Is a revolver a good choice for a first time gun owner ? And what model and caliber s


3900

New member
And what model and caliber should I go with?
 

According to your intended use, a revolver is an excellent first handgun for anyone who plans to use it for home defense and who may have weak grip due to age or disease. My first handgun was a S&W mod 10 with a heavy 4 inch barrel. It was a excellent and 100 percent reliable 38 special handgun. You might look into a used revolver like the model 10 as a good starter. Now if you intend to carry said handgun as a every day concealed carry weapon you might would rather go with a smaller short barrel revolver like the chief special or the newer variant of the same.
Everybody will have their own opinion and yours may change after you use the weapon for a while. My everyday carry now is a XDs 45 or a Ruger LCP in 380, it is all depending on your intended use, circumstances and personal choice.
 
If you don't want to start with a .22lr, a .357 revolver is an excellent first handgun.

If you can find them, start with 148gr. .38 Special wadcutter bullseye loads. Then work your way up to 158gr. lead semi-wadcutter hollowpoints, then .357 Magnums of whatever kind.

I can't recommend any of the new S&Ws with a lock, but the Ruger GP100 is a good gun. I'd go with the 4" with adjustable sights.

Used pre-lock S&Ws are also excellent guns, particularly the .38 Special Model 10, and the .357 Models 65, 66, 586 and 686.
 
I don't have the "revolver is a great gun" mentality. Truth is, they are often harder for new or inexperienced shooters. I have had a revolver fail so the "never fail" thing is a fallacy. Personally, I teach whatever fits the hand and can shoot with confidence is the right choice. I run all shooters through failure drills regardless of their platform. Newer shooters should avoid the "small and cute" type firearms since they are really harder to shoot.

Sent from my SPH-L720 using USA Carry mobile app
 
Whoa, any idea what it caused it to fail?

I'm just curious.
I had a clinder push forward as the trigger was pulled which stopped rotation. I've had the butterfly bend causing the cilinder to not open. I've also had build up under the ejecter rod which locked up the cilinder.
 
i bought a 357 revolver first, a 9mm semi auto a year later, then a 22 rifle for my gf and now I want a 9mm rifle. it's the 3rd and 4th one you have to watch out for because they get addictive. Next i'll want a shotgun i guess. :jester:
 
I used to believe that a full size with a 4 inch barrel was the perfect all round gun for new shooters. after witnessing too many people cheat them selves by only using it in single action mode, and not becoming proficient in reloading, I have come to the conclusion, that there is very few benefits to a revolver, out side of hunting applications. that being said, I own quite a few of them and really like them. at a recent IDPA match, I used my trusty GP100 for grins. the short comings of a revolver, and my efficiency with it became painfully obvious. I still would have used it, if I were to do it over again, but, the striker fired pistols are so much easier and more efficient to run. I know I could have cut my times in a third with out giving up anything. if I had more time in on a revolver I could have done better, but never better than I could run a semi auto with the same amount of time into it. I also think that revolvers really do require more trigger time to achieve timely reloads, that is their greatest dis advantage.

I still love them, and carry them, but that match really made me realize how much better I am with an auto. the double action trigger is one of those things that a person just needs to practice, my accuracy actually impressed me, considering how little I have done lately, but a lot of people don't practice double action shooting as much as they should. If you get a revolver, learn to shoot it in double action mode, and practice reloading under pressure. stay away from the snubbies. A steel framed 3 inch barrel is the smallest I would go. get a 357 mag, and run it with 38's to get comfortable with it. it will serve you well. it just takes more training than it would appear. by the way, in that match, I still beat a couple of auto shooters. so that was cool.

One more thing. revolvers in my experience are not any more reliable than a quality pistol. Pistols when they malfunction are a lot easier to get going again. a revolver on the other hand, lets just say that's a good reason to carry a back up.
 
We bought grandma a nice little SW bodyguard 38 sp. revolver. We all loved it but grandma didn't. The narrow grip and her arthritis hurt her hand. Same grandma with arthritis can shoot my XD 357 just fine, Glock 10 MM just fine and is deadly with an HK 9 mm. So it all goes back to what fits and "feels right."
 
For a first revolver I would go with something like a Ruger LCR in .22 mag which is easy on recoil, but will still take out a bad guy. It lets you learn to shoot easier than a .38. :dirol:
 
For a first revolver I would go with something like a Ruger LCR in .22 mag which is easy on recoil, but will still take out a bad guy. It lets you learn to shoot easier than a .38. :dirol:

Our resident small caliber low-capacity advocate is back.

