What Is Your Favorite Self Defense Revolver? S&W629

44 mag is a great cartridge.. as you mentioned.. mild to wild and the 629 can handle wild ... and the 44 spl makes it milder .. great cartridge..

But I lean toward the 357mag & my Ruger Security Six 4 inch barrel , as being the most versatile for two legged self defense... a wide variety of excellent 357 mag SD ammo choices ...and the use of 38spl puts a cherry on top
I have 4 357 mag revolvers at this time ... which is a bit low for me ...

But the 327 Federal is another interesting option

Mr.Revolverguy said:

I never expected to see 327 show up in this posting it is something I have always been curious about, though I totally understand the 357Magnum. Though I guess I should have said Self Defense from two legged and 4 legged in the US. Would you still chose 357Magnum?

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My woods ... East TN .. the Security Six with a
4 inch barrel .. & UW 158gr GD .. should work absolutely wonderful.... I honestly don’t get in the woods as much as I used to ...Im more concerned with meth heads...

If I did chose a 44 mag for woods carry , Id lean toward a 4 inch barreled S&W 69 .... lighter = more apt to carry and the 4 inch tube would milk a bit more power ...

And for General Dollar/ Exxon carry a Ruger LCR 327 is a great option..light concealable... stoked with Hornaday 90gr 327 fed FTX .. lots of thump in a small package... 327 fed to me has similar recoil to a 38Spl +P

Here are my two ccw revolvers.
The SP101 is very potent and easily carried, but the model 66 S&W can cross the T's and dot the i's.

IMO 41 mag is the goldilocks "just right" of the bunch. Have all three of the magnum trinity but like 41 best of all

Mr.Revolverguy, is the 1300 fps (with a 240 gr bullet) you talk about in your video the speed you get from that 2.625" barreled gun? Thanks.

Ive EDCd the M36, M60, and SP 101 at various times. Id go with the SP since I can both tolerate and be effective launching Magnums from it.

For a nightstand gun, Id grab my 686 everytime.

The M66 is a fine compromise and could both well. So could a snubby Security Six or the New King Cobra.

I always figured a mid bore ..larger diameter than .357 .. less than .410 .. that would send 180grs of lead at 900fps out of a snubbie with a 2.5 inch barrel would be a interesting round .. especially if alot of technology goes in designing HP bullets

wait .. I have one Charter 40 S&W

These 35 caliber guns are just weak and unmanly, resulting in failures. Elmer Kieth and company were "dissatisfied with the 35 calibers performance".

Personally, 44 Magnum loaded to 1050 FPS with a 240 grain JHP would be one heck of a defensive load. I have some Georgia Arms 240 FMJ at 1,000 FPS and it's a very pleasant load to shoot.

S&W Model 19 Carry Comp

My 686.

My 2 3/4" Lew Horton model 29 (and the 4" 329 is good as well). These are the best .44 Mag SD revolvers I have but they are not my carry pieces.

AF’s 66 is a sweet looker! She’s got all the right curves and you know she’s female by the way her dungeree’s are fittin’ her! That 686 is Pretty too! Back to the topic a nice “warm” 41/44 special has got to be ideal for Everything! Ticks all the boxes. I’d love to have my gp100 5 inch in the 44 but then my 357 would sit around and not earn its keep! The “king of the street “ 125gr magnum has been good enough for enough LEO’s.. good enough for me!

It took several years of holding N-Frames incorrectly, with K/L/GP100-sized hands, for me to admit to myself that I should be using K/L/GP100 revolvers, that fit, and be happy without carrying big bores. I did quite a bit of damage to the base joint of my right thumb, and to my right wrist, with a 629, in the mid-Eighties. My favorite sixgun is also my favorite firearm, overall, a full-lug, stainless, adjustable-sight GP100, purchased in the very early Nineties.

shoebox1.1 said:

View attachment 957154 AF’s 66 is a sweet looker! She’s got all the right curves and you know she’s female by the way her dungeree’s are fittin’ her! That 686 is Pretty too! Back to the topic a nice “warm” 41/44 special has got to be ideal for Everything! Ticks all the boxes. I’d love to have my gp100 5 inch in the 44 but then my 357 would sit around and not earn its keep! The “king of the street “ 125gr magnum has been good enough for enough LEO’s.. good enough for me!

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That Ruger GP100 looks slick with a 5" barrel and half lug!

OK, the OPs question was 'What is your favorite self-defensive revolver?' But then in a later post he specified that it had to deal with four-legged threats as well as two legged ones, which makes it an entirely different question. I call shenanigans! In normal day-to-day life defense against dangerous wildlife never comes up for me or, I suspect, most of us. When I do go into the woods I carry a very different gun than I do the 95-98% of the time I am in (so-called) civilization.

My favorite defensive revolver for EDC is a custom 3" S&W Model 1902 in .38 Special. It's a good compromise between capability and concealment, has an amazing trigger and I shoot it very well, meaning I can likely put 'em where they need to go in a hurry.

If I am in an area where there is some chance I might encounter dangerous wildlife I carry a Taurus Model 415 .41 Magnum five-shooter. It's only a few ounces heavier than the Model 1902 above and roughly the same size. With a 210gr. Keith hard-cast Keith bullet at 1100fps. from its short barrel it will have no trouble dealing with local wildlife that I might encounter, but it's significantly more compact than an N-frame.


If I needed one gun to do both jobs though I think I would be with the OP in terms of caliber; a .44 Magnum is a good all-arounder. But my choice of gun would be a skosh different; I owned an Astra Jovino Terminator in the late 80's, and it was a superb gun. I'd have another in a heartbeat!

tomrkba said:

These 35 caliber guns are just weak and unmanly, resulting in failures. Elmer Kieth and company were "dissatisfied with the 35 calibers performance".

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Hilarious!...Really?

tomrkba said:

That Ruger GP100 looks slick with a 5" barrel and half lug!

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I tried some honest presentation drills with it the other day for the first time and it’s not easy. The big size and smooooth grips are hard to get a sight picture naturally. It’s going to take a lot of work. But that being said I’m an American macho man and I like BIG guns that go BOOM!

M24-3 with 180 grain full wadcutters going around 850fps. Or, a 220 grain RN at 900fps. Also fond of a 3" Security Six .357 with full power loads of any flavor.

Buckeye63 said:

and the 629 can handle wild

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The 5 1/2" Redhawk can handle rounds that will turn a Smith into a pile of stainless shards.

My favorite Self defense revolver was my 2.5" Python, followed by the 2" Cobra. Wish I still had both.