revolver for my grandpa

[mattx]

Looking for a revolver for my grandpa. he recently turned in his ccw and is looking for a gun he can carry.

im pretty sure u can go wrong with s&w. and thinking of a .387 caliber. whats your recommendations on which one?

[FATSEXY]

I think that the perfect gun for an older shooter is Ruger's .327 Federal revolver.

The New .327 Federal Magnum in Ruger’s SP101 Compact Six-Shot Revolver

There's a review about it.

[Pugs]

Originally Posted by mattx

Looking for a revolver for my grandpa. he recently turned in his ccw and is looking for a gun he can carry.

im pretty sure u can go wrong with s&w. and thinking of a .387 caliber. whats your recommendations on which one?

.387?! Wow!

Just giving you a hard time. I'm assuming you meant .357. I used to own a S&W 686 that I really liked. Great shooter. A bit on the beefy side for some folks. I don't know how old your grandfather is or how strong he is.

[Frenchy]

Originally Posted by FATSEXY

I think that the perfect gun for an older shooter is Ruger's .327 Federal revolver.

The New .327 Federal Magnum in Ruger’s SP101 Compact Six-Shot Revolver

There's a review about it.

This is a good choice depending on his ability to handle the .357. The .38 +p is also a possibility.
Don't know the age of your grandfather, but I'm 62 and can manage all the above.

[Wired]

A revolver is a very good idea as they are very simple and he's probably already familiar with revolvers. They also don't require a lot of muscle to load like some semi's can. As for the caliber, find out what he can shoot the best. A couple shots of 22 magnum on target is better than 6 .357 that miss.

[mattx]

Originally Posted by Pugs

.387?! Wow!

Just giving you a hard time. I'm assuming you meant .357. I used to own a S&W 686 that I really liked. Great shooter. A bit on the beefy side for some folks. I don't know how old your grandfather is or how strong he is.

haha i didnt even know i typed that. thanks for the heads up.

[mattx]

my grandpa can still run circles around me..he never stops.

are the s&w airweights any good?

[yocan]

Originally Posted by mattx

my grandpa can still run circles around me..he never stops.

are the s&w airweights any good?

I think that would hurt him. I find them uncomfortable to fire

[gigashine]

Great gun, Just slips in the pocket. S&W 438 airweight 38 special

[scooter123]

They S&W airweights are great guns, however the recoil of the 357 Magnum can be pretty brutal. In addition, most are equipped with a 1 7/8 inch barrel and that is not long enough to properly utilize the 357 Magnum because a lot of the powder is burnt AFTER the bullet has left the barrel. I saw one test report that indicated that the gain between a 38 +P and 357 Magnum was only 50 fps in the guns with a 1 7/8 inch barrel. Considering the cost difference between the Scandium models (the model number begins with a 3) and the Aluminum Models (the model number begins with a 4), I don't think it's worth paying the price for the stronger Scandium guns. If he wants a very light snubby, the specific model I would recomend is the 442. However, I'll tell you right now that even the standard 38 spl. will be fairly brutal out of a 442.

At about 8 to 9 ounces more, the stainless steel, 23 ounce, model 640 would be my choice for a DA only snubby. That extra mass means that it won't beat you dizzy with a standard 38 spl. and it's capable of handling the 357 Magnum however I wouldn't use that caliber with a barrel this short, instead I would opt for the 38 +P for a self defense round. This is a model that is small enough for ankle or pocket carry and is very easy to hide well in an IWB holster. Personally, I would carry in an IWB holster, it is a bit heavy for pocket carry.

If he really wants to use the 357 Magnum, the choice I would recomend is the 3 inch version of the model 60. This is another stainless steel revolver rated for 357 Magnums. The 3 inch barrel will provide enough barrel length for hte additional power of hte 357 Magnum, however at only 24 ounces it will be very brutal to shoot with a Magnum. Again, for this gun I would limit the ammo choice to 38 +P self defense loads. Because of the longer barrel, carry options for this model is limited to IWB or OWB holsters, it's a bit long for pocket or ankle carry.

Finally, for a medium frame revolver, there are 2 basic choices available if you want a 357 Magnum with a short barrel. First would be the 6 shot version of the 686 with a 2 1/2 inch barrel. This version weighs in at 35 ounces and offers enough mass to make shooting 357 Magnums reasonable, provided that a suitable grip is mounted on the gun. Second is the 7 shot 686 Plus with a 3 inch barrel. This version weighs 37 ounces and is also shootable with full power Magnums provided a suitable grip is mounted on the frame. Both versions of the 686 are lagre enough that IWB carry is challenging and the selection of IWB holsters is limited to the custom houses. I would consider the 686 to be an OWB or shoulder carry only gun, however I am sure that some would disagree.

Finally, a note about the standard grips offered on S&W revolvers. These grips are sized to permit a women with small hands to feel comfortable shooting the gun. What I am saying hear is that the standard grips ARE TOO DAMNED SMALL for a man shooting full power 357 Magnums. BTW, this applies to any model smaller than the 460 and 500 Magnum. Because the grips are too small, with a high power round the gun will squirm in your grip and they will raise blisters pretty quickly. They also hammer the backstrap of the grip frame into the palm of you hand and, with the lighter guns, this hit is hard enough to leave a bruised palm. Basically, your grandfather will probably want to do some shopping around for a larger and wider grip. I chose the monogrip for the 500 Magnum for my 686 and it made a huge difference in the comfort level when shooting full house Magnums. The downside to that grip is that it's pretty large and not as concealable as the smaller grip that the gun came with.

PS, my carry gun is a Sig Sauer P239-40. I chose that over a revolver because it is very easy to conceal, has been 100% reliable, and the 40 S&W is an excellent personal defense round. BTW, it's also available in the 357 Sig which is very nearly as powerful as the 357 Magnum. I'll also tell you that the P239 in the 40 caliber doesn't hit nearly as hard as the 357 Magnum, that slide soaks up a lot of the recoil. Personally, I would strongly recomend that your grandfather try renting the P239 alongside a 686 and shoot both. Once he feels the difference, he will probably choose the Sig.