Ugly but amazing Budget .38

[Smithsrevenge]

I went out looking for a budget .38

Something dirt cheap that I could toss into my center console, something i have zero attachment to , something that if everything went sideways and the police took it for evidence, I would NOT cry over.

I found that :-D

I bring to you the Rock Island Armory M206.

The 206 is a upright Colt Detectives Special Clone in a sub $250 package.

The bad? Its ugly, Especially if you put the cheap faux wood Det.Special grips on it. Its parkerized, and it just looks....meh. Maybe because its a 2" snub with a frame that hovers somewhere around that of a K frame haha The hammer.......very long, but has excellent checkering. All in all. its ugly.

The good?
The triggers comes in SA at a whopping 2.3lbs!.......yes its crisp as hell...and quite light. The DA? Closer to 12 but just as smooth as a smith. Buttery Buttery I say!.
It also carries 6 rounds of .38 and is +P capable. Thats a heck of a lot of boom for a "pocket gun".

The cylinder rotates smoothly and freely, the crane meets up with the frame with almost no gap, The lockup? Tight as hell. The barrel crown? Huge and well done. Overall id give it a 9/10 soley based on the fact that I think a Hi-point might look better

I do have to say for the 220 doll hairs I've spent to buy it NIB.........its the best 220 doll hairs I've ever spent.

And if it ends up in an evidence locker? Ill just go spend another months worth of Starbucks money and replace it, probably forget about the evidentiary example completely, because its that cheap.

If youre looking for a great knock around gun that costs 20-30 more than a HI-point C9.with 50x the reliability. This is it.

Pictured with my 15-3 and handy buck knife :-D

 

[Chukar60]

I am curious.
Did you. Buy it brand new from a dealer or was it a trade in or private sell that was NIB?
Almost sounds like the action may have been worked over a bit?
Glad you are happy with it.

 

[BC38]

I bought a used one at the LGS last month for just a little less.
I agree with your assessment 100%.
I put a set of used Pachmayr Compac grips made for the Colt Detective on mine. Great knock around gun.

 

[Ruger 13]

I’ve handled these and they seem to be very well built…….IMHO much better quality than a Taurus!

 

[lihpster]

Have heard nothing but good reviews on these. Obviously finished to a budget standard but function is king and from all accounts they do that well. I keep waiting to see one to look at. After all, my Glock is just as ugly. At least IMHO. Glad to see you are happy with it.

 

[Bumpus13]

Yep, I’ve got one too.

Except mine has an absolute garbage double action trigger. Heavy, stacking, and to top it all off it’s also inconsistent feeling from shot to shot. Single action trigger is fine though.

I also would not cry if I lost it.

It’s the reason I only buy quality firearms now.

 

[Smithsrevenge]

I am curious.
Did you. Buy it brand new from a dealer or was it a trade in or private sell that was NIB?
Almost sounds like the action may have been worked over a bit?
Glad you are happy with it.

I bought it brand new. I had suspicions as well but after tapping out the side plate and checking surfaces its factory.

 

[Smithsrevenge]

Yep, I’ve got one too.

Except mine has an absolute garbage double action trigger. Heavy, stacking, and to top it all off it’s also inconsistent feeling from shot to shot. Single action trigger is fine though.

I also would not cry if I lost it.

It’s the reason I only buy quality firearms now.

I've heard this of them. Some are amazing others not so much on the DA action. Guess it's kind of a 50/50 on what you get.

 

[CajunBass]

I bought a NIB one, with a 4" barrel, a couple of years ago from Bud's. I forget what I paid, but it came with two major problems.

One. It came in a plastic bag, and was covered with some kind of oil/grease. I had to clean that stuff off before I could shoot it.

Two. There was some flashing on the plastic grips that I had to shave off with my pocketknife.

Other than that, it was pretty decent. Shot just fine, decent trigger, etc. I kept it a while then sold it to someone who wanted a gun but didn't have a lot of money to spare.

