Revolver for HD

[Bubba-NJ 0]

I've been looking at the Taurus Judge line for a HD gun . Haven't held one yet as I just got my permits in hand . I need a HD gun that my wife will be able to handle also . Would a .357 that shoots .38 hollow points be a better choice . Any advice is appreciated .

[Damjan 73]

Had the same requirement.

This is what i got. 3 inch barrel

 

http://www.ruger.com/products/sp101/models.html

[Duppie 73]

I have a Taurus 605 .357 revolver for our HD needs.My wife likes it and is a crack shot at 7 yards.

The investment is reasonable for a gun that will most properly spend it's life languishing in a bedside drawer but still ready at a moments notice.

[alec.mc 180]

Smith and Wesson 686 ( 38/357 )

Smith and Wesson 625 ( .45acp )

 

Either in the 4" Variety

[Jon 264]

Big heavy 3-5" .357s loaded with .38+P are good options for anyone who has trouble loading magazines or racking slides. My wife has a Ruger Speed Six with a 2 3/4" bbl loaded with .38 +P that she is very comfortable with.

[GRIZ 3,369]

A 4" 357 (L frame S&W or GP100) would be a better choice. The extra weight of the L frame or GP100 helps to control recoil. You can consider other calibers but the 38/357 gives you the broadest range of power loadings from wadcutters to full magnum.

 

The Ruger Speed/Security Six is also an excellent choice. Better than a K frame S&W IMO. In another thread someone mentioned a shop that got several of them in for like $425 IIRC.

 

Revolvers are every bit a viable SD handgun as a semi. I have no problem loading magazines or racking a slide. I carry a revolver about 90% of the time and that's by choice.

[Jon 264]

Didn't mean to insinuate that revolvers were only for those who couldn't handle a semi, sorry. Just one benefit IMO. I still prefer a SA for myself.

[GRIZ 3,369]

Didn't mean to insinuate that revolvers were only for those who couldn't handle a semi, sorry. Just one benefit IMO. I still prefer a SA for myself.

 

No reason to be sorry. I didn't think you were insinuating anything and your point is valid. However, there are many people who think magazine capacity is everything and are not disciplined enough to learn how to use a revolver.

[Jon 264]

[Sigman 41]

A 4" GP100 or S&W 686 makes a great home defense revolver. Load it up with some 38+p and you're good to go. Can't beat it.

[Sixtytwo327 14]

I need a HD gun that my wife will be able to handle also.

 

Question - is it that she can't rack the slide, or has no interest? If spouse has no interest in learning to shoot a semi, chances are she will have no interest in learning to shoot a revolver, either.

 

My advice is to ask her.

[mcbethr 42]

First off, any gun is better than no gun for home defense.

 

I considered buying a Judge once- I loved the way it felt in my hands. It certainly had heft - it felt like a revolver should feel.

 

That being said, the Judge is a gun that can do many things, but it does none of them well. It's too short to get good velocity on buckshot, and you only get 3 or 4 balls of 00 buck instead of 9 with a 12 gauge. It can fire .45 LC ammunition, which is fine as a self-defense round, but it's expensive and you only get 5 of them. So you lose 16% of your capacity that you get in a standard 6 chamber revolver.

 

The Judge is an interesting revolver. It certainly has a niche. I think if I were a farmer and wanted a gun that I could carry around the farm with birdshot for snakes and .45LC for 2 and 4 legged-predators, it would do just fine. It's not that the Judge isn't a good gun, it's just that there may be better guns that can do the same thing for the purpose you have in mind.

 

Do a Google search for the website "Box o' Truth" . They did two tests on the Taurus Judge. The results weren't that impressive. The Judge just could not penetrate with any sort of reliability.

 

That being said, are you ever, realistically going to need 15 rounds in an SD weapon? Probably not. One shot will probably be enough to let the bad guy know that he should be someplace else. You can "what-if" a situation to death, but what if the guy is on drugs. What if there are multiple attackers... what if... what if... what if.

