My First Revolver: Asking for recommendation...

[Shinken]

So far I have a Sig P226 9mm (full size semi), and a CZ 75 D PCR 9mm (compact) coming tomorrow. Well, to add variety to my collection I want the third pistol to be a revolver. It will be used at range and (hopefully not) for home defense. Should my first revolver be a 38 special or a 357? Can anyone recommend a specific revolver? For some reason I am leaning towards Smith & Wesson but I am pretty open minded.

Thanks as always folks!

CC

 

[rgs1975]

You can never go wrong with a S&W. Finest revolvers made in my opinion. If you get yourself a nice .357 you can shoot both .357 and .38 Special...best of both worlds.

 

[Shinken]

If you get yourself a nice .357 you can shoot both .357 and .38 Special

Very nice, I did not know that.

CC

 

[rgs1975]

Yup.

.357 and .38 Special are the same diameter bullet. The difference is the .357 has a longer cartridge. The only issue with shooting .38 out of a .357 gun is it's a bit more work to clean. You end up getting carbon build up in the front of the cylinder from the short cases. I know it can be misleading with the names of the two rounds.

 

[socaldan]

SMITH & WESSON MODEL 29.......

 

[8830]

I recommend a 686 4" or 6". It'll shoot both 38 and 357 and is a great revolver.

 

[trickyasafox]

used rugers are often nice. I have a security six I would not soon part with.

the GP100s have considerably better triggers than the six line (in my opinion anyway)

smith and colt are fantastic- but come at a price.

taurus has improved in quality as well as of late

 

[ArchAngelCD]

If you're looking for a good range only revolver I would suggest a 6" S&W Model 686 or a Ruger GP-100. If you are going to use the revolver for the range and for Home Defense I recommend the same two revolvers but with a 4" barrel instead.

 

[glockman19]

My First Revolver was a S&W 686 4" .357 mag. It is perfectly balanced and has that great S&W trigger. I then got a S&W 629 5" .44 mag. Again another perfectly balanced gun.

Get either a S&W 686 or Ruger SP 101 or GP 100

 

[Snapping Twig]

S&W or Ruger will serve you well at reasonable cost. Obviously a .357 is the one you want given your criteria.

4 or 6 inch barrel...that's going to depend on which gun you select, some are nose heavy with a 6", but for powerful loads it's a plus.

S&W has 3 basic size offerings: K small, L medium and N large.

Ruger offers a small frame - SP 101, and a medium frame GP 100 and of course some really nice single actions.

 

[Evocatii]

S&W 686+ 4"
This one really stands out in my opinion. It has proven to be very versatile.

S&W has 3 basic size offerings: K small, L medium and N large.

Lets not forget about the J frames.

 

[LKB3rd]

.357/.38 is a good combo. I shoot my .357 with .38's at the range, and the recoil is very manageable, and it is super accurate. When I want to make some more noise, I break out the .357's.

 

[wnycollector]

My 1st .357 was a S&W N frame (M28-2), but my favorite is a snubbie Ruger security six. You cant go wrong with a used 4" Ruger or S&W. CDNN has a pretty good deal ($269) for used model 65's. I regularly see 4" Ruger "sixes" for ~$275-300 at local gun shows.

 

[Tortuga12]

my humble opinion...

You can't go wrong with a S&W model 10 or 15. "Only" .38 special, but the perfect size, weight, and balance!

In .357, I like the Colt Trooper Mk III. What a gorgeous gun!!!

 

[Pilot]

So far I have a Sig P226 9mm (full size semi), and a CZ 75 D PCR 9mm (compact) coming tomorrow.

Good choices in semi-auto pistols! I like both S&W and Ruger revolvers. I like the GP100 in .357 mag for reasons others have stated. I can shoot lightly loaded .38 specials for practice or put fill house magnums in it for woods carry.

 

[sargenv]

and if you want really anemic ammo.. though a tad expensive.. you can also use 38 short or long colts in any 38 or 357 magnum gun. One trick for competition revolver shooters is to use the short or long colts for a shorter overall length and there is less effort when kicking clear a moon clip full of those than there is with the 38 specials.