First revolver suggestions?

[jbultman]

I don’t know if this is the topic or not but, mods change if not....thanks.

 

Looking to purchase my first revolver. I do shoot USPSA but in limited and open with very little want to try the revolver division, but who knows. More so want something to shoot at the range and enjoy.

 

Looking to just stick to the calibers I already load: 9mm and 40. Which I know doesn’t leave me many options. 
 

What revolvers/brand/ Models do you suggest? S&W, Ruger, Charter Arms, etc...

 

 Thanks, 

J

 

 

[Joe4d]

ur farting in the wind in USPSA without an 8 shot,,, pretty much limits you to a smith  929 in 9mm. Add 357 mag revolver, which use moonclips , and 38 shortcolt brass, wich is basically a 9mm rimmed.
You can go 627 smith or the new 8 shot Ruger

[PatJones]

A Smith & Wesson 610 takes 40 as well as 10 mm.

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[GrumpyOne]

21 minutes ago, PatJones said:

A Smith & Wesson 610 takes 40 as well as 10 mm.

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If you can find one...although, they have re-introduced them.

[Sarge]

45 minutes ago, Joe4d said:

ur farting in the wind in USPSA without an 8 shot,,, pretty much limits you to a smith  929 in 9mm. 

That's what I would do if I were crazy enough to ever compete with one.

[RJH]

Buy a set of dies and get a 627. It is the most versatile of the revolvers suitable for uspsa.  And the trigger don't suck. 

[Sarge]

20 minutes ago, RJH said:

Buy a set of dies and get a 627. It is the most versatile of the revolvers suitable for uspsa.  And the trigger don't suck. 

And aren't they kind of easy to find deals on these days?

[MRBerg]

just picked up a 627 pc nib but a few years old unfired for 850 I considered a 929 but went with the 627 the gun is the cheep part its all the goodies that go with it that cost 

Ron

[Mcfoto]

3 minutes ago, Sarge said:

And aren't they kind of easy to find deals on these days?

careful. The deals are on the 4” version. I shoot and recommend the full size 5”.

[BZ919]

I bought a 6” 610. I’ve wanted a 10mm pistol for deer hunting for a while, but couldn’t justify the high cost of an auto. I broke my leg this fall and thought shooting Revo would be entertaining while I recovered. Add those together, and the 610 was justified (at least in my mind).

What I’ve learned:

1. Revo is fun!!

2. Revo major is a severe handicap. Standing reloads are unavoidable. If you want to be competitive, minor with 8 rounds is the way to go.

3. Gunbroker and bourbon do not mix. I got an unbelievably great deal on a 4” 610 when my low ball bid actually won. So now I have 2 610s.


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[jbultman]

Thanks guys. I’m pretty much into limited and open. Not sure if I would ever shoot this is USPSA or not, just kind of a range plinker. Does that change the suggestions of:  929, 627 or 610?

[PatJones]

I got the impression you currently load 9mm and 40 and didn't want to add a caliber.

In Smith & Wessons there's only a few revolvers in these calibers. Ruger may make something too, but I'm less familiar with their offerings. As a gunsmith I cannot recommend Taurus or Charter Arms.

At one time S&W made a 40 caliber revo in a medium sized frame. I can't remember the number, but at this point it would be very collectable and prices would be unreasonable anyway. The 610 is chambered in 10mm, but it headspaces off the moon clips so it works great with 40. The prices vary with availability, but Smith made a run of them last year so you should find one for a reasonable price.

The 9mm guns are the 8 shot 929, and the 7 shot 986. The 929 would be nice if you ever shoot Revo division. I don't know why anyone would want the 7 shot medium frame sized 986. The 986 doesn't fit into any competition rule set and I'd rather have a .357 for woods carry. The 929 has some idiosyncrasies, it doesn't like Starline brass and will give trouble extracting it.

Be aware that all the revos we're discussing use moonclips. Moonclips are great if you have enough to load them at home and shoot all day at the range. If you're planning to have 5 moonclips and load then at the range, you'll likely grow tired of them and sell the gun. You will need tools to load and unload them. You will want to price these things before committing to buying a revolver.

