Recommendation for a magnum revolver.

[scottmandue]

I should probably post this over on a gun board however we seem to have a lot of gun aficionados here at PPOT... and I didn't want to hijack the "post pics of your handguns" thread so I am starting my own.

The next gun I want to add to my collection is a magnum revolver with a 6"-8" barrel in the $600 range.

That price seem to leaves me with (a new) Taurus or Ruger.

I am kind of pissed that I missed out on a pre-lock .44 S&W by a few hours (someone else scooped it up before I could get to the buyer).

This revolver will just be used for fun target shooting, I am considering .357, .44, and .454 (to shoot .45LC).

Any of you guys own a magnum revolver and if so what make and model and how do you like it?

[austin552]

S&W always worked for me.

[charleskieffner]

smith and wesson 6" 1/2 underlug 629 with (4) magna ports. accurate as hell, loud as hell, firebreather DAY OR NIGHT FROM HELL, supersmithed by nelson ford(thegunsmith.com) ie. chamfered cylinder, trigger polished/smoothed, combat cylinder latch.

smith and wesson if yer lazy and tired of reloading and jes wanna use box ammo.

garrettcartridges.com make McNASTY .44 mag rounds capable of SAFELY nailing coastal alaskan grizzlies. ie. one shot one kill!

if yer into reloading and enjoy hot rounds at the expense of carpal tunnel syndrome ie. yer wrist..............then BUY THE RUGER! heavier backstrap and will allow hot McNASTY reloads without fear of blowing up.

after that i would suggest a .460 or .480 if yer in grizz country. screw the .500 smith. reports of them coming apart are starting to surface(ie. scottsdale gunclub had juan comeapart from excessive shooting-rental gun)

magna port all of the above and YOU WILL ENJOY SHOOTING IT!

advantage of .44's.................when yer bored or being cheap ya can shoot .44 specials and give yer wrist a vacation!

[id10t]

How about a nice Taurus Raging Bull. Black stainless, 454 casull (more whomp than the 44mag), had a red dot sight on it. I'll even waive the "no cali sales" clause for you since you are a pelican... http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.asp?Item=112199306

(sorry for posting all of these sales, but i'm not feeling too guilty unless Wayne gets into the gun business...)

[equality72521]

I like the Colt Anaconda with an 8" barrel but I'm not sure you can get for $600. http://www.coltsmfg.com/cmci/Anaconda.asp

[vash]

i think you should get the .357 if you are just plinking/target shooting. alot can be said for putting friendlier, cheaper...38special rounds into the firearm for just regular fun.

[Racerbvd]

This video pretty much say it all.



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1-0BVT4cqGY&NR=1

[Jeff Higgins]

The most basic question to answer first is "single action or double action?" Their respective grip shapes handle recoil in decidedly different fashions. Personal preference will (or should) decide this for you. Go to the range and shoot a few of each with full house loads before deciding.

I much prefer the single action grip shape for the heavy recoiling rounds. It allows the revolver to roll up in your hand and take some of the sting out of it. The "hump" at the top of a double action grip frame precludes that. With enough gun weight, however, either can be comfortable to shoot.

You will find that single actions are generally lighter, forgoing the heavy underlugs and bull barrels. A lighter single action can be as comfortable to shoot as a heavy double action, and will be far more comfortable to carry all day if you choose to do so.

Decide what loads you will shoot before magna porting any gun. Magna porting immediately rules out the use of lead bullets; the lead sloughs off and soon solders the ports shut. It's almost impossible to get out. Lead bullets rule the roost in magnum handgun shooting on both ends of the power scale. At the low end, such as with .44 Special loads, factory ammo provides cheap, low recoil plinking with swaged lead bullets. At the high end, hard cast semi wadcutters provide unmatched performance on game. You don't want to rule out the use of either and limit yourself to jacketed bullets only by magnaporting it.

Start with the .44 mag. It's the most versatile, readily available choice. You can easily purchase over the counter loads in any power level and any bullet style you can possibly need. The other, bigger magnums, are great second or third magnum revolvers. They are far more expensive to shoot, and far more limited in ammo selection. They are actually more or less hand loading propositions if you want to shoot them much at all. The .44 mag is far more friendly to those who do not hand load.

