What is your ideal battery / armory of Revolvers and do you have it?

[JayFramer]

1- S&W Model 64 pre-lock 4" bbl square butt.

Yes, I have one, but sadly it mikes out with a .010" b/c gap. I'd like half that. I need to get one in pristine condition with a closer gap. It is the ideal service revolver in my opinion.

2- S&W 638 pre-lock

A near unicorn gun, one Smith stubbornly refuses to re-release despite a no-lock 642 being available. Virtually impossible to find gun in my experience, one I'd love to own for sure!

 

[ABPOS]

Any gun with an exposed hammer gets the lock apparently. The 642 doesn't, so... My 442 made in 2013 doesn't have the lock.

You can just take it out though.

 

[Rastoff]

There is only one correct answer to this question and it has nothing to do with part numbers.

The right gun to use for your personal self-defense is the one you can manipulate and shoot well. Everything else is a tertiary consideration.

So, which is the one you shoot best?

 

[ABPOS]

Lots of Great responses....

Hey Bob (OIF2), what grips are them on your 649. I saw them on your 442 in your article and I've never seen them anywhere else. And I think the article said they were rubber, eh?

 

[ABPOS]

I believe its quite possible to get by quite well with just three revolvers.
A small 2" .38spl for concealed carry. Most here like the J-frame, but a K-frame will work. Then there's my personal favorite, the Colt Detective Special.
A K or L frame 4" .357 for carry or home defense. It need be you can hunt with it. My choice is the 586.
A K-frame .22 either 4 or 6" for small game, practice and just plain fun. Here I go with the 4" Model 18. My all time favorite revolver.

I definitely would carry something else too. When I used to work in a bad neighborhood, my M9 went with me. I had to have it in my backpack because it was before our state adopted CCW. But it was always pretty close. I worked in an office and it was right beside me the whole time. There were a few times I had my hand on it. One time my car broke down and it was really cold out. And I was about a mile from work and I walked back. It was night. The upside was because it was cold out, there wasn't much rif raf hanging around. But my hand was on it the whole time. LOL.

Where I live and go now, not really an issue. I would prefer to just carry 2 now if I was going to a bad area. I'm just more comfy with revolvers.

 

[ABPOS]

I believe its quite possible to get by quite well with just three revolvers.
A small 2" .38spl for concealed carry. Most here like the J-frame, but a K-frame will work. Then there's my personal favorite, the Colt Detective Special.
A K or L frame 4" .357 for carry or home defense. It need be you can hunt with it. My choice is the 586.
A K-frame .22 either 4 or 6" for small game, practice and just plain fun. Here I go with the 4" Model 18. My all time favorite revolver.

If me and my Colt DS got along, I don't think I'd feel the need for another defense gun. But I have this almost spiritual battle with it. I swear there is something other worldly happening between me and that revolver. I can't explain it. My Daughter likes it and it's probably just going to end up being hers. I'm going to get some light loads and she if she can shoot it well enough. Then I won't have to struggle with it any more. LOL.

 

[jag312]

S&W 696, .44 Special
USFA Single Action, .45 Colt, 4 3/4" barrel



That's it. Of the revolvers that I own, these are the only two revolvers that I carry.

 

[URIT]

My S&W Governor (410/45LC) serves as my primary home defense firearm. My 19-4, which I carried my last 24 years on the job, serves as a fine HD backup piece.

I have a Colt Detective Special that I carry on special occasions, but most often my CCW is a SW3953 or a Walther PPS40.

 

[steelslaver]

I figure I am getting closer, but putting together 100 just right revolvers takes a while

 

[snowman.45]

My revolver battery is constantly growing. I like my lightweight and all steel J-frames, and they get carried often. I like my short barreled K-frames for carry, particularly in the desert or when hiking in the Sierras. I like my L-frames in 4" barrels, just because. I like my N-frames in .357, .44 mag and .45 ACP. In short, I'm afraid I like revolvers too much to limit myself. I'm currently working on my desert battery, which I plan on being a .44 Special/Magnum with a nice Marlin Trapper in the same caliber for when I get moved to Arizona in February. Could accomplish the same things with a similar combo in .357, or maybe a .45 ACP/.45-70 combination. Damn; see what I mean? I simply can't set limits here.

 

[Stevens]

Mine are:
model 642
Colt Agent 2"
Model 686 4"
Model 63 3" for plinking
Steve W

 

[petepeterson]

I generally use 3:

34-1
442
60-15

I have more, but those 3 can share holsters, and can cover my needs. Any others that come out are just for shooting pleasure.

 

[BAM-BAM]

OK.................. I could get by with............just my.......

