I'm sure this question has been asked before but I'm trying to get some advice on a good selection for a reliable, simple ease of use bed stand gun. I currently am using a Steyr M9 semi auto but don't leave it chambered for safety reasons. The thought of pulling the slide before ever using it concerns me with the noise and all. What's a good S&W small revolver that addresses safety issues but allows quick grab and go responses? My 29-2 won't fit the bill,,,,,,

From your criteria, small S&W and you left out price so I would go with the 327 8-shot .357 revolver.

When I said small I meant short barrel, caliber for best stopping power and price between the 300 - 600 range (new)

What's the length of your 29? Use 44 specials?

I prefer something that ends in "gauge", 12 or 20, specifically.

Probably a K Frame, use +P 38 Specials, or 357 mags, if equiped.

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War Eagle! '10 BCS & '13 SEC

Same here, a Remington 870 pretty much covers all my home defense needs.

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A closed mouth gathers no foot

29-2 is 6 inch, have a 1100 LT 20 magnum but small house. Just looking for something simple and easy to grab and go.

My preference for a S&W revolver for bedside duty would be something along the lines of a K-frame (Models 64, 65, 66 - with 2" to 4" barrels depending on exactly how short you want the barrel), a L-frame (686 - with 2.5" to 4" barrel), or a N-frame (27 with a 3.5" barrel). I am not sure how much you committed to the "new" part of your quest, but there are plenty of excellent choices in the used market that would fit your bill for the price range you mentioned.

"$300 - $600" and "new" kinda rule out any S&W in my neighborhood.

A 4" M66 (bought used) and Ruger KP90 stand zombie duty at my house.

EDIT: Forgot the Win 1300 that sleeps under the bed.

I'm not really good enough to be confident with a J frame snubby.

John, It will tough to find a new smith for 300-600. My wife .22 Airwieght 3 yrs ago was over 6 bills new.
Used, in that price range you will be able to find .38's and .357's with short barrels. Since it will be a Night stand gun and not used alot maybe consider a used Charter arms bulldog in .44 special or Taurus in that caliber. On the bright side you'll have ammo that will interchange in your model 29 and they'll be cheaper than a Smith.

Any .38 special or above. I have all kinds and calibers, yet I keep a old 4" M&P by the bed. Good as it gets and used ones are cheap. Mine is old, about 1953, I see I gave $280s for it about 5 years ago. It`s probley one of the cheapest guns I own of many, yet it is as good as the rest for home defense. You dont need adjustable sights. I also carry it on the trails rideing quad a lot.

There are lots of nice used SW revolvers out there. I would look for a 357 or 38 but keep it loaded with 38 +P.

Ever light off a 357 Mag inside, in the dark while you are half asleep?? You will be deaf and blind and never get off another shot.

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Still Running Against the Wind

I usually refrain from answering any "best of" questions, but in this instance I would suggest a Model 65 with a three inch barrel. It's stainless, so lower maintenance. Fixed sights, which is fine in a defensive firearm. 3 inch barrel, so you have the full length ejector rod. It's a .357 Magnum, so you have your choice of .38, .38+P, or magnum loads. Parts are plentiful and still relatively inexpensive so repairs are a non-issue. A used Model 65 in good shape can definitely be found in your price range and still have enough left for a small, dependable flashlight which would make it pretty much the best bedside gun you can find for the money.

Totally agree, but don't ask me how I know. But, if the SHTF you wouldn't much care though.
My choice is a 67 4" .38Spl loaded with Speer Gold Dot SB 135gr +Ps and a Bianchi speedstrip of them backup.

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Dick

Good advice Rule3 I guess in that moment I won't have time to grab the muffs and glasses. I think I'll be looking in the used sections of the local shops as I want to stay with a S&W. I have 4 now and want to grow the collection. Thanks everyone for the insight,,,,,

It will be hard to beat a 4 in., .38 spec. with fixed sights. It is not the kind of pistol that the mall ninjas want but some of us old men have used them for years without any problems. Larry

Best Bed Stand Gun??? Glock G-22RTF stuffed full of 165-180 gr. JHP ammunition.

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<><

John, I've had any number of options, yet for 40 years my nightstand weapon has been a 4" M-19 or 4" M-66. I can't give any revolver a better reference than being the one I trust my and my wife's lives with. You should be able to find a good to great condition M- 19/66 in your price range.

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Always Stay Strong!

You might also look at the M&P series, unless you are totally against an autoloader. If so, I'd consider something used and lightweight, either in .38, .44 special, or .45.

You and me both. I have two - one on each side of the bed. If 16 shells full of double-aught can't remedy the problem then I'm really in deep doo-doo.

But I still have my 24-3 44 Special in the nightstand drawer anyway. Sometimes, redundancy is good.

