What Do You Believe The Greatest Duty Revolver Was?

[LeonCarr]

I stand by my statement.

I think what Bill Jordan was getting at was the recoil generated by shooting .357s in a K-Frame, not the damage aspect. I still think a steady diet of 1935 Spec 158 Grain Lead SWC .357s, which were available when the Model 19 was introduced, will beat a K-Frame to death a lot faster than .38s.

Just my .02,
LeonCarr

 

[NMPOPS]

When I started in LE in the mid-70's it seemed like all cops carried either a M-10 or a M-19. I carried a 19/66 for more than half my career so I would vote for that K frame also.

 

[lewwallace]

For British police duty: The Webley M&P, DA Bulldog. 450 cf. 1883. What guns were American police using at this time?

 

[davidh5000]

It is kind of surprising that nobody has mentioned the model 58 S&W on here. The 41 magnum recoils less than the .44 and has pretty much the same stopping power. However it may be a bit "To Much" gun as a service revolver in a lot of ways. Nobody has really mentioned the 3rd model hand ejector S&W in .44 special, or the model 25 S&W in .45 either.

 

[tark]

Vern, I...and my Webley....will take you up on that challenge any time.

You will win on aesthetic beauty, quality of machining and fit and finish, accuracy, and a better trigger. That third category is up for grabs, my Webley is just as accurate as my 1909, but I will grant you that the Webley's, on average, are not as accurate as the Colt's I got lucky with mine.

But I will bury you on simplicity, ease in servicing and replacing parts in the field, ruggedness , ease in cleaning and very importantly, the ability to reload quickly. Every second counts and it takes about half of one to completely empty the Webley and ready it for reloading. The British developed a speed loader for the Mk VI that held all six rounds and was quicker to employ than half moon clips and fully as fast as full moon clips.

The .455 is a bit short on power compared to the 45 caliber Colt's but it was a proven "stopper". It got the job done.

OK, that's my broadside. I await yours

 

[Vern Humphrey]

Nayh, nayh! Weblies are UGLY!

 

[Gun Master]

^^^^^^Ain't it ??!!

 

[Panzerschwein]

Lots of folks are recommending the Model 19/66, but they are not designed for steady use of .357 Magnum loads. Even Bill Jordan, who originated the idea of a K-Frame .357, recommended it be shot with .38s and carried with .357s.

That is my main reason to like the N-Frame .357 over the K-Frame .357. It makes no sense to me to own a .357 and never shoot .357s in it .

Just my .02,
LeonCarr

I agree Leon.

Things like the Newhall Massacre show that perhaps training with .38s but carrying .357s isn't the best thing to do. Great in theory, but if an officer packs a .357 loaded with magnums, then he better know how to handle it and that means training... with .357s.

Just my $0.02.

 

[lewwallace]

Vern; We may be ugly but we can spell our name! LOL Been told I have the finest collection of 'ugly' guns anyone's ever seen!! And we have 'great' personalities! LOLx2

 

[Vern Humphrey]

You're sure you're not my mother? She'd fix me up with her friends' daughters, and when I would ask what the girl looked like, she'd say, "She has a great personality."

 

[USSR]

They say that "beauty is in the eye of the beholder", and this one has always had my eye.



Don

 

[tark]

No Vern, you don't understand, Webleys are so ugly, they're..... uh....UGLY

Ouch. that hurt! But ugly can still be deadly effective.

One other thing. I don't know of any other revolver in history than can be modified to shoot a cartridge that operates at 150% of normal pressures for that pistol, and it survives. Tens of thousands of Webley's were modified and used under those exact circumstances...and they held up. A factory loaded 45ACP is the equal of a proof round for the Webley.

Webley's Forever!! God save the Ugly Queen!!!

 

[zb338]

I don't own one but if I had to have one pistol it would
be the S&W model 19. One hell of a fine gun.

Zeke

 

[Vern Humphrey]

Originally posted by Tark
No Vern, you don't understand, Webleys are so ugly, they're..... uh....UGLY

Ouch. that hurt! But ugly can still be deadly effective.

