Revolver Questions

Horn Dog said:
Unless he needs a gun for bear attacks, I'd stick with the 44 spl. A 44 magnum has plenty of recoil even in a Dirty Harry steel framed model 29. I bet it is brutal in that NG alloy frame. But you are right, he could shoot specials in it. If he is looking for a dual pupose model for backpacking in bear country and personal defense concealed carry, the 44 Magnum makes sense.
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i have a 629 dx w/ 6" bbl (stainless), and its a handful with mag loads. fun, for a few rounds, and real jumpy.
 
Thanks for all the input guys. I should have mentioned that I was planning on this being a concealed carry pistol. My intention is for a simple and light weight pistol for use while wearing shorts in the summer or to carry in the city where a 4" 1911 or larger revolver would not be suffeciently discreet. On of my other planned purchases is a Kimber Pro Carry II and my thought process was to reduce my ammo requirements by only adding one more ammo type to the mix as I allready have a 9mm and a .40 between the wife and I. I have not ruled out a .357 revovlver. At this point I'm just doing research and trying to get some info from those that have tried this set up. I am aware of the need for moon clips but they are not a hold up for me.

Horn Dog you pretty much nailed it on the head. I'll have to add .44 Spl to the list for condsideration. Don't need a bear gun but if I ever do I've got a pretty good idea what is needed for that requirement. Around here the concern is two legged predators.

Thanks for the responses. Please feel free to keep them coming.
 
Get a Smith & Wesson 629 stainless 4 inch barrell, it will handle anything you may encounter in the woods. With a set of Hougue grips the recoil ain't bad at all and they're very accurate, you can also shoot 44 specials in them. I've had one for about 15 years its my woods gun, would'nt trade it for nothin, great gun, G.M
 
I've got a S&W 625 with a 3" barrel. I already had a 1911 pistol so the 45acp revolver worked well for me. The range I used to shoot matches at had a deal where you could shoot the match twice using an auto and a revolver provided you declared in advance which would count for scoring. I like the moon clips. Beats the hell out of speedloaders. The 625 is a N Frame and is a little big for concealed carry.
 
If your looking for concealability and stoping power the .357 125 grain hollow points can't be beat for self defence stoping power.

Though I much prefer my Glock 27 because of the light weight and very controlable recoil.

You said you were looking for a short barreled revolver though, so the easy choice is a .38/.357.

The Marshall reprort is the best and only test that used over 500 shooting's to the chest with most all calibers(by on duty shootings by police).
The .357 was by far the best having a one shot 96% stopage(killed) rate with 125 grain hollow points.
It was even higher than the .44 mag and .45 ACP.

For large bones such as bear etc... the .44 mag is better, but for the human stucture the .125 grain .357 is hands down the best.

They are hard to control but you can shoot the mild .38 and just keep .357 in it when carrying for defence.

If you go with a revolver def go with the .38/.357

Google the Marshall report. Its the standard and best test ever done on the stoping power of humans.
 
The 357 Magnum is a fine caliber. My "biggest" revolver is a 686+ 7-shooter with a 6" barrel. I have had it tuned and it is a joy on the range. It is a bit big and heavy for concealed carry, but I think the NG version holds 8 shots.
I'm not sure how much velocity that caliber could get in a 2" barrel. The thing that makes the 357 so powerful is the added velocity over a 38 spl. I guess it would still be more powerful than a 38 spl +p, but a lot of that gunpowder is going to go right out the barrel in a big flash. Of course, there is nothing wrong with a good 38 spl for self defense.
 
Well I was just wrong. After a bit of internet research, a guy tested velocities of 38 spl vs 357 magnum in a snubby, and the magnum was still about 300 fps faster. Good to know. That makes a 357 snubby look like a pretty good choice.
 
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Strabs said:
I'm a .45 Auto fan (1911) but there's no way you could get me to waste my $$$ on a .45 Auto chambered revolver unless there were a few thousand .45 AR cases that were included in the package. Moonies suck!

