[somoss]

I collect WWI to WWII rifles and handguns but my area knowledge in modern firemarms is not that great. i have a Ruger P-94 in 9 mm that is my only modern and is my main HD gun. I would like to get a revolver for HD instead of the Ruger. I live in Maryland (about as anti-gun as possible) so if anything happens in the house with it then the cops are gonna take it and i will never get it back.
I would like a 357 so i can use 38. something with a laser mounted on it. 2 to 3 inch barrell unless u think another caliber or barrell lenght is better.

revolver
good for HD.
not too expensive, less than $600
comes with laser option or can take a laser

thanks

[dashootist]

Could you shoot the evil-doers with a quality piece and give a worthless rusty ol' gun to the cops?

[TexasBill]

Ruger SP101 with Crimson Trace laser grips.

http://www.budsgunshop.com/catalog/product_info.php/cPath/21_49_76/products_id/49825

[Cosmoline]

Unless it's for CCW there's not much point in a short barrel. I'd say you'd be fine with a full size GP100 with a 4" or 6" barrel. Better with a shotgun of course, but I'll stick to revolvers. Another good option is a police turn-in like an old Model 19 or Model 28 S&W or a Colt Trooper. Those can be had for reasonable amounts. My favorites are the Ruger Security/Speed Sixes.

[gwnorth]

For HD, stainless is nice because it's so low maintenance. A nice GP100, used Ruger Six series (Security/Service/Speed Six), S&W model 65 or 66 or 686 - anything like that will be fine, They are all good guns, although the difficulty for the out of production Smiths and Rugers is finding them. A 4" barrel makes a great HD gun, and I wouldn't go under 3" as there really is no point if you aren't carrying it concealed.

Depending on where in MD you are, I know that Green Top in Richmond VA very often has used Smith 64's, 65's, 66's and 686's as well as Ruger Six series guns or GP100's. You'd have to have it shipped - just that I know they move a lot of used inventory and you can check their current list on the web (they post a used-gun pdf that gets updated just about daily). Right now they show one 4" 65, and two 4" 66's in VG-G condition. A couple of months ago they had several Security and Service Sixes in as well.

jgsales.com is another place for good offerings of used Smiths and Rugers.

[goalie]

I am rather happy with a stainless GP-100 4" .357 magnum for a home-defense handgun.

[Lucky Derby]

Unless you are going to carry it, get at least a 4" barrel, but nothing longer than 6". With the shorter barrels you loose velocity and thereby effectivness. You also will gain recoil and muzzle flash, especially with .357 loads, but to a lesser extent with .38's Longer than 6" gets harder to manauver in tight spaces and can give your opponent more leverage if a struggle over the gun insues.
Lots of good choices from S&W, Colt and Ruger.
Models to look for

S&W K frame 13(fixed sight) 19(adjustible sight) 65(stainless13) 66(stainless 19) These have .38 special versions, but I did not list those model numbers.

L frame 581 (fixed sight) 586 (adj sight) 681(STLS 581) 686 (STLS 586) 686+ is a 7 shot version of the same gun

N frame 27 and 28. Same gun but the 27 has a nicer finish, the 28 is more utilitarian.

Colt Trooper, Trooper MKIII, Trooper MKV, King Cobra, Lawman (fixed sights)and Python, although Pythons are very expensive to use as a house gun. Early Troopers were .38 Special only.

Ruger Any of the the -six series revolvers. Speed-Six, Service-six or Security-Six. These are available with either fixed or adj sights, and blue or stls. Some limited runs of these are .38 special only.

GP100 Available with either fixed or adj sights & blue or stls.(My choice for a NEW gun)

SP101 fixed sights, max barrel legnth 3" only holds 5 rounds. Great CCW piece but I would get something larger if it was for a house gun and CCW was not in the equation.

The GP100 is my choice if you want a brand new gun. Colt no longer makes DA revolvers. S&W quality is sub par for the price on currently manufactured weapons, IMHO. Ruger no longer makes the -Six series guns. However lots of good older S&W's Colts, and Rugers are out there. See if you can try some or all of these and make an informed choice.

[Guillermo]

a Pre MIM 686 is 400 bucks

Great gun

dependable as gravity

[roaddog28]

I agree with others the 4 inch long barrel is the best all around revolver. I am listing options in my collection that are 357 4 inch revolvers.
Good luck.
Howard
S&W M13
http://i656.photobucket.com/albums/uu283/HPitt74985/SWM13.jpg
S&W M66
http://i656.photobucket.com/albums/uu283/HPitt74985/model66-4.jpg
Ruger GP100 & Ruger Police Service Six
http://i656.photobucket.com/albums/uu283/HPitt74985/GP100ServiceSix.jpg

[somoss]

thanks all for the comments and for those that posted links and pictures a special thanks. it makes a lot easier to kill a 'team meeting" at work when you have pix and links.
I looked and i cant say any of the recommendations would not fit into my needs (other than the Python but they are very pretty).
I liked the Ruger SP101 with the laser grip, i also saw it a while back in a MD store so I know it is not considered evil by the powers.
this one had a 2.5 inch barrel, any thoughts?
if i will ever use this it will likely be at night with sleep in my eyes. i am sure i will have practiced with it many times but never with adrenaline, stress, sleep, dark, and fear. is the extra 2 inches going to take the flash more tolerable or is it not worth worrying about it?

