Revolvers only 5" up to 6.5"

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If1HitU

If1HitU

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In my revolver family collection I don't have anything longer than a 4.2" barrel. I going to add a 5" & 6" or 6.5" to the family in this coming year 2018. Any suggestion what I might add to the family in the price range south of a thousand dollars? Oh i'm saying I will be adding two revolvers, between those three barrels length.
 
I have two that fit what you're going for, a Ruger Single Seven 7.5" and a Ruger Super Blackhawk 6.5" in .480 Ruger. Something to consider.
 
6" or 6.5" are very sweet and classic revolver target length. The 6"+ length starts to get Magnums up to their published velocity figures. 8 3/8 " ect are front heavy, not a bad thing ,they really get magnums moving and are about the practical limit for carry and balance IMHO. I have a Model 48 S&W .22 mag and a 29-2 .44 that I am fond of. All my classic Colt and S&W are 6 " in .22 or .38. O yes the 7 1/2" are great and classic in SA and balance extremely well and carry ok too. !
 
It would be good to know what caliber you're looking for.

I just acquired a 5.5" Ruger Redhawk (44mag) and I'm loving it.
 
In addition to the chambering you want, it would be good to know if you're looking strictly for new stuff or if used stuff is okay. Most any 6" Smith and Wesson from, say, 1902 through about 1980 would be worth looking at. :cool:
 
Caliber, single or double action? New or Used?
There are some good deals out there just got to know what you want, when you see it go after it and have cash available, that always makes for a better and faster deal.
 
I'd recommend you look at a first generation Colt Trooper or Colt 3-5-7 with a six inch barrel. You can still find these great 1960's DA revolvers for well under 1K.

These guns are Pythons in everything but final finish.
 
I have a strong preference for shorter barrels, but I do have a S&W Model 57 with a 6" barrel and it feels very natural and good on the N-Frame.
 
6.5" is my favorite barrel length for a target revolver, but a 6" is not bad either. You can't go wrong with either length in a S&W 27-2 or a Pre-27. My favorite though is the S&W Model of 1950 in .44 Special with a 6.5" barrel. I did see one that sold for under a thousand recently but they often go for much more.

I really like the 5" barrel for a fixed sight revolver. My favorite is a 5" S&W Triple Lock or 1926 in .44 Special, but those are typically much higher than your budget in good condition. A 5" S&W 38/44 Heavy Duty would be a good choice within your budget.

I second the suggestion of the Colt 3-5-7. I have a 4" and a 6" and both are excellent revolvers.
 
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A really under rated gun is the older S&W Model 19 with 6" barrel. In the early 80s I had JD Jones magnaport , round butt ,smooth up and Metal life one for me , one of the last pinned and recessed ones . to carry while back packing, It went all over the Sierras and Big Sur , all non grizzly country as my go to gun. I carried it in an Original Jackass Dirty Harry rig shoulder system with a couple Bianchi reloading strips as my hiking weapon. It brought down deer , pig , Lion, Badger and raccoon out to 100 yards rested from 1983-99 at least..These do hold up better than you think long term. I usually shot my own 173 grain cast Kieth type boolits in it loaded with a tamped 2400 powder load it liked and was sighted for. That load would rivet up to .50 and go completly thru a 250 pound pigs shoulders
http://www.gunbroker.com/item/713794299
 
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If1HitU said:
I'm going to add a .38/.357 Magnum and a .44 Magnum to my collection. but at the three barrel length I mention DA and new. Thanks
Click to expand...

For a 44magnum, in 5-6.5" barrels, you're talking Ruger Redhawk, or an S&W. Personally, I'd jump up to a 7.5" barrel and get a Super Redhawk in 44magnum - get more out of the cartridge. The 5.5" Redhawk is a slick piece, but the single spring action isn't as tunable as the Super Redhawk, and the traditional style grip frame isn't as versatile as the Super's internal tang style - for example, the Redhawk grip doesn't fit my big hands at all, I really struggle to manage such a skinny grip neck, but I sacrifice grip integrity to add a more filling grip. The 5.5" Redhawk is a great revolver, don't get me wrong, but the Super Redhawk is a considerable upgrade - and unfortunately, it's only available in 7.5" and 9.5" for 44magnum.

A 6" 27 was my first hunting revolver as a kid, borrowed from an uncle. Since then, I really haven't had much use for a service length 4-6" 357magnum, as it really just doesn't have the punch in the field I need, so I can't really justify such a long barrel. If you're target shooting, a longer barreled GP100, 686, or 627 would make a great mid to long range revolver.
 
In my opinion...

I like 6" to 6-1/2" barrel revolvers, primarily S&W, although the 4-5/8" and 5-1/2" Ruger Blackhawks are nice handling firearms.

Big 4" barreled revolvers such as S&W N frames just seem to have a barrel that is too short. They do shoot well though.

Recently, I've added a couple S&W revolvers, K and N frames, with 8-3/8" barrels. Depending on what you are planning to do with the gun, I was surprised at how nicely these handled. Of course, they do not conceal well due to the barrel length.

These opinions and $5 will get you a cup of designer coffee at your local coffee emporium.
 
Given the parameters new DA between 5 and 6.5 inches, one .357 and one .44, I'd go with a 5.5-inch Redhawk and a 6-inch GP100.
 
S&W 929

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