First Revolver Advice

Hello, all.

Please forgive me if this has been covered a million times already.....

I am going to purchase a revolver for home defense. Reliability its the main reason i have decided on a revolver. Ruger and S&W are the two brands i am looking at. I will most likely end up with a S&W being that it is the Harley Davidson of handguns, from what i have learned. My question is this......

9mm
.38 special
OR
.357 magnum????

I am large in size (6'4"-260) and i am certain i can learn to fire any of them adequately. Does a .38 special have decent stopping power? Is a .22 enough or should i be looking towards a .357.??

Thanks in advance.

Get a 357 as they will also shoot 38 specials. More revolver experts will be by shortly to comment I'm sure.

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Originally Posted by SMann

Get a 357 as they will also shoot 38 specials. More revolver experts will be by shortly to comment I'm sure.

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Ok, thanks.

Yes......

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Originally Posted by SMann

Get a 357 as they will also shoot 38 specials. More revolver experts will be by shortly to comment I'm sure.

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yes - .357 4" barrel and there are plenty of good .38+P for HD
and mild 38s for practice
check out NRA's recent documentation on penetration tests

OP, My question would be, why would you want a revolver for HD? Why not an auto loader, Glock, S&W M&P. Most of the standard capacities of these weapons are 15 plus rounds. Also, the two manufacturers that I mentioned have a great track record for dependability. That being said, If I were going to buy one, I would get the .357, specifically the sp101 by ruger.

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Originally Posted by Harryball

OP, My question would be, why would you want a revolver for HD? Why not an auto loader, Glock, S&W M&P. Most of the standard capacities of these weapons are 15 plus rounds. Also, the two manufacturers that I mentioned have a great track record for dependability. That being said, If I were going to buy one, I would get the .357, specifically the sp101 by ruger.

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I decided on a revolver simply because i have read about them being the most reliable. I have read that auto loaders are slightly more prone to jams and that's not what you need if you have an intruder in your home. Perhaps this its not true, but its what i have read many times.

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Originally Posted by jifjifjif

I decided on a revolver simply because i have read about them being the most reliable. I have read that auto loaders are slightly more prone to jams and that's not what you need if you have an intruder in your home. Perhaps this its not true, but its what i have read many times.

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I am just trying to help so if I come across harsh I do not intend to. Revolvers break. They are reliable, but it is a mechanical device. Glocks and M&Ps have closed the gap in reliability. In a home invasion you need to have mindset, skillset, and weapon. IMO you are limiting yourself, to 6 rounds, when you could have 15-17 in your weapon. I am not saying that a revolver will not get the job done. What I am saying is that a new shooter using an experts weapon might want to re-evaluate their needs. Shot placement is king. In a situation were you are under a direct adrenaline dump, you may or may not make the necessary shots and may need more rounds.

so you decided on a revolver - just don't load it with 357s for HD - you might be in a lawsuit injuring or killing someone in the next house or room

Thank you all for your opinions. That's exactly what i wanted. Now, i am undecided..... :)

I would say go with the .357, you could load it with .38s if you wanted to.
I personally have a couple of older Smiths (Model 10-5, and Model 36, snubby), both are .38sp. I keep one in the nitestand, and never feel undergunned. As a side note I also have autoloaders in everything from .32 up to and including a 1911, .45ACP. I prefer the revolver for home protection just because. I am profecient with any of my guns and just prefer the revolver for my bedside gun. Just one man's $.02.
I say get what you feel comfortable with, and practice, practice, practice!!

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Originally Posted by MoMan

I would say go with the .357, you could load it with .38s if you wanted to.
I personally have a couple of older Smiths (Model 10-5, and Model 36, snubby), both are .38sp. I keep one in the nitestand, and never feel undergunned. As a side note I also have autoloaders in everything from .32 up to and including a 1911, .45ACP. I prefer the revolver for home protection just because. I am profecient with any of my guns and just prefer the revolver for my bedside gun. Just one man's $.02.
I say get what you feel comfortable with, and practice, practice, practice!!

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Thanks. I appreciate all the responses.

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Originally Posted by jifjifjif

Thank you all for your opinions. That's exactly what i wanted. Now, i am undecided..... :)

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Undecided? Happens to me all the time.

I started out with my HD heart set on a SP101 .357 snubby. I got a 92FS because the SP's were out of stock and the 92 was priced right and felt good. Still yearning for the Ruger wheel gun I got a Ruger SR22 to help me get over my flinching when I shot the 92FS. Well, I reasoned, it's a Ruger, thats close. Next I picked up my Wheel, S&W 686 .357mag with 6 inch barrel because the price was right. A little large for the night stand but great for mountain hiking protection, (with a good set of bells:smt002). At several stops through this wander I put name in on a 9mm Shield in 5 shops around Denver for my CCW piece. I still haven't gotten one. HD heart changed from .357 wheel to 9mm Shield.