 

If you ever get into a situation where you have to fight, and I hope you never do, you want to be 100% sure of the outcome. My HD gun is a CX4 with a 15 + 1 round magazine and two additional magazines strapped to the buttstock. Will I ever need that? Probably not. I can say with confidence that I will never, ever have to use a gun in an SD situation. But I also like the comfort of knowing that if I can't take care of a situation with 46 rounds of 9mm, I probably shouldn't have shot at it in the first place.

 

You also have to take practice into consideration. .410 ammunition and .45LC ammunition is expensive - much more expensive than .38 Caliber or 9mm ammunition. Many people purchase a gun, run a box of ammo through it, and think they are good. Maybe they are, since like I said, the chances of ever getting into an SD situation are very, very low. But if you ever do get into a situation and it's more than you are ready for, do you really want to be lying in the bedroom in a pool of blood, your wife kneeling over you screaming, with you thinking: "I wish I had practiced more" as your vision turns black?

 

If you are dead-set on a revolver because you find them mechanically satisfying or just like the way they look, then your idea of a .357 that can fire .38 Specials is perfect. .38 Special practice ammunition costs about $18 a box. .45 LC ammunition costs about $24 a box. What are you going to practice with more?

 

So I would go with the .38 or .357 revolver. If you want a Taurus because of the lower cost, they have plenty to choose from. Just get one with a 4 inch barrel. Snub-nosed revolvers look cool, but they are very hard to shoot well.

 

Finally, I'd like to extend an offer to you and your wife. I'm a member of a range in Philadelphia. If the two of you would like to meet me at Firing Line on Front St. to shoot some 9mm semi-autos, I'd be more than happy to do so. My only request is that you share the cost of ammo. Firing Line also rents revolvers. They don't have a Judge, but they do have a selection of .38's and .357's that you can rent. If this gun is for you and your wife, the two of you should make the choice together.

 

PM me if you are interested and we can coordinate a time. Best of luck and welcome to the community.

[siderman 1,138]

Question - is it that she can't rack the slide, or has no interest? If spouse has no interest in learning to shoot a semi, chances are she will have no interest in learning to shoot a revolver, either.

 

My advice is to ask her.

 

thats excactly what my issue was .A semi was too mechanical and the gp100 too intimidating and yes lack of interest. I pushed the issue a bit and got a S&W 63. Actually escalated her interest to"its a nice little gun". Showed her a good grip and how one finger does the trick, range time(need more of course) and she is comfortable w that. Not my comfort zone but 8 rds of 22lr is 8 times better than nothing. The 63 is also fun andcheep to shoot. Baby steps.

[jamesbod 0]

if home defense is your thing then try the S&W 327 Scandium ttr8 or r8.

8 shots 357 & lighter than SS.

8 is better than 7 is better than 6 is better than 5

[Duppie 73]

Question - is it that she can't rack the slide, or has no interest? If spouse has no interest in learning to shoot a semi, chances are she will have no interest in learning to shoot a revolver, either.

 

My advice is to ask her.

That was the issue I encountered when considering a primary HD firearm and erred stupidly. After much research and consideration I purchased a very simple to operate DA semi auto only to find that my wife had difficulty to effectively rack the slide and much preferred a revolver.

[mcbethr 42]

After much research and consideration I purchased a very simple to operate DA semi auto only to find that my wife had difficulty to effectively rack the slide and much preferred a revolver.

 

I think it can be one of those things that are half lack of interest and half lack of strength. I think that if you have the strength to open the cap on a soda, you can rack a slide. I also think that many people fail because they try to do it slow, and it needs to be done fast.

 

But I think lack of interest plays into it as well. If you are having a hard time racking the slide and you are also not interested, you aren't going to show a lot of interest in doing it right.

 

My solution was my CX4. I have two cocking handles on it, so my wife just has to place the but of the weapon in her crotch and use both hands to grab both cocking handles and cock it. It's less than optimal, but works.

[mcbethr 42]

Not my comfort zone but 8 rds of 22lr is 8 times better than nothing.

 

+1 . The first rule of a gunfight is to have a gun.

[Duppie 73]

I think it can be one of those things that are half lack of interest and half lack of strength. I think that if you have the strength to open the cap on a soda, you can rack a slide. I also think that many people fail because they try to do it slow, and it needs to be done fast.