In regard to .45 out of a 2" bbl...just picture the trajectory of a full house, beer bladder pee in the wind with a BIG flash from the muzzle...lot of mess and whole loss of miss:p

If you're looking at a full size revolver like the S&W 625 (.45), go for a Ruger GP100 or S&W 686 in .357 instead. The .357 revolver is the most versatile revolver period!

Plus, .38spl is a lot cheaper than .45 for practice:thumbup:

Eveyone needs at least one revolver that shoots at least .38/.357;)
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That's great advice. I've got a 686 with a 5'' barrel and like it just as much as my 1911. It's a great gun and very versatile like you say. You've got a lot of choices with what you want to shoot. Especially if you're a reloader! Did a trigger job and the things smooth as silk.
 
I'm a big fan of S&W. Every serious gun-nut :) should have a 686 and 629 in their collections.

My only complaint is that 629 can't be hammered with full house .44 loads too much....

They are delicate..... :(
 
I have a 625 as well as several autos. The 625 is easily the easiest of them to shoot really well. Fantastic trigger, very controllable and very accurate. With full moon clips it will reload as fast as my 1911. That said I do not carry it in the field, when I carry it is an auto.
 
I've had a 686 clasic hunter since they first came out, and yeah its a SUPER accurate gun but he is looking for a small conceable firearm.
Even in a two inch version the 686 and 586 are heavy.

SW is the best, but get the small frame for carry if you must go with revolver.

When I had my FFL I sold alot of the Tauras 85's with 2in barrel. Great gun, I still have one and it is a great gun for the price! I'm just a gun snob and don't tell many I have a Taurus.

If your thinking of getting anything over a two inch in a revolver I would just go with one of the mini Glocks. Love my Sigs, but EDC my Glock 27.
 
I'd go with an airlite snubbie with the internal hammer in .357 then and probably carry it loaded with .38's.
 
Paulinski said:
I'm a big fan of S&W. Every serious gun-nut :) should have a 27 and 29 in their collections.
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Fixed that for you.



To the OP:

I own revolvers in .357, .38, and .44 Magnum. There's not much advantage to going with .45 ACP unless you are just trying to stay with one caliber. However, if your heart is set on this and you can wait a bit, there is something interesting in the works at Charter: http://www.charterfirearms.com/products/CARR.html

Charter Arms Rimless Revolver (CARR) will be available in April 2009!

Charter Arms announces an affordable revolver that chambers rimless semi-automatic rounds the same way as a standard rimmed-cartridge revolver.

Now the average gun owner can own an affordable, trouble-free revolver chambered in these popular semi-auto rounds without the need for specialized ammunition clips and a specialized gun.

With the patent-pending Charter Arms Rimless Revolver Round System a round is loaded into the chamber and a specialized spring engages the cartridge’s ejector groove. When the cylinder is opened and the ejector rod operated, it extracts and ejects the fired cases.


Available Calibers

Charter Arms will first offer the .40 S&W followed by the .45ACP and 9x19 mm Parabellum (the 9mm Parabellum revolver will also chamber factory .380ACP). All three Rimless Revolvers (9mm, .40 and .45) will be rated for higher velocity +P loadings.


Warranty

As with the other Charter Arms revolvers, the CARR has an industry exclusive lifetime warranty.
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I am not sure why you wouldn't want moon clips (fastest speed loader ever), but here is a solution to it. The extractor in the photo looks like the one on the old S&W 547 (9mm). The only other gun that meets your basic description would be the Taurus Tracker, but it has been discontinued according to their website.

My choice for a social revolver is this oddity:

frostyjack1.jpg


S&W 242 AirLite Ti: 7-shot .38 Special with aluminum frame and titanium cylinder
(obBusse content) Knife is one of three "Frosted Jacks" from a few years back and the only one with black G10
 
Can I get pics of the guns that we have been talking about? I'm a visual so I like to see what we are talking about. Also more info about the various model numbers thrown around would be good.

Now to complicate matters. Lets through small auto pistols into the mix. Kahr, Keltec, Glocks etc... I would like to hear experiences and thoughts. My only experience with these smaller guns was shoting a Kahr PM40. I found it was not an easy pistol to shoot. I've owned and shot several polymer pistols like the Walther P99 and H&K USP in .40 & an XD in .45 and had no problems with them so I'm not sure what the deal with the Kahr was.

