Suggestions for a first revolver invited.

[Buckeye!]

686 Plus or GP100 I guess you heard that enough.... My advice is to inspect both closely before purchasing... QC is a thing of the past

[BillM]

If you want to shoot IPSC and 9mm, there are really only 2 choices.
S&W 929 or Ruger 5066.

If you decide to go the .357 route, a 627 S&W? I shoot a 627
with short colt brass in USPSA revolver.

If IPSC wasn't in the mix, I always have one suggestion for a first
revolver (and for the "Everybody should have at least one") revolver:

K frame size 6 shot 357 Magnum. 4" with adjustable sights. Ruger, S&W,
whatever. Shoot anything from cowboy bunny fart loads to full house 357.

Personally I'm partial to older pinned and recessed Smith and Wessons.
A nice Model 19 makes me smile.

[dgang]

Like most others that got into reloading I started with a .357. Easy to reload in powder puff .38 wad cutters up to powerhouse 170gr.-180 gr hunting loads. Lots of room to experiment Cast bullets help keep the cost down and no scrambling around for the brass. Good luck.

[Reloadron]

Well live and learn I was not aware of the Canadian law on barrel length. Interesting stuff. I guess part of what you get will involve cost. Personally I like the S&W older guns and blued steel but that's just my taste. I also like the S&W Model 19 or the 586 and when a pocket book permits the Models 27 and 28 are both nice heavier frame guns. I also like the Ruger revolvers so what this comes down to is how any given revolver feels in your hands since after all this will be your gun and your wallet.

Ron

[dgang]

Originally Posted by pathdoc

SPECIFICATION

Intended use: Casual shooting, possibly IPSC revolver.

Restrictions: I live in Canada, so ultra-compact revolvers are off the table (minimum barrel length is at least 4 inches IIRC) and self-defence use is not a consideration. The silver lining is that I don't have to be able to wear it all day, it doesn't have to be concealable, and I can carry it holstered openly when on the range.

Considerations for calibre: I have all the necessary gear for reloading 9mm, and have considered a 9mm Parabellum revolver for commonality. I could down-load 9mm for low recoil without cycling issues, but this raises the issue of what happens if light loads meant for the revolver end up in the automatic - not dangerous, just frustrating.

The alternatives, therefore, are .357 Magnum and .38 Special. A .357 Magnum revolver suggests itself due to being able to use both types of ammunition, but can the experienced hands tell me if there is any downside at all with feeding a .357 a steady diet of .38 Special? The only downside of this is the need to buy an extra set of reloading dies, have bullets in the ever so slightly larger calibre, etc.

Not quite sure what you mean by "bullets in a slightly larger caliber". The bullets are the same diameter and interchangeable. Use the same dies adjusted for .38 spl. and add a .125" washer to the press to switch to .357. Easily done. I vote for the GP100. The only downside is an erosion of the chamber if you shoot thousands of .38, making high pressure .357 had to extract.

[jetinteriorguy]

Interesting, I’ve never heard of throat erosion in a revolver from shooting .38sp in a .357 mag.

[dgang]

Originally Posted by jetinteriorguy

Interesting, I’ve never heard of throat erosion in a revolver from shooting .38sp in a .357 mag.

Not throat erosion, chamber erosion. Each chamber will develop a bit of erosion at the end of the .38 brass due to gases eroding the steel over a period of time.You can see this as a ring and feel it with a pick. Then when you shoot high pressure .357 the brass will flow (fire forming) into the eroded area of the chamber and cause .357 brass difficult to extract. It will take a lot of .38s to cause this due to their low pressure, but can be remedied by careful use of a mop and paste with fine grit to polish the chambers.

[Andy Blozinski]

It needs some trigger work to lighten it up, but I love my Chiappa Rhino with a 4" barrel. It has no muzzle climb. Strangely, it conceals quite well.

[jetinteriorguy]

Oops, sorry my bad, yes I meant chamber silly me. I’m going to have to check some of my older revolvers with higher round counts to see if any of this is happening.

[dgang]

I think you will find this to be a problem in .357s if a lot of .38s have been fired. In my case the .357 brass stuck only if I was shooting maxed out loads.

[Grizzly2]

If you have very large hands look at the N frame S&W model 27. I never have owned an N frame because they just felt a bit too large for my hands. If you like how they feel then that opens up other calibers to choose from such as .41Mag, .44Special, .44Mag, .45 Colt, .45ACP and then the hotter ones.

You may not be impressed with any of the triggers on new production guns. If you go to the range where they are competing I'm sure most shooters will love to let you check out the feel of some smoothed out revolvers. I'm partial to the older 586/686 but was amazed how smooth a GP100 can be made.

If you are serious about competing and want to be competitive, now is the time to listen to those who do compete so you pick the right model the first time. Otherwise you may be handicapping yourself. Find out now if you will want 6, 7 or 8 rounds in the cylinder and why.

[jetinteriorguy]

Probably the best revolver I ever owned was my S&W 627. What a sweet shooter, accurate as heck and just an all around beautiful gun. Unfortunately I accidentally double charge an already hot load of Titegroup and blew the top of the cylinder and top strap off of it. Luckily no one hurt other than a scratch on my forehead where part of it bounced off my head. I no longer use Titegroup and even after over 30 years of safe hand loading learned a lesson the hard way about being vigilant. If using a progressive loader and you have a malfunction, take all the rounds out and set them aside and deal with them later, don’t just put them back in rotation the way you think you took them out. Plus I no longer use a progressive, strictly my Lee Classic Cast turret for pistol.

