Revolver for edc.

My dad has a .44 bulldog. Its great. If you want heft Ruger SP101 all day long. We have had like 3 of these. Rock solid. At the end of the world, there will be cockroaches, and Ruger Revolvers.

Dogbite said:

My dad has a .44 bulldog. Its great. If you want heft Ruger SP101 all day long. We have had like 3 of these. Rock solid. At the end of the world, there will be cockroaches, and Ruger Revolvers.

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I went to my buddy’s today and I forgot he had a 642! I’ve never played with one. I thought my charter arms undercover had a great trigger. His 642 lock model was better! It’s bone stock as far as I know and it probably only has a hundred rounds through it. I was impressed with the j frame!

shoebox1.1 said:

I went to my buddy’s today and I forgot he had a 642! I’ve never played with one. I thought my charter arms undercover had a great trigger. His 642 lock model was better! It’s bone stock as far as I know and it probably only has a hundred rounds through it. I was impressed with the j frame!

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I guess the question is...was the trigger $200 better??

No.. lol. My pinky hangs off and I don’t see +P rounds NOT being snappy. That said it was nice. If I find one used dirt cheap (638 model ) I’ll jump on it—but I sure like emailing charters customer service and getting the owner on the line!

Another vote for the Ruger SP101. At that price, probably used, but regardless, it's small enough to carry, heavy enough to shoot all day, and tough enough to survive WWIII. There are more refined revolvers out there but the SP101 is exceptionally practical.

If you get the SP101, the bobbed hammer is definitely a must have for CCW. And I don't know if they're still out there or offered as a current model, but the 3" was nice. Little longer barrel and FULL LENGTH EJECTOR ROD. The one I've had for a while is the 2 and 1/4" (I think) and it ejects .38s just fine, but .357 you've gotta turn it over and punch it. Still get stuck shells sometimes and gotta pluck em out.

TonyAngel said:

If you get the SP101, the bobbed hammer is definitely a must have for CCW. And I don't know if they're still out there or offered as a current model, but the 3" was nice. Little longer barrel and FULL LENGTH EJECTOR ROD. The one I've had for a while is the 2 and 1/4" (I think) and it ejects .38s just fine, but .357 you've gotta turn it over and punch it. Still get stuck shells sometimes and gotta pluck em out.

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Unfortunately Ruger doesn't offer the 3" model with a DAO hammer, and Ruger WILL NOT sell you an aftermarket hammer as certain others will.

If one wants a 3" SP101 with a DAO hammer the only compromise that's available is to have a gunsmith bob the factory hammer, which isn't exactly the same thing as a DAO hammer.

Unfortunately.

I chose the SP101 DAO 2.25"357. The two criticisms I hear most often is the weight(26oz) and the trigger. A 10# replacement mainspring, hammer shims/hammer dog shims and polishing the spring strut made my trigger smooth, light and reliable. The weight I consider a plus allowing longer more comfortable range time which leads to better accuracy. AIWB is comfortable for me.

.38 Special said:

I would look for a mid-sized frame with a 4" barrel. Bigger guns are hard to conceal and somewhat uncomfortable. Smaller guns are hard to shoot.

I think older S&Ws are hard to beat, but good luck finding one in your price range. Rugers are probably a little more available, but maybe not by much, especially during end times.

The Charter Arms suggestion is a good one. I also would check out the pawn shops for Taurus and Rossi. I recently came across a well-used 4" Taurus 669 for $350. It would not win a beauty contest, but was reputed to be a functional handgun.

I personally would be happiest with a .357, but would take a .38 or .44 Special.

Good luck!

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My thoughts as well==A nice Pre-Lock Model 10, 4" barrel is hard to beat..Bill.

TonyAngel said:

If you get the SP101, the bobbed hammer is definitely a must have for CCW. And I don't know if they're still out there or offered as a current model, but the 3" was nice. Little longer barrel and FULL LENGTH EJECTOR ROD. The one I've had for a while is the 2 and 1/4" (I think) and it ejects .38s just fine, but .357 you've gotta turn it over and punch it. Still get stuck shells sometimes and gotta pluck em out.

