Old disabled guy revolver

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gmh1013

New member
I have a Ruger SP 2 inch 357 which is to big and heavy to carry.....I would love to have a Colt Diamondback 38 2 inch but dont have 2k to waste on one revolver.....
Of the two a Ruger LCR or the Smith MP 38 5 shot which would you get....
Im leaning towards the Smith.... 400 bucks vs 550 for the Ruger.....
Either would be my carry gun.
I even though about used Model 36 ....but no plus + ammo...keeps me away
 
Not knowing your disability, the good news is every one that you mentioned is better than the SP. Weight will be better and the trigger on the SP is unfortunately probably the worst of all revolvers. That the GP100 and 686 are much more expensive than the SP has got to be the reason the SP line hasn't dead off. I suspect most people like yourself run into it is smaller, but too heavy for actual purpose.

Pick any that you like most, you'll do fine.
 
Broke my back (plus lots more) from a motorcycle crash in 79...was in hospital 71 days......Im 65 now.....walk with a walker...im going to have to give up and get some power scooter in the near future.
I smoked heavy for about 13 years stopping at 32....sometimes i use oxy when sat level goes to 92/93 at night.....my wife is a retired ER nurse....im lucky.
Ive had the SP for years....not great but built like a panzer tank. Ive shot the LCR .....recoil was bad.
I found a used model 66 2.5 inch for 800.00 which is kinda high .....i use to have one 25 years ago or so and could kick myself for selling it.
 
I am pretty sure that more recent S&W 36 revolvers are fine using +P ammo. That said, there are good ammo choices in .38 that are standard pressure. I carry Hornady 158 gr. XTP in my much older Cold Cobra (another choice worth exploring). Good luck.
 
Get the smith. I have a lcr in 38+p, the internals rattle and it just feels cheap. Triggee leaves a lot to be desired. Also full power 38s, not even +p make your hand sting.
 
Don P said:
You may want to look at S&W 649 (chief special series), 5 shot loaded weight is 27 oz.
Click to expand...
The 649 is the humpback and I had no idea it was considered part of the Chiefs Special revolvers. I thought it was the Bodyguard series.

Carrying my pre-model number Chiefs Special today.

The only change is it has the Altamont grip instead of the original:

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The Ruger SP101, as the OP (original poster) said, is what he has, and I wouldn't sell it off to get something else, at this point. OP, it's working for you right now and something else may later be found to not be to your liking.
https://ruger.com/products/sp101/overview.html

One's finances are always going to be a factor for consideration. If the OP can afford two revolvers for awhile, I say do so, until he definitely say he likes one over the other. Otherwise, he may regret letting the SP101 go, just to get something else he doesn't quite like in the long run.

While I've had an SP101, and wished I still owned it, on retrospect, I also didn't like the overall feel as much as my: S&W Mod. 66-2; 642-1; 640-1; & 60-7, among other S&W revolvers I also have.

The Model 649 (in its final .357 Mag chambering) was discontinued, not to say a used one wouldn't become available at any time. S&W does still have the Mod. 638 in a similar design, but lighter weight in an aluminum alloy frame.
https://www.smith-wesson.com/product/model-638

The S&W Bodyguard 38
https://www.smith-wesson.com/product/bodyguard-38
gets mixed to negative reviews/comments. I've not ever even touched one and can't personally comment.

Ruger LCR
https://ruger.com/products/lcr/overview.html
I considered getting one but just never got around to spending the hard-to-find money to do so. I've read mostly good reviews, but some negative reviews, too.

The current S&W Model 36 is +P rated, as somebody else said.
https://www.smith-wesson.com/product/model-36

I wouldn't know how much, +P ammo, an older non-+P Model 36 could take before some type of failure. For some monetary estimates/comparisons, however, 5,000 rounds of .38 Special would likely be ~$3000, just for practice, with +P defensive ammo being approximately $1/round, or ~$50/box of 50. Would a used non +P Mod. 36 take 50 rounds of +P ammo? Probably, but I don't know regarding any specific old Mod. 36.

Enough from me as I'm not anybody's salesperson. OP, good luck in your search and I hope you decide upon something to augment your revolver inventory and can then find one for sale at an agreeable price.
 
OP, I'm old, broken, and full of arthritis so I sympathize with you.

My first recommendation would be give the Taurus 856 Ultra Light a look. Six shots in a package about the size of your SP101 and easier to carry.

Second would be to quit worrying about +P as a necessity for self defense. After retiring from law enforcement I spent 10 years training over a 1000 people in self defense and to qualify for a concealed carry permit. I always recommended owners of 2" 38 Special revolvers, particularly alloy framed models, shoot 148g factory wad cutters. They are mild in recoil and report, scary accurate, and penetrate all out of proportion to their humble appearance. And all the while cutting a full caliber hole unlike round noses, HPs that don't open up, and even many semi-wadcutters.