Looks like the one thing I am NOT undecided about . . .

I want another pistol.

Handgun addiction? Just waiting for the intervention.

Revolvers are great guns as long as you realize their limitations.

With only a limited amount of rounds shot placement becomes even more critical.
Reloading can be slower unless you train and train more with your chosen method.
Smaller frame guns i.e. J frames, SP 101 and snubbies in general are harder to shoot and be accurate with due to the short sight radius, small grips and generally heavy triggers. Recoil even with .38 SD rounds can be stout in the smaller guns making new shooters recoil sensitive and some to not want to shoot it at all.
Revolvers are chambered in larger calibers but with larger calibers comes more recoil, muzzle flash and less overall control.

With modern striker fired guns once you chamber a round basic manipulation of the trigger is the same "generally speaking" is the same. Reloading and manipulation is a simple training issue that can be learned and ingrained in a very short period of time.

Whatever you get train with it until you are comfortable and confident.

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Originally Posted by tacman605

Revolvers are great guns as long as you realize their limitations.

With only a limited amount of rounds shot placement becomes even more critical.
Reloading can be slower unless you train and train more with your chosen method.
Smaller frame guns i.e. J frames, SP 101 and snubbies in general are harder to shoot and be accurate with due to the short sight radius, small grips and generally heavy triggers. Recoil even with .38 SD rounds can be stout in the smaller guns making new shooters recoil sensitive and some to not want to shoot it at all.
Revolvers are chambered in larger calibers but with larger calibers comes more recoil, muzzle flash and less overall control.

With modern striker fired guns once you chamber a round basic manipulation of the trigger is the same "generally speaking" is the same. Reloading and manipulation is a simple training issue that can be learned and ingrained in a very short period of time.

Whatever you get train with it until you are comfortable and confident.

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Thanks much. I appreciate all the input

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Originally Posted by jifjifjif

Thanks much. I appreciate all the input

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Whatever you decide on let us know. Dont forget to post some pics of it, and a AAR would be nice. :mrgreen:

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Originally Posted by Harryball

Whatever you decide on let us know. Dont forget to post some pics of it, and a AAR would be nice. :mrgreen:

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An AAR? Newb here. Unless you're asking for a pirate noise......in which case, here you go.......

AAR!!

Duplicate post.

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Originally Posted by jifjifjif

An AAR? Newb here. Unless you're asking for a pirate noise......in which case, here you go.......

AAR!!

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After Action Report. Here you'll find a forum entitled "Range Report" where you can share you experiences at the range and post pictures of your gun and/or targets.

Went through all that with my wife..........she wanted a firearm to shoot, and for home protection....at first, I thought, since she was having trouble racking slides, and has smaller hands, maybe a revolver was the way to go......I'll bet that she handled 20 different revolvers, and 25 different autos....after all of that, what did she end up with? It came down to S&W 10, 15, Ladysmith, Sig 250 because she could rack the slide, HK P30ls......so what did I do? I bought her a Ruger SR40, and she couldn't be happier.....great feel(to me also) she can rack the slide, great mag capacity, and for $399...a good buy......my point being, don't get stuck on the revolver thing...I like them them as much as the next guy, but for firepower, reliability, mag capacity, and price...you might want to check one out, if you haven't already....good home gun.

My first gun was a semi-auto M&P 9FS and I loved that gun. So I purchased 3 more semi-auto's in varying caliber sizes. I then shot the Ruger GP100 in .357Mag and fell in love with the revolver. A week later I purchased my second revolver the Ruger SP101 3” barrel in .357Mag. The GP100 in .357Mag is my HD gun and is loaded with Hornady Custom .357 Mag 158gr HP/XTP and is kept in the bedroom. The Ruger SP101 in .357Mag with a 3" barrel is my current carry gun loaded with the same load as above and kept in the desk draw when I am home. My semi-auto's are all keep in the safe locked up. If I would have shot the revolvers first I probably would not have purchased the semi-auto’s. I recommend that you try as many guns before you make up your mind. It will save you some money in the long run.

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Originally Posted by jifjifjif

An AAR? Newb here. Unless you're asking for a pirate noise......in which case, here you go.......

AAR!!

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That pirate sound was great, thanks for the early morning laugh. AAR=After Action Report......:mrgreen:

Probably going to go to a range with the wife and test fire a bunch of guns to see which we both like. Thanks much, guys.

This was helpful to me - I have been shooting rifles for years and now I'm going to buy my first handgun. Had no idea you could load 38 rounds into a 357.

Before you go buy a handgun, my advice would be to locate an NRA-certified instructor and take a class or two. Learn how to shoot and discover which gun(s) you shoot best.

That will help immensely and give you some piece of mind. A handgun is not a magic sword - it is a tool. Without training, you are a danger to yourself and those around you.

The NRA First Steps program would be a great place to start.

http://www.nrainstructors.org/searchcourse.aspx