New LEO Service Revolver

[sjs]

OK, this is a fantasy question for revolver enthusiasts. I am a reading a book about classic revolvers and am on a chapter about the old SW M&P and the Colt OP revolvers and a question came to mind.

Assume you are the man in charge of firearm procurement for a large city PD and your local government has lost its mind (that could never happen, right?). You have been ordered to replace all current service pistols with a revolver. Must be 38 SP (or .357 but only 38 ammo would be allowed) double action, US manufacture, and box stock, no modifications of any kind. You have some budget flexibility but can't go crazy with the cost, and PC models are out (not that it has to be a S&W at all).

What revolver would you pick from the current stable of products, and why?

 

[Dieseltech56]

New model 19

 

[sigp220.45]

New Colt Python, 4.25" barrel.

Why?

Its a Python.

 

[RevolverJim]

686 SSR, 4" probably 7 shot.

A few ounces lighter than the standard 686, a bit faster to get into action because of the lighter weight and better weight distribution.

Second choice would be a 625 PC (if Smith would make them,)
Again, lighter and better weight distribution than the 625 JM and importantly, uses moon clips.

Yes, I know you said PC's were out..........

 

[glenwolde]

I'd ask them to crank me out a batch of 681's.

 

[EMS6260]

Model 10 classic.

 

[mscampbell2734]

Why not the last great service revolver, the Model 67?

 

[S-W4EVER]

Either a seven shot 686 or an eight shot 627 (I'd prefer the latter).

 

[Fishinfool]

Probably the 7 shot 686, 4 inch barrel. Having that extra shot is worth the extra weight of an L frame over a K, at least to me. I'd like an 8 shot 627, but a lot of folks with normal to small hands have a hard time getting a good grip for DA shooting with the N frame.

Larry

 

[shawn mccarver]

OK, this is a fantasy question for revolver enthusiasts. I am a reading a book about classic revolvers and am on a chapter about the old SW M&P and the Colt OP revolvers and a question came to mind.

Assume you are the man in charge of firearm procurement for a large city PD and your local government has lost its mind (that could never happen, right?). You have been ordered to replace all current service pistols with a revolver. Must be 38 SP (or .357 but only 38 ammo would be allowed) double action, US manufacture, and box stock, no modifications of any kind. You have some budget flexibility but can't go crazy with the cost, and PC models are out (not that it has to be a S&W at all).

What revolver would you pick from the current stable of products, and why?

Been there, done that.

S&W Model 10 or 64, round butt.

 

[Echo40]

Smith & Wesson Model 327 TRR8.

A modern, lightweight Revolver chambered in .357 Magnum with an 8-shot cylinder and pic rails on both the top strap and barrel under-lug for mounting accessories.

I believe this to be a perfectly viable choice for Law Enforcement to carry. Sure, it carries less than half the rounds that your typical semiautomatic 9mm pistol holds in the magazine, but in my opinion the power of .357 Magnum more than makes up for it, and if officers could be trained to use speedloaders than the lack of capacity could be negligible. For officers of smaller build who cannot handle the recoil, there's .38 Special +P.

 

[31FordA]

Choosing from current production guns I could think of a couple of options:

Option 1 is the Colt Python for uniform, Colt King Cobra snub or Cobra for plain clothes. I'm pretty good at creative writing, I'm sure I could write a proposal that justifies the cost of the Colt's.

Option 2 is the Ruger GP-100 4" for uniform and the 3" GP-100 or the SP-101 for plain clothes.

If we're limited to .38 Spl ammo I'll load them with the 135gr +P Gold Dot.

 

[crazyphil]

sjs - you had the answer to your question in the first sentence. In the early
1950's a new FBI Agent showing up for training was given a choice
of either a S&W M&P with heavy 4" barrel or Colts Official Police with the
4" barrel. Either one would still be a good choice today. By the way, the
issue holster was either a Heiser model 457 or a similar one by Crump.
Heiser on the left and Crump on the right, both with my S&W Model 10.

