Which revolver for a newbie?

I wish I was that lucky! I was going by range gallery too when I planned, but they were actually quite limited with options when I was there. Maybe everything was out for repair.

luckey said:
since you already rent from the club, why don't you rent the revolvers in both calibers to take out the guess work? I am pretty sure they have .22 revolver, don't remember the 357mag, but saw one(gp100) on their site in the picture gallery. Or if you are lucky and bump into the members who have the 357s, they could just let you try theirs for free. I had a blast with a 357mag in DA with a fellow member's GP100, and got to shoot full wheel of 44mag as well just by asking "how you do feel between 44 & 357". the gent just replied, why don't you try it yourself and pulled one out of his case(S&W629 I think). That was one of my lucky days. :)
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amolkapoor said:
I looked into Rugers, as Illve most of their designs, but the only revolvers I like from them in terms of looks are the LCR series and the GP100. Besides reloading, is there another way of keeping ammo costs low for .38 special?
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Best price I've found to date for .38 special is forum sponsor Tradex Canada....Centaure commercial reloads for 16.75 a box with free shipping on orders of 1,000 rounds or more. Wolf reloads from SFRC or ammosupply.ca are close but generally come in around $18-20 per box for 1,000 rd orders when you factor in the freight.
 
When you say per box, does that mean 50 rounds?

sailor723 said:
Best price I've found to date for .38 special is forum sponsor Tradex Canada....Centaure commercial reloads for 16.75 a box with free shipping on orders of 1,000 rounds or more. Wolf reloads from SFRC or ammosupply.ca are close but generally come in around $18-20 per box for 1,000 rd orders when you factor in the freight.
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Actually the difference is not that big after TAX. the centaure is $16.95 per 50, not $16.75, and tax is 13%. ammosupply is 5% tax with shipping. after everything in, you will probably be looking at a few dollars difference. that's why I actually buy wolf cheaper from ammosupply even though wolf ammo is made in Ontario, just east of Toronto in which I live. Sigh....

sailor723 said:
Best price I've found to date for .38 special is forum sponsor Tradex Canada....Centaure commercial reloads for 16.75 a box with free shipping on orders of 1,000 rounds or more. Wolf reloads from SFRC or ammosupply.ca are close but generally come in around $18-20 per box for 1,000 rd orders when you factor in the freight.
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Get a 10/22 Takedown and a Ruger Sp-101 .38/.357, and buy the Wolff springs and Hogue grips for the revolver...for the 10/22 you can get some trigger parts to improve it, they're so fun. All the parts you'll need are inexpensive and available at Brownells.
 
amolkapoor said:
I looked into Rugers, as Illve most of their designs, but the only revolvers I like from them in terms of looks are the LCR series and the GP100. Besides reloading, is there another way of keeping ammo costs low for .38 special?
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I don't know that they make a Canadian legal LCR, but the GP100 is decent. I picked mine up as a fire sale item, and it got me back into DA revolvers.

I've never purchased .38 special, being a life long reloader. My range sells reloads in around the same price range as they do 9mm.

You can also recover some of your ammunition costs by selling your spent brass, depending how much demand there is in your area. You can't give away 9mm where I am, except to new reloaders lol. 38 special is another one that has low value, but it's something.
 
amolkapoor said:
. . . Definitely love the simplicity of the revolver over semi auto! :)
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If you think about it, the revolver is far more complex than the auto pistol, and it involves much more precise machining and many more elements to be functional. The revolver's timing, the fine fit of the sideplate and crane, the fit of the trigger group with the frame in the case of a Ruger DA, or the fit between the frame and grip frame in the case of a SA, must be far more precise than the fitting of a typical semi-auto service pistol. The revolver's base pin and ejector must be absolutely straight and true or the gun doesn't work. The ejector rod must be threaded to the star ejector. The barrel must be threaded and pinned to the frame. A bit of unburnt powder under the crane can tie up a revolver. If the ejector rod unscrews a bit, the revolver is tied up. If a bullet jumps its crimp, the revolver is tied up. If a round has a high primer, the revolver can have problems if the clearance between the case head and the recoil shield is tight. Over time, the revolver's crane can be spring, and bolt stops can become worn; these conditions effect both the reliability and the accuracy of the revolver, and if the revolver is abused, this damage can occur in a short period of time. None of these problems occur with a service pistol. Most auto pistols can be stripped without tools, and should a part fail, as often as not its a simple matter of replacing the faulty part to put the gun back in action. By comparison, every internal part of a revolver is accessible only with tools, and parts cannot be swapped out without hand fitting. I like revolvers, but a revolver, doesn't approach the robustness or simplicity of the better service pistols.
 
