most fondly-remembered models.
If I say ‘Centennial,’ you know I’m talking about a concealed hammer model like the 42, 640, or 340. If I say ‘Bodyguard,’ you know it’s going to have a shrouded but cockable hammer like the Model 38 or 638. If I’m talking about the ‘Chief’s Special’ you can discern the Model 60, 36 and 637. This list is not all inclusive; there are many more, as the J-frames are among Smith & Wesson’s most popular revolvers.
Most people use the J-frame classification generically to refer to all small five-shot revolvers, such as the Model 85 derivatives from Taurus and some of the small revolvers from Charter Arms. While such guns from other manufacturers don’t share grips or any other parts or accessories with their S&W counterparts, the term J-frame is still used to convey a general sense of size – not an actual interchangeability.
The K-frame is the next size up in the S&W line. As this is written virtually all of the K-frame revolvers have been discontinued, but this class produced some of the most fondly-remembered models: the original Military & Police, the Models 10, 19, and 66, amongst many others. These were the medium sized, six-shot .38 Special (and later .357 Magnum) revolvers, though of course other calibers were chambered. You’ll see many medium-framed revolvers from other manufacturers referred to as K-sized, but of course only S&W produces the exact item.
In 1981 Smith & Wesson introduced another medium frame revolver dubbed the L-frame. Slightly larger than the K-frame, but with a similar grip size, the L was designed for better durability firing hot Magnum cartridges. The K and L-frames are generally considered together as medium frames, though most holsters for the K will not quite fit the L. By far the most commonly encountered L model is the 686, which has been produced in a wide variety of barrel lengths over its lifetime. The most distinguishing feature of the L line is the heavy lugged barrel, though this is not universal over all models.
You’ll often see the term K/L used, which simply means either a) a generic medium-framed revolver, or b) parts which fit both series of guns. There is no actual K/L frame model, and always remember that the guns are of slightly different size.
N-frame .44 Magnum on top is much bigger, with a longer trigger reach, than compact J-frame on bottom.
For many years the largest revolvers in the Smith & Wesson line were the N-frames. First produced in 1908 (some sources claim 1907), they were originally introduced with a new cartridge: the .44 S&W Special. Over the years the N-frame matured and was chambered in a wide variety of cartridges, from the .38 through the .45. Aside from the ever-popular Model 29 in .44 Magnum (the gun made famous in the 1971 movie “Dirty Harry”), the line also boasts the 627 eight-shot .357 Magnum and the 625 in .45ACP, two of the most popular competition revolvers made.
Smith & Wesson call the N revolvers their ‘large frames,’ and they are. They typically have big grips and long reaches to the trigger; given my relatively small hands, N-frame guns are extremely difficult for me to shoot well in double action. Even the smallest grips made aren’t enough to make my hand fit these big guns, and some gunsmiths have actually offered modifications to the frames to take the smaller K/L grips.
While the N-frame has been chambered in a wide variety of calibers, most people think of the .44 Magnum when they hear N. This leads to a confusing situation when guns from other makers which chamber that cartridge are mistakenly called N-frames. While guns in .44 Magnum are often of approximately the same size, the actual S&W product is often slightly smaller than the competition. Holsters won’t necessarily fit all guns chambered in .44 Magnum, and of course there is no grip or parts interchangeability between the Smiths and their competitors.
If the N-frame revolvers were large, the X guns are downright massive.
For decades Smith & Wesson were content with that lineup, but time marches on and so to does ballistic experimentation. In the last decade or so we’ve seen the introduction of ultra-powerful handgun rounds that couldn’t safely be chambered in the existing N-frame envelope. These new rounds were larger and developed much higher pressures than the N-frame was designed to handle. Determined not to be left behind in the heavy magnum competition, in 2003 S&W brought out the new X-frame revolver chambering the massive .500 S&W Magum cartridge. X, according to the company, stands for ‘extra large’ – and if the N-frame revolvers were large, the X guns are downright massive. Their enormous size and mass are necessary to contain the force from the powerful cartridges they chamber. The grip size and trigger reach, however, are very similar to the N-frame revolvers.
J, K, L, N, and X – that’s the S&W line covering small, medium, large, and extra large revolvers. What about the competition?
Other makers
As I mentioned, the standard reference for relative revolver size has always been S&W. Other makers have their own frame sizes, using different nomenclature, and direct comparisons are difficult because of the number of different criteria which could be considered. Do we rank based on cylinder diameter, the length of the frame, the height measured from the bottom of the triggerguard to the topstrap, the thickness of the frame at some point, the backstrap to trigger distance, or something else entirely?
There isn’t one easy number or letter that exactly ranks frame sizes.
That’s why there isn’t one easy number or letter that exactly ranks frame sizes. Automobiles, for instance, have legal definitions of their sizes: a subcompact is listed by the government as having an interior volume between 85 and 99 cubic feet. Nothing similar exists to describe revolver sizes, so we’re left with relative (and somewhat subjective) opinions. We start with the market leader, Smith & Wesson, and then compare and contrast other guns with those known quantities.
Colt is now out of the double action revolver business, but their guns are still very commonly found. Colt made a number of frame sizes over the years, but only a few were widely sold through the latter part of the 20th century; it’s these to which we’ll direct our attention.
The Colt D-frame was a six-shot revolver usually chambered in .38 Special but occasionally found in smaller calibers. It was extremely small for a revolver of that capacity and is frequently compared with J-frame, though it is larger in almost every dimension. The grip size was small and trigger reach was very short, similar to the J-frame, but the cylinder was very close to that of the K-frames and had a frame size to match.
What the D had, in essence, was the frame of a K and the grip of a J. Their overall size and light weight made them distinctly smaller than the K but wouldn’t fit any holsters made for the J. This is why the little Colts were so hard to classify and even harder to replace when they were discontinued. Common models include the Detective Special, Agent, Diamond-back, and Cobra.
There is nothing currently available from the major makers that is comparable in size/caliber efficiency to the D-frames, an oversight with which I am continually amazed.
Although not part of the D-frame series, and having complete different lockwork, the models SF-VI, DS-II, and Magnum Carry are usually considered together with the D models because of their very compact, six-shot construction. These guns were built on the SF frame, which was slightly more robust in certain dimensions than the D which they replaced. The SF-frames share the incredible and as far yet unduplicated size efficiency of the D-frames; the Magnum Carry, chambered in .357 Magnum, was particularly unique for its combination of size and raw power. All of the SF-frames were discontinued when Colt exited the double action revolver market.
The most famous Colt double action revolver is quite likely the Python, which is the penultimate gun in what they