Why didn't I shoot the bad guy(s) with a smaller caliber said no-one ever. Why didn't I shoot the bad guy(s) with a low capacity handgun said no-one ever either.
 
I would recommend a 22 single action revolver like a Heritage Rough Rider for the same reason many people recommend a 22 single shot rifle as their first long gun. A 22 is the cheapest to shoot so it can be shot more while learning. The single section revolver is slower to shoot as well as to reload so like with a single shot rifle, the shooter tends to concentrate more and be more careful when they shoot. Once you learn how to shoot, you can make a decision on a permanent gun and know more of what you want.
 
I would recommend a 22 single action revolver like a Heritage Rough Rider for the same reason many people recommend a 22 single shot rifle as their first long gun. A 22 is the cheapest to shoot so it can be shot more while learning. The single section revolver is slower to shoot as well as to reload so like with a single shot rifle, the shooter tends to concentrate more and be more careful when they shoot. Once you learn how to shoot, you can make a decision on a permanent gun and know more of what you want.

It really depends what the OP wants the gun for: plinking/range shooting, target shooting, self defense while away from home, or home defense. The OP never specified that. Working off a different post by the OP, self defense while away from home or home defense may be the motivation here. In this case, a single-action revolver is the worst choice one can make.

Many people simply can't afford buying more than one gun. Even if they can, I usually recommend to buy a gun that works for its intended purpose and get some training and practice. Like with so many things in life, you buy the equipment that you will be eventually proficient with after training and practice. Otherwise, your proficiency will quickly outgrow your equipment's capability and you will be faced with replacing it very quickly.

If one doesn't plan to train or practice, that's a personal choice. In this case, I always remind people that they do not automatically become musicians when they buy a musical instrument.
 
Whoa, any idea what it caused it to fail?

I'm just curious.

I've had broken ejector rods, cylinder shifting rearward, ammo issues... It happens. The gun is mechanical so it CAN fail. Ammo issues can also cause failures that aren't easy to correct.
 
I would recommend a 22 single action revolver like a Heritage Rough Rider for the same reason many people recommend a 22 single shot rifle as their first long gun. A 22 is the cheapest to shoot so it can be shot more while learning. The single section revolver is slower to shoot as well as to reload so like with a single shot rifle, the shooter tends to concentrate more and be more careful when they shoot. Once you learn how to shoot, you can make a decision on a permanent gun and know more of what you want.

I own this revolver but would never recommend for a first time shooter. When I teach, I choose a firearm that will promote a good shooting platform. The SA Heritage has a grip that does not teach a proper grip that transfers to most other guns. If you think shooting single rounds is important then just load one round. I actually prefer to use a Ruger Mark III because it forces the shooter to use a proper grip. That allows us to concentrate on sight alignment and stance.
 
I own this revolver but would never recommend for a first time shooter. When I teach, I choose a firearm that will promote a good shooting platform. The SA Heritage has a grip that does not teach a proper grip that transfers to most other guns. If you think shooting single rounds is important then just load one round. I actually prefer to use a Ruger Mark III because it forces the shooter to use a proper grip. That allows us to concentrate on sight alignment and stance.

I suggested the Rough Rider because it is the most affordable new revolver I know of and they are accurate and dependable. A first time gun owner is a lot like a first time motorcycle owner. They think they want one but after they buy, they don't use them. That makes buying expensive is a waste of money. I see a lot of handguns for sale with very few rounds shot and I see a lot of Harleys with very few miles for sale.

I have both a Rough Rider and a Ruger Mark III (along with several others) and the Ruger was about double the price. The Ruger is by far the most accurate handgun I have. I tend to shoot about 10 times as much ammo in the Ruger that I do with the Rough Rider in the same amount of time. I am more careful shooting the Rough Rider because it takes so long to reload and you have to do it more often.

You and I both know that almost nobody is going to load a single round in a semi-automatic.
 
A hammerless .38 snubby should be anyone's first gun. The reality is that it will probably be the gun that saves your life if it ever comes to that.
 

New Threads

Members online

Forum statistics

Threads
49,542
Messages
611,255
Members
74,961
Latest member
Shodan
Back
Top