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2023 - Best carry revolver?

Woodsloafer said:
I love the 327, I have a few guns chambered in it including a couple Single Sevens, SP101s, and an LCR. I've been fortunate to have been able to amass several thousand rounds, as well as a bunch of 32 H&R Magnum, over the past few years, including quite a few deals through 24Hourcampfire, but it definitely seems to be getting harder to come by. Federal must have had some ammo production runs earlier this year because I was able to pick up a couple thousand rounds of Federal 327 85 & 100 grain off Gunbroker for under 80 cents a round with shipping and taxes, now the prices seem to be well over a buck a round.



I am sure this will get bid up much higher by auction end:

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Do you shoot at much, how's the recoil in a lightweight snub nose? I'm looking for it the decent defensive gun with a very narrow and small grip due to recent catastrophic injuries.
 
Edek Kasica said:
Do you shoot at much, how's the recoil in a lightweight snub nose? I'm looking for it the decent defensive gun with a very narrow and small grip due to recent catastrophic injuries.
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I dont shoot .357 in a snub, I have an older Charter 4 inch barrel that is about the same weight as the .327 Sp101 and between the two the .327 in the SP has less recoil.

Load it with .32 Mag and the recoil is even less and has sufficient power.
 
Though I prefer revolvers over autos, I'm not a fan of revolvers for carry. If I had to pick one it would be a S&W 2 1/2" model 19 (model 66 for those who prefer stainless). It's heavy enough to be controllable with magnum loads.
 
Edek Kasica said:
Do you shoot at much, how's the recoil in a lightweight snub nose? I'm looking for it the decent defensive gun with a very narrow and small grip due to recent catastrophic injuries.
Click to expand...

I find the recoil to be about 2/3 that of a 357, it is definitely pretty snappy in the LCR but, as others have said, 32 H&R in it is no issue, similar to the recoil of 38 Special +P loads.
 
Safety1st-MA said:
  1. S&W 331/332 Airlite, .32 H&R Magnum, pre-lock (discontinued; hard to get)
  2. S&W 627-3, 8-shot, .357 snub-nose pre-lock (discontinued; hard to get)
  3. S&W 6-shot or 7-shot (several models), .357 snub-nose pre-lock (discontinued; hard to get)
  4. Ruger SP101 3", 6 shot .327 Federal magnum (discontinued; hard to get)
  5. S&W 327, 8-shot .357 snub-nose, current production (discontinued; hard to get)
  6. Taurus 327, 6 shot .327 snub-nose Federal magnum current production
  7. Ruger LCR (5452), 6 shot .327 snub-nose Federal magnum current production
  8. S&W 442 J-Frame, 5-shot .38 Special +P (no internal lock) current production
  9. S&W 351c J-Frame, 7-shot .22 WMR Magnum snub-nose (no internal lock) current production
  10. Other suggestions?
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And who is gonna FefL the Taurus 327 because I don’t wanna know (tell me)
 
TJ4 said:
How about the s&w 640? Anyone have experience with that?
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The 640 Pro is in my opinion the best small carry revolver available: 1) The Steel frame gives it enough weight to shoot 357 comfortably, 2) Pro comes with rear iron sights (as opposed to the rear channel on all other j Frames). 3) Smooth hammerless design makes appendix carry super comfortable.
 
For holster carry, a K-frame (19 or 66) with a 3” or 4” barrel. I’ve never been a fan of snub nose revolvers.
 
SpeedwayMike said:
And who is gonna FefL the Taurus 327 because I don’t wanna know (tell me)
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I've been debating between the Taurus and LCR .327. Leaning towards the Taurus cuz it's all steel. I have the .22 LCR and for that I have no issue with it being polymer, for .327 I prefer steel and a $300 lower price tag.
 
T-Unit said:
I've been debating between the Taurus and LCR .327. Leaning towards the Taurus cuz it's all steel. I have the .22 LCR and for that I have no issue with it being polymer, for .327 I prefer steel and a $300 lower price tag.
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The LCR in .327 (like the .357 and the 9mm) has a monolithic frame made from 400-series stainless steel. The polymer fire control housing is as strong as any Glock's.
 
Edek Kasica said:
Do you shoot at much, how's the recoil in a lightweight snub nose? I'm looking for it the decent defensive gun with a very narrow and small grip due to recent catastrophic injuries.
Click to expand...
I do find the idea that the .327 has less recoil than the .357 a bit of a stretch. Sure if you're shooting the milder .327 magnum loads it has less recoil, but then the muzzle energy is also substantially below what you get from a .357. If you shoot loads that approach .357 muzzle energy you're going to get pretty much the same recoil. I find my LCR in .327 Fed Mag shooting the Federal 100 gr JSP kicks just about as bad as a .357 shooting the Federal 158 gr JSP. No surprise since the .327 has a quoted muzzle energy of 500 ft.lbs. and the .357 is 539 (both probably from 6 in. barrels). Physics says if the muzzle energy and weight are equal, the recoil should be equal (through percieved recoil might be a bit different). If you're recoil sensitive the big advantage of the .327 is you can use .32 H&R magnum, a very under rated self defense cartridge. But it does not approach .357 magnum power levels.
 
T-Unit said:
I don't want anything that's necessary for function of a centerfire revolver to be polymer.
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I get where you're coming from. Took me a long time to get my head around a partially polymer revolver. But since I have a ton of polymer semi-autos (where even the frame is polymer), I've decided I'm willing to trust a polymer fire control group on my pocket carry revolver to save over 1/3 of a pound (23 oz. vs 17).
 
FancyGunz said:
Um, have you actually shot 357 magnums out of that thing with your fancy shmancy new grips? I had the extreme (dis)pleasure of doing so, and was shocked at how much extra pain and suffering there was versus the original rubber grips.
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I have shot 357 out of this revolver with my fancy shmancy grips . The stock rubber grips offer no more comfort .
 
unnamed.jpg

#8 S&W 442 (in black) "OR" 642 (in silver) J-Frame, 5-shot .38 Special +P (no internal lock) current production

#8 Gets my vote; reasons are:
* Revolvers with hammers are not as well suited for pocket carry as hammerless versions. (should you chose to pocket carry)
* The .357 air weight revolvers are too expensive; compared to the 38 Special +P versions.
* Steel revolvers weigh more and are harder conceal; than Air Weight versions.
* 38 Special has a better track record.
* 38 Special has more self defense ammunition choices than .327, .32 Magnum and 22 Magnum; and 38 Special ammunition is easier to find.
 

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