[Capital Punishment]

Allright folks, im getting information for a friend of mine.

He lives in the state of Maryland, which means the revolver must have a built-in safety device. Im looking for a revolver which will be used for home defense (4 kids and a wife). Caliber cant be too large, just in case the wife has to use it. The revolver should be reliable, above all. Can you suggest any? Ive been eyeing the Smith and Wessons. Also, what guns have integrated safety devices? Thanks for any help you can offer, its greatly appreciated.

[Tropical Z]

My Rossi 972 has the Taurus locking feature.Might check out one of either.
www.rossiusa.com

[cslinger]

Smith and Wesson K or L frame. Say a model 65 or Model 686.

Either in .357 magnum. Can be loaded to the lightest .38 up to the biggest crazy but stomper .357 maggie. Should fit everybody in the household.

Current production have intergral locks.

Lifetime warr.

Nice looking.

Lots of accerories available. Grips, speed loaders, sights etc.

Either should fit the bill The 65 can be had in a Lady Smith version and they tend to be some of the nicer current Smith's IMHO. 65 is a 6 shot.

The 686 can be either a 6 or 7 shot varient.

I would get a 4 or 5 inch barrel.

That should cover it.


Hey were in Pasadena do you live. I grew up in Pasadena, MD.

Chris

[Capital Punishment]

THanks for your help so far guys.

Cslinger, i live in Rock Creek Park, right off of fort smallwood road. Im about 2 minutes from fort smallwood park. Im right across the creek (Stoney Creek) from riviera beach. :)

[Blueduck]

Second the recommendation for the 3" model 65 (Now only available as the "Ladysmith") Great gun very good balance. Just big and heavy enough to be comfortable shooting gun, but light and compact enough to be comfy in about any situation.

I'm also fond of the 4" 66 (or older blued model 19) as the adjustable sights make for a better range or fun gun IMHO.

I know you mentioned that this was for a "house gun" not for concealed carry. But it seems to me I run into some "yellow" situtions even at home, where neither gun in hand, nor gun in storage seems just right. The 65 comes out on top in this area as it can be comfortably carried reasonable concealed for a short time slipped into back of waistband to say answer a door at 9:15 pm, or in coat pocket when your *sure* that must have just been the wind that knocked over something in the back yard...

[cslinger]

PM sent to you.

I highly recommend the Lady Smith line of revolvers. I have a Model 60 J frame Lady and absolutely love her. She is my girlfriend so to speak. My wife laughs at me.

The Lady Smiths seem to have better triggers and better fit and finish then other Smith offerings.

You could also look into Ruger Security Sixes. They can usually be had used for a song. I would also suggest a GP100 but feel that it might be a tad bit too large for the smaller hands in the family.

I am howerver firmily entrenched in the .38/.357 caliber group.

Chris.

[ruger357]

Ditto on the K-frame Smith.

[Glamdring]

Another vote for 3" or 4" K/L frame 357.
I would strongly suggest using 38 +P loads and not 357's to start with.

Another option, big bores make me FEEL better, would be L frame 44 Special. With Speer or Georgia Arms 200 grain GDHP's, basically gives you 45 acp performance in a wheel gun.

[Penforhire]

Another 4" 686 vote here. Just feels right.

[valnar]

K or L frame S&W is perfect.
Model 66 or 686, though 66 would be better for wife.

Can handle .38sp+P up to .357Mag.



Robert

[chaim]

Many if not most stores still have some "pre-lock" guns available. They are legal if made before Jan 1, 2003. In revolvers with the lock you are limited to Rossi, Taurus and S&W and will be for some time (even if someone adds a lock you still have to wait for the state police to ok the lock and add it to the "approved list" and if it is a new model you also have to wait for the gun model to be approved as well).

I am another pleased owner of a Ladysmith (a S&W 65LS). Great gun. However, they tend to be expensive around here (over $550 for a new one at most local dealers and rarely under $490). A used S&W could be your best deal. In new guns Taurus is probably the best value- they can still be had for slightly over $300 for a medium framed .357mag and On Target near Ft. Meade has Taurus 82s and 83s for under $300 (well, at $295 and $299 respectively, they aren't much under $300).

[Stainz]

My choice would be a .44 S&W Special. The 696 is a great 'house gun' - but it is out of production. I feel that it's recoil is on a par with the 4" 625 loaded with 230gr FMJ .45ACP. That would have the lock and is available, albeit pricey. Much better, recoil wise, than a mini .38 or small .357.

