As much as I like the Ruger SP101 3" 357 mag, absolutely one of my favorite carrying guns for self defense, woods walking, traveling, just about everything is my Stainless Ruger Speed Six 2-3/4" 357 with my Bianchi #5 holster. The 357 mag with the right load will handle most things in the lower 48, when I feel like I need a little more I like my Ruger Alaskan 454, and I'm growing, fond of those Talo 3-3/4" Super Blackhawks. Like most of you I also have my favorite autos but for this thread I'm curious of your favorite revolvers and what you use them for. Course when I'm not CCWing an auto loader it's my LCR 357. Let's here yours.
Favorite Carrying Revolvers.
- Thread starter Bear Paw Jack
- Start date
Jim Puke
Hunter
My self defense revolvers are both pocket carry guns...642 and .357 LCR. For most other carrying, excluding hunting, I carry a Cimarron Model P 45/8" 44 special in a Bianchi #1 that WAYNO graciously let me talk him out of. If I am hunting, it will be one of the flattop 44 specials.
DGW1949
Hawkeye
The revolver which I use the most is an older 4-3/4", 45LC, EMF/Uberti SAA.
Reason is, it does everything that I need a revolver to do.
DGW
Reason is, it does everything that I need a revolver to do.
DGW
For CCW I mostly carry my LCR 38. When walking in my timber I usually carry my SR22 or MKII with 3" pac lite barrel. Just got the 3" LCRx though and that's what I will be carrying mostly now. Just have an Uncle Mikes hip holster right now, but probably get a Simply Rugged for it soon.
Bob R
Single-Sixer
I rotate around:
LCR22 for my light work
315 Night Guard (2.75" airweight K Frame 38 +P)
SP101 (357 Mag 2.25" with 24/7 Night Sight, and Pachmayr Compac Grips)
SP101 (357 Mag 3" with a Little Wonder fiber optic front sight, and Altamont fancy grips)
S&W Model 10 (2" with Pachmayr Compact Grips)
S&W Model 15-5 (2" with multiple grip options)
S&W Model 64-6 (2" DAO Custom Shop gun with Pachmayr Compac Grips)
S&W 66-2 (3" DAO Custom Shop gun)
GP100 (3" Adjustable Sight in 38 +P)
Did I mention that I like snubs. I have owned several others such as an SP101 2.25" 9mm, 442 Pro, 49, 638, 649, and probably a few more.
I have a 480 Super RedHawk, but it is far from a snub with a 9.5 inch barrel.
Bob
LCR22 for my light work
315 Night Guard (2.75" airweight K Frame 38 +P)
SP101 (357 Mag 2.25" with 24/7 Night Sight, and Pachmayr Compac Grips)
SP101 (357 Mag 3" with a Little Wonder fiber optic front sight, and Altamont fancy grips)
S&W Model 10 (2" with Pachmayr Compact Grips)
S&W Model 15-5 (2" with multiple grip options)
S&W Model 64-6 (2" DAO Custom Shop gun with Pachmayr Compac Grips)
S&W 66-2 (3" DAO Custom Shop gun)
GP100 (3" Adjustable Sight in 38 +P)
Did I mention that I like snubs. I have owned several others such as an SP101 2.25" 9mm, 442 Pro, 49, 638, 649, and probably a few more.
I have a 480 Super RedHawk, but it is far from a snub with a 9.5 inch barrel.
Bob
As usual, the .44spec Bulldog is in my vest pocket right now. Outside the house, yard work, dog walking, to at camp while fishing, the Bulldog has to trade off with the 44spec Sheriff Vaq. sometimes. If hunting, my old SBH gets the nod, though I'm considering the NM FT .44spec 5.5" when I get more rounds thru it.
I've always loved the S&W Centennial series. Totally enclosed to protect again anything foreign somehow slowing down or obstructing the hammer. Which also leads to a very snag free design. Most of mine have been dry fired so much that they have very smooth DAO pulls. When I first got my OK CCW, I started out with a S&W M640 Centennial in .357 Magnum. I can still stage that trigger very effectively on that little revolver and hit things very far away. Ultimately I decided that all steel was too heavy. Plus I also wanted a bigger bullet. (My CCW experience is that weight is the number one issue... the lighter the better.)
So for about ten years I carried a S&W M296 Lightweight Centennial. 18.5 ounces empty. Actually an L frame but only a little larger than the M640. Very, very light. So light that it doesn't seem like a real gun when you first pick it up. Combine that with a moderate .44 Special load and it is a great CCW revolver. I started out with the CorBon 165 grain JHP load. Then CorBon came out with the DPX line and the 200 grain all copper .44 Special load. Wow, that is some bullet and doesn't have to be loaded to super high pressures.
I still own the gun and even still carry it when I need super light for some reason. Main reason I quit carrying it was the theater shooting in Colorado. I love .44 Special (and .45 ACP for that matter) but the big, heavy, slow bullets don't get through vests. Not even the lower level vests. I didn't want to be in the middle of a mass shooting someday and be both too far away and armed with a gun/cartridge combination that couldn't do the job. (Like what happened in Tyler, TX. Multiple good hits on the bad guy by Mark Wilson but .45 ACP from a 1911 didn't get through the vest.)