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I CCW my SS 2.25" SP-101 SADA often, IWB. It only weighs 2 oz less then my SR9c and is a little smaller at the grip for me so its a little more comfortable to carry. I put the Mcarbo 10# main spring and 8# trigger return springs in mine and polished everything, its very smooth. I've found that my cylinder is kinda tight so if i shoot .38's in it, only takes a few, then .357's have to be forced out of the cylinder. If I clean it and then only shoot .357's they eject smoothly for most of the session of shooting. My vote is for the SP-101. Love mine.

billybob44 said:

My thoughts as well==A nice Pre-Lock Model 10, 4" barrel is hard to beat..Bill.

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Totally agree my Model 10 4" as well as the Model 64 are terrific revolvers. I'm more accurate with them than my SP but more of a challenge to carry. Six rounds is a plus. An old Bucheimer "concealor" holds them high and tight making it conceal under an untucked shirt.

Monster Zero said:

Unfortunately Ruger doesn't offer the 3" model with a DAO hammer, and Ruger WILL NOT sell you an aftermarket hammer as certain others will.

If one wants a 3" SP101 with a DAO hammer the only compromise that's available is to have a gunsmith bob the factory hammer, which isn't exactly the same thing as a DAO hammer.

Unfortunately.

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The single action sear on the hammer can be ground off, making it a true DAO. I bobbed the hammer and ground the single action sear off the hammer of my Taurus 85UL in post #50 myself.

I just traded my S&W SD9VE 9mm to an older gentleman for a SP101 2.25" in 38+P. I like this gun and it fits my Bulldog holsters!

I bought an SP 101 2.25 a few years ago. Sold it because it had to go back to Ruger too many times to be fixed. Subsequently bought a Charter Arms .44 and .357. The dog and pug fit the SP holsters just fine, including the K.L. Null SKR shoulder rig. Needless to say, I was happy to know that I had not wasted any money on the holsters when I discovered this.

I like the S&W M60. Stainless steel in .357 mag. I generally only shoot .38 Spl from it and I have the 3 inch barrel model. Enough gun weight that you can shoot .357 if you wish and a little longer sight radius. Ruger makes the SP101 with a 3 inch barrel too.

On paper the Ruger sp101 is what I wanted. In practice the Ruger LCR 38 +p is what actually works. My wife and I have had two SP101s. I sold the DAO which I intended to carry because it just couldn't get along with it. We kept the hammered model because it was her first gun and she still enjoys it. I can't shoot either of them well and came up to speed much quicker on the LCR platform. The trigger is great out of the box and it's just so much easier to shoot while not needing any of the trigger improvements I tried on the sp101. Choose the .357 magnum version to gain some weight and the 3" barrel if you don't think it's a problem to carry. They are commodity guns and you should find a fair price just about anywhere but it's a done deal. The SP101s were never satisfactory after spending time and money to improve them. They're heck for stout but I would consider it a carry gun in the making and plan on wearing it on a belt. Too heavy for my pockets! If I wanted to carry 6 shots over 5 I would probably move onto another manufacturer as the gp100 is a beastly gun to pack.

Truth be told, I found it so much easier to just carry a small 9mm that the romance of carrying a revolver wore off quickly. I wasn't carrying anything stronger than .38 +p which 9mm can easily match, the guns were cheaper, the options were great, spare mags pack easy, ammunition less expensive, it sat better in my waistband........ it's a lot to consider.

I have a small 9mm and it is definitely easier to carry than a revolver, but it is also infinitely more difficult to shoot effectively than any revolver. And that is the trap into which so many handgun carriers fall; convenience over effectiveness.

35W

35 Whelen said:

I have a small 9mm and it is definitely easier to carry than a revolver, but it is also infinitely more difficult to shoot effectively than any revolver. And that is the trap into which so many handgun carriers fall; convenience over effectiveness.

35W

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You can also get an SP-101 or LCR, as well as many others, chambered in 9 mm as well. But you'll have to use moon clips.

rwilky78 said:

You can also get an SP-101 or LCR, as well as many others, chambered in 9 mm as well. But you'll have to use moon clips.

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Being a Handloader, a 9mm revolver makes no sense. The .38 Special is an infinity more versatile cartridge and requires no moon clips.

35W

JERRY said:

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all of their LCRs do and some of their S/A revolvers as well. take off the grips and look on the right side where the hammer spring sits on a metal block with a built in lock.

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Some of their LCRs used to have a lock but none of mine have it. In fact, they may not put it on any of them now.