Which Revolver Should I use for HD?

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Tallball

Tallball

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Usually my HD handgun was just whichever carry piece I used last. However, due to surgical stuff I will be on enforced bed rest for most of the summer. I can walk around the house enough to meet basic needs (light cooking, laundry, bathroom etc), but I that's it.

It seems sensible to choose a specific HD piece for the summer, instead of just whatever I happened to be leave sitting out. My wife has two large rescue dogs (pitbull mixes) as house pets, so my choice of firearms is probably moot. I like to have a loaded firearm near me when I sleep, though, especially if it's a deep daytime nap and I might not hear a doorbell or knocking.

A long gun seems clumsy. There are a lot of corners and doorways inside. My bedroom door has a bookshelf next to it. Getting out of it with a Remington 870 or whatever would take a little longer.

I have a bunch of semiautomatic service pistols. They're great. But I'm a revolver guy. My Glocks and CZ's and 1911's and Sigs and Berettas and so forth will stay in the safe. Feel free to recommend them. They will still stay in the safe. :)

What would you choose as your all-around HD revolver, and why?

(I'm leaving out the single actions, super long barrels, rimfires, antiques, etc.)


32 magnum - small frame 2" or medium framed 4"

38/9mm/357 - small frame 2", medium frame 2", 3", 4", 6", large frame 6"

44/45 - medium frame 2.5", large frame 5" or 6"


Feel free to pick something I don't have (such as a 3" j-frame!). I always appreciate enablers who help me buy more revolvers. :)

Pics are always appreciated.

I can also order grips and/or ammo online, if you have suggestions for those. :)

This one got left sitting out when I unpacked my range bag a couple of weeks ago. It's a good shooter, but it's not easy to draw quickly from under my bedside table.

Smith And Wesson Model 28

Smith And Wesson Model 28

 
Tallball said:
Feel free to pick something I don't have (such as a 3" j-frame!). I always appreciate enablers who help me buy more revolvers. :)
Click to expand...

TB, It happens to be a 3" J-Frame: Model 60-15, loaded with 38 Special 148grain Precision One wadcutters. Reloads are 130g LRN.
The WHY: J-frame because it is a good fit for my smallish hands. Wadcutters for low recoil. Feel comfortable with Wadcutters from the results of Lucky Gunner testing followed up by my own testing. The LRN for ease of reloads with speed-loader and speed strips.

Have no photos, will remedy that over the weekend.
 
Considering how many criminals are wearing body armor these days, I would have nothing less than a 454 casull.
 
For home defense I don’t believe enough consideration is given by most people for over penetration. My father in law lived in a developed neighborhood and his HD gun was a Win 94 in 30-30. God help his next door neighbors and those across the street if he would have ever had to pull the trigger inside his house.

I don’t know where you live but your med condition sounds somewhat limiting. In my neighborhood I’d be comfortable with a .32 H&R Mag with 4 inch barrel stoked with decent personal defense ammo. Lower recoil (if you need to use it) will be better on you while you’re medically compromised and over penetration would be limited.

No immediate next door neighbors? By all means pick whatever you think you can handle.
 
The lightest, handiest revolver you have in
.38 caliber range. Hopefully you would be
able to have it with you in a walker or
pants pocket all day long wherever you
go in your house.

I suggest you check out RevolvferGuy.com
latest posting on just this subject.
 
Anything you have listed will work.
It's all about what you can handle right now with the medical situation.

I would probably be thinking something light and simple, personally.
Maybe a pencil barrel Model 10, or a 3" Model 60-15 as mentioned.

You could even do the .32 if you don't mind feeding it and are comfortable with the horsepower.


If I wanted more and could handle more, of course I would "step up" accordingly.
Best wishes; I'm sure whatever you select will be fine.
 
Mizar said:
Light revolvers have the nasty habit of generating more felt recoil, all else being equal - just a thought...
Click to expand...

I doubt if one is firing the gun under the duress of a home invasion, that recoil will even be felt. Any of my shotguns with turkey loads hurt like 'ell when patterning them. Put a big ol' Tom out in front of me and I have yet to ever remember any recoil, even when days later, I notice a huge black and blue mark from not shouldering it correctly.

For a bedside gun, I don't see any reasoning for snub nosed air-weights. A medium framed DA revolver with a 4-6" barrel works for me.
 
Buck460XVR - while the 4" is a good suggestion, for close-in HD/SD, a snubbie (2") might be better. If the homeowner ends up grappling with an assailant, it will be easier to twist your hand around to get the shorter barrel on "target". Even if the perp grabs the barrel, 2" is shorter than the breadth of most male hands and they will have part of the hand in front of the muzzle. Shooting off a finger or two might "distract" them from what they had intended.
 
I live in a single-family house in a residential neighborhood in the exurbs. The crime rate is low. There are four adults here ATM. Someone is always home. Our alarm system is the two large dogs.

My medical condition is outwardly fine. I'm supposed to take it very easy so some stuff inside of me can heal. I should be able to shoot any of my firearms without a problem.

Bob Wright, you have pointed out a deficiency. Since I don't have a speedloader of extra ammo ready (the horror!), it might as well be a single-action revolver. I am used to them and shoot them well. Most of mine are too long in the barrel, but this 4.75" 357 is handy and a very good shooter. I would feel well-armed with it.

My various 44's and 45's are fair game. I enjoy shooting them.

Just curious what y'all would choose, if it had to be a revolver.

I don't have a 3" j-frame yet, but it's at the top of my list. :)

Cimarron Model P in 357 magnum

Cimarron Model P in 357 magnum

 
Tallball said:
I live in a single-family house in a residential neighborhood in the exurbs. The crime rate is low. There are four adults here ATM. Someone is always home. Our alarm system is the two large dogs.

