Mine is the Ruger GP100. The reason is that the Ruger quality is great and shooting this gun is as smooth as can be. Even my eighteen year old grandson loves this gun.
I have an Model 27 N frame Smith and Wesson .357, and I love it, but it is mucho heavy! I like my Rossi .357 much better, it is ported, it is a lot lighter, and a bit more accurate. Of course, it could just be my decrepit old hands!
Only own 1 revolver which is a 4" blued GP100 (have others on my wishlist). So obviously it is my favor revolver. But, it is my second favorite handgun, second only to my 1911.
Because: It feels great in the hand, solid all steel, I shoot it very well, and I can shoot anything from 38 spcl bunny fart HBWC loads to heavy mag loads.
I have revolvers in all the popular calibers, except .45LC. My favorite is the Charter Arms Bull Dog .44 spcl, I own two of these. I have the DAO in stainless, and I have the Standard in stainless, with the Crimson Trace grips. These pistols are light weight, easy to carry. They do have some recoil, but not that much. Ballisticly speaking the .44 special round is about the same as the .45ACP.
I used to be a revolver nut and in a double action revolver it would have to be a S&W. I'm down to two S&W's, a 1947 Mod. 17 or whatever it was called back then....K22 Masterpiece(?), I don't remember. And a Mod. 696 in 44 Spl. Favorite would depend upon use at the time. Single action, depending upon use again, generally a Colt SAA in either 32-20 or 45 Colt. For hunting deer sized game my Mod. 97 Freedom Arms in 45 Colt. I never could pick just one of anything
I've got 4 Smith 45 ACP revolvers - a 1917 that's been heavily modified, a 1937 (which is a 1917 made for Brasil), a 1950 (which is a 1917 with a 4-inch barrel instead of 5 1/2) and this.
The action is smooth, the 5-inch barrel is the right size for an N-frame. The 45 ACP is, almost, the same (power-wise) as 45 Colt, in a shorter case so it completely ejects with one stroke. The full-moon clip makes reloading simple and quick. Clips are cheap, and you can have a whole bunch loaded and ready, and not have any worry about springs.
For me......my S&W 586, 6 1/4" barrel. When I was young(er) there wasn't anything I couldn't hit with it. I'd call my shots, like I'm going to hit the "number 9" on the target. Now not so much. Either the sites are fuzzy and the target is clear or the other way around with my glasses. I'm thinking it's time for bifocals. Yikes!
I'll admit that I have a lot to learn about revolvers. Can someone enlighten me some about Charter Arm guns, one fellow told me that they are not the best quality. Is this fact or fiction??
Back in the 60s and 70s there was Charter Arms. When they made good guns, they made GOOD guns. Unfortunately their QA was a little iffy, so you never knew if you were gonna get a GOOD one or a bad one.
Then they went belly up.
Some years later they came back. Don't know if it was the same people, or they just bought the name. I heard their guns were good.
Then THEY went belly up.
Now we have a third incarnation of Charter. Don't know whether they are worth a flip or not.
I bought a Charter 357 revolver in '77. Piece of junk. Traded it off. Bought a Charter AR7 survival rifle in '84. Not too shabby, but the magazine did not always feed correctly. Ex stole it when she split. I currently have a Charter Undercover - copy of a Smith J-frame 38 special. It fires - sometimes. Usually three out of the five. Not always, though, and not always the same three.
S&W 66. Great trigger. A joy to shoot. Right behind that is a Model 18. I often carry a Model 638 and the wife has the Bodyguard .38 in her nightstand.
I bought a 38 alloy frame one, real lightweight. Good to hand to a shooter not able to handle big iron.. Shoots decent enough for a snubby 38. Likes fmj or hp, hates lrn
Colt Police Positive 4th Issue, which is the kind Colt made in the late 1970's and early 1980's. They dropped it because they could make more money making more Diamondbacks, which was the same gun with a Python style barrel, sights, and grip.
The PP was, to me, one of the best looking revolvers ever, and I had one that shot like a dream with cheap 130 grain FMJ loads. I got rid of it for two reasons: I had a good S&W Model 15 and I am an idiot.
I recently got one that looks as good but doesn't quite shoot as well. Maybe the change is in me; it's been 10 or 15 years.
Thanks for all the great posts. I am slowly learning about revolvers. In reference to the Colt Police Positive I had never heard of this one, so I looked it up on YouTube. This older model is my idea of a great gun. Take a look at the video below.
Stock trigger was amazing, but after some stoning in a few spots, holy cow is it redonkulously awesome in both SA/DA. In SA, a mosquito could set it off!
nice and heavy, no recoil at all, great balance.
The SP-101 3-1/8" barrel in .357 is a close second, same great trigger and accurate.
My favorite to shoot (when I can afford the ammo) is the S&W 629, 4 inch, 44 Mag/Spl. That is the smoothest firearm I've ever handled. Had a Mod 27 357 also and liked it real well but someone close to me needed it. I've carried and shot several different S&W and Colt revolvers (mostly snubbies) throughout my military days and since. The favorite carry revolver was a S&W mod 66 2.5 inch 357. Smooth, accurate, powerful, and handy. Now that I'm older though, I needed something lighter to carry.
I keep looking at Colt Commandos, the WWII US government version of the OP for that exact reason, but they are too expensive for me. One good thing about the OP is that, as I understand it, they can use any grip made for the Python.
While I love my Ruger Security Six with it's hot defense loads, I have to say I love my buddy's Ruger Super Blackhawk with hot loads a little more. Don't think I would want to try keeping a SA revolver as my CCW, but it sure is a fun range gun and the heads it turns when it's touched off is priceless!
Probably the prettiest revolver I ever saw was my grandpa's friend's Colt Python that had tons of engraving, a mirror like finish, and REAL ivory grips. Was absolutely beautiful!
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