Help me pick a Revolver for Self defense

[BluedRevolver]

I have decided to buy a handgun for self defense, but I could use some help deciding what.

My requirements for a self defense handgun are:

-Must be in a double action revolver (I can't shoot autos worth a crap)
-Must be in a relatively powerful cartridge, one known for good one shot stops, similar in power to .45 acp, .357 or more.
-Must have relatively low recoil, muzzle blast, and flash, to allow for fast follow up shots, similar to .40, .45, etc..


Up until now all I've owned as far as handguns is my grandfather's old k-22 in .22 lr. That said, I've fired thousands and thousands out of it, and am quite accustomed to the double action revolver.

Please help me. I know I've been posting a lot lately but I am trying to make the right decision.

 

[357 Terms]

44 special or a 45 acp

Muzzle blast and recoil (not to mention noise) will probably put the 357 out as per your requirements.

Smith has made many different models chambered in these calibers.

 

[BluedRevolver]

44 special or a 45 acp

Muzzle blast and recoil (not to mention noise) will probably put the 357 out as per your requirements.

Smith has made many different models chambered in these calibers.

What sort of revolvers would you recommend? I'm not inclined to get one of the new Smith and Wessons

 

[The Lone Haranguer]

Concealed carry might be a little more difficult, but this has four-inch barreled S&W Model 25-2 or 625 (.45 ACP) written all over it. Being a revolver, bullet shape is irrelevant, so you can use any hollowpoint you wish, including +P. Second choice would be a "light heavyweight" frame, four-inch .357 Magnum, e.g., S&W 686 or Ruger GP100. Some .357 loads have some pretty nasty blast and flash, though.

 

[BluedRevolver]

I'm not really familiar with .44 Special. Can someone enlighten me? Is it as powerful as .45 ACP? Aren't .44's actually a .429 diameter?

 

[Billymac296]

Charter Arms

Bulldog 44sp
http://www.charterfirearms.com/products/Charter_Bulldog_14420.html

 

[BluedRevolver]

did s&w make a prelock .45 acp 625?

 

[jad0110]

^^^ That, or you could go with a 4" S&W Model 29 in .44 Magnum and just stick to .44 Specials. But, a Model 25 in 45 ACP is probably more practical if you don't reload. .44 Special is a reloader's cartridge, unless you have lots of extra disposable income lying around.

Honestly though, don't get hung up on one shot stops. The only sure one stop in a handgun would come from a CNS hit. Any cartridge that penetrates sufficiently (ie, the FBI's 12 minimum) and offers the bonus of expansion should be plenty effective for self defense. That includes just about all medium and large bore calibers.

I feel plenty confident with .38 Special. Plenty of penetration, with the bonus of expansion with good quality ammo choices. And the recoil is quite mild in a steel frame. I'm partial to the 158 grain lead semi wadcutter hollow point +P myself.

The advantage the .38 Special is that there are TONS of revolvers available chambered in that caliber or .357 Magnum. Since you already have a K Frame based K-22, I can't think of a more ideal handgun than a K Frame in .38 Special or .357 Magnum. Practice time on the K-22 would very directly transfer to a .357 or .38 on the same frame.

In stainless steel, that would be one of the following models:

64: 38 Special, fixed sights
65: 357 Magnum, fixed sights
66: 357 Magnum, adjustable sights
67: 38 Special, adjustable sights

In blue:

10: 38 Special, fixed sights (a blued model 64)
13: 357 Magnum, fixed sights (a blued model 65)
15: 38 Special, adj sights (a blued model 67)
19: 357 Magnum, adj sights (a blued model 66)

There are other K frame revolvers in 38 special, such as the Model 14 (almost always found with 6" barrels) and the fairly rare aluminum frame Model 12.

All of these revolvers (with the exception of the Model 29 for most folks) are pretty easy to carry as well, given a stiff gun belt and nice leather or kydex holster.

Here are a few pics of some of the guns I've described above:


4" Model 29, .44 Magnum





5" Pre-Model 10 Military & Police, .38 Special





4" Model 15, .38 Special





3" Model 13, .357 Magnum





4" Model 19, .357 Magnum





2.5" Model 66, .357 Magnum

 

[sidheshooter]

I really like the .44 spec cartridge. In peak loadings, they will come plenty close enough to .45 acp's peak loads, although the .45 has a lot more heavy or high-tech loadings to choose from. The main concern (IMHO, of course) is whether this revolver will be used for CCW. If not, you can do a whole lot worse than haunting gunbroker for a used S&W .44 special.