3" model 66..... concealed carry

4" 686...... mine is a customized round butt; best all around/utility .357 going IMHO................. and finally my

4" Model 18..... cus everyone should have; and needs a .22


truth is I have a bunch more!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! which make me !

 

[nachogrande]

JUST A COUPLE MORE, I SWEAR.

For a "revolver guy" I'm 50/50 with DA revolvers & semi's. I'd like to try N frame revolvers in 45 acp, 45LC, maybe a 480 Ruger single action??? Also if I like the caliber, having 2 of different size/styles/platforms is kinda nice too. Right now, after downsizing I'm at a stripped to the bone working battery of 10 handguns: 2-22's, 1 - 32acp, 2 - 38, 2 - 357, 1- 9mm, 1 - 40, 1 - 45acp OOPS forgot 1, I guess a 45-22 conversion bbl would make that 3 -22's? Mfgr's: 1- Seecamp, 2 -Rugers, 3 - Sigs, 4 - S&W's. OF COURSE this was before the tragic boating accident.

 

[shouldazagged]

Thanks to limited income and medical expenses, I'm now down to one revolver and an old twelve gauge side-by-side sawed to twenty inches.

The hand gun is an early no-dash 640 .38 Special I will not part with. It doubles for pocket carry and head-of-the-bed gun, with the double loaded with #4 buck as fall-back.

But as soon as I can I'll acquire a four-inch Model 10 for a house gun, and --don't laugh--a Hi-Point 9mm carbine.

 

[Donn]

Not sure what ideal is, but my 6" Model 29 and 4" Model 19 make a nice couple, as do my Colt 4" Police Positive and 3" Detective Special.

 

[ABPOS]

Thanks to limited income and medical expenses, I'm now down to one revolver and an old twelve gauge side-by-side sawed to twenty inches.

The hand gun is an early no-dash 640 .38 Special I will not part with. It doubles for pocket carry and head-of-the-bed gun, with the double loaded with #4 buck as fall-back.

But as soon as I can I'll acquire a four-inch Model 10 for a house gun, and --don't laugh--a Hi-Point 9mm carbine.

I'm in the same boat with you. I'd have more choices if I had more money. Hopefully some day. I respect and understand what you're saying. No judgements here.

 

[ABPOS]

There is only one correct answer to this question and it has nothing to do with part numbers.

The right gun to use for your personal self-defense is the one you can manipulate and shoot well. Everything else is a tertiary consideration.

So, which is the one you shoot best?

Thank you for serving and I appreciate your comments. I don't really agree though. I do to a certain extent. But I can think of other guns I could maybe carry that I shoot better than my 442. But my health plays a role in what I carry. I get fatigued a lot easier right now from fighting lyme disease and a 32 ounce 9mm that is kind of big just isn't doing it for me.

Now secondly, I prefer to carry a DA revolver because I find it to be a safer action than my HiPower.

Thirdly, my Girls (Mom / Wife and Daughter) seem to be much more intuitive with revolvers so I'd rather have those around and available if need to hand one off to them. Like if at home I could give my wife the 442 and I'd grab the Model 19.

I shoot my Model 19 the best but it's got a 6" barrel and there's no way I'm conceal carrying that thing.

I understand that hitting your target is what matters most in a gunfight. But to me if one can shoot a certain gun with acceptable accuracy, that's good enough for me. I'm definitely better, accuracy wise, with other guns than my 442.

However, I've tested myself at 25 meters with my 442 and have hit silhouette sized targets with maybe dropping one round. It is not ideal, but it is "good enough" At 7 yards I shoot it pretty darned good. I can not do a 1 holer with it like I can some other handguns though. Although it's not often I do that anyways.... A few guns. I shoot my Model 19 really well in Double action. So I'm ok with that as a choice for my Home Defense gun. But capacity sucks. Others would rank that up there as maybe even more important than how exactly accurate you are. Someone might give up a bit of accuracy for capacity. I would completely understand that.

 

[M29since14]

Years and years and years ago, I thought that if somehow I could just latch onto four S&W revolvers, I would be set for life and I’d never need another. They were...
M34 4-inch, square-butt
M36 2-inch, round-butt
M19 4-inch
M29 6.5-inch

I eventually acquired them all, and since have had many, many more. Truth be told, I could probably get along fine if I only had a .45 Automatic, but how much fun would that be?

Thinking about stuff like this has always been a colossal waste of time, for me.

 

[ABPOS]

That's a great list.

I'm a bit neurotic. (Or more than a bit) I typically need things to tie my mind up with that aren't depressing or worrisome. And I like to plan. Even though most plans go to pot. That's why I really love when the Esteemed Hannibal says, "I love it when a plan comes together." LOL.