Need help choosing good 1st Revolver for a beginner..

[N7BLW]

I'd start with a 22 rimfire. Little recoil allows one to gain some skills before having to detail with more noise, etc.

 

[Matt_X]

He did mention Charter Arms and also Taurus tracker. Any thoughts...

Already posted my thoughts, or mor precisely my experience with Charter's Undercover and why it dod not seem like a fit for your your priorities.

Lastly he told me to watch out for shavings, he explained the timing issue. I had no idea.

The relationship of the 'hand' to the 'ratchet' effects timing, and it may show up as spitting lead out of the cylinder gap, or in worst case, primary won't be hit. If you're buying used, then IMO its worth paying more for a gun that's been inspected or you know is really hardly used. Even if it is, go through one or more of the checklist for inspection so you develop familiarity.

The people I worked with used +P+ in their Model 10s. No idea of the history of the ones I shot but they were spittin' lead bad enough we just sent them in for repair after a few cylinders. Its why we were there, but thought they would be OK for a little range time. K-frames in .38 Spl from Federal agencies I'd avoid without planning on repairs. LOL

The Victory I bought cheap had a yoke issue that effected alignment. It still shot OK but me being me I corrected it. You look at the ratchets and you'll see if they've been mucked with.

I "Thanked" him of course and as always "Learn something new everyday". Great old school guy..

Always good in my book. Even when it ends up being that I learn to take that person's advice with a grain of salt.

 

[Matt_X]

Was approx. as an 8-year-old skinny kid.

Ended up with a Glock G45.

Since then, have went down the rabbit hole.... but I do my research and research and rent before I purchase. 1911, Mossberg Shotgun, SW Shield Plus, TX 22, Ruger 22, SW BG2.0. Member at Indoor range, try to go at least twice a month. Consider myself an average shot, my son says I must have been a cowboy in a past life due to the fact that I shoot better one-handed.

See what's at the range and try some revolvers and go from there. If you got a lot of arm strength and big hands then maybe a .357 chambered L frame is fine. Or maybeyou find that your tired after a dozen aimed shots.
There's a lot of comments about .38 spl being expensive. That's all relative. It's more expensive than .22 LR and 9 mm, but there are other calibers that are noticibly more costly per round.

 

[pedropcola]

lol. All things are relative but 38 compared to 9mm is expensive. A quick check at SGAmmo (one of my go to’s) has factory brass 9mm for about $230 a case. 38spl brass case starts around $399 (they have some overstock closeout stuff from a brand I’ve never heard of but S&B was 399). I don’t care how you define relative that is waaay more pricy. 22 is waaay cheaper than either.

If cost was no object then he wouldn’t have stated a price limit in his OP.

38 ain’t cheap. It’s that simple. Yes, other ammo is pricy. 357 Sig. 10mm. 338 Lapua. In the standard handgun world 9mm is the cheapest center fire. To say otherwise is disingenuous.

 

[Matt_X]

If keeping down ammunition costs is an important factor, that would really narrow down the revolvers to be looking at. However I read nothing more to the expected purchase price of the revolver than an expectation of cost. He already owns a .22 and is member of a range. Others have mentioned some other calibers that revolvers can be had in. All of them have ammunition that costs in the same ballpark or more.

From a popular on-line store, some costs per round of name brand brass center fire pistol cartridges.

32 ACP
PMC. 71 gr FMJ 0.45/rnd
Win 71 gr FMJ 0.46/rnd
Fed Win 71 gr FMJ 0.50/rnd

.380 ACP
Win 95 gr FMJ .29/rnd
Magtech 95 gr FMJ .31/rnd
PMC 90gr .35/rnd

32 S&W
Magtech 85 gr LRN .575/rnd

32 S&W Long
Magtech 98 gr SJHP .60/rnd
Fiocchi 97 gr FMJ .84/rnd

32 H&R Magnum
B H Cowboy 90 gr LFN 1.00/rnd

327 Magnum
Fed AE 85 gr JSP 0.82/rnd

.38 Spl
Magtech 158 gr LRN .36/rnd
Fiocchi 130 gr FMJ .395 /rnd
Rem 158 gr LRN .41/rnd

.357 Mag
PMC 148 gr JSP .50/rnd

.44 Spl
PMC 180 gr JHP .84/rnd

.44 Magnum
Magtech SJSP .68/rnd
Win 240 gr JSP .76/rnd

.45 ACP
Win 230 FMJ .35/rnd
PMC 230 gr FMJ 39.5/rnd
Fed AE 230 gr FMJ .45/rnd

9mm
Magtech 115 gr FMJ .21/rnd
Win 115 gr FMJ .22/rnd
PMC 115 gr FMJ .25/rnd

.40 S&W
Win 165 FMJ .27/rnd
Fed AE 165gr FMJ .325/rnd

10mm
Magtech 180 gr FMJ .42/rnd
Win 180 gr FMJ .45/rnd

Of course prices can vary widely. My LGS/Range is currently charging signifcantly more for .380 acp FMJ than .38 Spl FMJ. Maybe due to local demand or maybe due to his distributors. I recently bought 158 gr reloads from a reputable company for 25 cents per round plus shipping them the same number of empty shells. I can be cheap too.

YMMV

 

[coneologist]

It's a lot less demanding finish for your care and attention and while more shiny, it's not like blued guns can't reflect light. Some 600 - 800 grit wet/dry sandpaper can take out scratches (if you're aware of the grain pattern of the original finish).

The best revolver for a beginner is a .22. Whether you buy an inexpensive Heritage or a Taurus, or a high dollar S&W or Colt, you can`t go wrong with starting with a .22. It will make the recoil easier to get used to, since there will hardly be any. That`s just me. DM

 

[SGT ROCK 11B]

All things are relative but 38 compared to 9mm is expensive.

For most people you only need one box per live fire practice session. Most new shooters do dry fire practice. Daily or weekly but YMMV.

 

[Kasian]

For concealed carry purposes - while waiting for NYC CC license, I am considering S&W 638 ( SA/DA) vs 642 (DA only). 638 has
snag-free enclosed hammer for single-action. Both are lightweight (14.6 oz), 1.88" barrell. Both can safely fire both standard .38 Special and .38 Special +P ammunition.
Pic 2 - 638
Pic 1 - 642

 

[DARE]

Sounds like you are looking to have something for self defense. No advantage to a 9mm that I can think of. If you want a revolver, choose a revolver caliber. .38 Special or .357 Magnum are probably most popular. A .357 Magnum will also shoot .38 Special. Some prefer a larger caliber for self defense. Probably .44 Special or .44 Magnum most popular. Same as on the smaller caliber, you can shoot .44 Special in a .44 Magnum.
Might think about starting with a .22 LR and then get something larger caliber later. A .22 will be easier to shoot and more economical to feed.