Sucker for cheap revolvers?

[TonyB]

I have a Rossi 461 that I love.$150....so who else is a sucker for the cheapies,and what are they?Nothing gets me more excited than finding a beat up,used cheap revolver,that's a good shooter.You know the one that all the other guys over look when buying their uber-tactical-super-high speed-low drag-auto thingy.

 

[Will5A1]

Old Model 10's/M&P's/Victorys I just can't resist, honest guns that someone carried, day in and day out, relied on, and I can still find them at reasonable prices.

 

[Harry Paget Flashman]

TonyB. Kindred spirit!

I am an absolute sucker for a "value-priced" revolver. In past several years I've gotten these:

-Astra NC-6 .38SPCL from Century for $150
-Armscor Model 200 .38SPCL, NIB, from AIM for $159
-Polish Gward .38SPCL, LNIB from CDNN for $139. I liked it so much that I ended up buying 3. If they have any left, buy one now. They only made ~4500 of them.
-S&W Model 10, Hong Kong Customs police surplus, ~$200ish from local gun store.
-Iver Johnson Cadet .38SPCL from local shop, ~$100ish
-Iver Johnson Sealed-8 .22, local shop ~$120ish
-H&R 999 .22, gunstore in Tampa, $150ish.
-Trocaola Aranzabal y Cia .38SPCL, Spanish "Model 10" knock off, $95 from Cherry's Fine Guns.

All in the pursuit of being a 3 digit gun owner.

 

[XavierBreath]

Count me in! I'm addicted to the sub-$200 S&W revolver!

 

[Starter52]

I'm a reformed sucker for cheap revolvers. I still can't pass by a High Standard .22 revolver without looking and touching.

 

[Lou22]

I recently bought a new EAA Windicator .357 mag subbie through Gunbroker for $195 including shipping. I was worried I bought a POS when I first saw it, it looked crudely put together though very strong but on the heavy side at 28oz. My opinion quickly changed after I took it to range.

I first fired some .38 special though it to get a feel for it's handling. The action and trigger pull were quite good with no gritty or rough feeling to it at all. Accuracy was quite acceptable at 21 feet shooting double action, right on par with a Taurus PT145 I've been shooting awhile.

Then I loaded up some 158gr .357. The recoil and blast were definitely stronger, but accuracy stayed right up there. The kick seemed to go straight back instead of raising the muzzle much, so followup were shots quicker than I expected. I then tried some Blackhills 125gr, my favorite .357 defense load. Recoil was noticably lighter than the 158gr, accuracy still very good.

There was not a single problem with loading, firing or ejecting the cases. I'd highly recommend it as a home defense or truck gun, as the appearance was nothing to write home about and it's a bit heavy for CC, but the rest of the package makes it an absolute bargain. Not to mention it holds 6 rounds instead of five.

Lou

 

[Diamondback]

I recently bought a new EAA Windicator .357 mag subbie through Gunbroker for $195 including shipping. I was worried I bought a POS when I first saw it, it looked crudely put together though very strong but on the heavy side at 28oz. My opinion quickly changed after I took it to range.

I first fired some .38 special though it to get a feel for it's handling. The action and trigger pull were quite good with no gritty or rough feeling to it at all. Accuracy was quite acceptable at 21 feet shooting double action, right on par with a Taurus PT145 I've been shooting awhile.

Then I loaded up some 158gr .357. The recoil and blast were definitely stronger, but accuracy stayed right up there. The kick seemed to go straight back instead of raising the muzzle much, so followup shots quicker than I expected. I then loaded up some Blackhills 125gr, my favorite .357 defense load. Recoil was noticably lighter than the 158gr, accuracy still very good.

There was not a single problem with loading, firing or ejecting the cases. I'd highly recommend it as a truck gun, as the appearance was nothing to write home about and it's a bit heavy for CC, but the rest of the package makes it an absolute bargain.

...sounds like a solid bargain, Lou. Congratulations on a your new revolver. But don't go posting any of this over on TFL revolver forum. They're excoriating some young fellow over there as I type, for choosing to buy a new
lightweight Taurus revolver over a new production S&W J frame. Throwing around words like "crap" and telling the poor lad he's just bought something substandard ! Of course I'm betting that most who respond like that have little practical experience with firearms, probably don't even own one, or if they do haven't ever fired it. My sense is that after doing a few searches on the gun boards they think themselves "entitled" to pass judgment on others choices.

-regards

 

[thirty-thirty]

A cheap revolver is a much better bet than a cheap semi-automatic. I have learned to be very careful with the latter. Flaws in revolvers are usually more evident than flaws in SA's. The best perfoming semi-cheap old revolvers I've had were Rugers.
I bought a Rossi .38 prcial J frame clone once and the cylinder bound up occasionally. A dab of grease on the timing cured it.

A good tip I read is to hold some drag on the cylinder of a revolver with your left hand while working the trigger (unloaded) double action to see if the cylinder rotates with every pull.

 

[Lou22]

Diamondback:

Thanks for the reply. It can be hard to find folks who recognize and applaud a real value. I think that's part of what this thread is about.

Unfortunately those folks who like to rip other people over their gun purchases are out there. I do my best to ignore such individuals. If it sounds like they have a valid point to make, I'll reply to them. But if it looks like someone looking for a p*ssing match, I don't bother. It's too easy on these forums for some overly-opinionated name-caller to have fun at other's expense. I just have my say and try to avoid ripping somebody else's choices.

Lou