 

But I think lack of interest plays into it as well. If you are having a hard time racking the slide and you are also not interested, you aren't going to show a lot of interest in doing it right.

 

My solution was my CX4. I have two cocking handles on it, so my wife just has to place the but of the weapon in her crotch and use both hands to grab both cocking handles and cock it. It's less than optimal, but works.

I believe you're correct. She does suffer from mild carpel tunnel syndrome, again stupidly not considered by me when researching a firearm but also her father preferred a revolver as his sidearm even if he was issued a 1911 and I believe his preference carried over to her perhaps more as fond memory than anything else. Moral is include the wife in your buying decisions when she will be handling also.

[jamesbod 0]

My solution was my CX4. I have two cocking handles on it, so my wife just has to place the but of the weapon in her crotch and use both hands to grab both cocking handles and cock it. It's less than optimal, but works.

In a self defense situation, it's always good to keep the sights in the direction of the threat.

[GRIZ 3,369]

if home defense is your thing then try the S&W 327 Scandium ttr8 or r8.

8 shots 357 & lighter than SS.

8 is better than 7 is better than 6 is better than 5

 

Light weight also means more recoil. After letting them try a steel and alloy frame gun of the same type, most newer shooters would choose to deal with the weight rather than the recoil.

[jamesbod 0]

Light weight also means more recoil. After letting them try a steel and alloy frame gun of the same type, most newer shooters would choose to deal with the weight rather than the recoil.

This scandium revolver is about 35 oz. I wouldn't say it's light weight.

Load 8 38 special +P & you are ready to rock n roll

[Bubba-NJ 0]

Thanks for all the replies .

[Bubba-NJ 0]

Seriously considering a S & W model 60 , seems to really fit my needs .

[vladtepes 1,060]

this may sound nuts but.. since she can't carry it anyway.. put together a lightweight AR15... my fiance is DEADLY with an AR15... because it is a carbine she can shoulder the gun which gives a lot more support and stability... she can also absorb the recoil better for easier follow up shots..

 

she can shoot a handgun.. but in regards to home defense the carbine is where it is at ... IMO..

 

fully loaded mag and one in the chamber.. shes just gotta sweep the safety off and she is.. GTG

[brocglock23 4]

have you considered the saiga in the .410. No need for pumping, just as many shoots and if her wrist can handle a judge I would imagine her should can handle a shotgun. Also frees up a pistol permit for something really cool.

[vladtepes 1,060]

have you considered the saiga in the .410. No need for pumping, just as many shoots and if her wrist can handle a judge I would imagine her should can handle a shotgun. Also frees up a pistol permit for something really cool.

 

without getting into the never ending ballistics debate.. I would not rely on a 410 to stop someone..

[brocglock23 4]

without getting into the never ending ballistics debate.. I would not rely on a 410 to stop someone..

completely agree, I personally would never want one for home defense, maybe for fun. I was just going off premise of the Judge interest. No debate here sir.

[Bubba-NJ 0]

The reason i liked the Judge was for the shot shell rounds but after further research , I no longer like it . There are alot of different .410 rounds made for the Judge but none of them seem to do to well in the ballistics testing that I saw on The box o truth web site . Thanks for all the ideas . A few rifles are definitely in my future after I use my 2 PP's first .

[SW9racer 262]

The Governor also fires 45acp. That seems to be a good defensive round. Save the 410 for fun in the pits.

[vladtepes 1,060]

The reason i liked the Judge was for the shot shell rounds but after further research , I no longer like it . There are alot of different .410 rounds made for the Judge but none of them seem to do to well in the ballistics testing that I saw on The box o truth web site . Thanks for all the ideas . A few rifles are definitely in my future after I use my 2 PP's first .

 

the reason I stated a carbine is because stability creates accuracy.... and accuracy creates confidence..

 

when something is comfortable.. and you are confident with it.. you are not afraid to use it.. I have a 14.5in AR with a midlength gas system... I make hits out to 300 yards.. and can rapidly put a ton of shots on a man sized target at close range.. the gun has virtually no recoil..

 

this to me makes for a winning recipe in regards to home defense.. a pistol takes far more practice to operate smoothly..