 

[pete950]

8 shot 627!

 

[S-W4EVER]

8 shot 627!

I'd be perfectly comfortable carrying an eight shot .357 on the street. Heck, I've always shot my N frames the best anyway and there is nothing faster than a good breakfront holster with a forward rake (A. E. Nelson for me).

 

[4speed]

I'm going to cheat
and say MR 73

 

[chief38]

If the purchase HAD TO come from the current selection of production Revolvers it would be a Colt Python, 4.25". IMHO it more than beats out the current run of S&W Revolvers. I'd also procure the Colt Cobra current production for back up.

If I could turn back the clock to yesteryear, then the S&W M15 or M10 (if only 38 spl ammo was allowed) would be my choice with a M36 or M60 as back up. If one was allowed 357 Mag ammo, then the M19, 66, 65 would be perfect.

 

[SuperMan]

Under your parameters it would be a Ruger GP-100 for uniform duty and a 3" for plainclothes....that said...

My personal choice would be the GP-100 MC 10mm. Moon clips for fast reloading and choice of from target grade .40 S&W to full power 10mm...

Bob

 

[BAM-BAM]

4" 681...... maybe 7 shot? Though I've never warmed to the 7-8 shot revolvers.... the "old dog" thing...... I think

3" for Lt's and up...... and Detectives and plainclothes

 

[twodog max]

Either the 4 inch 19 or the 686 SSR for less carrying weight.
No Colts please. The problems with the current production are well documented. With CZ buying Colt who knows where they are going and if they will solve the problems of the Python remake. They have a long way to go to get back to their status of the past and they ain't there yet.
All revolvers these days seem to be having some sort of quality issue because all the focus is on some sort of polymer self shucker. Revolvers are in the back seat in terms of attention to details.

 

[gerhard1]

S&W 686. Or as an earlier poster said Have S&W crank out a bunch of 681's.

 

[Green Frog]

In this scenario, I would be with a big enough agency/department to have the clout for a "special run" of guns. Given the 38 Spl only parameter, I would Special order Model 67 revolvers with 4" barrels, built on no lock frames (since everybody knows the lock introduces the possibility of the gun locking up at the "wrong time." ) I would have them equipped with round butt smooth combat grips to fit average sized hands.

Froggie

 

[elpac3]

I used to carry a model 19, but for the "average" street cop I would vote the model 10, standard barrel to minimize weight and complexity. Remember, your "average" street cop is not a competition shooter and likely only fires the weapon for qualification a couple of times a year.


Tough gun, adjustable rear sights tend to banged around too much on car doors unless you have a holster that offer sight protection as well as grips getting door dings.

Go with rubber grips for wet hands as well as being able to fit different sized hands. Keep the belt "dark" to get rid of aiming points.

Go with Safariland comp II speed loaders so there is no knob twisting to unload the speedloader or to drop rounds when you pull it out of the belt holder.

At typical gunfight distances you are never going to be using sights anyway, especially for the first shot.

 

[tflt]

NY-1's

To properly outfit a large Department with revolvers, you need to look at the whole job, not just the shooters. I'm a retired guy from the NYPD. The good shooters, who take it seriously will do well with whatever you give them. The reality is that a LARGE percentage will show up at the range twice a year, attain a passing score, then go back to spilling coffee into their holsters until next time. In 1990 when I went on patrol with a 4" NY-1 loaded with 158 grain LSWC's, (pre NYCLAD),and a 2" NY-1 in my belt, I was complaining about not having a 9MM, but never felt I couldn't address anything that came up during the tour. The 64's available in 4" and 3" as a patrol gun allowed a broad range of average shooters to do fairly well on the range as well as on the road.


Give'em K frame's!