If CCW is an issue, then the above charter starts to look pretty good.

All that said, there is one caveat here (also IMHO): .44 is not cheap to practice with unless one reloads a lot. That's a big part of why I'm up to my elbows in .38 special revolvers (I'm especially fond of K-frames in all lengths and weights). I'll take the more modest power for a whole lot more practice: they'll all do the job if one can get the hits under pressure.

On edit: I see that some of my points were made in better fashion, above, while I was posting. I have many of the same revolvers suggested, so +1 to the post with all the great pics in it...

 

[357 Terms]

If your just looking for a defense gun (not for carry) a model 25 (45) or a mod.24 would fill your needs. Check out a old mod. 1917.
Then again the new Smith Night guard series would be great for both carry and home defense.

 

[jad0110]

I'm not really familiar with .44 Special. Can someone enlighten me? Is it as powerful as .45 ACP? Aren't .44's actually a .429 diameter?

You are correct about the diameter. Overall, they are very similar cartridges performance wise (heavy bullet, low pressure, low velocity). The only problem with .44 Special is that it is pricier and harder to find than .45 ACP. Hence why many consider a reloader's round, much like 10mm or 45 Colt.

Here is an example of a dedicated .44 Special revolver, a 3" Taurus 431. I paid under $270 for this one earlier in the year. Almost a slick and smooth as a S&W 696 (also a .44 Spl 5 shooter), but it costs about 2/3 less.

did s&w make a prelock .45 acp 625?

They did. They also made a pre-lock 25 (same gun with a blued finish).

 

[bikemutt]

Before choosing a handgun, I suggest you go rent a few of them in the calibers you are considering, if that's possible. The goal should be to find the one you can shoot well. A big, heavy gun that won't be carried, or a handful lightweight that's punishing to practice with is not the answer. The suggestions so far are right on from my experience, but the round is only a part of the picture.

Heretical as it is to say here, I never thought I'd carry an auto but, the Ruger LC9 is my carry piece. I understand it, it carries easy, I can pleasurably practice with it all day, and I shoot it well, for me.

 

[tightgroup tiger]

I just bought a SP 101 in 327 federal. It would work for both home and ccw and the recoil is supposed to be 20% lower than 357 magnums.
They are a beautiful piece of work and the 327 is pretty potent for all the bigger it is. My wife won't be afraid to shoot this one. I doubt she would like a 44 special's recoil out of a small frame pistol.

 

[BluedRevolver]

so yall think a .357 mag out of a 6" or so barrel would be a bit over my preferences?

 

[MachIVshooter]

Charter Arms

Bulldog 44sp

I'll second that. I love mine. Light weight and small, but pleasant to shoot and quite accurate. Also packs quite a wallop:



And in between a Ruger SP-101 and a S&W 686 6" (medium size L-frame), for size copmparison:



The little Bulldog does thump pretty good on the back side with my 210 gr/980 FPS handloads, but no more than a .357 of the same size, and without the obnoxious noise and muzzle blast.

 

[roaddog28]

You might try at the range a 45, 357 magnum and even a 38+P round. You might be surprise that the 38 special round will give you fast followup shots. Shot placement is key in stopping a attacker. Buffalo Bore makes a LSWCHP 158gr +P round that is plenty powerful.

 

[Stainz]

As far as 'one shot stops' are concerned, once you get shot placement down, smaller calibers are quite effective. A human target just doesn't require the same terminal ballistics as a cape buffalo. A snub nosed .38 S&W Special - with the proper ammo - like the old 'FBI load' of a +P 158gr LHPSWC or the more recent Speer +P 135gr Gold Dot short barrel load - will be more than adequate. Even in an enclosed hammer Airweight, like the S&W 642 in sliver or 442 in black, it will be great personal protection. It has the benefit of easy pocket carry, where legal. My 642 is my 24/7 companion. Check out the "642 Club Part Three' here - or the arlier two iterations. You can get familiar at the range with 125-130 gr .38 plinkers - plentiful and less expensive than the .45 ACP, much less the .44 Special.

