Pocket Pistol for side match.

[Ol Salty Sailor]

I would like to find a pistol to use in pocket pistol side matches.  I would prefer it to be in .38 special.

What companies are making reproductions?

 

[The Original Lumpy Gritz]

Look for an original Smith and Wesson 'Lemmon Squeezer' in .32 S&W.

[Sarge]

Pietta makes a single action repop of a Remington C & B pocket pistol.  A .32 S & W cylinder is available for it through Taylor's.

[Three Foot Johnson]

Who makes a modern reproduction small frame top break or "category legal" .38 special? Off the top of my head, I'd say nobody.

[Griff]

32 minutes ago, Three Foot Johnson said:

Who makes a modern reproduction small frame top break or "category legal" .38 special? Off the top of my head, I'd say nobody.

In fact, I don't think I've ever seen any reproduction pocket pistol, outside of the cap & ball versions, which aren't really competitive as a side match gun.  I believe you need to look for an original double action, usually found needing work.  

[H. K. Uriah, SASS #74619]

.38 Special will be all but impossible to find in a pocket pistol.  Many were made in .38 S&W, and that is probably the most common .38 you'll find one in.

The closest you'll get to .38 Special, would be a gun in .38 Long Colt, such as a Colt 1877 "Lightning."

Yes, there were pocket pistols in larger calibers as well, but specifically .38 Special, I don't think so.


Now, as to what kind of a pistol, if it's a speed match, you'll want something DA.  An SA pocket pistol is only good for accuracy events.

 

[Rooster Ron Wayne]

None !

But there are many different affordable originals out there 🤔 

[Rye Miles #13621]

I had a S&W Hammerless safety in .32 S&W, I won a few side matches with it. Great little gun. I sold it when I stopped doing side matches. 

[Garrison Joe, SASS #60708]

And, do not fall into the dangerous trap of buying a .38 S&W chambered pistol that has been "bored out" to let a .38 special chamber in it.   That is a hand grenade waiting to come apart.  Those pocket pistols hardly are strong enough to handle that S&W cartridge without shooting the action loose.  Never try smokeless powder loads in a gun made for black powder, either.   

 

Have seen no modern reproductions which would qualify as a SASS pocket pistol.   

 

good luck, GJ 

[Crazy Gun Barney, SASS #2428]

Anybody ever run a SA only pocket pistol match?  I really love shooting my 63 Remington, but as has been mentioned, single actions are simply no good in the traditional pocket pistol match.  It is all about how quickly you can dump those shots into the target.

 

It would be fun to see the 49 colts and 63 remingtons and others have a shot.

[H. K. Uriah, SASS #74619]

3 hours ago, Crazy Gun Barney, SASS #2428 said:

Anybody ever run a SA only pocket pistol match?  I really love shooting my 63 Remington, but as has been mentioned, single actions are simply no good in the traditional pocket pistol match.  It is all about how quickly you can dump those shots into the target.

 

It would be fun to see the 49 colts and 63 remingtons and others have a shot.

 

The MA/CT/RI Tristate always had a speed and an accuracy pocket pistol match.  But they stopped doing them the year after I won because I was the only participant! 

I have seen both at other matches as well, but can't remember off the top of my head where they were.

[Sarge]

4 hours ago, Crazy Gun Barney, SASS #2428 said:

Anybody ever run a SA only pocket pistol match?  I really love shooting my 63 Remington, but as has been mentioned, single actions are simply no good in the traditional pocket pistol match.  It is all about how quickly you can dump those shots into the target.

 

It would be fun to see the 49 colts and 63 remingtons and others have a shot.

Yes, I've shot single action pocket pistol side matches at the Michigan State match and some matches in Ohio.

[Cpt Dan Blodgett, SASS #75655]

On 10/13/2025 at 9:06 AM, Garrison Joe, SASS #60708 said:

And, do not fall into the dangerous trap of buying a .38 S&W chambered pistol that has been "bored out" to let a .38 special chamber in it.   That is a hand grenade waiting to come apart.  Those pocket pistols hardly are strong enough to handle that S&W cartridge without shooting the action loose.  Never try smokeless powder loads in a gun made for black powder, either.   

 

Have seen no modern reproductions which would qualify as a SASS pocket pistol.   

 

good luck, GJ 

Never run smokeless powder loads in a gun made for black powder either, exactly how I feel about loading for my original 1888 Trapdoor Rifle

[Dapper Dave]

On the other hand...I am "that guy"...Iver Johnson Second Model, works great with a "gallery load" of 5gr of 3F under a flush seated 000 Buck.

I bought this one, and a Harrington and Richardson American, both in 38SW, from a gunsmith buddy who rebuilt them.

One thing to remember, these guns are usually about 100 years old or older. They were not really well built to begin with, and years of abuse doesn't help - these two were actually welded to plaques hanging in a local bar for something like 50 years, before LAGS rescued and rebuilt them. The brass piece on the Iver was the replacement where the weld was.

 

And this is where we go sideways...yes, these are black powder frames, the backwards owl head on the Iver grips, and the shallow cylinder notches are dead giveaways. So, I was talking to the same gunsmith, who has been restoring guns for 60 years, about would be nice to use smokelessand he says why don't you? Umm, because they are black powder and he says what do you think people used in these when smokeless powder came out?

Umm, yeah, but...

He tells me he had shot light smokeless loads through both guns before he sold them to me. 

I do NOT recommend anyone DO this, this is merely for academic purposes only, and the fact I was feeling especially idiotic, and I tried one of his loads. The absolute mousefart load of Bullseye worked perfectly in the Iver, shot high in the H&R, and had almost zero recoil. I will not post the load, but it is VERY light. However, cleanup was almost harder with smokeless than black, and black is more fun. So, that was a fun experiment that did not go wrong, but these fine old parlor protectors will be babied with black from here on out.

 

Now one I have that IS smokeless, and technically from the right era, is the Harrington and Richardson Young American in .32SW. This little pistol was made for 57 years, only ending production when WWII started. It will hit paper at 3 yards, but I wouldn't go much farther than that! This one, the Third Model, is proofed for smokeless. Shown here with a 9mm round for size comparison. I'd have to get a ruling from SASS, but it would PROBABLY be good. 

 

Again, the little blasters ARE out there, and usually quite cheap, but they are VERY likely to be out of time, and should be checked by a competent gunsmith prior to shooting, and keep those loads LIGHT...

 

 

 

 

[Rooster Ron Wayne]

I have have a hand full of them in 32 & 38 .

They are a lot of fun to collect and most are cheap enough to own many lol .

 

[Dusty Chaps, SASS #5925]

Hi all. The only First Place I ever won at End of Trail was the Pocket Pistol side match with my S&W Hammerless safety in .32 S&W.!!