The Gun Digest Book of the Revolver. Grant Cunningham

& 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 referred to as the E/I-frame series. These were medium-sized revolvers, usually chambered in .38 Special (and later .357 Magnum) but also often found in .22LR. Roughly comparable in size to the S&W L-frame revolvers, popular examples are the Official Police, the aforementioned Python, and the Officer’s Model line. Grip size is on the large side, and trigger reach is slightly longer than their S&W counterparts.

      The E/I designation actually refers to two separate frame models which happen to share a large number of parts. Grips, many internal parts, speedloaders, and holsters are generally compatible, which is why they’re usually referred to together. A Python is technically an I-frame, while an Official Police is technically an E-frame.

      Like the smaller Colts, there was also a modernized medium frame revolver series. These guns started, confusingly, with the J-frame models like the Trooper Mark III and the Lawman Mark III. The guns had some initial problems, and were quickly redesigned into the V-frame series and designated with a ‘Mark V’ model name: Trooper Mark V, Lawman Mark V. There was also an AA-frame, which was their designation for the stainless steel versions like the King Cobra. The V and AA-frames generally have parts commonality, but the J-frame stands on its own despite being of similar size.

      The Colt medium frame revolvers – E/I, J, V, and AA – are very similar in size to the S&W L-frames and can sometimes use the same holsters (as long as the barrel profiles are the same.) I find their grip-to-trigger reach a little larger than their S&W equivalents, however, and of course grips are not at all interchangeable between them.

      The largest modern Colt frame was the MM-frame of the Anaconda. These were large revolvers often compared to the S&W N-frame and chambering the same .44 Magnum (and later .45 Colt) ammunition. Available only in stainless steel, their grip size and reach are similar to the S&W. I’ve found that many holsters will fit, though the Anaconda frame seems a little wider than the equivalent Smith. Closely fitted holsters for the S&W may not allow entry of the Anaconda, though the reverse is generally workable.

      Ruger’s double action revolvers come in three size ranges. Their earliest double actions, the ‘Six’ series (Speed-Six, Service-Six, and Security-Six) were introduced 1971. They are six-shot revolvers almost always encountered in .38 Special or .357 Magnum, though 9mm examples were made in very limited quantities. Other chamberings were made for export to police and security agencies around the world. They’re medium-sized guns roughly equivalent to the S&W K-frames, with very similar grip size and trigger reach. While roughly the same size, some of the dimensions and profiles are just enough different that holsters for the Smiths may not fit the Rugers. The Sixes were discontinued in 1988 and replaced by the GP100, but not until Ruger had sold over a million and a half of them.

      The replacement for the Six series was (and is) the GP100. With a frame slightly larger than the Six guns, the GP is usually compared to the S&W L series of revolvers. The two are very close in size and weight: a four-inch GP100 weighs 40 ounces, while the same barrel on a S&W 686 weighs only slightly less: 38.7 oz. Though of the same size and nearly the same weight as the L-frame, the GP has an advantage over the S&W in grip size and trigger reach. The Ruger has a smaller grip circumference and a shorter backstrap-to-trigger distance, making it ideal for the person with smaller hands who desires a medium-frame revolver. As I’ve noted, my hands are smaller than average for an adult male, and my medium frame