Revolvers, miss them? wish you could carry them?

[Sport69]

I just wonder if any LEO miss the old revolvers? I never carried on on duty but I have owned several, S&W 19, 66, 586, 686. With some of the guns on the market today like the S&W 327 eight shot WOW I would not blink about carrying that guy!!! I have heard legend of a local officer who carries a S&W performance center seven shot revolver, it has a light rail and night sights.. he has better accuracy and speed on his range days that the rest in his department. Hmmmm What do you folks think?

 

[4sarge]

Do I miss them, maybe, only from a nostalgia point of view. When I started in LE, SW 38 was the standard issue. Then we went to the 357, and from there to the Sig P220 and then made the switch to the Glock21. I do like the revolver for the dependability and accuracy but the semi autos have the upper hand in actual field use for many reasons. I've owned and carried S&W 19, 60, 67, 586, 686. I sold my wheel guns and replaced them with semi autos. Looking to purchase a few S&W's for old time sake.

 

[rcflyer]

I have a OC holster for my 6" .357 Taurus. I am going to try and carry it, but its awfull big. I am much more accurate with it than my normal carry weapon(Taurus MilPro PT140).

 

[redneckmedic]

YES I DO CARRY IT

 

[IndyGunworks]

YES I DO CARRY IT

I think the OP was asking LEO's about full size issue duty guns.... not you CC piece

 

[redneckmedic]

I think the OP was asking LEO's about full size issue duty guns.... not you CC piece

How do you know that I don't fight crime at night in my tights???

 

[4sarge]

How do you know that I don't fight crime at night in my tights???

I don't think that this is what he was thinking

 

[cce1302]

I'm not a cop, but I do carry wheelguns occasionally.

S&W 327PC 2" Yes, I do love having 8 rds of .357 mag, plus a full moon clip. Or two. Have thought about getting the TRR8, but it wouldn't do much that I can't do with the other two .357s, so I can't justify the expense. yet.

Sometimes it's the 6" stainless GP100 (mostly in the winter under a long coat)

 

[Sport69]

+1 on more accurate with the six shooter!

 

[Splagt]

Wheel guns

I personally never felt undergunned with a full size revolver. When my agency switched to autoloaders, I think the overall accuracy suffered on the part of many borderline shooters. There seemed to be a tendency to rush shots at qualification, as opposed to maintaining good trigger control.
Ironically, all of the shootings of which I am personally familiar in my agency involved revolvers. Each time only one shot was required. Each time the assailants expired without further ado.
Of course, there was one incident where a fellow LEO confronted an individual who was armed with a semi-automatic AK. They traded shots at 50 yards and the assailant threw down his long gun and surrendered. Again, a revolver would have supplied enough rounds to acomplish the same feat.
There are a lot of good points to a revolver, especially for a shooter who does not have the time or inclination to really learn stoppage drills until they are second nature.
Just my opinion, however.

 

[Joe Williams]

With the exception of the Beretta 92 I'm carrying now, I MUCH prefer a revolver as a defensive/carry gun to any semi-auto out there. The simplicity, reliability, looks, power, and versatility in such easy to carry packages cannot be beat. I think the best all around carry gun available is a 3" Ruger SP101 .357 Magnum, though I'm certain other wheel gun lovers may beg to differ.

Add that to the American heritage of the revolver, and they are just hard to beat. True, other nations have used revolvers, but somehow they are still an American gun.

I was not sad when we transition from S&W Model 15s to the M9, but that was largely because I was not exactly a fan of the 130 grain FMJ ammo we had to carry. The gun itself was a real sweetheart, and accurate as all get out.

Right now I'm jonesing for either another 3" Ruger SP101 to replace the one I miss so much, or a S&W 686 SSR.

 

[Soundslikejosh]

I may be wrong here, and I am sure some Colt fans will disagree, but I think it's possible that the K frame S&Ws were the best revolver every produced. And while I respect the Ruger revolvers for what they are, I personally think that comparing a Ruger and a S&W is analogous to driving a 1987 Caprice Wagon to a car show. No need to get all offended, it's just my opinion, worth less than you paid for it.


EDIT: Not LEO, but I had to show some K Frame love.

 

[Joe Williams]

I note that the S&W 66 I traded for my Beretta is again up for trade. My wife thinks I'm crazy because I'm tempted again LOL. I really do have a hard time deciding which I like better.

 

[Agent 007]

I may be wrong here, and I am sure some Colt fans will disagree, but I think it's possible that the K frame S&Ws were the best revolver every produced. And while I respect the Ruger revolvers for what they are, I personally think that comparing a Ruger and a S&W is analogous to driving a 1987 Caprice Wagon to a car show. No need to get all offended, it's just my opinion, worth less than you paid for it.


