Went shooting today

[FCRPhila]

Brought my Glock 19 and H&K USP and rented a Ruger Security Six. To be perfectly honest, I sucked with the semi's and rocked with the wheelie. I haven't shot a revolver in about seven years and I decided today that needed to change. Fired both .38 and .357 through the old gal, recoil with the .38's is not felt but .357 was fairly rough. I was a tack driver with the .38's with basically one big hole. .357 was about 2 inch groups. I think I'm made to be a revolver shooter. I have always shot tight groups with revolvers whereas I need to have a good day to shoot a semi real tight. What do you guys/gals think would be a good first revolver? Personally I'd love either a snubbie .38 Smith or Colt or an 8 shot .357 mag Smith but those are two completely different stories. The gun would serve as a range, home defense and maybe occasional carry piece.

[308man]

Shoot what you are comfortable with. In a worst case situation I would have the wheel gun. My gut says you need more time with the automatics. (Been thre sucked as well). The extra mag capacity kept me practicing and now I am as good with a Glock as I am with a cheaper revolver. I do believe a quailty revolver will produce slightly better results but we are not shooting for dimes are we?

[F16vipers]

Def shoot what you're comfortable with but don't be afraid to keep practicing with those semiautos, you'll get them down! Personally for me I didn't begin making tight groups with a semi auto until I got the trigger control down pat. The best way to do this is with dry fire practice. By yourself a box of snap caps and go to town. It's a much cheaper and more effective way to improve your trigger skills on a semi auto and you will see results your next trip to the range.

Don't lose faith and give up on those autos!!! Practice makes perfect!

[FCRPhila]

I am good enough with semi's for self defence purposes, however between my 3 semi's I have about a 1,000 rounds of practice, and another 1,000 or so with other semi's. As for revolvers, my total trigger time is definately under 500 rounds and yet I shoot much better with them. I wonder if some people are just made for revolvers and others for autos.

[*Klutch*]

I agree with sparky66 get something like a 586,686, you can shoot .38 out of it anytime and then .357 when you feel frisky. I personally like the model 66 snub nose or a model 19,27,28 in a 4" barrel, Avoid the ILS if you can. Rugers are built like tanks but they are awesome just the same; but I like Smiths better. Colts are nixce but much more of a price tag to go with it.

[FNG19]

What do you guys/gals think would be a good first revolver? Personally I'd love either a snubbie .38 Smith or Colt or an 8 shot .357 mag Smith but those are two completely different stories.

First of all, I think more time at the range with the semi-autos is in order. Semis not only have a different hand placement and grip angle than revolvers, but the triggers are very, very different. It might even be helpful to take someone along who knows semis to help you out. I'm not saying you should turn yourself into a semi-auto guy or that semis are inherently better. All I'm saying is that a little help might go a long way to smoothing out the difference in results that you get. In the end, you may still choose to carry a revolver, and that's fine. It's entirely up to you. I'd rather you carried something you were comfortable and proficient with than to carry whatever anyone else thinks you should.

That said, the only revolver I own is the stereotypical "duty revolver", the S&W 66-2 (38/357, 4" barrel square butt K-Frame). It was on my "Own One Day" list, and when I happened upon a used one that was in good condition at a good price, I jumped on it. For a first revolver, I think it's a fantastic choice. It's heavy enough that recoil isn't a problem. And, it's an attractive gun, too. I really enjoy shooting it, and while it gets a steady diet of 38s, occasionally, I through a little heat into the mix and give it a few 357s. Unfortunately, the 66 line was discontinued in 2005, so finding one might take a little patience.

[Philbert]

Brought my Glock 19 and H&K USP and rented a Ruger Security Six. To be perfectly honest, I sucked with the semi's and rocked with the wheelie. I haven't shot a revolver in about seven years and I decided today that needed to change. Fired both .38 and .357 through the old gal, recoil with the .38's is not felt but .357 was fairly rough. I was a tack driver with the .38's with basically one big hole. .357 was about 2 inch groups. I think I'm made to be a revolver shooter. I have always shot tight groups with revolvers whereas I need to have a good day to shoot a semi real tight. What do you guys/gals think would be a good first revolver? Personally I'd love either a snubbie .38 Smith or Colt or an 8 shot .357 mag Smith but those are two completely different stories. The gun would serve as a range, home defense and maybe occasional carry piece.

Snubbies are a whole different ball game. They have a different kind of trigger spring, the distance from grip to trigger is shorter, the sight radius is shorter (though personally that is the least of my worries, I think) and the recoil is worse.

If you want a gun primarily for range and home defense, I would go with a K or N frame Smith or equivalent. I lucked out on a used S&W Model 64 that had been very well cared for, and has one of the nicest triggers I have experienced on a wheelgun.

[Franchi20/28]

I sucked with the semi's and rocked with the wheelie. I think I'm made to be a revolver shooter. I have always shot tight groups with revolvers whereas I need to have a good day to shoot a semi real tight. The gun would serve as a range, home defense and maybe occasional carry piece.

Were you shooting the wheel gun in single action or double action? If you were shooting it SA then you were not shooting it in HD/Carry mode and therefore was not a true representation of how it would be used. I also think I am more accurate with a revolver, but it may be because I am concentrating on smooth trigger pull so much more. Also it seems to me that I am shooting almost as fast, but I am probably putting 2 rds downrange with almost the same accuracy for every one with the revolver.

I would suggest slowing down the semi speed a bit and working on sight picture/alignment and trigger control.

As for guns, there are many nice options, some already mentioned. Don't buy into the gun store hype that "you need a snubbie for concealment". For some reason the shops seem to be trying to move snubbies big time lately. The size frame is going to make more difference in concealability than an extra inch or two in the barrel, but that extra barrel length makes a big difference is shootability.

[Neko456]

I am the total opposite I shot revolvers for 15 years as part of my job. I was always adequate could always qualify but in rapid fire or longer DA shots they could stray, SA no problem. I never was as good as I was with my Colt 1911 or Beretta or Glock.

Even sub nose 38spl I noticed that I shot the sub Compact Pt11 DAO better then the snubby. This snub nose was all metal and factory nippped hammer for CC ease. Nice little snubby but I shot the Kel tech 9mm better I also like the 6 extra shots.

my collection like most of you guys was mostly revolvers now I only have three revolvers and the rest are semi autos.

I guess everybodies different, will you be selling some of your autos?

[rwb1500]

Snubbies are a whole different ball game. They have a different kind of trigger spring, the distance from grip to trigger is shorter, the sight radius is shorter (though personally that is the least of my worries, I think) and the recoil is worse.

If you want a gun primarily for range and home defense, I would go with a K or N frame Smith or equivalent. I lucked out on a used S&W Model 64 that had been very well cared for, and has one of the nicest triggers I have experienced on a wheelgun.

Snubies are a whole different ball game. I don't think you'd be as happy with a 2 inch barrel or smaller. It makes accuracy a whole different thing entirely. You should rent a revolver with a 2 inch or smaller barrel before you buy one, for sure.

Another thing, you didn't mention how you were shooting the Ruger. Single action or double? That might have a lot to do with your accuracy. A nice single action trigger and a decent barrel length will allow you to do wonders.