| Author | Message | ||
     Rick_a |
No, not those...wheel guns, man! I now own all of those I "cannot live without."   20150115_093032 (2) by Slick_Rick77, on Flickr | ||
| Reepicheep |
I vote for the one in the upper right as my favorite. | ||
| Strokizator |
What, no Colt Python?!? | ||
| Rick_a |
No way...all S&W. That one Reep pointed out is THE best double action revolver ever made...in my not so humble opinion. Colts are nice, but the lockwork is notorious for being delicate. They sure look good, but I find the cylinder release awkward as well. I really wanted a Detective Special but literally every one I came across was out of time on at least a cylinder, even if they were in good shape cosmetically. I gave up six shots of 38 SPL for five shots of 357 Mag and better durability. | ||
| Reepicheep |
A S&W revolver in .45ACP would be on my short list as well. Not before a .357, but not long after one either. .38 is nice for a really compact revolver, but .357 makes more sense for a full sized gun, as it shoots .38 great but lets you choose a really high power round when you want it. Especially if you reload, you can dial in a round anywhere on the spectrum of a soft .38 to a powerful .357. A .357 revolver is one of the basic guns everyone should have. I like the Ruger SP 101 based on availability, durability and price... but that S&W is a better gun by every measure (except maybe durability) if you can find and afford one. | ||
| Rick_a |
Though that is said often about Smith vs Ruger, I have never seen a worn out J frame. Perhaps folks shoot them less, but even the vintage guns I come across are always in fine shape mechanically. The Smith is a bit less bulky to carry around, and the triggers on most tend to be very smooth. I don't mind the weight, but hate feeling the grit. The little ones sure are fun to shoot. | ||
| Sifo |
I've got a S&W Victory model. WWII era. Still a great shooting gun. Been in the family since the early '70s. The wife has a S&W TRR8. 8 rounds of .357. Another great shooting gun. I do wonder how long the light weight frame would last on the TRR8 if you shoot a lot of full power loads though. I think that once you get used to one manufacturer's revolver, other manufacturer's revolvers just don't feel right. | ||
| Ulywife |
A .357 revolver is one of the basic guns everyone should have. Not that I carry it, but that's what I have. I purchased it from my Sgt. when I worked for the Cincinnati Police Division. It was his service revolver before they switched over to the 9mm. Might be time to hit the range again. | ||
| Reepicheep |
I only say it's more reliable because there is more of it there, it's a bigger, beefier, bulkier gun than the smith. You are correct that it is likely inaccurate to conclude that this necessarily means it is more reliable, unless the test has to do with how many times you can drive over it before it stops working. And even that isn't necessarily true. Thanks for the correction. Both guns are pretty bulletproof (<- See what I did there?  ) | ||
| Just_ziptab |
I like hand cannons...big and heavy like the Dan Wesson 445 Supermag. Won a lot of long range matches in IHMSA competition.   | ||
| Ft_bstrd |
My current wheel gun of choice.  | ||
| Chauly |
A Rhino! How do you like it? Have you see a long-barreled version? | ||
| Aesquire |
Top photo. ...like them all choice is lower left. Low snag with the capacity for SA mode for those hope you never have to make shots. Curious about the Rhino. | ||
| Ft_bstrd |
Shooting 38s through the Rhino provides virtually no recoil. 357s provide less felt recoil than shooting 38s through my LCR. | ||
| Rick_a |
The top left is a 442 38spl +P. It's been a favorite range gun lately and is always with me in backup mode in a pocket or on the ankle. It's just fiesty enough to be fun without being painful. I can shoot it just as well as anything I own and it sometimes makes me wonder why I own anything else. Below that is a 649 in .357. It is surprisingly comfortable to shoot with magnums and is also quite accurate for a 2" barreled gun. The single action trigger pull is a crisp 3lbs, besting the bigger N frames by a pound or more. I can't quite shoot it as well as the 442 but that may come with a bit more use. As a year old, lightly used gun, it was purchased for roughly half the price of a new one. It is carried often IWB. The top right is a 1954 357. It's the only gun with collector value and arguably among the nicest double action revolvers made. Collectors tend to get jazzed up by this kinda stuff: Checkered barrel, front sight, and top strap.  20140701_090045 by Slick_Rick77, on Flickr Recessed cylinders.  20140701_090711 by Slick_Rick77, on Flickr The longer cylinder looks great, and while an unnecessary feature, people still get emotional over that being omitted in the 80's. This example has the customary pinned barrel but also pinned front sight.  20140701_085836 by Slick_Rick77, on Flickr The pins are precisely fitted and elegantly rounded on the ends. A "five screw" gun has a screw on the top of the side plate which was later omitted as well as one in front of the trigger guard.  20140701_085651 by Slick_Rick77, on Flickr  20140701_092202 by Slick_Rick77, on Flickr The stocks are nice pieces of walnut and numbered to the gun.  20140701_084538 by Slick_Rick77, on Flickr  20140701_084622 by Slick_Rick77, on Flickr They are hand checkered and hand fitted to the gun. Many of these guns tend to lose their original grips through the years. The hammer and trigger are forged and the lockwork is hand fitted.  20140912_082725 by Slick_Rick77, on Flickr Many equate this to higher quality and a superior action, but I haven't found that to be an absolute. The parts certainly look better. By pure luck I found the gun in a shop a couple blocks down the street erroneously labeled as a "chrome" finish for 1/3 of its value. The combination of finish, age, barrel length, and condition make it a keeper. It is fired and carried occasionally. As a large frame 357 with thick cylinder walls it has some serious heft to it. The gun below it is a new production of a commercial 1917 Model of 1950 from S&W's "Classics" line in 45ACP. It's an excellent shooter and due to the large charge holes and tapered barrel weighs the same as a medium frame 357. With the grips it is wearing it actually carries quite comfortably OWB. While it looks great with the original service style grips, they would not be my first choice for shooting.  20140915_101444 by Slick_Rick77, on Flickr While rare with only 300 made in a nickel finish, the guns are not collectible and merely hold their original values. It is a joy to shoot and rivals the classic gun in looks and performance. To collectors and die hard S&W fans of old the new guns never measure up due to simplified modern production methods. To me it means using it with less guilt and a lifetime of factory support. | ||
| Rick_a |
The Rhino is cool but a little too bulky and quirky for my tastes. It is plenty light and packs plenty of firepower. I had a 7.5" S&W 629 for a long range blaster but sold it as it was more gun than I really had use for. These days if it can't be easily carried concealed I don't have much use for it. | ||
| Reepicheep |
It's really annoying when my tastes line up with those of collectors. It means I can't afford the things I like, and when I can, I feel bad about actually using them. That was part of the appeal of the Ruger SP101... it is both very nice and it will last for generations, yet utterly disposable at the same time (just $450 or whatever, so if the thing gets chewed up by a decades of frequent use then you can just get another one without feeling like you were a poor steward for future generations). | ||
| Ft_bstrd |
SP101 is on my short list. | ||
| Rick_a |
Nothing wrong with a gun accumulating some character through the years. |
