Revolvers? Going to the gun show this weekend and looking for your opinions :)

reply to post by Advantage


I can tell you one that I hated. I had a S&W .38 special Featherlight Hammerless for my wife. I got it because it was small, concealable, and could be fired from inside her purse if need be.

Instead,

It kicked like a mule, was hard to hold onto, and was not very accurate for more than 10-15 feet, had a huge muzzle flash, and was just overall scary for her and uncomfortable for me. I don't recommend that one.

Maybe a little bigger revolver like a .357 with some weight to it. A little more barrel for accuracy, and a little more weight to counteract the kick. Maybe even a regular .38, just not the Featherlight.

reply to post by Advantage


If you want one just to have one, that’s cool. If its for the range I would recommend staying away from the lightweight models, they have terrible recoil. I fired one of those S&W 386SC's and it felt like someone smaked me in my hand with a cricket bat.

I’d go with a Ruger GP100 with a 4” or 6” barrel.

all the automatic jams i have seen is caused by people buying crap guns. if you don't have the dough for quality automatics then get a revolver charter arms make some good quality revolvers that are small and fit into a purse quite easily. i used to carry a hammerless 44 speacial that had a 2 inch barrel fit really well in coat pocket.

Accurate wih good triggers but not especially concealable. For economy, try preowned in good condition: S&W Mod 27 and 28 [.357], Colt Python [.357], S&W Combat Masterpiece, Colt Officer's Match [.38 Sp]. The bargain of the bunch is the Mod 28 Highway Patrolman with target trigger and hammer.

reply to post by Advantage

and the baby eagle ( small version of the desert eagle made by badass hebrews) is even better

Actually the Baby Eagle is one of many CZ 75 clones on the market.

From Gunblast.com

The CZ 75 pistol was difficult to come by in America but the Tangfoglio clones from Italy were widely available beginning in the 1980s. These pistols varied considerably in quality, fit and finish. The EAA Witness is now the most common and is generally a reliable pistol. However, most shooters agree the Baby Eagle is the superior CZ clone and the only pistol of the type other than the original to have seen extensive military and police service.

As a CZ fan I like the Baby Eagle. It has some variations from the original CZ that make it pretty cool.

Now to address the original question. I would look for a police trade in S&W Model 64. For less than $300 you get a 4" K frame revolver that shoots 6 rounds of .38spl+P. Not a bad deal considerring that most of them were probably shot less than 500 times.

Sometimes you can find a NY-1 for about $310. Those are the ones that were officially issued to NYPD officers. A pretty cool little piece of history that you can play with.

Just my opinion.

Ill try to get a pic up tonight

I bought a smith and wesson 65-2 357 mag. 4 " barrel 6 shot revolver. It will take 38's too. WOOHOO!!!! I go pick it up tonight. They had a rough finish, but this retired cop wanted it, so I got the high finish and let the dealer get 2 sales.. and will have it roughed up here in the next week or 2. He was happy to make 2 sales and paid my transfer fees and gave me a bag of ammo. Hi shok

That was an incredible gun show. It was a mil collectibles and gun show.. I saw an authentic blunderbuss.. and wanted it. The 6K price tag made me run away screaming though. LMAO!

I want to thank you all who contributed to the thread. The 357 was what I wanted, but the info given here sealed the deal in my mind. TY very much.

Originally posted by Advantage
Ill try to get a pic up tonight

I bought a smith and wesson 65-2 357 mag. 4 " barrel 6 shot revolver. It will take 38's too. WOOHOO!!!! I go pick it up tonight. They had a rough finish, but this retired cop wanted it, so I got the high finish and let the dealer get 2 sales.. and will have it roughed up here in the next week or 2. He was happy to make 2 sales and paid my transfer fees and gave me a bag of ammo. Hi shok

That was an incredible gun show. It was a mil collectibles and gun show.. I saw an authentic blunderbuss.. and wanted it. The 6K price tag made me run away screaming though. LMAO!

I want to thank you all who contributed to the thread. The 357 was what I wanted, but the info given here sealed the deal in my mind. TY very much.

Nice choice! and a great deal. You were smart to not go below a 4" barrel and you can practice with the .38's all day so you can get to know your trigger. Congrats!

a medium frame SS 4" .357 mag is the most all around pistol their is.small enough for CC with proper holster, still big enough with 4" for most 2 and 4 legged vermin.the only problem with wheel guns is they can jam up after getting grit or sand in action,if you keep revovler in purse or pocket its quite possible., or if you take a tumble in a creek or on the beach.thats one reason no military issues them anymore,once jamed up you have to dissasemble it, clean, oil,and reassemble.the last part is the real prob.most double action revolvers have a similar action like S&W, its really good, till you have to reassemble, its not easy and god forbid you drop and loose a little part in the field!!! RUGER doesnt have this problem, its revolvers are easy to take apart and put back together,and no small parts!!you cant incorrectly reassemble a Ruger, its done right or not.Ruger guns are BUILT tough they arent light, a GP100 is heavy and chunky for its caliber,.357.after SHTF good quality ammo that will fire, feed,and cycle semi-auto's will be a rare commodity,most ammo will be reloaded under not so good conitions,revolver ammo will be easier to reload as it only has to fall in cylinder to fire, but still you will need a good strong revolver to fire this homemade ammo and stay together.the S&W L frame guns 686 and such are the size of GP100, so if you learn how to reassemble a S&W , you've got a great gun after giving your 686 a trigger and action job, some people call it a poor mans Python.dont shoot large quantites of .38 through a .357, the 38 is about a 1/10 inch shorter than 357, the heat and powder burning can erode that 1/10 and make extraction of 357 empty cases after firing very difficult .if you intend to practice with lot of 38, get a gun just like your 357 in 38 for practice or reload 357 cases to 38 load specs.