Model 10,12,13,15,19,64,65,66, or 67, take your pick.

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Wayne
Torn & Frayed

I keep a Model 10 2" with +P's

If you have a small house, then i would seriously consider the penetration through walls.
Don't want to take out the neighbours also.

"The Box Of Truth" did some testing.

The Box O' Truth #1 - The Original Box O' Truth - Page 1

You might try looking at jetguns.com for reasonable pricing on new models. I've purchased a couple of guns there. Here is an example of what I think would work well in your price range.

S&W M642 38 17/8 CT Nolck SS [642] - $506.00 : Jet Guns, Smokin&apos; Deals

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Don't tread on me

Any good old 4" .38 special is hard to beat. I will say if you want to possibly get a CC permit later, then I would go with a 2" snub for dual duty.

For inside the house in the dark I prefer .38 in longer barrels, there is less report, and less flash for faster followup shots and less loss of vision and hearing than a magnum. With that said my nightstand gun is a S&W Model 14 loaded with the FBI load. I have other revolvers including a 4" Combat Magnum but I chose the M14 because its the best shooting handgun I own and feels like and extension of my hand. Some folks say that a 6" barrel is too easy for a perp to grab, but if I let him get that close to me I have already failed in my duty to protect my family.

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Regards,
Guy-Harold Smith II

I keep a 38 cal Colt agent in the open but lockable nightstand drawer, next to it a 9mm Glock. First choice the revolver, the Glock just in case.
Steve W

I have a Mod. 311 Savage SXS with #4 buck. I think that will solve most problems, without going through 2 or 3 walls and whacking someone next door.

Why a SXS rather then a pump? 'Cause they can be had very cheaply if someone has damaged the Bbls. (i.e. shut in car door)

For many years , it was one of my .45 caliber 1911s.

For the past 5 years or so , it's been my Trijicon-sighted CZ-75B/SA in .40 S&W.

Bed stand gun is a 2 1/2" 66 with Crimson Trace Laser Grips. Next to it sits a 7+1 Mossburg 12 gauge. Can't imagine a fire fight lasting longer than that.

I have come to appreciate the utility of a weapon-mounted light, and after recently checking out a Surefire X400 light/laser combo on a friend's pistol, have come to think that to be a pretty good idea, too. I have lights and mounts for my "assault" rifles, my nightstand and camp standby Glock, and even on a .44 carbine that serves camp protection duty in bear and lion country. Regrettably, the S&W revolvers equipped with a light rail are few, and pricey. Since I've found the weaponlight to be so important, I'll recommend taking a look at the various flavors of Glocks so equipped. Not much different than a DA revolver in terms of safety or training issues, comparatively inexpensive, unquestionably reliable, and available in serious SD chamberings such as .45ACP and 10mm.

A little different
Model 681 4" a full cylinder of cci snake shot

I have a 357 8 shot w/CT grips. In a pitch black house it is a great aiming aid. I would think that a bad guy seeing that infra red dot would be enough for a fast exit, espically if that dot is on his chest.

According to a report by some prision group, the most feared gun of criminals for a homeowner to have is a shotgun. Hearing that shotgun being cocked has a impact, plus at close range its hard to miss a target that big.

Seek out a complete PlumCrazy lower, should run maybe 130 bucks. Drop the cheapest carbine AR upper from Delton on whoever onto that lower. Buy a Magpul Pmag. Load it with 30rds of light JHP varmint ammo. Prop it next to your bed. When you can add a Magpul MOE forend and length of rail. Stick a Surefire G2 secured with parts bin scope rings to that rail. The carry handle will suffice for sights for what you are doing. Around the time that you do that, buy a spare mag pouch from Specter that goes on the stock of your new carbine and buy another Pmag to keep in it.

Leave the chamber empty. Yeah, someone will hear you chamber a round, but so what?

Oh and ear plugs. Have ear plugs.

About the only thing that works well on humans but doesn't go through too many walls is to use varmint loads (or even M193 type ball) in an AR carbine.

If you don't trust the AR gas system, then get an old M7 bayonet off Ebay or somewhere and mount it out front... Don't worry about someone grabbing onto the barrel either....

Or just buy literally any functional 2", 4" or 6" .38 special revolver made by Colt, Ruger, Smith and Wesson etc (older Charter Arms will work too) and load it with 158gr LSWCHP +P ammo - the Remington variation works well.