Moonclips for the old 45 ACP guns are made of stamped steel and can be found for less than a dollar each if you buy in bulk. Moonclips for the other calibers are often made by wire EDM and can cost significantly more. 9mm moonclips are available from a number of sources and I will include links below. 10mm/40 moonclips are less common. It appears that Dillon carries them, they are out of stock but accepting back orders.

For competition you want a moonclip that holds the rounds firmly to make reloads as quick as possible. For general range use you only need them to control headspace and extract the brass.

Moonclips are available from:

https://www.revolversupply.com/

https://tkcustom.com/

https://www.dillonprecision.com/moon-clips-h-10mm-moon-clips-10-ea_8_128_25117.html

At a minimum you will need a tool to get your brass out of the clips, the old school pipe style ones work fine. Depending on how tight the fit of your clips are, you may need tools to get them into the clips as well. On my 45 I put the brass in by hand and use a Brownells demooner. My new 627 moonclips require the use of a tool for insertion so I bought a BMT mooner.

Moonclip tools:

https://www.brownells.com/shooting-accessories/speedloaders-accessories/moonclip-accessories/moon-clip-stripper-prod6727.aspx

http://www.bmtequipped.com/

https://www.revolversupply.com/

https://tkcustom.com/

Do a little homework on the accessories before you buy a revo. You will find more people here shoot the 8 shot models, a lot of us have the old 45 caliber guns too. Perhaps someone can speak up about accessories for the 610s.

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[Anschutz]

I went 627 to try Revo. Only shot 1 steel match with it but I've carried it hiking, hunted with it, and it stays on the nightstand. I went 627 over 929 because if I decided not to shoot revo, a 9mm large framed revolver is useless to me.

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[RJH]

4 hours ago, jbultman said:

Thanks guys. I’m pretty much into limited and open. Not sure if I would ever shoot this is USPSA or not, just kind of a range plinker. Does that change the suggestions of:  929, 627 or 610?

 

36 minutes ago, Anschutz said:

I went 627 to try Revo. Only shot 1 steel match with it but I've carried it hiking, hunted with it, and it stays on the nightstand. I went 627 over 929 because if I decided not to shoot revo, a 9mm large framed revolver is useless to me.

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And this is why you 627

[RJH]

11 hours ago, Sarge said:

And aren't they kind of easy to find deals on these days?

I think the 4 inch pro series is a little cheaper. But the 5" custom shop or whatever they call it is about the same as the 929, least it was when i looked a while back.

[eggman]

I recently installed fiber optic front sights and reduced power springs on two new 4" S&W 610's .A couple guys I shoot IDPA with got together and purchased them at the same time. I was very impressed with both of them when I sighted them in and adjusted the strain screw tension for reliability . I liked them better than my 610-3 and think the new S&W 610 would be a great choice for a new revolver.

[MRBerg]

11 hours ago, Mcfoto said:

careful. The deals are on the 4” version. I shoot and recommend the full size 5”.

mine is the 5" performance center that's as short a bbl I would want to use 

Ron

[perttime]

6 hours ago, jbultman said:

Thanks guys. I’m pretty much into limited and open. Not sure if I would ever shoot this is USPSA or not, just kind of a range plinker. Does that change the suggestions of:  929, 627 or 610?

 

If you want to use a revolver just for kicks, any revolver will do.

Anybody who wants to be competitive uses an 8-shooter. When the madness hits me, I just bring a Ruger GP100 6-gun. Most holsters that fit similar sized S&Ws seem to work perfectly.

 

For a revolver in 9mm, the 929 and Ruger's new 8-shot Super GP100 are the options.

For .40, the first one that comes to my mind is Ruger's GP100 Match Champion 6-shooter in 10mm. With the right moonclips, it works well with .40.

 

[jbultman]

6 hours ago, perttime said:

If you want to use a revolver just for kicks, any revolver will do.

 

9 hours ago, PatJones said:

I got the impression you currently load 9mm and 40 and didn't want to add a caliber.

