My First Revolver

[DaveTN]

[dats82]

I would imagine that in the 357/38 revolvers, you could not really go wrong with either of the top three; Ruger, Smith, and Colt. However, once you start making custom large bore revolvers, there is a reason people use a Ruger. Correct my if I am wrong, but isn't that picture that surfaces every few years talking about cheap ammo, a picture of a Smith 44mag?

I am certainly no revolver expert, but my thoughts are that if you are going to buy a large revolver, then you are not really worried about weight. If that is indeed true, why not get the one that is a little thicker and a little stronger just in case?

[TrickyNicky]

That's pretty clever.

I dont buy it for a second but it's clever.

Correct me if I'm wrong but I've never seen any 357 ammo branded as S&W ONLY.

Having said that out of all the revolvers I've shot certainly the finest was a smith. Blackhawks are capable of just as crisp a trigger in my expierience but then again your talking two different beasts with the SAO or SA/DA.

At the end of the day my GP100 can easy double as a hammer/impact weapon and I'm happy with it.

[Guest TresOsos]

Having learned to shoot on revolvers, having owned and shot S&W's, Ruger"s, Taurus (junk), Dan Wesson,s..

I would find an older S&W and if your really planning on shooting it and making it fall apart, get an N-Frame.

Personally I think an L-Frame will be more than enough.

[hazmatt]

Shoot a 617 first. They are that nice. I've been trying to find one for sale used for a couple years, but it appears everyone who has one intends on keeping it. That's a pretty solid vote of confidence. I have not shot a Taurus .22lr, so I can't compare.

I would love to try a 617. However, I don't know anyone that owns one. I saw one for sale a few weeks ago on Armslist, it was an older 6 shooter instead of the newer 10 shot.

[TrickyNicky]

Just throw something out there, if your looking for a real sweet shooting revolver for fun shooting why not look for a colt official police?

Sweet sweet shooting guns, accurate, reliable, super nice single and double action, and relatively cheap to boot.

Actually I take back what I said earlier about a smith being the sweeted revolver I've shot, don't know how but I forgot all about the OP.

Seriously, best idea ever.

[Jonnin]

My mom has been looking at one of those Taurus .22s

My only reservations have been Taurus repair service's spotty reputation and I had heard the trigger was sub par.

Any thoughts on the trigger from owners? Less than great can be dealt with but she's starting to get arthritis so anything super heavy would be out.

The taurus trigger out of the box was gritty and needed a polishing job. After that it was nice and smooth. I cannot fire these guns DA with my weak hands, which means it probably has over a 5 pound trigger pull for DA. Its stout. I could not fire the S&W either, it was also stout. The single action pull is all you could ask for.

The .22 had an issue out of the box. Taurus took over a month to fix it, but they did a very good job. Not sure what spotty means, but SLOW for sure.

I would not recommend this pistol (the 94 series specifically) to someone with hand problems if they plan to fire it double action style. There is no way to lighten the pull according to the gunsmith --- you would get light strikes, its an overall design issue. I do not know that you could call it sub-par, its no worse than an auto DAO in the same sized frame, its better than my beretta nano and a kel tec. And a lot worse than a full sized auto or revolver.

Edited July 16, 2012 by Jonnin

[TrickyNicky]

Thanks Jonnin, guess we'll just have to try to find one to rent or otherwise use. If all she can do is shoot it SA might as well get a single six.

[BigK]

Of the guns I've ever sold/traded, I miss the Ruger SP101 the most. It was the hammerless snubbie and was great for pocket carry. Changing out $5 worth of springs made the trigger feel like butter too. It was way smoother than most revolvers I've shot.

[moondawg]

It's hard to beat a S&W 686 (or even a 586) or a Ruger GP100, both are fine choices. Handle them both and see which one "fits" better. You'll know, your gut instinct will tell you.

Ditto what Bassoneer said about shooting .38 rounds, it's just fun. I've always thought shooting revolvers were fun, especially shooting .38 rounds.

[DevJames]

For the price, it'd be hard to beat a 4" GP100 for a first revolver.

it'll do about anything you can ask of a pistol. It's on the list of guns I need to get. Smith 686 as well.

and of course, the MOdel 19 or 66.

My unicorn .357 is gonna be a 4" nickel Python though. Unless I somehow find a Korth Combat Magnum.

[JAB]

Jerry Miculek isn't shooting a Rossi.

Unless I am mistaken, S&W is one of Mr. Miculek's sponsors. If Rossi were his sponsors instead of Smith and Wesson then I'd bet he would be shooting Rossis. And he'd still outshoot most people with S&Ws or pretty much anything else. Of course, given the customizing, tuning and so on that likely goes into his competition guns it probably doesn't matter what the gun starts life as - it is going to end up as a 'Jerry Miculek custom'.

I'm certainly not saying that Rossi is 'better' than S&W or even that they are just as good. I'm just saying that the fact that Jerry Miculek is an almost superhuman shooter who just happens to be shooting certain guns because the manufacturer of those guns are one of his sponsors isn't really that much of an endorsement for the guns, themselves.

That said, I carry a S&W 642 as my primary a good bit of the time, now. To be completely honest, I traded a fairly new Rossi .357 snub for it but mostly that was because I wanted a revolver that would fit in my pocket for times I wanted to carry it that way. The Rossi handled .357 just fine and I will likely own another one day. For a 'first' revolver that might see a lot of use, though, I would also stick with a S&W or a Ruger. For a full-sized gun (as opposed to a pocket rocket), my preference would probably go to the Ruger just because I like Ruger guns.

Edited July 20, 2012 by JAB

[hazmatt]

I finally bit the bullet, so to speak. I found something I could not pass up.

My very own Ruger GP100, and at a very good price. The lock-up, timing, and gap all seem to be quite good...at least from my barely educated judgement. I checked the serial number on Ruger's site and it was made in 2000. I can't wait until this weekend, so I can go test her out.

Now, if I could only find a shotgun at a good price

Edited July 25, 2012 by hazmatt

[TrickyNicky]

Good job Hazmatt, welcome to the club! Out of my three revolvers(gp100, blackhawk, colt official police) and the two on semi permanent loan from my dad(s&w 66&36) the gp is IMO the most utilitarian. Reliable solid piece and my bump in the night gun.

I'm sure you'll be happy with it.

[Jonnin]

very nice. I have shot one of those that had been worked over extensively, and it was amazing. Have not shot an untouched example but have heard nothing but praise for the model.

[gregintenn]

I've never fired one, but I've always liked the looks of that model. I'd definitely try one if the price was right! I bet you'll like it.

[Guest Aces&8s]

Congratulations! I think you will find you made a great choice, and if taken care of, should last a couple of lifetimes.

[hazmatt]

I was leaning toward a Ruger GP100. This just happened to be the model I was really wanting, SS, 4", and to top it off, with the grip I wanted. I could not believe my eyes when I saw it for sale.