Starter revolver

C

CraZkid

Moderator
I have several autos but I think I would like to try a revolver. Here are the criteria it MUST meet (please no "well, if you didn't want this..."; I know what I want and have my reasons).

-Cheap ammo; I already spend about $50 a week shooting 9mm, .40, and .45. If a gun will shoot one of those, so much the better, but not a requirement.
-Reliable
-Reasonably priced; my girlfriend thinks I am crazy for my gun-buying habits(on our first date to a mall I went to Scheel's saw a CZ 40-P, called over the sales guy and said, "I want that one; here is my permit, drivers liscense and credit card.")
-Light recoil; I intend to use it for IPSC so light recoil is a must.
-Has to fit my larger hands; single-stack 1911's are approaching too small.
-Accurate
-Great customer support

I think that is all for my ideal wheelgun. I have zero experience with them so all help is appreciated.
 
The SW 625jm will meet all of your requirements except price. You could tell your girlfriend that the cost of a 625jm is $600.00, and it is so well made it is very reasonable priced.

And, all of that of course would be true... ;)
 
Bullrock's suggestion is a good one, and duplicates your 45ACP ammo. There is very little in the way of 9mm's and no 40S&W's that I know of.

If you want the cheapest revolver centerfire ammo, and don't mind introducing new calibers, a .357 would be the ticket. For light training, plinking, trigger control, etc, you can shoot cheap .38Specials - the cheapest revolver load available. For competition, you can load it with .357Magnums.

You would know better, but according to what I saw in the IPSC rules, for "Production Division" a revolver must have a 5" or smaller barrel. If you want to be most competitive, you probably want it to be 5" then.

Smith & Wesson makes a special edition (same price though) 686 that has a 5" half lug barrel - that configuration balances the best :) . It holds 7 rounds, and comes with a fiber optic front sight you should like. The revolver looks like this:
164284_large.jpg

http://www.firearms.smith-wesson.com/store/item/ijro/686/5.html

For "Standard Division", it looks like there is no limit on barrel size, and at most 6 shots may be fired before reloading - in that case, a 6 shot capacity would be best to match the reload cycle, and a 6" full lug would be better than the above, because it will flip less for faster, more controlled followup shots. Here is a standard 6-shot 686:
164224_large.jpg

http://www.firearms.smith-wesson.com/store/item/htj0/686/6.html

Both of the above revolvers can be had in the low $500-$550 range, and are very popular, well made guns.
 
My suggestion is to look for a used S&W M10 38 Special first. You need to learn the revolver handling characteristics first. Speedloaders, using them and grips that fit you are the main issues. When you understand the basic revolver, look for a 625 S&W in 45 ACP. Go slow and develop a feel for the large N frame, speedloader skills will transfer easily. The adjustable sights will take a little time to adjust to versus fixed sights. Develop revolver skills first. You will notice a significant degrade in your ability and groups in changing over to a revolver.
 
Why will i notice a drop in my accuracy? I always thought that revolvers were more accurate; that was why they keep them around.
 


You didn't say it had to qualify for IPSC (you implied it...)

Ruger makes some nice revolvers in 22lr - ammo doesn't get much cheaper than that.



-tINY

 
With your criteria there is no need with starting with the K-frame. Basic revolver training is accomplished with any frame size. There is no need in learning to use a speed loader if you buy a moonclip revolver (which the .45acp revolvers are).
Buy one of the .45acp revolvers on the market. Find a set of stocks/grips that fit your hand. Then work on your revolver skills.
A .22lr revolver will allow much cheaper practice because of ammo cost, but then you would have to buy a second revolver to meet your criteria.
Why will i notice a drop in my accuracy?
Click to expand...
The DA revolver trigger is the hardest system to learn and most pistol shooters find that their shooting immediately degrades when they make the switch.
 
In defense of the .22LR

Some people don't want to take a .22LR for various reasons... as tiny said though, I think that the .22LR is actually an excellent choice as well. Very cheap and fun training. The ammo is so cheap that if you shoot a lot, it will pay for itself pretty quickly versus even the inexpensive .38Special.

- .22LR rounds are about $10 for 500 rounds of basic ammo
- .38Special rounds are about $10 for 50 rounds of basic ammo

If you shot it a lot, say, went to the range every 2 weeks and shot 200 rounds per visit, you'd shoot 26 * 200 = 5200 rounds per year. In the .22LR, that will cost about $110. In the .38Special, that will cost about $1040. Hmmmmm - shooting just half that much will almost pay for a S&W 617 in one year - hmmmmmm. :D

Or, another way of looking at it is that it is so cheap that you can afford to shoot it a lot and become a more proficient shooter. As has been said a million times before, but still equally true, the mild recoil and report also help to focus attention on proper form and trigger discipline. I just got one :)
 
I am absolutely loving my 625JM! Fantastic gun, wonderfully accurate, and recoil is very manageable. It also has one great advantage...

Interchangeable ammo with your other .45's.

BTW, it hasn't been asked, but it's worth noting. Have you considered reloading? $50 a week is, by my budget, about 12 reloaded boxes of 50 .357/.38/.45 (or about 5 boxes of factory). A little expensive to start, but when you figure that your initial investment saves some $8-10 a box, it pays for itself damn quick.
 
The 625JM would also be my recommendation for what you seem to want. You didn't define "reasonable" price-wise, so it may not fit the bill. But if by "reasonable" you include anything $1000 or less, you have a lot of options, but the 625 or 625 JM fit all your other criteria to a "T".
 
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