Help a newbie pick a home defense revolver.....

[gregorius]

Hello All,

I am new here. I have decided to get back into shooting. I was raised with guns but I have not owned any guns as an adult, so I am beginning my research as if I have never held or fired a gun before in my life. I had previously been lurkingand found a lot of good information about the local ranges and rimfire rifles, but I have never really shot handguns and know relatively little about them. I want to start researching a DA revolver for home defense, but I thought I would go to you guys first and see what you might suggest or perhaps share any deals you have seen locally in OKC.

The gun can be new or used. I would prefer to keep a home defense revolver under 3 bills if possible. It does not have to be pretty - in fact, I assume that it probably won't be. I am leaning toward .38 special or a .357. I would love to find a S&W model 10 but I have no idea how hard those are to find on the used market and what kind of prices they command.

Any advice or help would be appreciated....

 

[piston10]

Why a revolver? Not very many rounds for home defense. Better than nothing, but I would rather have my Glock 23 with 13 rounds, for example.

 

[green_machine]

home defense... u need a shotgun.

 

[Glock 'em down]

Why a revolver? Not very many rounds for home defense. Better than nothing, but I would rather have my Glock 23 with 13 rounds, for example.

Why NOT a revolver?

Good old fashioned wheelguns were killin' folks long before the wondernines, bottom feeders, polymer kings and queens and Dick Tracy heaters ever showed up.

I prefer a good scattergun for home defense, but I wouldn't feel "outgunned" with a good ol' six-shooter neither.

To the OP:

As for your desire for an old model 10, yeah there's a ton of 'em out there and most can be had for around three bills or less. Add another C-note to that and you can even sneak into the magnum class, if you shop around.

 

[okie98]

+1 for the shotgun.

 

[Glocktogo]

My recommendation would be a 4" Model 10 or similar K Frame S&W. You can still occasionally find them on the surplus market in your price range, or haunting pawn shops and gun shops.

However, you can find used LE trade-in Glocks for just a little more. They're simple, easy to use and have a much higher capacity. You might consider that as an alternative.

Some have suggested a shotgun. I'm not very high on shotguns for home defense. Sure, they'l work, but they're a lot harder to shoot and operate. I'd take a handy carbine over a shotgun for HD work.

 

[Erick]

That was my thought too. Any particular reason you want a revolver for the home. I know reliability is a factor, but there is something to be said about a higher capacity and quicker reloading. On top of that, you can mount mount a light/laser on most modern semi's. I personally don't want to handicap myself with a low capacity in my own home when concealment isn't an issue.

On the caliber, I like bigger, slower rounds like the .45 that are less likely to penetrate multiple walls.

 

[MLRyan]

For HD, I keep my XD 45 by my bed, my roommate keeps a shotty handy for his half of the house. I like shotguns for HD, personally. Nothing wrong with a 6 gun, though.

 

[Mr.357Sig]

First off, welcome to the forum.

If you've never shot a gun in your life, you need to get some training. Gun safety is paramount. Many gun ranges rent guns. Rent four or five guns over a period of time. You may find that you hate revolvers. You may fall in love with them. Who knows? Guns are a very subjective thing - what works for some does not work for all. Find the gun or guns that you are the most comfortable with and THEN you can make an educated decision.

Once you get some OSA posts under your belt, you can check out the gun deals in the classified section. Some great deals can be had.

 

[gregorius]

Why a revolver? Not very many rounds for home defense. Better than nothing, but I would rather have my Glock 23 with 13 rounds, for example.

I am leaning toward the revolver for simplicity and ease of use, primarily. I am personally not concerned about the learning curve for a semi-auto, but I want something my wife can pick up, point and shoot. If I were picking a gun just for myself I might go semi-auto.