mbrody Posted January 5, 2013 Share Posted January 5, 2013 I am interested in a Revolver and have no idea where to start. Background: Virgin to Revolvers; completed my first year of USPSA/IPSC local competition shooting a semi. Today's Priorities are: 1. To be used as a home defender 2. To be used in a backup gun match and revolver specific matches. Would like to Meet Major Power Factor Any recommendations are appreciated! Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The_Vigilante Posted January 5, 2013 Share Posted January 5, 2013 (edited) S&W 625 or S&W 610 will both meet Major Power Factor. S&W 686 shooting .357 Magnum will also meet Major Power Factor Edited January 5, 2013 by The_Vigilante Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JFlowers Posted January 5, 2013 Share Posted January 5, 2013 The S&W 625 with a 5" barrel is the dominate revolver in USPSA. However, it does not meet your "backup gun" criteria. You can meet USPSA major power factor with a .45, .44, .357, .38. You can also meet it with a 9mm, but those revolvers are few and far between. Plus 9mm Major would not be fun to shoot. Any 6 shot S&W N Frame or L Frame will do for USPSA. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mbrody Posted January 5, 2013 Author Share Posted January 5, 2013 Thank you both. What do I need to consider to meet the backup gun criteria? I guess I missed something as I thought it was just another Pistol that you don't normally use in IPSC shoots. Of these, which is the smartest choice: .45, .44, .357 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toothguy Posted January 5, 2013 Share Posted January 5, 2013 (edited) Usually BUG guns are snubbys. The short barrel is great for conceal ability but it's a compromise for everything else. To try to get major power factor from a short barreled revolver will be difficult and unpleasant to shoot. If minor is ok, there are lots of 5 shot Smith and Wesson J frames out there. Also try the Ruger LCR it has a nice trigger. http://www.brianenos.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=163872 Edited January 5, 2013 by toothguy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
revomodel10 Posted January 5, 2013 Share Posted January 5, 2013 Thank you both. What do I need to consider to meet the backup gun criteria? I guess I missed something as I thought it was just another Pistol that you don't normally use in IPSC shoots. Of these, which is the smartest choice: .45, .44, .357 .45 ACP , moon clips, nice soft major power loads with 230 ball bullets available. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toothguy Posted January 5, 2013 Share Posted January 5, 2013 (edited) There are some short barreled 625's around, it would be neat to find one. Pretty large for a BUG gun. Edited January 5, 2013 by toothguy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The_Vigilante Posted January 5, 2013 Share Posted January 5, 2013 Just checked Gunbroker-there is a 4" JM 625 for $759. Didn't see any shorter barrels at this time. Probably hard to find Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JFlowers Posted January 5, 2013 Share Posted January 5, 2013 45 ACP is the best choice. Short fat cartridge with a good selection of long tapered round nose bullets available. Makes it easy to load and unload. Thats why the moonclipped S&W 625 is dominate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wideload Posted January 5, 2013 Share Posted January 5, 2013 What caliber is your Semi? If it's a .40, you can simplify your ammo inventory by finding a S&W 610 or have a custom L-frame built in .40. Otherwise look for a 625 or a 25 in .45ACP for reasons already suggested. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toothguy Posted January 5, 2013 Share Posted January 5, 2013 Might be fun to find a short barreled 629 and shoot 44 Russian. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blueridge Posted January 6, 2013 Share Posted January 6, 2013 You could look at a Ruger sp-101 in. 357mag. It would fit your criteria and can make major. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The_Vigilante Posted January 6, 2013 Share Posted January 6, 2013 Yea and after shooting a full match with .357 Magnum and a SP101 you're gonna wish you never went that way-maybe!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toothguy Posted January 6, 2013 Share Posted January 6, 2013 (edited) You could look at a Ruger sp-101 in. 357mag. It would fit your criteria and can make major. You really give up a lot of velocity with the short barrel. I just bought some Hornady Critical Defense loads in .357. The box says they are a 125 gr bullet going 1500 fps,187 pf. Then on the web site I read, that's from a 8 inch test barrel. From a 2 inch barrel they are going 1200 fps,150 pf. Not saying anything bad about Hornady ammo. They have a great bullet design and the powder is designed for short barreled revolvers. Relatively low flash, recoil and good expansion. Just noticing the difference the short barrel makes. The Ruger LCR has really nice grips along with the nice trigger. It seems like you could shoot some stout loads with it and not get beat up to bad. Personally I think they are ugly, but I'm going to buy one for my wife because of the trigger and the grip. Edited January 6, 2013 by toothguy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blueridge Posted January 6, 2013 Share Posted January 6, 2013 The felt recoil with the LCR will be greater than with an SP-101. The lower the weight of the revolver, the more recoil felt. This also will effect the ability to make efficient follow up shots. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pskys2 Posted January 6, 2013 Share Posted January 6, 2013 Might be fun to find a short barreled 629 and shoot 44 Russian. I have a 4" M29 that I had cut for moonclips and shot it until 2006 in USPSA. The only issues with it are lack of Jacketed RN bullets and the cost of moonclips. Other than that I loved, and did quite well, in USPSA with 240 LRN Russian loads. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