One other thing. I don't know of any other revolver in history than can be modified to shoot a cartridge that operates at 150% of normal pressures for that pistol, and it survives. Tens of thousands of Webley's were modified and used under those exact circumstances...and they held up. A factory loaded 45ACP is the equal of a proof round for the Webley.

Webley's Forever!! God save the Ugly Queen!!!

Actually, they don't hold up if they are fed a steady diet of .45 ACP.

The Ozark Scale of Ugliness:

Ugly
Real Ugly
Coyote Ugly
Ugly as an English revolver
Ugly as a thrombosed hemorrhoid.
So ugly Maxine Waters sued for patent infringement.

 

[Brian Williams]

While the K frame was the most prolific, I would want either a S&W 22 in 45 ACP or a S&W 58 in 41 mag, followed by a S&W 581 cut down to 3" and round butted.

 

[lewwallace]

Vern; In regards to your Ozark 'ugly scale' y'all don't seem to have any trouble falling in love and reproducing. Here in Appalachia we only gots a scale of two: ugly and next of kin!!!Thus proving that ugly is attractive and mayhaps this is what drives the Webley collectors!

 

[Cemo]

Yeap, S&W K Frame, it had a reputation for reliability and durability, was light weight and compact enough for all day carry, was more accurate than most users could shoot.

 

[Drail]

The S&W 696 would have been my first choice in a duty revo. If you can place the shot properly it only takes one round. But it wasn't a "Magnum" and it wasn't rated for +P+. My second choice would be the S&W N frame Model 57/58. But it was a lot of extra weight on an already overloaded duty belt and training was not sufficient to teach officers to handle the recoil. Many of them could barely qualify with a .357 shooting magnum loads. A 4 in. 625 would also make an excellent duty revo.

 

[BLU]

S&W Model 10. Had one that shot POA. Sold it. I've regretted that action for decades. If S&W ever gets rid of the 'Hillary' hole, I'll buy another. (I cannot be talked into buying one with the internal lock!)

 

[.455_Hunter]

S&W Model 10. Had one that shot POA. Sold it. I've regretted that action for decades. If S&W ever gets rid of the 'Hillary' hole, I'll buy another. (I cannot be talked into buying one with the internal lock!)

Why can't you buy a used one? An almost NIB classic example will be less than new production.

 

[tark]

But Vern, an awful lot of them did hold up, The one I had in my youth certainly did. Better, I suspect, than any Colt with it's relatively delicate lockwork. I think after all is said and done, it boils down to which one can be reloaded faster and my boy wins that contest hands down, every time. I've always heard the Webley as referred to as being "Probably the best service revolver ever issued" and other like comments.

Never heard anyone refer to a Colt or a Smith in those terms.

 

[GRIZ22]

Many are posting what they think should have been the "the greatest police revolver". There are places where cops carried 41s, 44s, and 45s. They are few though.

The S&W Model 10 in all barrel lengths wins the prize IMO. For example, NYPD carried Model 10s up to the 90s when semiautos were allowed. A few carried Colt Official Police but not many.

The near 40,000 NYPD plus Housing and Transit in the 80s offsets all the police in several smaller and western states.

 

[22-rimfire]

The greatest duty revolver was the Colt Python and Colt double actions in general. The most common duty revolvers were the S&W K-frames (Model 10 or its predecessor).

 

[Panzerschwein]

I think the M1895 Nagant revolver was the best service revolver ever made:



It not only saved the bacon of countless Russian soldiers through both world wars, but has been in constant use since 1895 by police forces in Russia. Also, it is unique in that it can be suppressed unlike most other revolvers. These revolvers are as tough and durable as they come, and have a fantastic legacy. They are the K-frames of the East, but with even more posterity behind them. One of the greatest service revolvers ever made, to be sure.

 

[Vern Humphrey]

Originally posted by lewwallace

Vern; In regards to your Ozark 'ugly scale' y'all don't seem to have any trouble falling in love and reproducing. Here in Appalachia we only gots a scale of two: ugly and next of kin!!!Thus proving that ugly is attractive and mayhaps this is what drives the Webley collectors!

You could be right -- kinda like some guys like fat chicks.