Tell me a cool revolver to buy

[Honeybooboo]

I have zero. And really no experience shooting one. But I feel like as an American I need one. Revo divisions between IDPA and USPSA are confusing. Not that I’d necessarily shoot revo in either but it’d be nice to have the option. 

 

I like the the idea of 357 for 38 special loads but I know Smith makes those 9mm Miculek models that seem popular. What about the Ruger GP100? Standard or match champion? What about the Redhawk 8 shot? 

 

Id like something I can buy some springs for and take to a gunsmith for a sweet trigger job. 

[aandabooks]

I keep thinking another 627 is in my future.  A 929 would be my second choice.

 

I've owned several GP100s over the years and while nice the Smiths are easier to get a great trigger on.  I haven't done enough research on the 8-shot Redhawk to have formed an opinion.

[IHAVEGAS]

https://www.americanrifleman.org/articles/2012/11/13/a-look-back-at-the-smith-wesson-k-22/

 

You won't shoot IDPA/USPSA competition with it, but it is a great way to see if wheel guns do it for you.

 

If you do get into the bigger bores it becomes a great practice tool. 

 

And they are fun, and you can shoot the real quiet mouse fart ammo that won't cycle a semi auto. 

[synchronicity]

After owning a Super Blackhawk for 40+ years I bought my first double action just over a year ago.

 

A new 625JM that now has springs, grips, sights and about 5000 rounds through it.  Along the way I picked  up a police return

 

Model 10 Heavy barrel and Enjoy it.  I now have the urge for another.  But after the Model 10 I will only S&W with

 

older models with forged and fitted internals and no internal lock.

[yigal]

this one english made . cool? 

[AzShooter]

I had great luck with my 929s and my 627s.  You can't go wrong with either one.  

 

Although the new Ruger 8 shot looks interesting I would not buy one for at least a year to see how well they hold up and what add-ons there will be.

 

 

[PatJones]

Most shooters will want an 8-shot Revolver in USPSA. I'm set up for 38, but if I was starting over I'd probably get a 9mm just due to the availability of brass.

IDPA doesn't allow you to load more than 6 rounds in your revolver. They have different power factors for moon clip guns vs speed loaders, it all seems quite foolish.

If you have ICORE in your area, about anything will work but most folks seem to gravitate to the 8 shot guns. The same iron sighted 8 shot that's legal in USPSA is probably the most common one here too.

Lately I've shot my 625 at monthly club matches more than the 8 shot, but I shoot to the 627 at bigger matches.

[GrumpyOne]

How about a S&W 610? Or a S&W 646? 

The Rugers are nearly bulletproof, but working them over to get nearly as good as a Smith takes alot of patience...and like i said, it would be nearly as good as a Smith. If money isn't an problem, how about a Korth? Or a Python? 

[RJH]

Freedom arms, but wont be one for competition

[radny97]

If you’re thinking competition, the 627 is the way to go. The 929s have had problems.
If you’re thinking not competition, then the options are endless. I like Dan Wesson’s myself. But i have lots of revolvers


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[perttime]

For a 357 6-gun with speedloaders, a GP100 Match Champion would be hard to beat. I'm wary of light springs as people seem to walk a thin line of reliability with those.

 

Now that Ruger has released the 8 shot Redhawk with 4.2" and  5.5" barrels, I'm really curious about those.

[IHAVEGAS]

12 hours ago, AzShooter said:

I had great luck with my 929s and my 627s.  You can't go wrong with either one.  

 

929's are buyer beware, some get lucky & some do not, dig around and you will see a lot of folks have had issues. Mine will be for sale after I get it fixed. 

[Honeybooboo]

Yea I’m thinking 627, gp100 match champion, or redhawk since it’s a massive hunk of metal and looks ridiculous in an awesome way. 

[3gunDQ]

So in the 8 shot variety, what are the options? 

Edited December 17, 2017 by 3gunDQ

[RJH]

3 minutes ago, 3gunDQ said:

So in the 8 shot variety, what are the options? 

627, 929, redhawk, and  a Taurus, but it think it is ported

[Honeybooboo]

Is the 627 performance center worth it?

[Brian B]

IHAVEGAS is 100% on the money, thank you for link to the great article. HoneyBooBoo, I also recommend your first revolver be a 10 shot 6 inch 22 LR caliber. Mine is a S&W 617. There are a few others now available. It is incredibly accurate with all the ammo I feed it regardless of quality, cheap bulk 22shorts as well as expensive Olimpic  grade ammo.  I taught my kids how to shoot with it, got newbie  shooters started with it and  always start my range sessions with it. I practice the long trigger pull associated with revolvers in double action. It promotes good eye-hand coordination without the distraction of recoil. Once I have shot 100 rounds or so then I’ll begin with a larger caliber revolver or pistol. HoneyBooBoo it sounds like you enjoy souping up your toys? Me too. I installed front and rear fiber optic sites on my S&W 617, 610, JM929 and on my Ruger Redhawk 45ACP/Colt. A Big Dot XS sight was installed on my Ruger Security Six. Apex extended firing pins were installed on the guns using moonclips. None of these needed any internal improvements. I did spend about $2,300 in gunsmithing on my 586 PPC revolver. This included a new bull barrel, Aristocrate sights and a complete overhaul of the guts (imagin porting and polishing a V8 motor). This revolver only shoots hollow based wadcutters.