EDIT: Not LEO, but I had to show some K Frame love.

Meh. While I might agree that K frames are some of the best looking and handling revolvers, I respect strength and durability much more. If K frames could handle a steady diet of hot loads, there would have been no need for an L frame. Ruger's solid frame design beats the side plate design of S&W revolvers, hands down. A S&W amongst Rugers is like a Honda Pilot trying to hit the off-road trails with the Jeeps.

 

[Slow Hand]

Meh. While I might agree that K frames are some of the best looking and handling revolvers, I respect strength and durability much more. If K frames could handle a steady diet of hot loads, there would have been no need for an L frame. Ruger's solid frame design beats the side plate design of S&W revolvers, hands down. A S&W amongst Rugers is like a Honda Pilot trying to hit the off-road trails with the Jeeps.

I'm all for durability, but I'd like to see anyone who's not a serious competitive shooter wear out a K frame Smith. I just last night was re=reading a column by Brian Pierce in Handloder magazine where he's was telling of K frame durability. He ha d a very accurate Model 19 and was warned that it would quickly wear out of he shot it with full house loads. he found a good deal on another Model 19 that wasn't quite as accurate, so he procedded to shoot 5,000 rounds of full house magnum ammo through it. At the end it shot tighter groups than before, and although it had a littl more endshake than before, it was still within factory specs. Your average gun owner woudn't want to shoot 5000 rounds of full powered loads through a Smith K frame in their lifetime. Plus, the way we are, we buy, sell, and trade so often, that it's doubtful that it'd ever happen anyways. I've got a 3" model 65 that I've had for several years. I don't know how many rounds I've put through it, but it's been several thousand for sure. Probably about half and half of hot .38's and full powered 125gr Magnum loads and it's still nice and tight, has a better trigger than any Ruger D/A I've ever seen and is a great carry gun to boot! I love my Ruger Single Actions, but the Ruger's will NEVER replace the S&W's in my Double Action needs.

Doug K

 

[Soundslikejosh]

Excellent post Doug.

Even competition shooters have a hard time wearing out a K frame- we are talking tens of thousands of rounds. If S&W had a real problem with their side plate design, I might consider your argument, Agent. While I agree with Doug that the SA Rugers are pretty nice, I also see no reason to buy a DA from Ruger. They offer no real benefit in strength and lack a lot of character. FWIW, I'd still pay more for a S&W that was "fed a diet of hot loads" than I would for a Ruger DA.


No harm meant, but I also have to raise the about Smiths not handling magnums. I would argue that is one of the real reasons to love the K frame- you can do the job of an N frame in a smaller gun. Except for those with gorilla hands, who would rather shoot a 6" Model 28 compared to a 6" Model 19? If someone can come up with a solid body of evidence that K frames die a premature death, I will gladly reconsider my original statement. Until then, or until someone else offers a better candidate, I maintain that the K may be the best revo ever made.

Anyone care to rebut?

 

[Splagt]

S&W durability

I have personally put thousands of rounds of +P ammo through various Model 15s. As an instructor, I saw thirty or more revolvers every three months. I don't recall any problems associated with the ammunition selection or an adverse effect of the weapons. Most problems were caused by neglect or stupidity.
I'm not sure why S&W brought out the L frame weapons. I think it had more to do with a marketing strategy at the time.
I do know that used K frames are still climbing in price and demand. Somebody must like them.

If anybody still has any of these obsolete poorly-engineered dinosaurs, give me an e-mail. I'll give them a good home!

 

[jeremy]

I am not an LEO, however when I used to go into the back country areas. I used to carry a single action wheel gun. Real hard to beat the way a .45 LC tells a critter to leave me alone.

 

[jason conley]

Nothing to say that hasn't been said already. Smith&wesson rules Rugers are alright but double action sucks. Colts are overpriced and taurus revolvers really suck. Short and sweet.

 

[Agent 007]

Nothing to say that hasn't been said already. Smith&wesson rules Rugers are alright but double action sucks. Colts are overpriced and taurus revolvers really suck. Short and sweet.

My Ruger double actions don't suck, thanks to Wolff springs and smoothing the internals. I will admit that S&W revolvers have a better trigger out of the box, and can also be smoothed and lightened. Although they are now overpriced, I've never seen a Smith or any wheelgun that has a better trigger than the stock trigger in my dad's old Colt Python. THAT gun is a work of art. Colt's royal blue finish is simply beautiful.

Taurus makes revolvers? (j/k)