[pathdoc]

Have done a little bit of shopping around and was able to handle a .357 Magnum revolver labelled "ALFA Stainless, Model 3551C", apparently made in the Czech Republic. Does anyone here have experience with these revolvers, specifically with regard to long-term reliability? The gun feels OK, if somewhat heavier in the hand than my S&W M&P, although this is probably a matter of attaining familiarity. Single-action trigger feels very, very nice. Double-action is passable, possibly "heavy", but I have no other recent revolver experience against which to compare.

That was all the shop had in at the time. I will try to handle a couple of other brands before committing to a sale.

[dgang]

Originally Posted by Grizzly2

If you have very large hands look at the N frame S&W model 27. I never have owned an N frame because they just felt a bit too large for my hands. If you like how they feel then that opens up other calibers to choose from such as .41Mag, .44Special, .44Mag, .45 Colt, .45ACP and then the hotter ones.

You may not be impressed with any of the triggers on new production guns. If you go to the range where they are competing I'm sure most shooters will love to let you check out the feel of some smoothed out revolvers. I'm partial to the older 586/686 but was amazed how smooth a GP100 can be made.

If you are serious about competing and want to be competitive, now is the time to listen to those who do compete so you pick the right model the first time. Otherwise you may be handicapping yourself. Find out now if you will want 6, 7 or 8 rounds in the cylinder and why.

Bought my GP100 in 1993. After a couple of months decided the action was too hard and gritty. Using stones and files I polished the sear, the hammer strut and the inside of a the strut spring with a fine rat tail file. Smoothed the the sides of the hammer and the frame and did everything I could to polish the inside of the cylinder, extractor and crane assembly that contacts the cylinder wall. That provided a SA pull that is short and not more than a couple of pounds. Double action is smooth but still fairly heavy, moving a lot of mass when loaded. As the man said, GPs can be made very smooth.

[ammo.crafter]

Do you have the need for a .357Mag? If not, do not get it.

If you have no need for a .38Splc +P you do not need a heavy frame revolver.

Look at K frame Smiths. Good balance and action is simple to slick up.

[SIGSHR]

What is the used handgun market look like up there ? A Ruger Security Six in stainless is an excellent choice.

[Grizzly2]

pathdoc: Have done a little bit of shopping around and was able to handle a .357 Magnum revolver labelled "ALFA Stainless, Model 3551C", apparently made in the Czech Republic. Does anyone here have experience with these revolvers, specifically with regard to long-term reliability? The gun feels OK, if somewhat heavier in the hand than my S&W M&P, although this is probably a matter of attaining familiarity. Single-action trigger feels very, very nice. Double-action is passable, possibly "heavy", but I have no other recent revolver experience against which to compare.

That was all the shop had in at the time. I will try to handle a couple of other brands before committing to a sale."

It didn't take but one google search to confirm you don't want one of these. There have been a number of reviews. This was the only one I looked at.
https://www.gun-tests.com/handguns/r...zech-import-2/

[AustinTX]

Originally Posted by pathdoc

Have done a little bit of shopping around and was able to handle a .357 Magnum revolver labelled "ALFA Stainless, Model 3551C", apparently made in the Czech Republic. Does anyone here have experience with these revolvers, specifically with regard to long-term reliability? The gun feels OK, if somewhat heavier in the hand than my S&W M&P, although this is probably a matter of attaining familiarity. Single-action trigger feels very, very nice. Double-action is passable, possibly "heavy", but I have no other recent revolver experience against which to compare.

That was all the shop had in at the time. I will try to handle a couple of other brands before committing to a sale.

Not at all impressed with the fit and finish on the one I handled a while back. And who knows what level of customer service you can expect, should you encounter any problems.

Just be patient and wait for the right S&W or Ruger. As I said before, both companies have had their struggles with QC over the last several years, but both have reputations for excellent customer service and will generally do a great job of resolving any issues that arise.

[hseII]

Originally Posted by pathdoc

SPECIFICATION



Intended use: Casual shooting, possibly IPSC revolver.



Restrictions: I live in Canada, so ultra-compact revolvers are off the table (minimum barrel length is at least 4 inches IIRC) and self-defence use is not a consideration. The silver lining is that I don't have to be able to wear it all day, it doesn't have to be concealable, and I can carry it holstered openly when on the range.



Considerations for calibre: I have all the necessary gear for reloading 9mm, and have considered a 9mm Parabellum revolver for commonality. I could down-load 9mm for low recoil without cycling issues, but this raises the issue of what happens if light loads meant for the revolver end up in the automatic - not dangerous, just frustrating.



The alternatives, therefore, are .357 Magnum and .38 Special. A .357 Magnum revolver suggests itself due to being able to use both types of ammunition, but can the experienced hands tell me if there is any downside at all with feeding a .357 a steady diet of .38 Special? The only downside of this is the need to buy an extra set of reloading dies, have bullets in the ever so slightly larger calibre, etc.

Ruger GP-100 4” or longer if you prefer.

It will live a boringly long & lazy life on a steady diet of .38 specials & would live forever stout .357s.

Personally in your shoes, I’d search for a Wiley Capp GP.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

[shoebox1.1]

Colt night cobra. 6 shot. Super great trigger. Good weight. Not too light. Good sights. No snag grip. 500-600 price range before the C

[jetinteriorguy]

The OP lives in Canada so a snub is no bueno. Minimum barrel length is 4.17”.