Seeking Advice on a Revolver Gift

[Stainz]

The 10 would be a great inexpensive intro - and reasonable to keep plinking away with, as .38's are widely available and relatively cheap. You could always get a SS 64 or 67, if the SS is more to his likes. The 620 would be optimal, in my view - but I like partial lugs.

As he liked the big-bore .45 Colt 625MG, perhaps a more frugal .45, as mentioned earlier, might be the answer. You just cannot beat a 4" or 5" 625 in .45 ACP for 'big-bore' fun at a realistic cost, both for the ammo and the recoil. My most recent one, actually a 625JM, is a fine shooter. You can buy .45 ACP ball ammo anywhere - for a little more than lead .38 Specials. The moonclips, a bit tedious to load/unload for some, are a fast reload, that's for sure. Used, the 5" variants are out there - generally at better prices, due to some handgun competitions limiting barrel length to 4". The 625JM is just a few bucks more new - and comes with a Miculek wood stock. The only person I know who was unhappy with his 625JM, actually selling it after just a few days from new, was a left handed semi-auto competitor who couldn't master LH-ed reloads. One fellow immediately bought a new Taurus 5-shot 4" version - which just didn't fare so well, trigger or accuracy wise. He is waiting for a 625, too.

The 'up' side of the 625 purchase... if he doesn't like it, you'll have that 625 you wanted!

Stainz

 

[XavierBreath]

A lot of this will depend on what you want to spend on the gun.

Under $300- Get him a nice used Model 10, 13, 15 or 19.

Between $300 & 500- Get him a nice used Model 26, 27, or 686.

Over or around $500- I agree with S&Wfan. Get him a nice used K-22 or Model 17 or 18. Give him the joy of shooting, and a tool to build marksmanship with as well as an appreciation of the older, finer Smith & Wessons. Let him buy his own .357 magnum. Most shooters do not appreciate the value of the K-22 until a more experienced shooter steers them towards it. There are still a lot of wheelgunners out there who wonder why the Smith .22 revolvers are so cherished. They are usually the ones shooting wide groups.

This is not poppycock. If he wants to learn to shoot double action revolvers accurately in double action mode, then he must invest some time and ammunition building trigger control. He can spend hundreds of dollars trying to do that with .38 specials in a .357 while battling a flinch. Or he can spend a heck of a lot less, shoot a heck of a lot more, and build trigger control and marksmanship a heck of a lot quicker with a .22 caliber double action Smith & Wesson revolver. The skills he learns with the K-22 trigger transfer over to everything he shoots. As an NRA instructor, I too, have taught a lot of people how to shoot. Many of them have struggled for years wondering why they cannot hit squat, and going to the range alone so their marksmanship does not embarrass them. Invariably they moved to large calibers before learning trigger control. If you like your brother, you will buy him the .22. It's a quality revolver he will appreciate greatly, yet is unlikely to buy for himself at this stage of the game. That is the essence of a fine gift.

Tell your brother to get a 12 gauge pump shotgun for home defense. It's more effective and safer than a .357 anyway.

 

[lawboy]

Hi, interesting thread with LOTS of great ideas. Here is my humble opinion.
As long as he likes the gun, and he can afford to shoot it either via your reloads, his reloads, or rimfire ammo, the other characteristics are immaterial. If you want him to love shooting, buy him a gun AND THE TWO OF YOU GO SHOOTING REGULARLY TOGETHER. Shooting is an activity that increases tremendously in importance when it is shared with someone you love, and connected to hours of fellowship with that person. If your brother and yourself shoot together regularly, he will love shooting for a lifetime. Regards.

 

[BluesBear]

I can't wait to see the next post.
But unfortunately I have more bullets to deliver.
I'll check back in here in a few hours.

 

[.45 Cal]

Just have to thank everyone again for the great information and all your thoughts and recommendations. I'm really liking the idea of a 19 or 66, both for quality, history and shootability. And the more I think about it the more I want one myself! Must...resist...until...brother's...birthday! I have till November...

 

[wbond]

I recommend he trade his Smith stock for Ruger stock and then

get an SP101 revolver in .38 or .357, or maybe a GP100, or whatever the full size are called.