Advice on snubnose revolvers

[jason867]

I'm looking to buy a snub nose revolver to keep at home and maybe eventually concealed carry. Looking for either a 38 special or 357. Looking to keep it cheap but reliable. Used only of course. I'd like to keep it under $300, $200 or less would be nice.

Is there any particular brands I should steer clear of?

What is the opinion on taurus models?

Anything else I should know?

Thanks for helping an amateur out!

 

[melensdad]

Charter Arms, Taurus, Ruger and S&W all currently make good revolvers. Older guns are something you need to inspect carefully. But revolvers are a bargain in the gun world because few people want them.

 

[gfry12]

a snub nose is the next gun on my list, I think I am going with a s&w 637 .38 special.

 

[Ricnzak]

I just bought a Smith 638 in 38 spec. about a month ago. Shoots nice, easy to carry. I saw Taurus models for $339 and Smith's for $389.00 at the 1500 show.

 

[Joe Williams]

My wife had an ultralight Taurus Model 85 snubby at one time. She really liked the little gun, and loved carrying it. It was like it wasn't even there.

It worked well for her, and was plenty accurate at 7-10 yards. For $50 more I'd buy an S&W if I could find those kinds of deals on new guns, but a Taurus is a fine gun.

My 3" Ruger SP101 is my favorite gun, one of my favorite handguns I've ever owned. But it's not an ultralightweight snubby. It's easy to conceal, but it's heavy, and a little longer. The 3" barrel, though, gives you extra velocity from your ammo, and makes the gun a LOT easier to shoot accurately. This is a 25 yard or more gun, where as many folks have trouble hitting at 10 yards with a regular snubby. The weight makes shooting +P .38s a breeze, and you can carry .357s if you want. I highly recommend it, but it does cost more than $300.

 

[Michiana]

I have had a Rossi Model 877 in 357mag for over ten years with zero problems. They do not make this model but do make a identical one you can view at Rossi USA

Taurus makes similar ones and you can't go wrong. I used mine for CC up until a month ago. Great guns, excellent quality and priced right.

 

[jason867]

A friend of mine recommended getting a stainless steel one, or nickel plated because blued models get fingerprinted easily or something. Anyone care to clarify this for me?

 

[Joe Williams]

Stainless steel won't rust or corrode as quickly as blued steel, but will still do so if you don't care for the gun.

 

[jason867]

is there anything wrong with comanche?

 

[Michiana]

My snub nosed Rossi SS 357mag. Nice feel in your hand. You need to try them out first before you buy as they all grip different. Anyone I let hold this one loved it.

This is a taurus similar to mine you can look for on GunBroker.com. Should be albe to find used in your price range. Good luck

 

[seamus]

KS&E have the Rossi 357's in stock for about $299.00. Call 1st because everyone is buying everthing like there's a blizzard coming.

 

[J D]

I'm pretty much sold on the S&W .38's. The stainless holds up much better than the nickel but you pick up extra weight. The lightweight's are much easier to carry for long hours but can be a handful to shoot with any kind of hot round. It's all a trade off to some extent.

 

[shooter521]

is there anything wrong with comanche?

Yes. They are really bottom of the barrel quality. If you can afford anything better, look elsewhere. Plus, they don't make anything truly compact or concealed-carry size (their smallest .38 is a 4" barrel, IIRC).

 

[Field King]

Revolvers

I agree with most replys here on models and quality, S&W, COLT, RUGER on the top end and ROSSI and TAURUS being next in line that I would choose for a revolver that may have to save your life. For everyday carry it is hard to beat a S&W in the airweight series.

 

[calcot7]

I like my S&W 637 airweight the most out my "snubby" collection, and i've got several. You might be able to find a used one for around $300. And a set of "Crimson Trace" laser grips would be a nice accessory to add down the road possibly.

 

[Six Forty-Two]

is there anything wrong with comanche?

I remember reading on another forum someone describing the quality of comanche firearms as being assembled by retarded, drunk, epileptic monkeys...LOL

 

[cce1302]

I have a very low opinion of Taurus firearms based on my own experience and my observation of others.

Ruger will probably fit your price range if you're going for a used gun. Security Six, GP100, or the smaller SP101 will be good. I have a high opinion of the quality found in Ruger revolvers, and have owned a single six for over 20 years, and a GP100 for a dozen or so.

Smith & Wesson makes some of the best revolvers to be had, and have probably more options available than anybody else. Go to a shop and handle as many as they'll let you handle. I am very fond of their 627/327 line of revolvers. I enjoy my 8-shot .357 mag model 327PC. My dad has a 627-0 that I believe is something close to perfection in handguns. These revolvers are a bit too large for typical CCW, but it can be done (and has been done by me). They're great house guns though. The J-frames are good pocket carry, but can be painful to shoot extensively. By "painful" I mean that you may hurt less if you stay home and smack your hand repeatedly with a 16oz finish hammer instead of shooting a box of 125gr .357 mags. S&W has plenty of guns in between the j- and n-frames like the 586 and 686. Nothing wrong with them. Small enough to carry if you like, but big enough not to kill at both ends.

As for caliber, I haven't seen much purpose in buying a .38spl. Others, I'm sure, disagree, especially those who wish to sell you a .38spl. I am an unabashed lover of the .357 mag caliber. It is said that you can always shoot .38spls through a handgun chambered for .357, but fewer than 10% of the rounds that I have put through my .357s have been .38s.

$300 isn't much to pay for a firearm that you plan to use if your life is on the line. With the price of ammo what it is now, I understand that what you spend on the gun is a concern, but over the life of the gun, you will probably end up putting more money than that just into ammo for it (at 20-30 bucks a box for .357 right now).

Just some of the things I think about when I choose a gun to buy. I hope they help you out.

*just to clarify, as I may be talking some jargon here: when talking about S&W frame, the letters indicate the size-J, K, L, N, and X. J is the smallest, pocket revolver size. K and L are medium, service revolver size. N is the large frame. X is the extra-stupid large size for the .460 and .500 magnum.

 

[Michiana]

I have a very low opinion of Taurus firearms based on my own experience and my observation of others.quote]

To some extent I agree with the last poster that if you can afford to buy a Colt, S&W or Ruger to go ahead and spend the extra money. If you can find one used in VG or better condition that might be a good deal for you. Personally I only own one Taurus I traded several months ago so cannot give an honest opinion on these guns. I have owned four Rossi and still have one I carried for ten years as my primary CC weapon and had zero problems from any of them. Taurus bought Rossi some years back but Rossi still offers guns for sale.

I'd look carefully at buying anything used vs new; you might find that a new mid range quality gun might be a better deal over time than a used preminum one. Buying used you do not know how the gun was taken care of by the previous owner so it is a crap shoot.

Personally I would not hesitate buying a new Taurus or Rossi if that is what your budget can afford and you would rather have the piece of mind of owning a new gun. You are talking about your personal safety so buy as much as you can afford and you will be safe; just don't buy low end for your PP gun.

 

[shotbyspike]

What about the ruger sp101?

 

[cce1302]

What about the ruger sp101?

I like it. It's built like a Ruger revolver. (I'd say "built like a tank" but tanks aren't even built like Ruger revolvers.)