Best revolvers to buy used

my favorites

The best used revolver to get is an old classic. They warm the heart.

awgrizzly said:

The best used revolver to get is an old classic. They warm the heart.

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That they most certainly do!

Deaf

I want to second everyone who suggested Ruger as a good used buy. The S&W’s are all going for ridiculous money at this point while Rugers are not in the collector status that S&W is being adorned with. They are both good guns but for the much more reasonable used price tag I would find a GP-100, Security Six, SP-101, or one of their single actions. You can Google up some very easy instructions on smoothing up the actions in Rugers if you have at least the slightest mechanical aptitude. None of mine have even needed it. Yes, some of my Smith’s have better triggers but it is almost unnecessary how nice they are. And I have a Python in need of work that my last quote was the same price as a new GP-100. So in the safe she stays. That is my only negative with used Colt revolvers. At the risk of starting a fire, some of the Taurus guns are decent. My 605 is a great small .357 revolver. But I completely understand that I may just be lucky. But then again, I’m also not trying to use it to fire the most maxed out magnums that I can find. It is fed .38’s and the occasional Golden Saber to keep in practice. It has none of the horror stories that some Taurus owners have regaled us with. My Taurus 94 does have a very heavy double action pull but it’s a plinker that is usually fired in single action mode, so again I guess I’m lucky. And if I ever have the money and see a decent price on a Rossi Cyclops then I will own my first Rossi. And I wouldn’t shy away from a used Dan Wesson. I would steer clear of the EAA Windicators though. They have all been pretty rough when I handled them. And there is a new line of Philippine made clones of Colt revolvers out there that might make better maracas than guns. I’m not sure of the brand name stamped on them. I say your best bet would be Ruger.

some of my Smith’s have better triggers but it is almost unnecessary how nice they are

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I find that I shoot better with a good trigger...so I would call that an advantage. When the ball drops I want all of the advantages that I can get.

My favorites are the ones I feel I paid way too much for. The fact that I like them makes the purchase price a little less painful. But at least they are all in very good condition. That helps a bit.

1. Ruger Security Six 4" (1972 or '74) I don't remember.
2. Ruger BH 3 screw 6 1/2" (1972)
3. S&W Mod. 14 Combat Master 4" (1958)
4. S&W Mod. 36 Chiefs Special 2" (1974)

Poor wording on my part. I mean that the trigger on the Smith vs. the Rugers don't affect my accuracy at all. The Smith just tends to be lighter while the Ruger is about as smooth with more pull weight.

If you can remember only half the things you are supposed to check when buying a used revolver, may I suggest bringing the list back up on the internet, printing it, and taking it with you when you go shopping? My personal experience is that 100 year old Colts and S&Ws are almost always in better shape than Ivar Johnsons, H&As or H&Rs.
-BothellBob

Let's go about it this way. Usually one can tell a "Bad"revolver pretty easy. It will have a sloppy loose cylinder a large easily visible b/c gap, odd fitting parts,unusual file or sanding marks,bent or broken sights,wrong screws in the side plate or hand grips,altered hammer, ill fitting grips,painted parts,poorly reblued areas,bent side plates,wobbly ejector rods...

By checking some of these areas you will weed out the truly bad choices. That's not to say that if the piece has a couple of these obvious defects it cannot be made into a fine looking shooting iron. By handling new or near new guns you will soon learn to discern the good from the bad regardless of the brand. I hope this helps and good luck!!

S&W all ways

Pre-lock S&W.
Buy at a fair price and you can't and won't lose money, no way no how.

JMHO

Bob


















00

While there is nothing wrong with a gun like a Ruger GP 100, I enjoy the "hunt" of a nice classic....You likely won't run down to your local gun store and find a nice classic at a great price, but if you keep your eyes and ears open and put out your "feelers" they pop up. With a little patience, you can find a nice, boxed, sometimes unfired classic for the price of a used production gun, like a GP 100.

Any brand like Ruger, S&W or Colt should be good as long as they weren't abused. But you have to know what to look for to some extent.

The S&W N frame .357's are tanks but I've seen some that were shot to death where the cylinder had to much play. Really makes you wonder what they shot in it as these are tough.

Dan Wesson's are supposedly good also but they scare me as you don't see very many.

I think if a person is a average guy with some gun knowledge and wants a reliable used revolver and also is still made, parts are availiable and can be fixed by the person or gunsmith then a Ruger GP100 is the best option. They are easier to take apart and do cleanup well and even a person with average skills can improve the trigger pull. The GP100 is also not going to set the average person back as much money as other makes of guns. I can find good used GP100s for around $400. S&W revolvers will cost more and so will a colt. The second option would be a Ruger Security Six. Very close in design as a GP100. Only bad thing is their not made anymore and parts are getting scarce.
I own both S&W revolvers as well as Ruger. But if I wanted a reliable all around revolver it is hard to argue against a Ruger GP100.
Howard