Talk To Me About Revolvers

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  • Doublehelix

    Master
    Rating - 100%
    15   0   0
    Jun 20, 2015
    1,874
    38
    Westfield
    I have never owned a revolver, although I have shot a few over time.

    My buddy has a nice SS (chrome?) 6-inch, 6-shot S&W 686 that I love to shoot. I am not very accurate with the DA pull, but when I cock the hammer and shoot SA, oh my gosh, it is pretty amazing. I just need to get used to the DA pull, and it is obvious that the gun is way more accurate than I am. I am anxious to practice and learn how to shoot the DA pull, which I know will take some time. SA with a revolver is not really a viable way to shoot the gun.

    As I look around (nothing serious yet, gonna have to wait until after Christmas now...), I am not sure I understand all of the options.

    I am looking strictly for a range toy. I will never carry it, and won't compete with it. This is more for just fun and giggles rather than anything that I will be having a specific need for other than just plinking and having a blast with. I definitely want it be .357/.38 spc compatible.

    I have another friend that might be willing to sell a 4-inch barrel version, but I love that 6" gun so much, I wonder how much will I be losing from an accuracy standpoint with the shorter barrel and shorter sight radius?

    I also hear a lot about the S&W safety lock ("Hillary Hole" I have heard it called????), but I have not idea what this is, or why I would not want it. Seems like a negative thing from what I have been reading, but I don't really understand what it does. I read somewhere where someone said they glued theirs in the "open position" with Loctite. Was Greek to me...

    One person suggested that I get an 8-shot model like the 627 (or variants, the 327 or TRR8) or the 929 *just in case* I ever want to compete with it. Other than the venerable Mr. Francis, who else would be crazy enough to compete with a Revo???? :n00b: LOL!

    I know there are other brands out there (Ruger, Taurus, DW, etc.), but S&W seems to be the standard, is that correct?

    It also seems common to have trigger jobs done on revos, and then cuts for moon clips, and on and on. What types of modifications are common? What is the difference between moon clips and speed loaders?

    Sorry for so many questions, and I would appreciate any advice.
     

    VUPDblue

    Silencers Have NEVER Been Illegal !
    Rating - 100%
    25   0   1
    Mar 20, 2008
    12,885
    83
    Franklin Township
    If you like the 6” then get one. I like the classic lines of the 4” myself, and I buy about every vintage 4” Smith I can afford when I see them pop up here. Accuracy wise, for what you’re doing, you’re not going to notice a difference between the two barrel lengths. I won’t buy a Smith with a frame lock (Hillary Hole). For a range toy, moon clips or other such mods are a waste of time unless you find one that’s already modified or originally built to take them and decide to pick it up. I’d recommend you get whatever you like to shoot and pick up a couple speed loaders to go with it and just shoot the damn thing as it is. Maybe add different grips if you want a different feel.
     

    indiucky

    Grandmaster
    Rating - 100%
    12   0   0
    Smith and Wesson...The 686 is stainless steel...Ruger revolvers are also fine revolvers....Practice D/A shooting...Once you become good at that all other handgun shooting becomes easier.....One revolver won't cut it...Once you start shooting a revolver everything changes....

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    bgcatty

    Master
    Rating - 100%
    23   0   0
    Sep 9, 2011
    3,021
    113
    Carmel
    Revolvers are God's gift to the entirety of firearms over the centuries. You cannot find a better revolver than a S&W 686 in either a 4" or 6" barrel. Get one as soon as possible and forget everything else you may have heard about this or that. Period!!!
     

    indiucky

    Grandmaster
    Rating - 100%
    12   0   0
    If you like the 6” then get one. I like the classic lines of the 4” myself, and I buy about every vintage 4” Smith I can afford when I see them pop up here. Accuracy wise, for what you’re doing, you’re not going to notice a difference between the two barrel lengths. I won’t buy a Smith with a frame lock (Hillary Hole). For a range toy, moon clips or other such mods are a waste of time unless you find one that’s already modified or originally built to take them and decide to pick it up. I’d recommend you get whatever you like to shoot and pick up a couple speed loaders to go with it and just shoot the damn thing as it is. Maybe add different grips if you want a different feel.

    A five inch, IF you can find one ain't a bad length either...My buddy had his 629 cut down to 5 inches and magnaported and it's dern near perfect.....
     

    indiucky

    Grandmaster
    Rating - 100%
    12   0   0
    Revolvers are God's gift to the entirety of firearms over the centuries. You cannot find a better revolver than a S&W 686 in either a 4" or 6" barrel. Get one as soon as possible and forget everything else you may have heard about this or that. Period!!!