 

[JonE406]

The $220 price is the NIB price, I picked up the 4" model M200 and it shoots POA so I have no complaints for the $229 price I paid OTD at a local LGS.

 

[canoeguy]

I have the 4" version, the M200. I like it a lot, very utilitarian, reliable and accurate. I use mine while bush hogging on the tractor, hiking in wet weather, tucked under the seat of the truck, etc.

One thing I've found is that holsters for Smith & Wesson K frames fit best. I thought that holsters made for Colt "D" frame revolvers such as the Police Positive or Diamondback/Detective Special would fit, as they seem to be copies of the Colt D Frame. It appears that even though the frame is similar size, the hammer is a different shape, so I couldn't make a Colt holster work and fasten the retaining strap. Holsters made for Smith & Wesson K frames work fine....

With Don Hume "Border Patrol" style:





With Bianchi #5:

 

[Smithsrevenge]

I bought a NIB one, with a 4" barrel, a couple of years ago from Bud's. I forget what I paid, but it came with two major problems.

One. It came in a plastic bag, and was covered with some kind of oil/grease. I had to clean that stuff off before I could shoot it.

Two. There was some flashing on the plastic grips that I had to shave off with my pocketknife.

Other than that, it was pretty decent. Shot just fine, decent trigger, etc. I kept it a while then sold it to someone who wanted a gun but didn't have a lot of money to spare.

The grips do leave something to be desired. They're super cheap and flimsy. I keep looking at Det.Special big round grips. But at $75 haha they're literally half the price of the gun so I've held off

 

[Rammer Jammer]

Ehhh, I'd be hesitant to gauge their quality until you've got years of use and a few thousand rounds through one.

Mine had the transfer bar snapped in half rendering it a paperweight. Armscor service was decent but I could never trust it again and sold it off.

 

[pantannojack]

I had a 2" 44 spcl from another S. American maker, I loved it for the cool factor, but when I looked inside, seeing the transfer bar stud so week I decided not to trust it. It went away in a trade to a dealer for a 3" m65, which in turn had a function defect I decided not cost effective to fix so it went back at a loss. Some good, some bad.

 

[smithman 10]

Cylinder release

Is a big problem for me. I'd never get it open to reload in a real life self defense situation I'm afraid. Too many years pushing the release latch forward on the Smith revolvers I've owned.

That's why I never bought a Colt revolver, as I consider every gun I own as a potential self-defense tool.

 

[gregintenn]

The action on mine feels good empty, but the cylinder occasionally wants to drag when loaded. I need to dig it out and see what's causing that.

 

[Smithsrevenge]

The action on mine feels good empty, but the cylinder occasionally wants to drag when loaded. I need to dig it out and see what's causing that.

I have that same issue with my 15-3 haha Depending on the ammo manufacturer. If i point the barrel up and cock the hammer, the rounds will fall back and catch near the spoon, causing the cylinder to fail to rotate. Basically only happens with aluminum cased ammo, nickel plate and brass doesnt do it lol

 

[crazyphil]

Put a set of Craig Spegel stocks on it, like I did on my Colt's Agent, and
it will be beautiful.

 

[LoboGunLeather]

For that price point and your intended purpose I like it!

About 20 years ago I had the idea of putting relatively inexpensive handguns in each vehicle as a back-up plan of sorts. At that time there were a load of Star BM 9mm pistols on the market at attractive prices. Surplus from the Spanish Guardia Civil (paramilitary police), basic 1911-style about the size of a Colt Commander. In "good" condition they could be had for $149 each, in the factory box with two magazines and a manual in English. I purchased three of them and found them to be very dependable and quite accurate.

Then one son needed a pistol. Then a grandson needed a pistol. Then the other son found out that his brother had gotten one and thought he should have one also.

Back to square one.

 

[CajunBass]

The grips do leave something to be desired. They're super cheap and flimsy. I keep looking at Det.Special big round grips. But at $75 haha they're literally half the price of the gun so I've held off

I forgot. I had to shim mine with a piece of cardboard cut from a business card to stop them from wiggling. Worked great.