The whole thing made me sigh and shake my head because I love my revolvers. But I switched anyway. My daily carry became an HK P2000 LEM in .357 SIG. 12+1. Flat shooting, hard hitting, excellent tactical penetration with Speer Gold Dots. (I carry the Air Marshal duty load.) If I was lying on the floor of the back row of a movie theater and braced myself on the side of a chair.... I could get chest shots all day long with that pistol. And the bullet is going to punch through everything but the heaviest vests. It does it all in a small package and without much weight. I'm a huge fan of LEM and the .357 SIG anyway so it made sense to make the change.
Gregg
So for about ten years I carried a S&W M296 Lightweight Centennial. 18.5 ounces empty. Actually an L frame but only a little larger than the M640. Very, very light. So light that it doesn't seem like a real gun when you first pick it up. Combine that with a moderate .44 Special load and it is a great CCW revolver. I started out with the CorBon 165 grain JHP load. Then CorBon came out with the DPX line and the 200 grain all copper .44 Special load. Wow, that is some bullet and doesn't have to be loaded to super high pressures.
I still own the gun and even still carry it when I need super light for some reason. Main reason I quit carrying it was the theater shooting in Colorado. I love .44 Special (and .45 ACP for that matter) but the big, heavy, slow bullets don't get through vests. Not even the lower level vests. I didn't want to be in the middle of a mass shooting someday and be both too far away and armed with a gun/cartridge combination that couldn't do the job. (Like what happened in Tyler, TX. Multiple good hits on the bad guy by Mark Wilson but .45 ACP from a 1911 didn't get through the vest.)
The whole thing made me sigh and shake my head because I love my revolvers. But I switched anyway. My daily carry became an HK P2000 LEM in .357 SIG. 12+1. Flat shooting, hard hitting, excellent tactical penetration with Speer Gold Dots. (I carry the Air Marshal duty load.) If I was lying on the floor of the back row of a movie theater and braced myself on the side of a chair.... I could get chest shots all day long with that pistol. And the bullet is going to punch through everything but the heaviest vests. It does it all in a small package and without much weight. I'm a huge fan of LEM and the .357 SIG anyway so it made sense to make the change.
Gregg
luvmyRugers
Single-Sixer
Prior to switching to 45ACP for concealed carry, my fav was either SP101 2.25" or Security Six 4". Still have and occasionally carry both...just for "old time's sake".
Fountain E. Conner
Single-Sixer
SP101 w/bobbed hammer. 'Carry in belly band or Hide-it holster.
Three50seven
Buckeye
Original 3" Charter Arms Bulldog in .44 special for me. I carry it in an OWB holster by Triple K. Also always have my NAA .22 mag close at hand.
Old Judge Creek
Single-Sixer
I have two each a purpose unto its own:
My pocket revolver is usually my S&W 642
Around the Ranch and on forays into the Nevada high desert, and trips into other sundry high lonesome areas my favorite packing sixgun for years has been my S&W 629 Trail Boss:
Usually this is paired with an 1892 Winchester Trapper clone. For sheer utility/versatility I don't believe this pair or caliber can be beat.
Let me hasten to add that I've been a single action man for at least 65 years now. IIRC I got my first single action Ruger in 1960 and for me they were like peanuts - I couldn't get enough of them. I have "a few" and all of them are "favorites". I've never in my life felt at a disadvantage with a single action revolver... at least until the vicissitudes of age caught up with both my thumbs. Arthritis often makes cocking my sixguns all too slow to use them as a defensive handgun should need arises. The truth is for the past several years I've given up revolver versatility for defensive safety from two-legged rock crawlers, and have been packing either a Glock 30SF or a Glock 19 when heading into wilderness areas.
My pocket revolver is usually my S&W 642
Around the Ranch and on forays into the Nevada high desert, and trips into other sundry high lonesome areas my favorite packing sixgun for years has been my S&W 629 Trail Boss:
Usually this is paired with an 1892 Winchester Trapper clone. For sheer utility/versatility I don't believe this pair or caliber can be beat.
Let me hasten to add that I've been a single action man for at least 65 years now. IIRC I got my first single action Ruger in 1960 and for me they were like peanuts - I couldn't get enough of them. I have "a few" and all of them are "favorites". I've never in my life felt at a disadvantage with a single action revolver... at least until the vicissitudes of age caught up with both my thumbs. Arthritis often makes cocking my sixguns all too slow to use them as a defensive handgun should need arises. The truth is for the past several years I've given up revolver versatility for defensive safety from two-legged rock crawlers, and have been packing either a Glock 30SF or a Glock 19 when heading into wilderness areas.
For a working around the farm gun it will be the flat top 44 spl or a 4 inch 44 RedHawk. My going to town gun will depend a lot on how I'm dressed. Most of the time its a Kimber .45, other times I carry a Colt Government mod .380.
donut757
Blackhawk
the LCR (.38) for me is just too easy to carry. I put it in a pocket and it is almost forgot about.