[Zundfolge]

Could you shoot the evil-doers with a quality piece and give a worthless rusty ol' gun to the cops?

Never ever ever ever EVER lie to the police after a self defense shooting. NEVER (unless you enjoy prison food and the intimate company of other men).

[Cosmoline]

The blast and flash from a magnum is always going to be memorable. Personally I've found all handguns to be next to useless at 3 AM when I'm groggy, even with years and years of practice. But a 2.5" is better than a 1" barrel, and a 4" better still. Really, the sole purpose for the short barrel is concealment.

[somoss]

what do you recommend or use at 3am if not a revolver? shotgun?
thanks

[Just One Shot]

I like my SP-101 but so does the wife. I would eventually like to add another SP-101 or maybe a GP-100 to the collection. Ruger makes a good revolver for a decent price.

S&W is another good choice. They have some out there that you can get for less than $600.00 new or used. In fact, I may be adding an Airweight to the safe if the deal I'm working on goes through.

[ElectrikKoolAid]

A 357, when set off inside you house in the dark, will probably leave you blind and deaf for a period of time as it is a real bear of a gun. (With laser grips, your accuracy could be high-enough to allow a less zippy round.)

I know there are a number of people who will jump on me, but if you are looking for a revolver for home defense use I would consider a Taurus model 85. It will handle .38 +p loads, has laser grips available, and is reasonably cheap when new -- almost a give-away when used.

To be fair, Taurus has had problems with their automatics and this has lead some to not recommend the brand. The Model 85 is a direct copy of the Smith & Wesson J-frame and has been in production since the 1970s, so all the bugs are worked out.

Are you thinking about a revolver as "low-cost disposable" for HD use, "or as "simple, reliable with limited maintenance"?

[Cosmoline]

Take note of how common it is for even trained people to miss with the handguns in actual shooting encounters. The comparison I like to make is this. Take your handgun squirrel hunting and see if you can hit a running or even a sitting squirrel with it. With a snub nose, even if you're very well trained, it's quite difficult. The longer barrel revolvers have more sight radius and stability. I realize a bad guy is bigger than a squirrel, but factoring in the terrible lighting conditions, the blurr of your eyes at that hour, the movement and shadows, and the fact that the guy may well be shooting at you while using concealment and cover himself, it is about on par with bullseyeing a running squirrel.

what do you recommend or use at 3am if not a revolver? shotgun?

That or a carbine. Either way you will stand a better chance of hitting what you're aiming at, and since you can mount lights and other aids on them you can also see what you're aiming at. You can control overpenetration issues through ammo selection. There are hundreds of threads on this topic so I'll leave it at that.

[Trebor]

I agree that a 2" barrel makes no sense for home defense. The advantage of the short barrel is concealability and that's not an issue for a home defense situation. What you give up is velocity and sight radius.

For a HD revolver, I'd go with a 4" barrel. If you already have a 3" barrel gun, that would do as well, but I wouldn't seek one out just for home defense.

Now, as to whether you want a revolver, a semi-auto, or a shotgun or other long gun, that's up to you. Whatever you use, make sure you know how to use it and understand the benefits and limitations of your choice.

[oneounceload]

There are plenty of used 38's from S&W like the 64s out there for under 300 that would merit consideration

[fourdollarbill]

After owning about every name brand 357mag I would have to say the 3"SP101 is the best gun I ever had.

[Sauer Grapes]

I bought a SP 101 for my wife. I\she have the 3", but the 2 1\4 would be just fine. Very accurate, trigger could use some work though. They are built like a tank!!!

[19&41]

I'd recommend what I use for HD. A S&W 65.

http://a.imageshack.us/img338/6285/sw65001.jpg (http://img338.imageshack.us/i/sw65001.jpg/)

Uploaded with ImageShack.us (http://imageshack.us)

[Big Bill]

I agree with some of the posters that a 4" good used S&W would be ideal. BTW, I also like my 3" Ruger SP101.

[amprecon]

Yeah, go to your local pawn shops and round up an old 4" S&W model 10, it'll do you fine. A .357 is way too loud to shoot indoors, let alone outdoors without hearing protection, the .38spl is way under-rated.

[jad0110]

If you are leaning towards the SP101, I'd go with the 3 1/16" barrel over the 2 1/4" for home protection. I've seen them locally NIB with laser grips for around $550-$570, so those should just fit within your budget.

If a laser is a must, Crimson Trace does make aftermarket lasergrips for many different revolvers, as can be seen on 19&41's S&W round butt K Frame above.

Yeah, go to your local pawn shops and round up an old 4" S&W model 10, it'll do you fine. A .357 is way too loud to shoot indoors, let alone outdoors without hearing protection, the .38spl is way under-rated.

This too. I have a 4" S&W 686 .357 Mag for home protection, but I keep it loaded with .38 +Ps due to the disorienting (IMO) flash and bang associated with .357 Magnum. I shoot .357 as accurately as .38 Special, but not as quickly.

[wrs840]

Could you shoot the evil-doers with a quality piece and give a worthless rusty ol' gun to the cops?

Completely unnecessary.

There are plenty of used 38's from S&W like the 64s out there for under 300 that would merit consideration...

And there's why.

Les