 

Thank you all for a response. I think I’m at a point where I do want to load a caliber that I already have, don’t want to get the stuff to load something I need to get dies and brass and etc for....I don’t know if I will ever shoot revolver in a competition. My thought currently is if I want to then I will get something more suitable for it, ie 8-shot 9mm/38 something. 
 

Currently looking at a S&W 610/986, Ruger LCR/LCRx or SP101.

 

Thanks again

Edited January 9, 2020 by jbultman

[GMM50]

Consider a S&W 25/625 used.  45 ACP is easy to load, Lots of different bullet shapes.  You can shoot in most every event.

Also you wont loose money if you buy a good used one.  You can sell it for what you paid for it.

 

It's know the fancy, latest  or newest but like a 1911 it's a good gun.

[mchapman]

If you are not going to compete with the revolver and want one just to play with, or if you want to use it for a carry gun or on the night stand, you may want to look at the S&W 986, which is as said by others here a 7 shot moonclipped gun, BUT that model is available in a 2 inch barrel also.

[RangerMcFadden]

18 minutes ago, mchapman said:

If you are not going to compete with the revolver and want one just to play with, or if you want to use it for a carry gun or on the night stand, you may want to look at the S&W 986, which is as said by others here a 7 shot moonclipped gun, BUT that model is available in a 2 inch barrel also.

 I’d argue that the 2 inch 986 would hold value better than the longer barrel as well. Wouldn’t call it much of a range toy though.

[pskys2]

If you have no interest in USPSA Revolver Division or Steel Challenge you don't need  an 8 shot.

357 magnums/38 specials are the most economical and versatile in a Revovler.

But in 8 shot, just cause and both of these can use moon clips (but it's not required), 627 Pro is a 4" w/the swapable FS and are around mid $800's.  The 627 PC is a 5" w/swapable FS and goes around $1050.  You can probably find deals though.

Now if you go with a 6 shot in the same calibers a 6 shot is great, and there are competition divisions for them in IDPA or ICORE, go with an L Frame i.e. 686 or look for used even you can find deals on a plethora of S&W's for decent prices.

In 6 shot you can't go wrong with a Ruger 6 shot  too and usually a bit cheaper than S&W's and Rugers are built like tanks.

If you buy used look for the following:

1) Rust/dents/dings/obvious damage.

2) Check the bore for bad rust or pitting.

3) Slowly cycle the DA trigger and at the end of the stroke for each chamber you should hear/feel a slight click as the bolt locks into the cylinder notch.  If the hammer falls and you don't hear a click see if you can rotate the cylinder opposite of it's normal rotation.  If it will rotate backwards then it has slow timing and pass.  It can be fixed but takes a little knowledge and skill.

[Frankly]

I never competed with a revolver but I wanted to try one after initially buying a tiny J-frame when I first got my pistol permit. That J-frame was impossible to shoot and I got rid of it within a week!

 

A few years later I found a good deal on a lightly used 627 Performance Center, $850 or so. And I had a fun time getting it smithed for a really nice trigger, fiber optic front sight and Nill grip, it was as nice as they come. But moonclips are a PITA for recreational shooting. Better to use the Speedbeez type Speed Loaders and their clever loading block cases. They make plinking fun. 

 

Still I got bored with it. Stupid to sell it at such a loss but whatever, if you don't use it, sell it. 

 

Now I have a nice 5" 617 10-shot 22lr revolver. Fiber optics, trigger job, Nill grip. Love it because 10-shots is better than 8, it feels like a 686 and is cheap to run. It's the best beginner gun yet, kids and newbies can handle it with zero flinching. For plinking it's a great revolver. 

 

I can even put 22 shorts or those primer only loads in it and shoot in places I shouldn't. Not selling it!

 

 

 

Speedloader is super easy and almost fun.

 

 

Big fan of the Nill grips but expensive. Hogue makes some nearly as good.

 

Edited January 10, 2020 by Frankly

[PatJones]

I never competed with a revolver but I wanted to try one after initially buying a tiny J-frame when I first got my pistol permit. That J-frame was impossible to shoot and I got rid of it within a week!

Not impossible. I can split a business card edge on with mine at 10 yards. They are not very forgiving of poor technique though, certainly not a beginners gun.

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