If i do carry on the hip, SP101 (.38) or 4" Sec Six (.357).
If i do carry on the hip, SP101 (.38) or 4" Sec Six (.357).
GhosT
Blackhawk
SP101,
Magnaported,Crimson Trace laser grips.
Can hit hard at longer range! :wink:
These two are favorites:
S&W model 60-10. It was eventually replaced for carrying by this one because of the balance and weight:
S&W model 60-10. It was eventually replaced for carrying by this one because of the balance and weight:
This one always gets a chuckle. Then folks realize what a .44 soft lead ball would do.
You know, I mostly carry a BP revolver when I head to the desert these days. Something about an old Jeep, and old gun, and an old man that just seem to fit together.
You know, I mostly carry a BP revolver when I head to the desert these days. Something about an old Jeep, and old gun, and an old man that just seem to fit together.
OP
Wendy, I've got one of those 60's too and they ARE nice!!! Thanks for sharing.
For revolvers there are two...around the farm here in KY, it's usually a SS Ruger Flat Top in .44 Special...accurate, with plenty of throw weight in those big Keith style slugs, it's more than enough for any chore from charging thistle tops to itinerant wood chucks.
When going to town, the big SA is just too bulky at 45 oz's.; so it's off with the Ruger and on with a Smith Model 60 sporting a three inch tube (it replaced a much loved M36, .38 Special, seen below). Hornady 158 gr. XTP's are my current fodder for this one . I really like that 3" bbl. and can shoot it almost as well as the 4-5/8" Ruger. Rod
When going to town, the big SA is just too bulky at 45 oz's.; so it's off with the Ruger and on with a Smith Model 60 sporting a three inch tube (it replaced a much loved M36, .38 Special, seen below). Hornady 158 gr. XTP's are my current fodder for this one . I really like that 3" bbl. and can shoot it almost as well as the 4-5/8" Ruger. Rod
grumpy7159
Bearcat
- Joined
- Nov 22, 2014
- Messages
- 30
My most carried revolver is a model 60 pro Smith. I carry a 625PC (45acp) 0r a 627PC. I am waiting for my GP100 to get back from the shop, but that is a target gun.
I usually carry a semi auto like an LCP or PM9 around town, but would probably pack my Smith 36 if pinned down to a revolver.
Most of my revolver carry is in the woods walking or hunting. If I am carrying my .410 looking for grouse, it would be my 4" 28-2 or 696 3" 44spcl or 4" 629. If I am carrying a hunting rifle, it would probably be my 4" SP101 357 to keep the weight down. If it's revolver only, probably the 629.
Hate to be pinned down with a revolver for these choices, but the OP said revolver, so those are my choices.
Most of my revolver carry is in the woods walking or hunting. If I am carrying my .410 looking for grouse, it would be my 4" 28-2 or 696 3" 44spcl or 4" 629. If I am carrying a hunting rifle, it would probably be my 4" SP101 357 to keep the weight down. If it's revolver only, probably the 629.
Hate to be pinned down with a revolver for these choices, but the OP said revolver, so those are my choices.
I am qualified to carry a model 36 S&W as second gun and a S&W 686 2 1/2" as an off duty side arm.
Now for just plain fun my Blackhawk in .30 caliber carbine. Any of my 45 Colt revolvers.
Aw shucks, I love em' all.
Now for just plain fun my Blackhawk in .30 caliber carbine. Any of my 45 Colt revolvers.
Aw shucks, I love em' all.
mike campbell
Single-Sixer
GhosT said:
SP101,
Magnaported,Crimson Trace laser grips.
Can hit hard at longer range! :wink:
Be careful! Porting can lead to bruised fingernails. :shock: :wink:
After 40 years of carrying, I've settled on my last carry guns.
One for woods walks...
and one for home and concealment...
If I wanted to carry 30 ounces of firepower, it would be two of the M&P340's.
OldePhart
Blackhawk
It's kind of funny because a ported SP-101 was really high on my list of "I might try that for carry" guns until I shot an IDPA match recently where on one of the stages we had to draw and shoot "from retention" (i.e. with gun held close against your side, just clearing the holster, as if defending yourself from an assailant almost on top of you). I was using my LC9s and even without porting being basically right on top of the blast from a 3" barrel 9mm was a bit uncomfortable...I suspect that my big 'ole belly would have been downright unhappy if the gun had been ported...and even more so if it had been a ported .357...GhosT said:
SP101,
Magnaported,Crimson Trace laser grips.
Can hit hard at longer range! :wink:
Just food for thought...
I'd still love to have a ported SP-101...just probably not for daily carry...
John
any ruger
Blackhawk
Haven't thought about a favorite they are all equal as long as it is called roger . In the woods. Blackhawk. 357 or44 mg. On the street sr9 or ruger1911 .
My woods or fishing companions vary between my 3" S&W 60-15 pro model and my 4 5/8" NMBH flat top in .45 Colt.
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