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Still alive said:
Ah man! The OP's been getting all horny for a revolver and now, you're trying to turn him onto a semi? What next? A tac shotgun? AR? Scopes? Mags? Reloaders? This will never end!!!
Sorry! Late night and no coffee yet!
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Not at all, I'm just pointing out that the common notion of revolver simplicity is a misconception. That alone is no reason to purchase a pistol over a revolver if you like revolvers as I do, but things are what they are.
 
luckey said:
Actually the difference is not that big after TAX. the centaure is $16.95 per 50, not $16.75, and tax is 13%. ammosupply is 5% tax with shipping. after everything in, you will probably be looking at a few dollars difference. that's why I actually buy wolf cheaper from ammosupply even though wolf ammo is made in Ontario, just east of Toronto in which I live. Sigh....
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If they make is east of Toronto, can we not just buy directly?
 
pisces-guy said:
Get a 10/22 Takedown and a Ruger Sp-101 .38/.357, and buy the Wolff springs and Hogue grips for the revolver...for the 10/22 you can get some trigger parts to improve it, they're so fun. All the parts you'll need are inexpensive and available at Brownells.
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Sounds like a good plan :)
The takedown I'm sure of, as I do like the lightweight non takedown synthetic stock with steel barrel that i shot before. Plus taking it down makes much cooler and also seems easier to clean!

I'm trying to figure out ammo costs for the revolver, .38 special and 9mm seem similar from major brands. Not sure of a .22 revolver as I haven't had a chance to shoot one yet. The .22 Beretta pistol I shot at Silverdale was no fun and kept getting jams.

I'm guessing revolvers won't get jams like semi auto pistols do?
 
Oh dear, maybe I need to sit quietly and think about this too.

Thanks for the detailed opinion, I wasn't aware of this.


Boomer said:
If you think about it, the revolver is far more complex than the auto pistol, and it involves much more precise machining and many more elements to be functional. The revolver's timing, the fine fit of the sideplate and crane, the fit of the trigger group with the frame in the case of a Ruger DA, or the fit between the frame and grip frame in the case of a SA, must be far more precise than the fitting of a typical semi-auto service pistol. The revolver's base pin and ejector must be absolutely straight and true or the gun doesn't work. The ejector rod must be threaded to the star ejector. The barrel must be threaded and pinned to the frame. A bit of unburnt powder under the crane can tie up a revolver. If the ejector rod unscrews a bit, the revolver is tied up. If a bullet jumps its crimp, the revolver is tied up. If a round has a high primer, the revolver can have problems if the clearance between the case head and the recoil shield is tight. Over time, the revolver's crane can be spring, and bolt stops can become worn; these conditions effect both the reliability and the accuracy of the revolver, and if the revolver is abused, this damage can occur in a short period of time. None of these problems occur with a service pistol. Most auto pistols can be stripped without tools, and should a part fail, as often as not its a simple matter of replacing the faulty part to put the gun back in action. By comparison, every internal part of a revolver is accessible only with tools, and parts cannot be swapped out without hand fitting. I like revolvers, but a revolver, doesn't approach the robustness or simplicity of the better service pistols.
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amolkapoor said:
Oh dear, maybe I need to sit quietly and think about this too.

Thanks for the detailed opinion, I wasn't aware of this.
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There's no need to reconsider your choice if you like the revolver concept, it has it's advantages too. The revolver provides control over the ejected brass, picking up brass kicked out of an auto pistol on an outdoor range ensures you'll loose some of it. The revolver can be chambered for more powerful cartridges in guns of equal size. The revolver is indifferent to the style of bullet you choose to use, whether a cast wad-cutter, a WFN, SWC, or even a pointed metal piercing bullet. The auto tends to cycle best with round nose or truncated cone shaped bullets. A revolver's grip shape can be more easily fitted to the shooter's hand than the auto pistol's, which must accommodate the magazine. Many people find that a revolver points more naturally than an auto pistol does.
 