There is nothing wrong with a 4-inch Model 10, or what I have done on more than one occasion is to find a decent pump 12 gauge with a long barrel and polychoke, those things tend to sit forever and be pretty cheap. I can often find them for $150 and then another $50 to get the barrel trimmed down to 20 inches and a bead added. Sometimes even cheaper. Living in close quarters like I do though, I prefer the following:

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Vaya con Dios

Wife sleeps with a S&W Model 64, 4" with +Ps. I have a 64 3" with +Ps and a Kimber Custom Stainless in .45 ACP. All have fixed sights for a no-snag draw. On line...J&G Sales, I think, has the Smiths for under $300. A real deal if you don't care about cosmetics. Stainless polishes up easily with Mother's.

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Term limits!

The OP indicated a preference for a small .38/.357, but I can't resist chiming in with my $.02, just as food for thought.

My "bedside" handgun is a 4" 25-2, chambered in .45acp, which has a lot going for it -- I'm more accurate and comfortable with it than any of my other choices, the .45 is fairly kind indoors (a relative term, to be sure, but arguably better than the muzzle blast of a .357) with good stopping power for a handgun, etc.

Perhaps most important, though, is its moon clips... and not because moon-clip revolvers are fast to load (although they are indeed so), but because of their positive ejection. I once had the cylinder star slip over the rim of a .38spl while I was trying to switch from snake shot to a speedloader of JHP's and having to deal with that in a moment of stress was NOT the best recipe for success! With moon clips, the "unload" part of the reload is perfect, and won't leave you fiddling with empties in the middle of trouble.

If you really want a .38, either one of the new PRO series or having your cylinder cut for moon clips might be an attractive option. Otherwise, a 4" 625 or Model 25 is hard to beat, in my opinion!

Im with you, 327 or 627, always ready, alot of firepower, can use 38 or 38 +p if overpenitration is a concern. It is just a handfull of mean in 357.

My bedside gun is a Model 65 3", loaded with .38+P 125 grain JHPs....simple, reliable, easy and quick to deploy if I am awakened suddenly.

Works for me...

'Nother vote for a used 4" Model 10. What's not to like?

Hooray for the Model 10.

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Endeavor to persevere. <><

Based on over 40 years of having "bedside guns", ranging from a 22 mag Single Six during the Watts Riots in L.A., thru a Super Blackhawk, various shotguns and at least one of every brand of revolver and various 1911 and Hi Powers, this are my recommendations, based on a few assumptions:

1) You live in an urban area with buildings around you, likely other residences. Therefore, you are concerned about penetration into other rooms/apartments or houses. Your building is not brick or cinder block.

2) You have some experience with weapons but not a lot. Otherwise you would not be asking.

3) There are others who may have access to your weapon(s) who are not well trained in firearms, therefore your safety concerns.

4) You would rather not face the legal issues or moral concerns of using a firearm againstanother human being, if it can be reasonably avoided.

So, I would recommend:

A) A pump action shotgun. Chamber kept empty. Loaded with bird shot of a decent size (#4 or #6). Lead, since it doesn't penetrate as much as steel. First, racking the slide is a great deterrent=I have heard a slide racked in the dark and it scares the *&^% outta you. Second, bird shot at close range will basically be a pre-fragmented projectile about 72 caliber. Bird shot losses velocity quickly, faster than buck. Lead flattens and shed velocity faster than steel.

B) A 30-30 class lever gun with low-velocity loads-these would have to be handloaded down by you or a buddy. Same reasons as above. This could be a 30-06 pump or something similar, just loaded down. An auto, if loaded down to prevent overpenetration,could very well have FTFs. Also, if not kept spotless, a FTF can occur.

C) My overall recommendation is a quality 4 or 6" revolver in 357 magnum. You can practice with 38s and load 357s for defense. If you think that's still too much, load a good +P 38 special. A 44 or 45 revolver would also be good. Of course, a double action instead of a single action.

Personally, I prefer an autoloader with the chamber empty. I want to be sure I am completely awake before I fire. We have a VERY large pointer and a VERY noisy terrier. Until recently, I used one of my N-frame S & W 45s. Either a 25-2 in 45 acp or a 25-9 in 45 long Colt. I now use a S&W in 40 cal, double action. Not a fabulous gun but one that called my name. Fits well and I'm fairly accurate with it. It cost me about $350 out the door.

My wife keeps a S & W Target Masterpiece by her side of the bed (38 special. 6", K-frame)

FWIW

I have always felt that if there is going to be ONE gun in the house, that a K frame (Ruger or Colt equivalent) is the go to piece. It just sits there until you need it. No switches or levers, no magazines to keep up with, and 6 rounds solve most every social situation a person is likely to encounter in their home. A shotgun is a great choice of course, but it is long and bulky, and small framed people can have a hard time with the average long gun.
I think the world would be a better place if every home had a Model 10 adequately loaded, and with folks who knew how to use it, and had the heart to do so.

S&W 442 or 642 New @ $360.00 (without internal lock). I've sold dozens of these in the last two years.



Or if SBS are legal in your AO: