Revolver education

[mrjarrell]

Shoot, get a couple of pieces. I have a 6" S&W 41 Mag. It's a beast, but a beautiful one. Shoots like a champ. Can't say I dislike my Taurus .357, either. I've put a few rounds downrange with it and never had nary a hiccup. Get to a rental range and try a few of them. Hard to go wrong with any good revolver.

 

[mammynun]

My dilemma is that I seem to be drawn to the expensive ones. I've gone out looking twice in the last few days and it goes something like this:

"Whoa! I like the looks of that one... (bending over to look at the price).... Damn! I could buy an AK and 2160 rounds for that!!!"

I already have an AK and 2160 rounds, so I look at another revolver that catches my eye and the scenario repeats.

I don't think I'm ready yet.

 

[tom1025]

Reading all these post has me chomping at the bit to go and shoot. For valetines day the woman got me a Taurus 44 special. I have owned a few 357 Rossi that I took in on trade. Both seemed to shoot straight and didn't have much kick.

 

[Disposable Heart]

Mammy, that's the problem when you have everything you "need", now it's time for the wants.

Smiths are the best, you will get folks screaming "Ruger! Ruger! Ruger!" while they quibble and fight over my entrails. Ruger folks get violent when you tell them their trigger sucks in factory form! Rugers are nice, very well built and have a better springing system in my mind (coil mainspring instead of leaf, except for the J frame smiths which use a coil). Rugers can be tuned, but not to the level a Smith can in double action. Single action is for folks who don't intend on fighting with a spin gun!

Taurus revolvers can be hit or miss. Many of them are well built, decent material and relatively inexpensive guns. Their shorter barreled big bores are a bit harder to find compared to the Alaskan style guns of Ruger, but less expensive. If you aren't going to shove a ton of VERY hot ammo through it, a Taurus will do just fine. I have had many of their .357s, .38s and one pompus 4" ported .44 which was a pretty stout gun compared to a Smith in it's forcing cone dimensions.

Short barrels grow old quick. 4"ers+ are where it's at. The ergonomic accuracy of the 2"ers drops off quick, plus the blast gets burdensome after a while (plus then you have to clean all those holes... ). Range toy to compensate for a lacking? Short barrel .44 or larger. Serious weapon for hunting/utility/carry/HD/SERIOUSLY accurate long range blasting? 4" .357.

 

[BurninBrass]

I'm sure that I want .357 or bigger...

If you don't reload or plan on it in the future, stick with the 357. Anything above 357 costs $1+ per round to shoot factory loaded ammo.

If reloading is in your future, I recommend the 44 Mag or 454 Casull. Both will shoot handcannon loads as well as weaker shorter mild rounds for plinking. My Casull Alaskan is always a ton of fun with everything from full-power 454 loads to 45 Colt cowboy loads for playing around.

 

[snapping turtle]

I, too, have been considering another revolver. I love my Rossi M88 .38spl. It's small, accurate and been great for over 1500 rounds. Because of it, I've been thinking about their .357 with the 2" bbl. I figure if I miss, the attacker will at least be blind, deaf and on fire giving me a chance to escape.

i can say you are very true here.

Had it for years and it is still my favorite EDG gun, The rossi's were pretty much exact smith copies. Mine being the model 66 frame.