturing: American revolvers should be designed around what Americans want, not around the regulatory peculiarities of an alleged country whose principal exports are maple syrup, Celine Dion, and increasingly elaborate explanations for why you cannot buy the handgun we redesigned specifically so you could buy it. So no, I will not normalize the 4.2-inch barrel. Every one of them is a tiny stainless-steel monument to international appeasement. Reject decimal-barrel globalism. Reject Canadian regulatory imperialism. Return to four inches. America First. And until somebody produces convincing evidence that Canada actually exists as a real country and not some cast-off neo-colony of the People's Republic of China, it doesn’t get a vote on proper revolver proportions. |
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Originally Posted By Y-T71: Hmmm.....02"... Apparently my eyes aren't calibrated enough to see that. I get it though, imagine my consternation when I realized my 610-3 was 3 " instead of the advertised 4"  |
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Originally Posted By Miami_JBT: It's in issue with holsters. And again, Canada isn't a real place. Originally Posted By Miami_JBT: Originally Posted By Y-T71: Hmmm.....02"... Apparently my eyes aren't calibrated enough to see that. I get it though, imagine my consternation when I realized my 610-3 was 3 " instead of the advertised 4" You got me there  !Nice revolvers by the way! |
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| Those weren't made for Canada. |
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Originally Posted By Miami_JBT: Those weren't made for Canada. Originally Posted By Miami_JBT: Those weren't made for Canada. Correct. One is a 4. something and the other is a 5. something which nullifys your whole point |
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Originally Posted By Miami_JBT: Canada turned perfect 4" guns into 4.2" guns. Originally Posted By Miami_JBT: Originally Posted By 03RN: Correct. One is a 4. something and the other is a 5. something which nullifys your whole point Shoot more so you need to re cut the forcing cone. Problem solved |
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Originally Posted By Miami_JBT: And my job is to dismantle regulatory guidances since they're unconstitutional. Originally Posted By Miami_JBT: Originally Posted By Mike_Golf: Most weapon design is based on regulatory guidance. Rant 2/10.  And 3" is best length for a K framed sized gun, and I don't own one. I can't afford a Model 65 Lady Smith, which is what I really want. 
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Originally Posted By sandboxmedic: And 3" is best length for a K framed sized gun, and I don't own one. I can't afford a Model 65 Lady Smith, which is what I really want. Buy a round butt M65 4" gun and have it cut down to 3", and slab side the barrel. |
Dave Funk
Past President and now a Board of Directors member Iowa Firearms Coalition. Past President of the Iowa Chapter-SCI.
Past President and now a Board of Directors member Iowa Firearms Coalition. Past President of the Iowa Chapter-SCI.
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Originally Posted By F224: Buy a round butt M65 4" gun and have it cut down to 3", and slab side the barrel. Originally Posted By F224: Originally Posted By sandboxmedic: And 3" is best length for a K framed sized gun, and I don't own one. I can't afford a Model 65 Lady Smith, which is what I really want. Buy a round butt M65 4" gun and have it cut down to 3", and slab side the barrel. I have one, unfortunately it's one of the models with the serial number on the butt. |
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Originally Posted By sandboxmedic: I have one, unfortunately it's one of the models with the serial number on the butt. Originally Posted By sandboxmedic: Originally Posted By F224: Originally Posted By sandboxmedic: And 3" is best length for a K framed sized gun, and I don't own one. I can't afford a Model 65 Lady Smith, which is what I really want. Buy a round butt M65 4" gun and have it cut down to 3", and slab side the barrel. I have one, unfortunately it's one of the models with the serial number on the butt. The one I did had serial numbers on both the butt and the frame inside the yoke. Is not an ATF issue as long as you don’t remove both. |
Dave Funk
Past President and now a Board of Directors member Iowa Firearms Coalition. Past President of the Iowa Chapter-SCI.
Past President and now a Board of Directors member Iowa Firearms Coalition. Past President of the Iowa Chapter-SCI.