I also would like to hear about pros and cons between choosing a small auto vs a 2" revolver.

Oh and feel free to post pics.
 
I recently picked up the concealed hammer J-frame that comes with the CT laser grips. I love it! To me, the laser really improves it's "useability" (eyes are always on the target) and it adds a new dimension to practice shooting. The grip itself is also more comfy than the stock Smith.

I got mine in .38+P because I like to practice with what I'm going to use and I don't really care for .357 in such a small gun. I do think it's available in .357 though

Just saw yopur last post- I also have a Kahr in 9mm (really didn't like it in .40- too harsh for me). It took some getting used to due to the trigger, but is now a fine gun for me. Accuracy is amazing for such a small gun, but I've had trouble finding holsters for it. As small as the Kahr is, the Smith is easier for me to conceal, though YMMV.

Given a choice now (I had the Kahr first) I would take the Smith first, Kahr second.
 
I guess my biggest question is how/where are you going to carry it. I love a .45, so the new Kahr's tempt me, especially since I'm firmly committed to pocket carry only at the moment. I've got a Colt Agent (17oz, 6 shots) with wood boot grips, bobbed hammer, and painted front and rear sights that is a good lightweight alternative to the S&W J frame. If your going to belt carry, you could get something bigger. Taurus is supposed to have a 6 shot model 85 out in the near future, which would also be a good option. Should be able to get laser grips for it, none for the Colt, yet (I need to keep bugging Crimson Trace about that:D).

GregB
 
That Night Guard 325 S&W sure looks sexy, but I wonder how long those frames will hold up over time. I have contemplated the same scenario on picking up a 45 revolver to accompany my Colt 1911, however, since I do not CC, I decided not to pursue this avenue until Colt reintroduces a DA revolver.

I like the Colt Defender for a compact 45

If I was carrying a snubbie on a regular basis, I would probably go with a Colt Det. Special due to less recoil, easier to conceal, and comfortable to handle, not to mention very accurate for a snub

Might want to also take a look at the S&W forum if you like the .45/325 model for some additional feedback
 
James 61 said:
Now to complicate matters. Lets through small auto pistols into the mix.

I also would like to hear about pros and cons between choosing a small auto vs a 2" revolver.

Oh and feel free to post pics.
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If your throwing small auto's in the mix it's hard to beat the Glock 26(9mm) and Glock 27(.40). I EDC the Glock 27 or a Sig P232(have alloy and stainless frame models) which comes with a 3.5 lb trigger(lighter than on there bigger guns) and has the best pointability and acuracy of any small gun I've ever shot. When I carry a little bigger I go with a Sig 229 and usually keep the .40 barrel in it...with the .357 sig barrel the report is a bit excessive.

Pros and cons- The good short barreled Auto's will be much more accurate and controlable than a 2in revolver, and also lighter in most cases. I see no advantage for the 2in revolver unless your uncomfortable with useing a semi auto.

I took this pic for a thread a few weeks ago. The 229, 232 and a 27.
IMG_3025.jpg
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Old CW4 said:
One other comment about two inch barrels---because they are so short they don't provide adequate rifling spin to the bullet in that short travel for long range shooting. Hence, accuracy (beyond 50 yards or so) really suffers because the bullet at that range is rapidly losing the minimal spin imparted by the short barrel. Four inches, minimum, is best all around and the additional two inches isn't that much harder to hide for concealed carry.
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Well, 2" i really a belly gun. Fights at bad breath range. As far as 50 yards...while its conceivable that you could have a valid reason for holing someone at that range it will be much harder to claim self defence. At that range you should pull out your fave house carbine if its a standoff...otherwise...let them get closer...sssshhhhh. Of course better judged by 12 than carried by 6.

On another note. My SW model 340 Scandium 357 is amazingly accurate at 15 yards. Other than the nasty recoil from an 11 ounce gun its a really keeper.
 
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