My second choice would be an old standby - it worked quite well for LEO for many years - the M10 M&P .38 Special. Using even 155gr 'Cowboy' loads will stop most bg's indoors - and, most likely, not exit your house to kill a neighbor, pop your eardrums, or jump from your hands. And... current production models may just have that 'lock'. I have seen 2"-4" models ~$300. LE serviceable trade-ins appear for ~$175 locally.

Stainz

[valnar]

Stainz,
I hear a lot about the 696 but don't own a .44sp/Mag yet myself. I'm eyeing a 629, but it's some months away now.

Anywhoo, if the ballistics of a .44special are similar to a .45ACP (big round, slow velocity), is there any benefit in self defense of using one over the other?

In other words, if I had to pick only one (I know, not realistic!), why would I want a 696 over a 625 in .45ACP?

Just curious.... Help a newbie out!

-Robert

[E357]

Robert: The 696 is a 5 shot a smaller gun with a slightly smaller grip than the 625 6 shot.

Elliot

[valnar]

Oops. Let me rephrase my question!

Is there any significant ballistic differences between a 44special and a .45ACP, leaving the 696 or 625 guns aside.

Thanks,
Robert

[Stainz]

The .45ACP was developed for the 1911 Colt semi-auto and is .452" diameter and 230 gr in FMJ (ball) rimless ammo at a muzzle velocity of around 850 fps. The .44 S&W Special is a 1907 lengthened case improvement of the original metal cased, rimmed, .429" diameter, 240 gr round nosed round developed in 1871 for the Russian government commonly referred to as the .44 Russian. The .44 Special's velocity has been increased to well over 1,000 fps by Keith and others prior to the 1955 introduction of the still onger cased .44 Remington Magnum.

Nostalgia aside, the .44 Special is a true revolver cartridge, rimmed so that it could be ejected from a double-action revolver easily. The .45ACP requires moon clips, metal clips made to hold groups of 2,3, or six of the rimless cartridges together to be 'caught' by the ejector star for ejection in the 1917 S&W .45 revolver (and later - 625's, etc). Their is also the rimmed version of the .45ACP, the .45 Auto Rim (Try to find them... like looking for .44 Russians!). The .45ACP gets a slight edge, if the kinetic energy is the same, simply because of it's larger diameter.

They seem very similar indeed. Now, try to find them in stock somewhere. Everyone carries .45ACP. The only .44 S&W Special rounds I have seen in a discount store are the 200gr GDJHP CCI Blazers, a great personal defense round, that Academy carries ($13/50). Gun stores usually have but one type - usually $15-$20/20 personal defense loads. Everyone, even Wally World, carries .45ACP - generally as low as $10/50 of that ball ammo. For availability, the nod goes to the .45ACP, unless you reload.

To answer your question re the ballistics... no, not really! I would use the availability of the ammo help with that decission, too.

Stainz

[valnar]

Thanks!

[Ala Dan]

Greeting's All-

6" Smith & Wesson 686 .357 magnum; downloaded
with Federal's 110 grain JHP "Hydra-Shok" personal
defense ammo.

Best Wishes,
Ala Dan, N.R.A. Life Member

[NRA Instructor]

I don't intend to set off a big pro and con discussion regarding handgun vs. shotguns, but most Instructors I know recommend for inhome self defence a 12 gage pump shotgun. If that is too much for your wife there are some nice .410's that might fit her, such as the Mossburg Home Security.
Remember this is for inhome self defence.

[Jason Demond]

For HD I use
3 Smith& wesson Model 64's in .38 Special.
1 S&W 686 in .357 magnum.
1 Taurus PT111{CCW&HD} in 9mm.
1 Ruger P90 DC in .45ACP.
1 Remington 870 12 Gauge.

I picked the 64's because the are ok recoil wise for female users, and most anyone can shoot them.
The others are for me.

S&W
Model 10 .38 special KFrame
Model 64 .38 special KFrame
Model 65 .357 magnum Kframe
Model 686 .357 magnum LFrame
All these gun would make a great HD gun, and will be easy to handle for your Wife.

[XavierBreath]

Pump Shotgun.

Keep the barrel just over 18 inches.

12 gauge is best.

[Blueduck]

Many knowlegeable people do endorse the short bbl'd shotgun as the perfect home defense weapon, but just to be fair a lot of them don't like them one bit as well.

Lots of info and opinons on the subject for folks to read on in TFL archives (maybe here as well have not checked).