Important: Recoil with revolvers is very different than with pistols; pistols have recoil springs which mitigates the millisecond of shearing shock of the explosion. I sold my 44 Magnum revolver because I could not shoot more than 24 bullets before the skin on my palms started to tear. I recently shot a Desert Eagle in 50AE and it kicked like 10 horses but it didn’t hurt my hand. The internal springs made the incredibly powerful recoil even, almost smooth and without that sharp spike in force at the instant of powder burn.  I put 100 50AE bullets down range in that one session which left me with: a major dent in my credit card and a spectacular grin for two days. Buy your 617 then get loading blocks,  speed loaders and a lot of cheap bulk 22 ammo and have fun.

[Honeybooboo]

The 617 does seem cool. I’ve never been a big fan of 22 because I always thought it was boring but in a revolver seems like it might be cool. 

[shoots100]

S&W 929 or one of their 9mm pistola models all the way.

While some 929's have had their issues (like every other new product ), the issues are easily repairable and it has Jerry's name on it :~)

If you desire and have the skills, Aftermarket parts are available to customize them to whatever level you desire.

Plus, 9mm ammo is available and everywhere now.

The only ruger I have left is a GP100 and it sits in the night stand. Dependable as the day is long and it's also a good substitute for a hammer or a crane counterweight in a pinch !

Good luck.

SJC

 

[MWP]

I'm fairly certain all 929 issues are solved by now? I have a very early one, and it took some experimentation with brass and clips to get the correct combo, just as 627s did years ago. 

 

I crack roughly .5% of brass with my early gun, which is due to some imperfections in the titanium finish. My 5 other 929s are not as early, and are half that cracking rate. I shot uspsa nationals and the world shoot with the early gun, and didn't worry about the brass. 

 

The 627 is a fine gun, and with the 357 cylinder is much more versatile. If you want to compete in uspsa or icore with either at a serious level, they are the only proper choice right now, but I'm very curious to see how Ruger's new models work out.

[IHAVEGAS]

24 minutes ago, shoots100 said:

S&W 929 or one of their 9mm pistola models all the way.

While some 929's have had their issues (like every other new product ), the issues are easily repairable and it has Jerry's name on it :~)

If you desire and have the skills, Aftermarket parts are available to customize them to whatever level you desire.Plus, 9mm ammo is available and everywhere now.

 

 

Ahem, barrels not aligned correctly & not sized for common diameter 9mm bullets is not that easily repairable. 

 

You can send the guns back (last I read 2 month backlog on repairs) & hope to get the barrel installed correctly, you can also buy pretty expensive moon clips & find a brand of brass that will fit them tightly for good reloads, and some folks have been able to slug the barrels & find 38 sized bullets that work well. So far I haven't found an answer to severe leading which is a major pain but there are avenues I have yet to explore, got frustrated and put the gun aside for the moment. 

 

Obviously some get lucky and others find them worth the effort. 

[AzShooter]

Quote

 

Yes, the 617 is a great revolver.  I enjoy shooting mine now that I've sold all my centerfire guns.  (Place I was moving wouldn't allow guns so I sold them all.  Then we changed out minds and I just started shooting the .22's I had left.  No more worrying  about finding Federal Primers.

 

If you get a .22 make sure you buy a variety of ammo to see what works  best in you gun.  Some is so dirty you have to clean the cylinders after every time you fire the gun.  I like Federal Premium for my 617.  I can shoot 200 rounds before having to run a brush through the cylinders.

 

 

[VanMan1961]

10 hours ago, IHAVEGAS said:

 

Ahem, barrels not aligned correctly & not sized for common diameter 9mm bullets is not that easily repairable. 

 

You can send the guns back (last I read 2 month backlog on repairs) & hope to get the barrel installed correctly, you can also buy pretty expensive moon clips & find a brand of brass that will fit them tightly for good reloads, and some folks have been able to slug the barrels & find 38 sized bullets that work well. So far I haven't found an answer to severe leading which is a major pain but there are avenues I have yet to explore, got frustrated and put the gun aside for the moment. 

 

Obviously some get lucky and others find them worth the effort. 

 

I've been pretty lucky with my two 929's.  i was testing some PPC loads for my Model 64, and decided to throw one of the 929's on the Ransom rest as well with a small variety of 9mm ammo.  As you would expect, there was a big diversity in groups, with American Eagle 124gr giving me ~14" groups, and one of my Production loads (124gr Campro, 4.0gr N320) giving me ~6" groups at 50m.  I'll work up some loads and do more detailed testing next month. Realistically, this is plenty fine for IPSC

 

For reference, here's one of the PPC loads I was testing (148gr Berrys HBWC, 3.6gr Bullseye).  It's taken my two testing sessions of 24 load workups to get this far, and I'm still tweaking it

 

Here's my testing setup.  Just a boy and his toys .... lol

 

 

[AzShooter]

Mine shot best with 147 grain coated bullets sized .358 with 3.3 grains of N320.  I got about 2 - 2 1/2 inch groups at 25 yards from a rest.   The larger bullets seemed to solve al my problems and I never had a problem with leading.  

 

 

Edited December 18, 2017 by AzShooter
typo

[IHAVEGAS]

10 hours ago, VanMan1961 said:

 

Here's my testing setup.  Just a boy and his toys .... lol

 

 

 

Really, really, cool.