SGT ROCK 11B
Member
FYI, everybody may not want to carry. JMHO
Need help choosing good 1st Revolver for a beginner..
- Thread starter jammer216
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OP
Hey Guys, had a conversation with a co-worker yesterday and mentioned I am looking into revolvers. He said "Bravo" about time. His forte is 44 mag. revolvers, loves them. He did say great revolvers but not for me starting out. Since he knows the majority I shoot is 9mm. He did mention Charter Arms and also Taurus tracker. Any thoughts...
Lastly he told me to watch out for shavings, he explained the timing issue. I had no idea.
Lastly he told me to watch out for shavings, he explained the timing issue. I had no idea.
In the first posting, OP said "...primary use home defense possibly carry..."
Your friend is referring to shavings from a poorly timed gun. If not properly aligned with the forcing cone it will shave metal off and possibly spit it back in your face. While no brand is immune to this (my brother had a Smith with this issue but it was fixed) you are far more likely to have this problem with brands that do less QC. I had a Taurus, it worked fine, but the timing and quality on it were significantly inferior to my first Smith.
I realize it may be hard to scrape together the extra coin for a Smith but think about the long term. If you buy a Taurus and hate it (As I did) you will end up spending the money in losses from trade in and getting another gun.
A 38 special K Frame like a Model 14 could run you about 700$ but will be significantly better than any Taurus you will get. Taurus is fine but for the extra 200$ over decades of ownership the Smith will be worth it and then some.
Each and every chamber in the cylinder must line up with the barrel. If there is a timing problem, one or more chambers may be misaligned with the barrel. This will cause a sliver of bullet jacket or lead to fly off to the left or right when shooting, and could injure you or a bystander.
Regardless of whether a revolver's timing is off or if it's perfect, you will also get flames and hot gases coming out of the barrel/cylinder gap. So you should not use the thumbs forward grip when shooting a revolver. I shoot revolvers with my thumbs down.
OP
I "Thanked" him of course and as always "Learn something new everyday". Great old school guy..
SWOH
Member
And if you live on a budget?
SWOH
Member
I'll give a +1 to the M10 heavy barrel. Extremely versatile home defense, camping, fishing, hunting. You can load everything from snake shot to cowboy or full power 38s. Like buffalo bore +p outdoors. A 158grn Keith @1250fps puts out about 545ft lbs. If you do your part those 6 slugs should settle most things. If not you need a rifle.
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For shooting fun and HD, I would say an S&W model 10 hands down. I'd do a 4" barrel. If you want to carry it, maybe get a 3". One of my HD guns that is easy for both me and my wife to get to is a 4" model 10. But there are others...... 
There are plenty of lightly used model 10s out there that are in great shape for around $500. If I was going to buy a model 10 right now, that's what I'd do. In fact, all of my revolvers,, K, L, and J frames, I've bought used. It's a very small price to pay for having a gun collection when you are on a tight budget. Truthfully, I prefer older guns.
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Bob Smalser
Member
News incidents this week make the case for revolvers.
2 or 3 shots followed by a failure to feed.
2 or 3 shots followed by a failure to feed.
Kasian
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Kasian
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- Joined
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I consider the best beginner's revolver K-frame 4 " .38/.357 Magnum. 686 was too heavy even for the strongest beginner. Maybe some day later... S&W 66-8 fits perfectly, something very close to perfection.
vulcan73
Member
OP: I'm not about to read 6 pages of comments but here's my take on your original question. These may have been already mentioned and are purely subjective:
(1) Any Ruger wheel gun, new or used.
(2) Never shoot a commercial 357 load out of a 2" snubby 357; 38Spl +P's only in "2" snubby. (My first and last commercial 357 load that I fired from a 2" 357 nearly broke my wrist and threw me backwards.)
(3) Rossi wheel guns are very good, both older and new models. Don't be misled into believing because they are "affordable" they are not quality pieces. I prefer my Rossi 88 over a S&W J-frame any day. Newer Taurus revolvers branded as BrazTech produced by Rossi are quality wheel guns. I recently ordered a 3" Taurus 856 Defender, 38Spl +P, awaiting its arrival.
(4) I would avoid a polymer framed wheel gun. I can't imagine a polymer frame holding up to the stress of the recoil of a revolver. They clearly work in a semiauto but even then, I had one frame crack (Shield 9mm). Polymer frame wheel gun? No thanks.
(5) If you are going to carry your wheel gun, a covered hammer has some advantage over an exposed spur hammer, but it depends on the holster. I carry exposed hammered revolvers and never have any concerns about snagging on clothing. I do admit my holsters are outside, on hip. Pocket carrying never worked for me other than tossing something in a rear pocket while working in the yard.
((For the record, I have S&W, Ruger, Rossi and Taurus wheel guns. My carry wheel guns are Rossi 461 and 462's with handloaded 38Spl +P loads (very light 357 loads). I also have Rossi 68 and 88, 2", 5 round 38's plus a 1970'ish vintage Rossi S&W J-frame clone. My next wheel gun will be a Ruger 2.75" Security Six, Speed Six, Service Six or GP100. I'm willing to spend the big bucks, particularly for one of these gems in Stainless.))
Good luck with your choice.
(1) Any Ruger wheel gun, new or used.
(2) Never shoot a commercial 357 load out of a 2" snubby 357; 38Spl +P's only in "2" snubby. (My first and last commercial 357 load that I fired from a 2" 357 nearly broke my wrist and threw me backwards.)
(3) Rossi wheel guns are very good, both older and new models. Don't be misled into believing because they are "affordable" they are not quality pieces. I prefer my Rossi 88 over a S&W J-frame any day. Newer Taurus revolvers branded as BrazTech produced by Rossi are quality wheel guns. I recently ordered a 3" Taurus 856 Defender, 38Spl +P, awaiting its arrival.
(4) I would avoid a polymer framed wheel gun. I can't imagine a polymer frame holding up to the stress of the recoil of a revolver. They clearly work in a semiauto but even then, I had one frame crack (Shield 9mm). Polymer frame wheel gun? No thanks.
(5) If you are going to carry your wheel gun, a covered hammer has some advantage over an exposed spur hammer, but it depends on the holster. I carry exposed hammered revolvers and never have any concerns about snagging on clothing. I do admit my holsters are outside, on hip. Pocket carrying never worked for me other than tossing something in a rear pocket while working in the yard.
((For the record, I have S&W, Ruger, Rossi and Taurus wheel guns. My carry wheel guns are Rossi 461 and 462's with handloaded 38Spl +P loads (very light 357 loads). I also have Rossi 68 and 88, 2", 5 round 38's plus a 1970'ish vintage Rossi S&W J-frame clone. My next wheel gun will be a Ruger 2.75" Security Six, Speed Six, Service Six or GP100. I'm willing to spend the big bucks, particularly for one of these gems in Stainless.))
Good luck with your choice.