Thanks Boomer, I guess both have their strengths and weaknesses.

I think for starter pistol I like the SR22, cheap ammo and the pistol is affordable too. For .357 magnum or .38 special or even 9mm, from all the advice I understand I need to get more hands on experience before investing in an expensive-for-me Smith & Wesson.


Boomer said:
There's no need to reconsider your choice if you like the revolver concept, it has it's advantages too. The revolver provides control over the ejected brass, picking up brass kicked out of an auto pistol on an outdoor range ensures you'll loose some of it. The revolver can be chambered for more powerful cartridges in guns of equal size. The revolver is indifferent to the style of bullet you choose to use, whether a cast wad-cutter, a WFN, SWC, or even a pointed metal piercing bullet. The auto tends to cycle best with round nose or truncated cone shaped bullets. A revolver's grip shape can be more easily fitted to the shooter's hand than the auto pistol's, which must accommodate the magazine. Many people find that a revolver points more naturally than an auto pistol does.
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even if Wolf sells to end users, I don't think we can get the same dealer pricing. And the 13% tax will still kill us. remember centaure is FREE shipping per 1000 round, but charge 13% tax because they are in Quebec. Only the companies in Alberta charges 5% tax. the shipping will never be more expensive than 8% tax, especially when we are buying in bulk.

amolkapoor said:
If they make is east of Toronto, can we not just buy directly?
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Boomer said:
Not at all, I'm just pointing out that the common notion of revolver simplicity is a misconception. That alone is no reason to purchase a pistol over a revolver if you like revolvers as I do, but things are what they are.
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Hey Boomer,
I was trying to be funny. Re-read my post 12 hr later and it wasn't so funny! I agree. You definitely made good points. A revolver just has a simpler manual of arms than a semi but is definitely mechanically more complicated. I've owned and shot both over 30 yrs and I personally enjoy semis much, much more.
 
Boomer, when folks think about semis vs revolvers and say that they like the simplicity of the revolver they are NOT thinking about the internals of the action and the subtleties of how they are fitted. They are thinking of the manual of arms of the revolver vs the semi. The ease of simply filling all the holes, closing the cylinder and then pull the trigger and it goes BANG! No magazines to load, well there is but it's fixed to the gun :d, no racking slides, no safeties and no slide releases.

Having said that I'm a machinehead as well and yes, I fully agree with the workmanship and bits all moving in harmony of the internals. But all that was done somewhere else. The owner of a revolver really doesn't need to worry about it. And in fact they would have to do things that they don't normally think about to even see all those sordid details. And unlike all semi autos there isn't a bunch of empty cases venting the last of the combustion gasses and fouling moving through the insides of the action and gumming things up. A revolver politely keeps all those nasty combustion products away from the nicely fitted intricate parts that make it all work. And THAT'S worth the price of admission to my thinking... :d

So yes, both styles can have their unique mechanical issues. And I would not say that revolvers are any less at risk of a breakdown. What they do NOT do is jam up when a bad magazine is used or jam up when the temperature gets really cold, or jam up if the ammo is a bit wussy.

So there's good and bad points to each. And both styles are well worth having.

And one other thing. Learning to shoot a revolver well in DA mode will set the stage for shooting any handgun and even rifles very well. The more demanding self control and skills needed to pull a DA trigger and produce a neat tidy group reach down to the most basic fundamental lessons for pulling a trigger for accuracy. Learning to shoot a DA revolver well with good accuracy means that they can shoot anything anyone gives them and do pretty well with it.
 
You always submit good pointsā€¦.BCRider.
While I enjoy my semis I prefer my revolvers and mainly shoot them in DA. Really helps with trigger control on my other firearms.
Personally, I hate dealing with mags (storage, making sure I bring them along, etc) and the high cost of purchasing them. I'd rather spend the $200-300 (for extra mags/gun) for a good quality revolver.
Don't have to chase shell casings and I enjoy shooting lead boolitsā€¦.
 
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