I lament that the Ruger Security Six and Service Six have long since been discontinued. I should have held onto the ones I had.
As far as modern revolvers in 357 or 38, which would you choose and why?
My personal “must have” is an external hammer. I want a revolver I can shoot well into my old age. I watched my dad lose his hand strength as he aged. He was a semi-auto guy until he could no longer cycle the slide on any gun to chamber the first round. He also got to the point that he had to manually cock the hammer on any handgun because he didn’t have the strength to fire double action anymore.
So…even though I personally love the Smith 642 for all-around revolver goodness, I’m thinking of long-term having to own a single-action capable revolver if I end up with low hand strength like my dad.
So, what flavor would you grab if you specified it had to have an external hammer for shooting single action?
I agree there is so many used old school revolvers on the market ( though much less than in the late 80’s early 90’s police wholesale change to autos) buying used makes the most sense. The older guns have a certain appeal the new ones just don’t. I’ve had many revolvers pass through my hands over the years and only a few were New when I bought them. Many were bought back during the time police were moving to autos in droves- model 10’s for $100, 15’s for 150. A model 19 I bought off a cop ( used with carry wear but mechanically pristine) with a holster 2 speedloaders and one box of 38’s and one 357 ( each with six rounds missing) for $175. These days good solid used revolvers ( S&W man myself) will be more in the 300-500 range but still a good deal.
Are we talking full sized revolvers with 4-6 inch barrels? New? I’d probably grab a GP100. I like them, they work, I have parts for them. On the used side, I’ve seen Ruger Security and speed sixes go for as low as $250. I missed a few of those by very little otherwise I’d have one or three. I do have an old-ish Colt Police Positive that I picked up for under $300, around the $200 and change mark and that was back during SH. That shoots quite well, though it has some finish wear from being carried. An Old S&W wouldn’t be out of the running either. I’d stalk local gun stores with used gun sections, you never known what they might have cheap that you would want. I know I have to stay out of Sarco up here, they have some used guns that beg to come home and hang out with the others.
An older S&W N-frame, a newer Performance Center N-frame or a GP100 with an action job. If the prices ever become reasonable enough again to buy a shooter, a Python.
The choice of revolvers in the ‘used’ market at local gun shops/pawn shops/gunbroker etc. is fairly extensive, I can see where making a final decision would be problematic. My selection was SW 686… quite happy with it !
It’s been a long time since I researched any trigger lock problems on Smith revolvers. Is that mostly a non-issue at this point, or is there still that nagging doubt that it will lock under recoil?
You can get one without trigger lock if you are talking about that little key thing on the side of the gun. My 442 had no lock and I think I walked out with a NIB for $329 or so.
Smith & Wesson Model 19 sweetness, vintage early 1960s. Will def hold its value, handles 357 for SD. Pinned barrel, recessed cylinders … no MiM parts = hand fitted by craftsman.
Can get these on Gun Broker for $500-$700 depending on this & that
You want dash model 4 or less, so a Model 19-4 or less
"Retired Assistant Chief Patrol Inspector of the U.S. Border Patrol, famous gunfighter, and noted firearms and shooting skills writer Bill Jordan consulted with Smith & Wesson on the design and characteristics of the Model 19. Jordan’s idea for a “peace officer’s dream”[2] sidearm was a heavy-barreled four-inch K-Frame .357 Magnum with a shrouded barrel like the big N-frame .357 and adjustable sights. After a year of experimentation with improved-strength steels and special heat-treating processes, the result was the .357 Combat Magnum (later designated Model 19), with the first serial-number gun (K260,000) presented to Jordan on November 15, 1955.[1][3]
The .357 Magnum, four-inch barreled model was standard issue to uniformed officers of the former U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service as well as Patrol Agents of the U.S. Border Patrol until both agencies adopted .40 caliber semi-automatic pistols."
Sadly, I had one and an elderly friend talked me out of it. I sold it to him because it brought him such joy. Unfortunately when he passed away his brother-in-law got it. I tried my best to buy that gun back.
Ouch. Yeah, best not to look into the rear view mirror any more! Hey, you have a clean slate to work with.
To answer your Q overall, my recommendation is an older SW in 357 built in the 60’s, or, in a modern gun, the Ruger GP 100. I have several of the former, and the GP as well. Can’t go wrong with either, thou the early SWs are semi-collectible, as you know
EDIT … the trigger locks on SWs are a poor design. I say that because they shouldn’t undo themselves, no matter how stout the recoil. Is it rare? Yes. But not so rare that if that was a gun in my nighstand, I would check the tightness of that lock after every range session before it went into the nightstand