    Model 19's ain't too bad either.....And K 22's....Perfection.....I've got one from every decade from the 1930's through the 1990's....
     

    Twangbanger

    Grandmaster
    Rating - 100%
    21   0   0
    Oct 9, 2010
    7,062
    113
    If you're looking at larger "range toy" size guns, get the Smith. They're the 1911 of revolvers. They are, and have the potential to be, smoother than any large size offering from Ruger. There is just no comparison. Rugers are durable and you can lighten springs on them, but as far as smoothing the action, the quantity of reputable gunsmiths doing good work on them is slim to non-existent.

    Some people like the smaller guns like Smith M-10 which seem to be plentiful. I find their small size raps my knuckles when I shoot them, and don't care for their fixed sights. They're cheaper, but if you get one where the sights aren't properly regulated (and they are definitely out there), it's frustrating and there's little you can do about it except sell it.

    I would not mess with moon clips on your first purchase. They're necessary for most forms of competition that involve speed, but the loading/unloading of the actual clips themselves (the part everybody forgets) are a pain in the keister for a beginner if you don't have an application that absolutely requires them.

    Also, consider making a good quality full-size .22 (617) your first or second purchase. If you're just getting into revos, you want to shoot them a lot in the beginning, and the ammo cost of a nice .22 makes for a lot more affordable range time (unless money is absolutely no object to you). If you get a .22, resist the temptation to get the smaller "toy" size guns, and go for the full size gun that is comparable to the 38/357 which is your aspiration.

    Once you have the .38/.357...dry fire, dry fire, dry fire! If you're interested in double action shooting, that will build your skill faster than anything. Watch your sights while running that action. Do it every day, works like magic and will make you an expert in no time if you do it right.

    Grips are important on a revo, possibly more than any other type of pistol. If the ones that come on the gun aren't right for you, put them in the back of the safe and get something else that works. Many of the older style Smith revolver grips in particular are very pretty-looking, but mostly useless for serious shooting. I have found Pachmayr grips are good, and they offer ones that do & don't cover the backstrap, depending which model gun you have. Hogues are good as well.

    If you get a Smith, you will need to familiarize yourself a bit with them and what the various screws on them do...like the one that holds the cylinder assembly into the frame...or the reverse-thread on the ejector rod which also serves to tighten the ejector star into the cylinder. That one can freeze the gun up if it comes loose (get a piece of leather and learn the proper method of keeping that one tight occasionally). As a beginner, leave the strain screw in the grip frame alone. It can lighten the trigger but also leads to problems with ignition if you don't know what you're doing so best leave that one be.

    Also recommend staying away from single-actions on your first purchase. Again, RANGE TIME and ROUNDS DOWNRANGE are what you want in the early going, and single actions just don't facilitate that as well.
     
    Last edited:

    Route 45

    Grandmaster
    Rating - 100%
    92   0   0
    Dec 5, 2015
    14,884
    113
    Indy
    SA with a revolver is not really a viable way to shoot the gun...I am looking strictly for a range toy.

    Why not? For a long time, SA was the only way to shoot a revolver. Especially if it's just a range toy, just shoot it the way you want to shoot it. I don't take my revolvers out much, but I've got a few. Ruger GP100, S&W Model 36, a couple of S&W Model 10s and a High Standard Sentinel Deluxe .22 LR. I might put a cylinder through them double action, but I mostly shoot single action. Even when shooting double action, I stage the trigger, so might as well shoot single action.

    The purpose of a range toy is to have fun, and it's a lot more easy and fun to hit what you are aiming at in single action. :)
     

    mcapo

    aka Bandit
    Site Supporter
    Rating - 100%
    10   0   0
    Mar 19, 2016
    20,558
    149
    East of Hoosier45 - West of T-dogg
    Ditto everything Indiucky said.

    The 686 is one of those firearms that epitomizes what a revolver should be. Same with a Model 19. You mentioned the 627. Great gun but it's a brute of a gun. I prefer the 686 and the Model 19.

    If you want a "collector" gun, you want a pre-lock. In a 686 you probably want to look towards a -3 or -4.

    If you want a gun to shoot, the lock guns are fine. I have both. If it bothers you, it can be disabled. I have never had an issue with a lock. Don't pay attention to all the internet bluster about the trigger locks. Sucks SW did it but welcome to today...