56hawk Posted January 6, 2013 Share Posted January 6, 2013 Today's Priorities are: 1. To be used as a home defender 2. To be used in a backup gun match and revolver specific matches. Would like to Meet Major Power Factor For home defense I would recommend a 357 magnum over anything else. Preferably a seven shot 686 or an eight shot 627. The 627 has the added benefit of coming from the factory cut for clips. The difficulty is going to be figuring out what will work for the competitions you want to shoot. As everyone mentioned a 625 is the best possible choice for USPSA. Other competitions have different rules, so you need to figure that out before you decide. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toothguy Posted January 6, 2013 Share Posted January 6, 2013 (edited) Might be fun to find a short barreled 629 and shoot 44 Russian. I have a 4" M29 that I had cut for moonclips and shot it until 2006 in USPSA. The only issues with it are lack of Jacketed RN bullets and the cost of moonclips. Other than that I loved, and did quite well, in USPSA with 240 LRN Russian loads. Dave, I remember seeing you shoot that. I have always wanted a 629 because there so versatile. Not that I'm trying to talk myself into buying one, but you could find a good deal on a used one, shoot USPSA, use it for home defense or hunt with it. .44 Russian, .44 special, .44 magnum. 44 Russians Edited January 6, 2013 by toothguy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toothguy Posted January 6, 2013 Share Posted January 6, 2013 (edited) The felt recoil with the LCR will be greater than with an SP-101. The lower the weight of the revolver, the more recoil felt. This also will effect the ability to make efficient follow up shots. I agree, the LCR is 8oz. lighter but it has a Hogue Tamer grip. The grip is much wider at the web of the hand and It dampens felt recoil well. I did not want to like this gun. When they first came out I thought what an ugly, crappy plastic gun. I looked at the LCR for my wife and I took her with me. She loved the grips and the trigger. When I shot the gun I was pleasantly surprised at the factory trigger, grips, light weight and overall quality. It's easy to feel confident with the gun, it's comfortable. Edited January 6, 2013 by toothguy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blueridge Posted January 6, 2013 Share Posted January 6, 2013 The felt recoil with the LCR will be greater than with an SP-101. The lower the weight of the revolver, the more recoil felt. This also will effect the ability to make efficient follow up shots. I agree, the LCR is 8oz. lighter but it has a Hogue Tamer grip. The grip is much wider at the web of the hand and It dampens felt recoil well. I did not want to like this gun. When they first came out I thought what an ugly, crappy plastic gun. I looked at the LCR for my wife and I took her with me. She loved the grips and the trigger. When I shot the gun I was pleasantly surprised at the factory trigger, grips, light weight and overall quality. It's easy to feel confident with the gun, it's comfortable. I changed the sp-101 grips that came with it with the Hogue grips made for it. The factory grips were too skinny for my hands. The LCR seems to be a good revolver, but just not something for me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
enemeth Posted January 7, 2013 Share Posted January 7, 2013 The S&W 625 with a 4" barrel is the most versatile. It is a great home defense revolver. You can shoot USPSA Revolver division, IDPA ESR division and ICORE Limited division. You can shoot IDPA SSR or ICORE Classic if you use 45 auto rim and speed loaders. A S&W 627 8 shot may be a little better for ICORE. I shoot a S&W 627 4" in USPSA Production for fun since there isn't always someone to shoot against in revolver division. The S&W 627 is also a great home defense gun. Backup gun can mean an alternative gun to shoot at a match, a small concealable second carry gun or one that meets the IDPA Bug Gun division requirements. I do have a S&W 25 with a 3" barrel that I used at an IDPA Bug Match once (it was my primary carry gun) when my bug gun was put out of commision but N Frames are really too big to be concealed carry backup guns. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mbrody Posted January 7, 2013 Author Share Posted January 7, 2013 (edited) Thank you for all the replies. My thoughts are 625 with 4" barrel at 45 acp or the 627 with 5" barrel at .357 mag (I dont see any 4" new). I have no idea why, but 357 mag just has an appeal to it (probably for no other reason than dumb movie, etc., references). I believe both can use moon clips. Moon clips look like something that I want. I do not reload, so of the two calibers/guns, what are the pro/con of each in terms of stopping power, second shot recovery, general controlability? Will factory loads for both meet major? Edited January 7, 2013 by mbrody Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toothguy Posted January 7, 2013 Share Posted January 7, 2013 If you don't already own a 625 it is a must have. If you are going to shoot IDPA then look for a 4'' if just USPSA then I would look for a 5''. The difference is the 45 acp with a 230 grain bullet using a fast powder like clays, has a nice recoil impulse. The large cylinder chambers and the short 45 acp cartridge make reloading with moons easier. I wouldn't try to combine the 625 with your BUG gun requirements. One thing you might try is to go to a match you are thinking about competeting in. The other shooters will be happy to show you what they are using and why. Many of them will let you shoot their gun so you can get first hand experience. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
M1911 Posted January 7, 2013 Share Posted January 7, 2013 For competition, I think that you'll find the 625 better. Short, fat 45 ACP cartridges are much easier to load into a cylinder than long, skinny .357 Mag cartridges. If you are going to shoot major, I find .357 Mag loads to be louder and have more recoil than 45 ACP. Either will work for home defense and I think the difference in stopping power is a wash. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mbrody Posted January 7, 2013 Author Share Posted January 7, 2013 Thank you. 625 seems like the smarter purchase... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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