Soliciting first purchase advice

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ansong

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I am interested in purchasing a snub nose revolver in .38 caliber. I've narrowed the options down to:
S & W M360 38sp Scandium
Used S & W 637 38sp
or the new
Ruger LCR 38sp

Of the three the used Smith and Wesson 637 is obviously the cheapest, but the brand new Ruger LCR is just over a hundred dollars more. The M360 is almost squarely in between.

Price isn't the only option however. It doesn't matter how studly the LCR looks if I can't purchase it.

The purpose of the weapon is home defense and fun-at-the-range. Any advice is greatly appreciated.
 
Used is fine, new is fine. Why get one chambered for .38 and be limited to that? Why not buy a .357mag, and be able to shoot .38 AND .357?
 
Used is fine, new is fine. Why get one chambered for .38 and be limited to that? Why not buy a .357mag, and be able to shoot .38 AND .357?
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He's talking about the .38 Spl. +P 360, not the 360PD which can shoot .357.

I'd go with one of the metal ones. :neener:

Seriously though, I don't think any of these guns are anywhere NEAR ideal for home defense OR fun at the range. They're so light, they're no fun to shoot, and you only have five rounds of a marginal caliber for home defense, with a slow reload to boot.

For fun at the range and home defense I'd recommend anything bigger and heavier, which accounts for about 95% of all handguns. Since you're talking about DAO .38 Spl. revolvers, take a look at these Model 64 Buybacks. They're a lot cheaper, stronger, more fun to shoot, easier to shoot accurately, hold six rounds, are easier to reload, and likely have better triggers.
 
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Of the three mentioned the 637 is hard to beat. This gun is designed for concealment or as a backup for your regular weapon. If you wanting a gun for home defense or shooting at the range you would be happier with a 4 inch .357 like the S&W 686.
 
If it's home defense and fun at the range you want a used Model 10 4". I have sold a boatload of these recently. It is surprising how well the old war horse works.
 
637 if we have to stay with your list

But if it was me, a older model 10 with a 2" barrel
I like the model 10's they are a nice gun and hard to beat, especially for the money
 
Seriously though, I don't think any of these guns are anywhere NEAR ideal for home defense OR fun at the range.
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Well, my reasoning is: a .38 caliber isn't going to kick too much in the first place. During a home invasion or something the adrenaline will be going so much that I doubt I would notice the recoil. And shooting it at the range would get me used to whatever recoil the gun did happen to have. I don't really have a reason not to have a longer barrel except that for some reason I like the snub-nosed look to the gun and if I ever felt it was necessary I could concealed-carry it.

As for the reason to buy a .38 frame instead of .357 well, primarily price. For some reason I can't find a reasonably priced .357 in stock (on the Internet anyways.)

Links (like the one to jgsales.com, I'll check that out) are welcome. As you can tell I'm new to the topic and apparently there's an entire culture to get familiar with :)
 
Sometimes I carry my Model 10 4" pencil barrel. I usually have one bullet in my shirt pocket when I do.
 
Sometimes I carry my Model 10 4" pencil barrel. I usually have one bullet in my shirt pocket when I do.
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I'm sorry, I burst out laughing when I read that. I don't know if you meant to reference this or not, but the first thing I thought of was Barney Fife from the Andy Griffith show and his solitary bullet.
 
After doing some looking at the jgsales.com site I think I may have found something more palatable to all of your sensibilities as well as my wallet: the Taurus Model 605 .357: http://www.jgsales.com/shopping_cart.php/p/taurus-model-605-357mag-5-shot-new/handguns/taurus

Kind of Blued: your recommendation was for the S&W Model 64, which also looks like an excellent gun. But I think I would prefer a SA/DA instead of DAO (that's double-action-only, right?) I recently went to the range and shot a S&W DAO .357 and found that I really disliked the trigger. I have only shot SA revolvers before then and found myself flinching when I expected the trigger to break and it didn't. The only reason I had a DAO gun on the short list was the reviews I had read of it. One review specifically stated that the problem of a DA trigger pull had been solved so I figured that I could live with anything better than what I had previously experienced.
 
personally,I would definitelyshop around for a 357 or similar value. you may only ever shoot .38 through it, but you will always have the option to put a 357 in if you get the notion... the frame may be a bit heavier, but that will only tame the recoil of the .38 even more... making follow up shots more accurate...
 
You can buy a new in box Taurus Tracker .357 for about $400. It holds 7 rounds, and despite being a Taurus, works well. I am not a fan of taurus autos, but my revolver is GRrrrreaT!
 
I am a big fan of Taurus Autos and revolvers... I have a 608 modified to accept moon clips... it is best shooting gun I own...
 
PT1911, maybe I've just had bad luck with their autos. Every one I've ever held has ftf, fte, or jammed in some other way. I do know people that have had good luck, just not me:)
 
For home defense I think it is best to go with a revolver definitely because it can sit loaded FOREVER without any damage unlike a autoloader. I personally like the S&W Model 22, Indiana Jones fan here.
 
I'm sorry, I burst out laughing when I read that. I don't know if you meant to reference this or not, but the first thing I thought of was Barney Fife from the Andy Griffith show and his solitary bullet.
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Yeah, obviously.
The Model 10 pencil barrel is really Barney Fifish (and people tell me he actually carried a Colt). It is as exciting as a station wagon. But there is a reason it is the oldest continuous production handgun in the country, if not the world.
 
I have heard of a couple people having complaints with taurus autos, but haven't known anyone personally. I do that know taurus has been known to replace every part of a gun (ie replace the gun) to fix whatever the failure to function is. Since this falls under their lifetime warranty, it works out to be just another plus, but I understand the hesitance that comes with a bad experience. Honestly, however, I have heard of more problems with Glocks than the new taurus guns.
 
LOL, yup, GLOCK. Better not say too much, but there's another one I won't be buying any time in near future! Unless of course I got a REALLY good deal.
 
I am going to agree with that sentiment , it would have to be ahelluva deal for me to consider purchasing a Glock. like 300 bucks for a full sized compensated 45....considering glocks prices, I would go with an XDm.
 
I recently bought a .45, and glock wasn't even a consideration. I was looking at the S&W M&P, and the SA XD. The salesman asked if I had looked at the Glock And I completely ignoring him, asked what the mag capacity was on the M&P:).........Bought the XD:)

Sorry about the hijacking ansong:(
 
good choice.. they are great guns. I dont know what the infactuation is that people have with Glocks. 10 years ago, I would understand.... now they are lagging and overpriced.
 
What damage does an autoloading pistol endure if it sits loaded forever? I'm unaware of any.
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Well if you keep the magazine loaded 24/7 then the spring eventually wears out. I mean it does take a super long time, and i guess i can't say from personal experience but if science serves me right then it all makes sense.
 
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