Best Classic Revolvers

I have several of the classic revolvers mentioned on this thread. I really like the SW K-frames for just plain fun to carry and shoot. I like either the Model 10 or the Model 15, basically the adjustable sight version of the M10.
 
+1 on the Model 15. I've got a bunch of older S&W's and Colts and that's become my favorite shooter. Mine looks like an old pair of blue jeans, but fortunately none of the earlier owner had messed with the action and so it's broken-in naturally. What's impressive is that despite the obvious signs of use, the action and general mechanical condition are still excellent.
 
its kind of like Ruffles...

...bet you can't have just one!

But how can you pick just one? :P

Its like asking a woman to pick her favorite shoes. Except with guns, they actually maintain value!

A few for the younger whippersnapper....these were how it used to be, before these new fangled glocks, magnums, black rifles.

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Then you have Colt vs S&W...

Colts

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S&W

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decisions....decisions....decisions
 
Smith & Wesson M&P Model of 1899. One of the first ones made for 38 Spl - 1902. One of the last ones made without the ejecter rod locking lug. Missing the correct ejector rod end piece. Other than that in very good shape. Now this is a classic.

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Another +1 for a 1st Gen Colt SAA in .45 or .44-40, as a collector. Beauty is, get it late enough (early 1900s/smokeless era) and it can be a mild shooter as well. After that 1851 Navy, just as a collector.

As a shooter, 2nd or "4th" (late 3rd/recent) Gen SAA, again in a classic caliber - .45 or .44-40.

Double action shooter - older S&W Model 10 38 Special or M&P Victory Model .38 Sp (look for a nicer one as quality varied on these from very nice to fairly rough)
 
Anyone care to share their most favorite older gun?
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For me it's the S&W k-frames. I have them in several calibers: 357mag, 38spl, and 22lr. They're all great shooters and handle very well. They're just so easy to shoot accurately.
 
So Many high quality revolvers and so little time.

My two suggestions for a classic yet still affordable(?) revolvers are. Smith and Wesson M 27-2 with a 31/2" or 5" barrel. Smith and Wesson M-28 with a 4" barrel.

Colt makes some excellent revolvers but I've always Preferred the S&W brand.
 
So Many high quality revolvers and so little time.
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Exactly. But for me I have three I consider to be classics and defined the world classic. I am going to include a four but I don't have one.

S&W M&P pre-10 4 inch tapered barrel. Classic cop revolver.
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S&W model 19 4 inch. Bill Jordens dream of a Classic carry revolver for LE
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Ruger Security/Service Six 4 inch. Rugers answer to the model 19.
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And finally the Colt SAA single action. Too me this revolver define the old west. I can't afford one.
Howard
 
Since you already have a K-frame in .357, I would suggest a classic J-frame in .38 Special (M36 in blue, M60 in stainless, the 3" models are real nice).

Then there are the excellent .22lr revolvers - M17 (6") and M18 (4"); these are K-frames like your M66. For J-frame .22s there are the "kit guns" M34 in blue and M63 in stainless.
 
I like this one just because it's a nice old gun. Probably made in the early 20's or so. It's been refinished, and the grips are the "wrong" ones, but it shoots 158 LSWC just fine.

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Smith & Wesson Model 1905/4th change.
 
My favorite revolver:
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S&W 25-5 in .45 Colt with 8 3/8" barrel.
I also like the S&W M36 I keep as a back up carry piece (although recently I find myself carrying it more and more).

Stu
 
Fun fact: if you take a Ruger New Vaquero and retrofit the hammer to the lower "SuperBlackhawk" type, OR buy one with that hammer already mounted by Ruger (the "SASS Specials" sold in pairs, or the short-barrel Montado), the "thumb reach" and other ergonomic properties will exactly match a bone-stock pre-WW2 Colt SAA. To within a millimeter or two at the outside, as far as where the tip of the hammer was hitting my thumb in my test. I was comparing my 2005-era NewVaq357 to a 1907 Colt 1st Gen and another 1st gen of unknown year but definitely a black powder frame (pre-1895).

The NewVaq starts life as a clone of the Colt SAAs made after WW2 (2nd gen and forward) which is oversize from the originals and has a higher hammer.

The reason I went to a lower hammer was to get the tip of the hammer to exactly hit the middle joint of my thumb at the start of the cocking stroke. This lets me push the hammer down in a very positive fashion instead of "dragging it down" with friction on the pad of my thumb. The latter technique can fail under stress, blood on the hand or the like. Hooking the thumb fully over the hammer is just more reliable.

The SBH and Montado hammers are the same casting but with different thumbpad checkering patterns. The difference is mostly cosmetic. The Montado and SASS Special hammers are diamond-checkered with a border and have an "old west look" (sorta), while the SBH is just sideways grooves. I like the SBH type because I slip my thumb off the side of the hammer at the end of the cocking stroke, dropping it to a "thumb on thumb" shooting hold. I don't use off-hand-cocking and consider it a really bad idea overall.

If you can't afford a Colt and/or want a carry SAA with a modern safety but period-correct handling, a NewVaq with an SBH or Montado hammer makes a ton of sense.
 
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