I'm no fan of the .357. It is great as a plinking round, being the cheapest of the bunch to shoot when fed .38 Specials. It is, however, very much down on power compared to the ones that start with a "4". .357 magnum rounds provide a lot of blast, muzzle flash, and commotion without the results of the bigger calibers on the other end. If all you are doing is plinking, that's fine. If it will ever be called upon for hunting or self defense, even the lower powered rounds in the bigger bores are a better choice.

[vash]

power? punching holes in paper and cans doesnt take much muzzle velocity.

honestly, shooting a .44 isnt that much fun. for a newb, all it will do is teach you how to flinch properly.

[BlueSkyJaunte]

Wait for the right pinned/recessed S&W .44mag or go for a Ruger single-action .44mag. If you're a beginner I'd scale it back to .357mag since you can run .38sp in them (.44sp is expensive and harder to find than .44mag!).

I haven't been wildly impressed by Taurus, and the locking Smiths make me sick.

[Rick Lee]

$600 can get you a very nice S&W at any gun show around here. I have the Inspector Callahan Special. With 180 gr. rounds it will stun the others at the range shooting around you.

[tabs]

For around $600.

S&W 27-2, 29-2.

357 mag & 44 mag respectivily. Both are pinned and recessed, they stopped doing that in 1982.

To step up the Colt Python (357) is about a Grand, the Anaconda (44 mag or 45 LC) is just under a Grand.

I am not thrilled by the Anaconda...

Probably your best bet is the 357 Mag...one can run 38 spl through it.

S&W 686....smaller frame, SS ought to fit the budget. Get one made in the 80's

Forget about the Magnaporting...it is not germain.

[HardDrive]

I have a Ruger Blackhawk .357 with 6.5 barrel. I love shooting it.

.44s are a bit to much thump for me to enjoy.

[scottmandue]

What got me started on this was shooting my friends python and anaconda at the range.

He got them for a steal a decade ago at a local gun shop that was going out of business.

I love shooting the python however it is now way out of my price range.

I seem to remember shooting the anaconda was something like holding a stick of dynamite in your hand.

On many levels the the .357 makes much more sense... however it hard not to get sucked in to the American tradition that "Bigger is better" as they say.

[Jeff Higgins]

If you buy used, you can get two Blackhawks and still be within your budget, or at least very close. One .357 and one .44.

[TerryH]

Originally Posted by Jeff Higgins

If you buy used, you can get two Blackhawks and still be within your budget, or at least very close. One .357 and one .44.

yes, as long as the budget didn't include...

ammo
cleaning kit
case
trigger guard
grips
holster
reloader

most of the above x2

I would choose to buy just one gun to start. Hard to shoot 2 at a time anyway.

[MT930]

In .44 Mag
The Ruger Red hawk is a great choice. I carry it here in Montana and Alaska as a back country side arm with ++ handloads. It will handle the beefy-est hand-loads better than the competition. It is heavy tho. I make practice rounds that are fun to shoot it's the only way to introduce new and young shooters to the the .44.

240 Grain Lead cast SWC
9.0 Grains of Unique powder
Feels like a .45 ACP About 800 Feet per second, pretty cheap. Very accurate and you can shoot a box of 50 with out feeling like you have been in the ring with Mike Tyson.

Doesn't scare small children

It takes allot of shooting to shoot the .44 Mag well, this is a easy cheap way of doing it.

[scottmandue]

I presume I can use my 9mm cleaning kit with a .357?

[vash]

Originally Posted by scottmandue

I presume I can use my 9mm cleaning kit with a .357?

yup. i think some very hardbrushes have some issues, but i cannot be sure.

[gt350mike]

I've owned a Ruger Super Redhawk for seven years and wouldn't trade it for anything on the market. It shoots very accurate out to a 100 yars (with a 2x Nikon scope). It takes a little bit of time to get accustom to the recoil but since its a heavy pistol, its not as bad as .357 with a snub nose barrel (IMHO). Here is a photo of one similar to mine: