Ideal HD revolver?

My all time favorite "House Gun" is a S&W 1917 .45acp revolver. I highly recommend the Colt 1917 as well.

Anything similar to the 1917 configuation should also work as well.

 

MikeJ,

Thanks for answering the question in my earlier post. I am glad over-penetration is not an issue, since this simplifies my recommendations.

First -- and most important -- there is absolutely nothing wrong with the system (revolver and ammunition) you currently have. I would feel comfortable with that alternative . . . and I am hard to please.

Second, I like Jim March's fundamental suggestion -- and he is an expert, while I am a novice -- however, I would slightly modify it. I would load 3 or 4 rounds of top-quality, .38 Special +P personal defense ammunition (I favor Nyclads and LSWCHPs) followed by 2 or 3 rounds of a top-quality .357 magnum defensive load (CorBon and Georgia Arms Gold Dots are my current favorites). The advantage of this approach is simple: chances are excellent you will stop the "goblin" with the 3 or 4 .38 Special +P loads, but the 2 or 3 .357 magnum rounds are fired last in the event you have a "real" problem (e. g., multiple intruders, a felon on meth, and so forth).

Best regards.

 

I given more than a passing glance at a Ruger SRH in .480 Ruger.

It approaches a 20ga slug.

 

The recoil of a full powered load from a .480 would limit back up shots as needed. i.e. multiple bad guys. Though the idea of a .480 shooting a 250-275 grain JHP at about 800-1,000 FPS would be interesting.

 

Mannnnnn - I hate some things,,,,arrrrghhh!
(nothing directly related)

I had a nice long well thought out explanation to the "why a .480 Ruger " and had to scrap it. I looked at it and realized it *could* be misconstrued as a premeditated act.

The short line I guess is that *some* HD situations call for extreme penetration. <-- no, I'm not talking about shooting the JBT's when they come dressed in body armor. Think heavy cover for a BG...furniture - appliances etc. Sorry - if I go into more detail it could be read the wrong way.
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Obviously, hyper-bore calibers like the .454, .480, .475 etc family aren't suited for most suburban or apartment dwellers. Obviously, heavy magnums and hyper-bores are beyond the average shooter to deal with when it comes to recoil. I'll galdly concede those points.

(handgun)Recoil is a non factor for me. (longarm) recoil is a whole different ballgame. I max out at .30/30 levels w/longarms. A 12 ga is out of the question, and a 20 ga is just slightly above my tolerance level. Near .20 ga slug performance in a hand held has a great deal of appeal to me.

You gotta admit a 320 gr .480 Hydra Shok does have a lot of appeal

 

For me the Ideal HD Revolver - if concealment is not an issue - would be something like an SW 625 with 4" barrel and a bunch of loaded moon clips.

 

For me the ideal HD revolver would be an 8 shot S&W 357, SUPPRESSED, with a 4" effective barrel and less than 6" more of suppressor. I would stoke it with a HOT loaded 125 JHP at silly velocity. Suppressed there would be little noise (compared to a normal revolver anyway), virtually no recoil, and bad guys with HUGE holes in them if shot.

What is the difference between ^^^^ and my actual HD revolver? Mine is only 6 shots and is not suppressed . It is backup for a bottom feeder of similarbut higher performance and carrying 15 rounds, and backed up by a 14 round 45 acp, then we get into the artillery.....

 

I guess the best HD gun is the one you can shoot accurately & operate as second nature.

My wife's gun is a S&W 649 in .357 . It doesn't seem like a logical choice because its a snubbie, But this was the one she shot consistent & comfortable with. I keep it loaded with .38 glasers for her. I had her shoot 2 cylinders of the glasers to be familiarized. We normally shoot my .357 reloads at the range.

On my side of the bed, Its a S&W M24 .44 spl. I have autos, but IMO a revolver fits the KISS principle of a HD gun for me.

 

I think I'd prefer to have a bit longer barrel than 2.5" if I was looking to buy a dedicated home defense gun. If a variety of people will have access to the gun (such as a non gun crazy spouse) a revolver is probably the way to go.

When we lived in the suburbs, a 4" 686 loaded with 4 rounds of Blue Glazers followed by two rounds of 158 Gr semi jacketed LSWCHPs was the house gun/load of choice. Out in the boonies, six rounds of the 158 Grs are what you'd face in the house.

But the 12 gauge is always better.

 

My only .357 revo is a short-barrel "limited edition sheriif's model" Ruger Vaquero, so my first up HD handgun is a 1911. But (and this is the big pear-shaped but ) were I to select another .357, I would pick something along the line of the 4" GP-100, with 158-gr Gold Dots.

 

Ruger GP-100 in 357 Mag. 96% stopping power launched from the epitome of reliability!

 

My side... a S&W 296 .44 Special with Blazer 200gr Gold Dot HP's and a back-up speed loader with the same ammo. Her side... a 2" 10 with 158gr LSWC and a back-up speed loader similarly stoked. She'd rather have my 4" 625 and a couple of spare 230gr FMJ moonclips...

Stainz

PS Did I mention my six attack cats? I trust the BG's will be allergic...

 

How do you SUPPRESS a revolver? Wouldn't there be some noise from the barrel/cylinder gap?


A good quality .357M with a 4 inch barrel is a great HD gun. It balances almost perfectly in the hand.

 

Ruger GP-100, Stainless, four-inch, half-lug, fixed sights, loaded with 145 grain Silvertips.

 

My HD gun is a blued 4" Ruger GP-100 with an express sight setup. Big Dot tritium front with Bowen Rough Country V-notch rear. This makes for very fast target acquisition and sight alignment. Also good in low light situations.

 

Suppressing a revolver involves either a weird contraption that covers the cylinder gap and the barrel or using a Nagant with its gas seal cylinder. When you pull the trigger on the Nagant the cylinder mover forward and the mouth of the case forms a seal with the barrel and closing the gap.

The tunnel rat Revolver, a highly modified S&W 29 snub nose, also solves the problem by using a shell that has a plunger, that when fired pushes the shot charge out of the shell but keeps the gases in the shell. I think the cartridges were made of steel and shot 3 or 4 pellets. IIRC the Tunnel rat revo is a classIII item because it is a suppresed cartridge.........