 

[xray 99]

To properly outfit a large Department with revolvers, you need to look at the whole job, not just the shooters. I'm a retired guy from the NYPD. The good shooters, who take it seriously will do well with whatever you give them. The reality is that a LARGE percentage will show up at the range twice a year, attain a passing score, then go back to spilling coffee into their holsters until next time. In 1990 when I went on patrol with a 4" NY-1 loaded with 158 grain LSWC's, (pre NYCLAD),and a 2" NY-1 in my belt, I was complaining about not having a 9MM, but never felt I couldn't address anything that came up during the tour. The 64's available in 4" and 3" as a patrol gun allowed a broad range of average shooters to do fairly well on the range as well as on the road.


Give'em K frame's!

Did the baby arrive in the box?

 

[smithra_66]

OK, this is a fantasy question for revolver enthusiasts. I am a reading a book about classic revolvers and am on a chapter about the old SW M&P and the Colt OP revolvers and a question came to mind.

Assume you are the man in charge of firearm procurement for a large city PD and your local government has lost its mind (that could never happen, right?). You have been ordered to replace all current service pistols with a revolver. Must be 38 SP (or .357 but only 38 ammo would be allowed) double action, US manufacture, and box stock, no modifications of any kind. You have some budget flexibility but can't go crazy with the cost, and PC models are out (not that it has to be a S&W at all).

What revolver would you pick from the current stable of products, and why?

I'd go with the S&W Model 19 classic. It worked great for many years in times past! A python would also be up there as well but I can buy almost twice as many 19s per Python.

 

[Rodan]

Interesting thought experiment, and probably not too far off 'reality' in some cities today...

The M19 Classic is probably the best option in S&W's current lineup. Also the M10, but the old school fixed sights aren't the easiest to see.

For an issue police gun, it has to be simple, and fit the widest variety of hand sizes possible. Weight is a definite consideration. The ability to mount a light is very nearly an absolute necessity today.

I would talk to S&W about the following:

686 - matte black finish
Round butt to fit the greatest variety of shooters
Fluted 7 shot cylinder
4" barrel w/ picatinny rail instead of full underlug for lights
Fixed, high profile night sights (a la Ruger Wiley Clapp GPs)

 

[tflt]

Did the baby arrive in the box?

That's how we did it back then, easier times!


Now the babies have babies....



Unfortunately in this backwards world, the Thin Blue Line of my family might have to end here....

 

[Tilheyra]

Due to their current use in law enforcement today, I first thought of the TRR8 and M&P R8. The 8-shot capacity of their cylinders would be something I could see departments gravitating toward.

However, I do agree with many others here about the issues of frame size and fitting the revolver to different sizes of hands. Some officers would potentially choose the the TRR8 and R8, but there should be other options for officers who don't want a gun that large.

I've also been told that some departments have allowed officers to use guns from an approved list, so I could see that practice continuing. Thus, I can see the 686 PLUS, 686, 586, 66, 19 Classic, 10 Classic, and even 60 for those with smaller hands. The Ruger GP100 and SP 101, as well as Colts could also enter the picture (I'm not as knowledgeable about Colts).

 

[ContinentalOp]

Not being familiar with S&W's current production, I had to go check it out. Based on what I saw, I'd go with the 66, 4.25" for uniformed officers and 2.75" for plainclothes.

K-frames in general can be made to fit a wide variety of people/hand sizes. Stainless construction for weather and corrosion resistance; it's more forgiving of minimal maintenance, which can be important as not every police officer is a "gun person." I thought about the 686, but if limited to .38 Special as OP said I think the extra weight is wasted. It'll make the gun softer to shoot with even the hottest .38 Special ammo, but a K-frame will be easier to carry during a long shift (FYI, I've carried a 4" 686 as an armed guard on 12-16-hour shifts, and done the same with a 4" 10, so I have some experience in that regard). Same reason I disregarded the GP100.

I looked at Colt's revolvers, and it looks like the only really feasible options are the Python and the King Cobra Target. The Python is expensive, and OP said not to go crazy on the budget. I don't know enough about the King Cobra Target to say whether it's a good or bad option. So I'm sticking with S&W.

Just my opinion.