    6" or 4" or 5"? Buy the one that points the best for you. I prefer a 6" but as my shoulder and elbow issues become worse, I will shoot a 4" gun better.

    Don't worry about moon clips, for now, if the cylinder isn't cut for them. You'll find your style after you shoot it for awhile. Same with a trigger job. The SA should be spectacular and you can decide about the DA in time. Moon clips are great for high volume days.

    There are other choices (Ruger, Dan Wesson) but modern production SW is an excellent place to start into the world of revolvers. The Ruger GP 100 is a fine weapon.

    Budget. New. Used. Collector. Shooter. All those will help narrow your options.

    Bottom line? Buy the first 686 or M19 you can. Don't worry about barrel length as you will eventually want a snubby, 4" and a 6". :rockwoot:
     

    Sigblitz

    Grandmaster
    Trainer Supporter
    Rating - 100%
    9   0   0
    Aug 25, 2018
    14,583
    113
    Indianapolis
    You can't beat a revolver for range plinking. You get a higher grip than you could on a pistol, making for a more accurate gun. I have a lot of old S&W revolvers, sold one and cried. Had to replace it. Welcome to the world when guns were guns.
     

    Lt Scott 14

    Plinker
    Rating - 100%
    1   0   0
    Mar 18, 2018
    139
    16
    Porter County
    I agree with most above info on the 686. Great revolver, and many others out there. The new models released are a tad expensive, but a M686, M19/66, or even a simple M10(38 spec only) will teach a new shooter a world of shooting targets, and motor skills for hunting and/or self defense. My first was a M10, 4in, Blued with wooden grips. Owned all of many others, sold and traded. Still have my M10-5. Fine tool from Smith & Wesson. Get going, times a wasting to shoot them!
    Good luck, have fun.
     

    Salty

    Unwokeable
    Site Supporter
    Rating - 100%
    13   0   0
    Nov 8, 2015
    370
    43
    Indianapolis
    RKGuns.com has a six inch SS Ruger GP100 on sale right now for $570. That's a heck of a deal for a really nice revolver.
     

    AGarbers

    Expert
    Rating - 100%
    24   0   0
    Feb 4, 2009
    1,360
    48
    Martinsville
    I used to have a DA Dan Wesson and I only shot it SA. Now I have five SA revolvers and have two more on the way. The Ruger Vaquero Bisley has the style of a Colt SAA but the grips are close to what Elmer Keith developed as the perfect grip.
     

    LCSOSgt11

    Expert
    Rating - 0%
    0   0   0
    Apr 24, 2009
    843
    18
    LaPorte, IN
    I would then consider a Ruger Blackhawk. They can be had in 38/357, single action, and can be had with adjustable sights. Single action, no need for DA. They are available in stainless steel too. I have been told Ruger's stainless steel is better than all of the rest.
     

    Amishman44

    Master
    Rating - 98%
    48   1   0
    Dec 30, 2009
    3,678
    113
    Woodburn
    A five inch, IF you can find one ain't a bad length either...My buddy had his 629 cut down to 5 inches and magnaported and it's dern near perfect.....

    Davidson's offered a Ruger GP100 in a 5" version for a few years...they pop up for sale occasionally, but they're rare!
    They definitely have a good 'fit-n-feel' when it comes to overall balance and recoil-absorption!
    It's on my want list!

    From my experience, if one settles-in and really learns how to shoot a revolver well...they seem to improve in their shooting abilities across the board! The patience it takes to shoot a revolver well...helps a lot with overall control!
     

    snowwalker

    Expert
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    10   0   0
    Apr 13, 2009
    1,125
    48
    In the sticks
    I would stay away from the newer S&W's, the quality of new S&W's are closer to a Taurus, unless you have had them worked on. Stay with the pre-lock models. They say 'you get what you pay for' but few say 'the law of dimishing returns' where the extra money gains you very little. For models like Colt Pythons and such they are not worth the money.
     

    snowwalker

    Expert
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    10   0   0
    Apr 13, 2009
    1,125
    48
    In the sticks
    Davidson's offered a Ruger GP100 in a 5" version for a few years...they pop up for sale occasionally, but they're rare!
    They definitely have a good 'fit-n-feel' when it comes to overall balance and recoil-absorption!
    It's on my want list!

    From my experience, if one settles-in and really learns how to shoot a revolver well...they seem to improve in their shooting abilities across the board! The patience it takes to shoot a revolver well...helps a lot with overall control!

    Saw one on Armslist yesterday with 5" barrel.
     
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