My medical condition is outwardly fine. I'm supposed to take it very easy so some stuff inside of me can heal. I should be able to shoot any of my firearms without a problem.

Bob Wright, you have pointed out a deficiency. Since I don't have a speedloader of extra ammo ready (the horror!), it might as well be a single-action revolver. I am used to them and shoot them well. Most of mine are too long in the barrel, but this 4.75" 357 is handy and a very good shooter. I would feel well-armed with it.

My various 44's and 45's are fair game. I enjoy shooting them.

Just curious what y'all would choose, if it had to be a revolver.

I don't have a 3" j-frame yet, but it's at the top of my list. :)

Cimarron Model P in 357 magnum

Cimarron Model P in 357 magnum

Click to expand...

Thank you for the additional information.

If the crime rate is low, that would make me think if someone is coming in your home you were targeted.

If you have two dogs and still need to use a gun, that makes me think the bad guys fought through your dogs.

Based on the two (possibly flawed) assumptions, you might need more than a revolver.

-Stan
 
Tallball said:
I have a bunch of semiautomatic service pistols. They're great. But I'm a revolver guy. My Glocks and CZ's and 1911's and Sigs and Berettas and so forth will stay in the safe. Feel free to recommend them. They will still stay in the safe. :)

What would you choose as your all-around HD revolver, and why?
Click to expand...

You want me to do what, now?

Absent some reason of medical necessity, the two guns that absolutely ARE NOT staying in the safe are a Glock 30 and a CZ-75B. They are the two I have out this minute.

If there *is* some reason of necessity that it can't be an auto and I have to go with what I have, the single revolver I own is a 6" S&W 27-2.

In a hypothetical scenario where a room full of revolvers appears, containing a representative example of every revolver ever made, with ammunition available for it, I'd have a hard time choosing between a 4-inch S&W 686, and a 4-inch Ruger Redhawk .44 Mag, loaded with .44 Specials. I dare say I'd take both.

EDIT: @Tallball: sounds to me like you're looking for a reason to buy a 3" J-frame, and you want this to be it!
:D
 
Practically speaking, I'd say a 4" .357 magnum medium frame double action. I think if someone gets past the dogs, loud bangs and the "risk" of over penetration with appropriate ammunition will be of little concern.

However.... as you have two large capable dogs and live in a nice neighborhood, I think you should carry whatever tickles your Elmo.
 
Take your revolvers to the range. Put a silhouette at 10 yards. Load 2 rounds. Put it on the table in front of you, muzzle downrange. Set your timer on delay. Close your eyes. At the beep, open your eyes, pick up the gun and double tap the target. Which one do you shoot most consistently?

That’s your bedside gun.

When I did this, my Model 15 got the nod. They didn’t call it a Combat Masterpiece for nothing.
 
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If your healing for internal issues I highly recommend a trip to the range with your current selection of revolvers to see how your innards feel under the jar of recoil. Start light and go up. Whenever it’s uncomfortable (you will know when) step back down to the last gun / cartridge that you fired and that should be it.
Then get in some practice with your selected HD gun.

22 years ago I had half my large intestine removed due to severe diverticulitis. I am 61 now. That surgery changed some things for me for a while. One of those things was I could not handle the sharp jarring of .357 magnum ammo, but .45 ACP was okay. .38 was okay in a full sized Vaquero but really bothered me from a J frame. So, .45 it was and in my 1991A1. I did not expect that but the recoil from the .45 was more of a shove than a jar, so it won out in the test.

I hope you heal up well soon.
 
I choose the same gun as the one I use for camping, hunting.
A 4" Smith mountain gun in 45 Colt. A 255gr. lead SWC at 900fps but I must confess my new Colt King Cobra target feels so well balanced that I've started using it with 158gr lead SWC's at around 950 to a 1000 fps. Won't use full house 357mag. rounds as I value my hearing. ;)
 
"Light" is a relative term here.
When I say light as in a pencil barrel M10, I mean lighter than a GP or 686.
What I don't really mean is an Airweight snub.

My recommendations are based around .38/.357, because that's what I deal in for SD/HD.
I just got into .45 Colt in the past couple of years.


Again - if you can handle anything, then anything will work.
I just happen to be fond of 3" revolvers in general.
 
Tallball said:
What would you choose as your all-around HD revolver, and why?
Click to expand...

If I did go back to having a revolver as a home defense handgun, it would be a N-frame 8-shot S&W in .357 magnum with a laser grip on it.

Use .38 Specials if magnum blast isn't wanted.

Maybe this https://www.smith-wesson.com/product/model-627

Or this https://www.smith-wesson.com/product/mp-r8

Or this https://www.smith-wesson.com/product/model-327-trr8

Or this, if small-er and lighter is important https://www.smith-wesson.com/product/model-327

With a small pile of loaded moon clips.
 
Last edited:
chicharrones said:
If I did go back to having a revolver as a home defense handgun, it would be a N-frame 8-shot S&W in .357 magnum with a laser grip on it.

Use .38 Specials if magnum blast isn't wanted.

Maybe this https://www.smith-wesson.com/product/model-627

Or this https://www.smith-wesson.com/product/mp-r8

Or this https://www.smith-wesson.com/product/model-327-trr8

Or this, if small-er and lighter is important https://www.smith-wesson.com/product/model-327

With a small pile of loaded moon clips.
Click to expand...

This is my primary home defense gun for things that go bump in the night. My wife shoots it very well, which is a big plus. She actually likes this revolver.

S&W 327 Night Guard
01FD016B-A082-47DB-8F1C-5B319447C6A0.jpeg
 
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