YMMV,
Dave
 
Were me, would try to make what I had work. But if you want to go lighter, a S&W Airweight J Frame 38 is +P rated and the J Frames have been carried many a mile by folks who walk the wild side.
 
Well, if you're going to a mobility scooter, weight won't be an issue and you should stick with your trusty SP-101.

You'll find if you go to something lighter, loads that were manageable in your SP feel like rip-snorting magnums in the lighter gun.

I have a 3" SP-101 in 357 and a LCR in 38. A standard pressure 38 Spl with 158 gr. bullet or a +P with lighter bullet feel fine out of the SP, but are abusive from the LCR; don't want to shoot more than a couple cylinders of it, and I have to re-adjust my grip after every shot.

I second Dave T's advice to shoot standard pressure wadcutters, probably by Buffalo Bore, as defense ammo. I don't know about Buffalo Bore's but my standard pressure wadcutter handloads are pleasant to shoot in both my SP-101 and LCR.

Side note: stay with the walker as long as you can. You'll find your fitness level and quality of life will rapidly decline when you go to the scooter. Muscles atrophy, etc. It's what happened to my grandpa. My company president was wounded in war and can't really bend one knee. He walks with a cane and is like Frankenstein's monster from the old movies, but it keeps him in shape.
 
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I’d go S&W. I would go further and get a J and box of hi performance 38sp SD loads. I know a guy that shot a whole box of +P through a m38 S&W. Only reason I know is he gave me the brass. I told him the error of his ways and he brought gun for me to check. No damage I could see although I advised him not to shoot +P any more.
 
If you're worried about +P in a 38 Special J frame, don't shoot it.
Federal still makes 110gr non +P 38 in a Hydra Shock.
If you can find any, standard full Wadcutter 38 isn't a bad option.
Any bullet beats none, if worst come to worst 158 RNL, or Semi Wadcutter.
I have Arthritis, and nerve damage in both hands, my choice in Revolvers is S&W J frames, either a Model 36, or 640.
 
I have a Ruger LCRx and love the feel of it when shooting DA. With the extra light gun, regular 38s do kick more than I expected. I reload, so it was easy to come up with some 110 gr extra low recoil loads. If you do not reload, try some factory ammo with lighter bullets.

If you do not reload and a small 38 with light bullets is still a bit much, the LCR in 327 is an option. Using 32 S&W long for volume practice should be easy on the hand. 32 H&R is "enough" for serious work and should not be too terrible to fire off a cylinder or so now and then. Ammo cost will be somewhat higher but on-line shopping for bulk 32 Long ammo may eventually get back closer to what it was several years ago.

The 32 has an real recoil advantage over a 38. This can be a big deal for those with hands that will get less capable over time. The next step down is probably a 22.
 
Most of the time my carry piece is a Colt Combat Commander in .45 ACP. Back up gun is an S&W M60, the stainless version of the Chief's Special. The load I run is the Federal 125 gr. +P Hi-Shok. They shoot quite well in the M60 and are not bad with the small factory stocks. Currently I have one of the Pachmeyr rubber stocks on the gun. I also have two M49 Bodyguards with clones of the Spegel boot grips. They're a very nice compromise BTW.

Practice loads run a home cast 148 gr. wadcutter over 3.1 gr. of W231, any make of decent brass and the WSP standard primer. Carry loads are in two HK speed loaders with the Federal load mentioned earlier. Like some here, old age and physical problems pop up and I believe one either has to adapt to the situation. I'm 84. In the last three years I've been in a nasty car wreck, had a heart attack and now am fighting cancer. Arthritis is a given with two bad knees, left shoulder and left thumb. Never figure out why just on the thumb???? About 25 more days of radiation treatments and maybe I'll have enough time to go to the range and do a little shooting. It's been three years plus since I've been able to do any shooting and the itch is getting real bad.
Paul B.
 
So you need a smaller, lighter gun with lower recoil because as you know you're going to get older and more weak with time. This is really perfect territory for .32 Magnum and .32 S&W Lg.

How opposed are you to .32 caliber? The .327 LCR is smaller and lighter than the SP101 and the .32 Mag and .32 SWL will have less recoil even in a lighter gun. If you're not shooting it a lot, you can manage with factory ammo, but if you shoot a lot you'll have to reload or go broke.

Taurus also makes a .327 snub, so if you wanted a cheaper entry into the caliber that's a way to go.
 
Colt made the Detective Special in 32 New Police caliber - that's the same as 32 S&W Long of course. Great little guns. No longer made but reasonably priced on GI and GB.
 
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