Let me begin this thread by acknowledging that there is no single "best" firearm of any kind. We can only say that we might have a favorite; a gun that can serve a number of purposes, most of them very well.
With Smith revolvers, the choice has to be very difficult, and certainly opinions will vary depending upon your point of view and what qualities you consider important.
For me, an "all purpose" Smith revolver should meet certain criteria. Powerful. Handy. Useful for self-defense. At least somewhat concealable. Relatively lightweight. Ammunition available in most places in the U.S. Easy to maintain. Resistant to the elements. Accurate. And yes, to a potential opponent in a life-or-death situation, intimidating. At the same time, I don't want excessive recoil or muzzle blast that would hinder fast and effective repeat shots. As a compromise gun, I recognize that some criteria may suffer to a degree, i.e. powerful and intimidating vs. concealable and handy.
So I'll start the ball rolling with my personal favorite. It's a Model 625-6 Mountain Gun in .45 Colt caliber, customized with a red ramp front sight, old-style cylinder release, Ahrends retro classic round-to-square conversion stocks, and an action job. Handloads push a 250-grain bullet to 1,000 feet per second.
It's not as concealable as I would like, but still usable as a concealment piece given suitable clothing. I think it's an ideal trail gun for self-defense against man or beast. In stainless, it's resistant to the elements and relatively easy to maintain. A powerful cartridge, yet without sharp recoil or report. Certainly I would not like to look down that .45 caliber hole in the muzzle. So if I were to pick just ONE all-purpose Smith & Wesson revolver from any era, this one would be it.
Maybe you agree with me. Maybe you don't. Let's sit down by the campfire and discuss it!
John
With Smith revolvers, the choice has to be very difficult, and certainly opinions will vary depending upon your point of view and what qualities you consider important.
For me, an "all purpose" Smith revolver should meet certain criteria. Powerful. Handy. Useful for self-defense. At least somewhat concealable. Relatively lightweight. Ammunition available in most places in the U.S. Easy to maintain. Resistant to the elements. Accurate. And yes, to a potential opponent in a life-or-death situation, intimidating. At the same time, I don't want excessive recoil or muzzle blast that would hinder fast and effective repeat shots. As a compromise gun, I recognize that some criteria may suffer to a degree, i.e. powerful and intimidating vs. concealable and handy.
So I'll start the ball rolling with my personal favorite. It's a Model 625-6 Mountain Gun in .45 Colt caliber, customized with a red ramp front sight, old-style cylinder release, Ahrends retro classic round-to-square conversion stocks, and an action job. Handloads push a 250-grain bullet to 1,000 feet per second.
It's not as concealable as I would like, but still usable as a concealment piece given suitable clothing. I think it's an ideal trail gun for self-defense against man or beast. In stainless, it's resistant to the elements and relatively easy to maintain. A powerful cartridge, yet without sharp recoil or report. Certainly I would not like to look down that .45 caliber hole in the muzzle. So if I were to pick just ONE all-purpose Smith & Wesson revolver from any era, this one would be it.
Maybe you agree with me. Maybe you don't. Let's sit down by the campfire and discuss it!
John
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Easy: Military&Police/Model 10 four inch slender barrel. Relatively light, relatively powerful, proven safe and dependable, ammo available most anywhere in the US, easy to shoot, concealable, accurate--the whole ball of wax.