If you think bad guys may ride up on bison, and a .45 Colt is needed - consider the 30 oz 2 5/8" Night Sight equipped dynamo from S&W known as the Governor. That Melonite/black finished Al/Sc/SS six shooter will handle .45 ACP's, .45 Colts, or .410 Shotgun shells - all now available even at WallyWorld. Mine has a home!

Stainz

 

[fireside44]

-Must be in a double action revolver (I can't shoot autos worth a crap)
-Must be in a relatively powerful cartridge, one known for good one shot stops, similar in power to .45 acp, .357 or more.
-Must have relatively low recoil, muzzle blast, and flash, to allow for fast follow up shots, similar to .40, .45, etc..

I would recommend a .44 special as well, but unless you reload you are gonna go broke shooting it. I would recommend a good cheap Rossi .357 using .38's for plinking and .38+p for your SD loads. It's your cheapest route that will fulfill your requests. It is also a good gun. In my experience though, the .44 special will still offer less snap than a .38+p unless you run up some good smokin' loads.

 

[PabloJ]

I have decided to buy a handgun for self defense, but I could use some help deciding what.

My requirements for a self defense handgun are:

-Must be in a double action revolver (I can't shoot autos worth a crap)
-Must be in a relatively powerful cartridge, one known for good one shot stops, similar in power to .45 acp, .357 or more.
-Must have relatively low recoil, muzzle blast, and flash, to allow for fast follow up shots, similar to .40, .45, etc..


Up until now all I've owned as far as handguns is my grandfather's old k-22 in .22 lr. That said, I've fired thousands and thousands out of it, and am quite accustomed to the double action revolver.

Please help me. I know I've been posting a lot lately but I am trying to make the right decision.

I would say sadly long discontinued S&W Model 12 with 3" or 4" barrel and round butt would be about best defense revolver one could possibly get.

 

[BluedRevolver]

I would recommend a .44 special as well, but unless you reload you are gonna go broke shooting it. I would recommend a good cheap Rossi .357 using .38's for plinking and .38+p for your SD loads. It's your cheapest route that will fulfill your requests. It is also a good gun. In my experience though, the .44 special will still offer less snap than a .38+p unless you run up some good smokin' loads.

I'm not really worried about cheap. I'm not going to skip out on my first self defense handgun. I'm willing to spend what is necessary for a long lasting, accurate, reliable package.

That said, it does appear that .44 Special is a bit tough and expensive to get a hold of unless you are a hand loader, which at this point I'm not.

 

[beatledog7]

Concur with the consensus above: .44 special rocks as a defense round. I shoot them from a Ruger Redhawk, which is a .44 Magnum and heavy and way strong for even that, so as you can imagine, it feels like a .38 special when I shoot .44 specials.

But .44s can be expensive--well, they always are. If you don't reload and aren't well bankrolled, get a medium frame .357 and shoot .38spl +P rounds. The best of these are close to factory .357s in oomph.

 

[fireside44]

I'm not really worried about cheap. I'm not going to skip out on my first self defense handgun.

I didn't mean to imply that it was cheap, meaning cheaply built. It is a quality weapon and I had noticed you were not really into buying a new S&W so I threw it out there.

A Ruger SP101 would be a good choice as well, but I don't consider the extra couple hundred dollar price tag to net you that much extra in value. Me and many others have had good luck with Rossis. If something were to happen to it, such as a scratch or if it were stolen you wouldn't have to cry the blues quite as long.

 

[Deaf Smith]

I'd suggest a..

S&W K or L 2 1/2 inch or..

GP100 3 inch or

Ruger Speed Six 2 2/4 inch in .357 or S&W M64 in .38 with Buffalo Bore 158gr LSWHP.

And possibly..

M60 .38sp for summer carry or Security Six 2 3/4 turned into a round butt style, or 640 .357 (also a good summer gun).

And yes all of these are mine and all shoot strait.

Deaf

 

[230therapy]

 

[BluedRevolver]

I didn't mean to imply that it was cheap, meaning cheaply built. It is a quality weapon and I had noticed you were not really into buying a new S&W so I threw it out there.

A Ruger SP101 would be a good choice as well, but I don't consider the extra couple hundred dollar price tag to net you that much extra in value. Me and many others have had good luck with Rossis. If something were to happen to it, such as a scratch or if it were stolen you wouldn't have to cry the blues quite as long.

LOL that's true! I'd cry if I had a scratch on a Colt Python or the like!