First Handgun: Advice?

[O/U]

Hi folks,

I'm shopping for my first handgun and could use some advice. I'm looking for something that can do it all. I know a gun like that probably doesn't exist, but I'd like to get as close as I can.

This is what I'm looking for:

1. It must be accurate for general target practice. I plan on putting a lot of rounds through it to better learn how to use it.

2. It must be a good open carry gun for hunting, hiking and camping. Big enough caliber to take down medium sized critters, but not so big that a coup de grace is messy. Ideally, it would even be able to be used as a deer hunting gun with the addition of a scope.

3. It must be utterly reliable.

4. It must double as a home defence gun with reasonable recoil so the wife can learn to use it confidently.

I've narrowed my selection down to a Ruger GP100 and a S&W 686. For real hunting that would mean that the barrel would probably have to be 6" which may make the gun unwieldy for other uses. Perhaps I'm foolish to hope that this gun really can do it all.

.357 is fine for hunting. .38 is manageable for the wife, and cheap to shoot. The wheel gun is reliable, easy to clean and maintain. It must be reasonably easy to carry on multiple mile walks through dense forest and briars.

I was planning on starting with a .22, but my brother just purchased a gorgeous Ruger Single Six and since we shoot together anyway I figured there is no reason to duplicate efforts.

I'd be interested in any thoughts you guys might have.

 

[firtree]

Nothing about a 6" revolver would make it unwieldy for any
of your intended purposes. I did not see concealed carry on the
list, so you should have no problems. Whatever you do, buy a
good quality holster made for your specific pistol (and a great belt).

BTW, where do you live? Any target price range? That could effect model selection.


F

 

[RKG]

One man's opinion:

You need two "first guns": a 4" or 6" S&W .22 (my recommendation is either a used Model 17 or used Model 18), and a 4" S&W .357 (my recommendation would be a used Model 19 or used Model 66, unless you intend a steady diet of full power .357s, in which case I would go with a used Model 27 or 28).

Nothing (including a Ruger single action) will facilitate growing your handgun marksmanship skills like a Model 17 or Model 18, with the possible exception of a good used Model 41 (.22 auto).

The 19 or 66 can be loaded with target level .38s for practice, store-bought .38 +P hollow points for street carry, and (occasionally) store-bought 156 gr. JSP or JHP for woods carry.

Depending on their year of manufacture, these revolvers may or may not have acceptable triggers, but they can be quickly upgrade to true "breaking glass" SA triggers, either by the S&W factory or a good local gunsmith.

 

[O/U]

Thanks for the advice, folks. I'm looking forward to reading more opinions. Those Model 17s look really nice, though I had a lot of fun shooting Ruger. Are they that much better?

To clarify: I will not be carrying concealed. I live in MA with a LTC A. My budget is open. I just want the right gun for the right purpose.

 

[dixidawg]

If you live in Ma, you can't hunt deer with a handgun......

unless of course you are willing to pay the out-of-state license fees and hunt in a freee state....

 

[dwarven1]

And you cannot carry that .357 while you're deer hunting - you'll get promptly arrested by the MA Fish & Game folks.

That said... Let me say that either of the guns you mentioned will fill your purpose admirably. My preference is for the S&W (I only own 5!) but the Ruger is a good, capable gun. And since, if you do carry it while hunting, it will be in another state, and therefore, must be open carry, get the 6".

Unless you think that you might get into IDPA in the future, in which case go for the 4".

"The choice is yours: to stay or to go."
"Go not to the elves for counsel... for they will say both no and yes."

Guess it holds true for this dwarf sometimes, too...

 

[O/U]

If you live in Ma, you can't hunt deer with a handgun......

unless of course you are willing to pay the out-of-state license fees and hunt in a freee state....

I believe there is a one week revolver season in Western MA. Maybe that's changed though.

I hunt almost exclusively in VT anyway where hunting deer with a handgun (revolver and pistol) is legal during rifle season. No special permit or license required.

 

[EddieCoyle]

Those Model 17s look really nice, though I had a lot of fun shooting Ruger. Are they that much better?

The Model 17 is a K frame - exactly the same frame size/weight as a Model 19, 65, 66, etc. So once you get used to shooting the 17, going to the .38/.357 feels more "natural". Unlike the Single Six, it is double action.

The S&W 686+ (L-Frame) gives you seven shots of .357. I'd go with the 4" model.

Personally, I wouldn't hunt deer with a .357, but If you're going to put a scope on it, you'll only lose a bit of velocity - you won't notice a difference in accuracy between the 4" and 6" (scoped).

EDIT: Just for the record, there is no "one gun that does it all." The closest you can get is a S&W 610 - good luck finding one though.

 

[Pilgrim]

Just for the record, there is no "one gun that does it all."

If you plan it right, no amount of guns will ever do it right, and you'll have to keep getting more and more in that ever elusive search.

I hope you never find that one gun.

 

[O/U]

If you plan it right, no amount of guns will ever do it right, and you'll have to keep getting more and more in that ever elusive search.

I hope you never find that one gun.

I'm sure I won't. My list of "wants" grows daily. I just gotta space out my purchases so as to keep peace in the home. I'm sure none of you know what I'm talking about .

Thanks for the advice folks. I'm currently leaning strongly toward the Smith 686 in either 4" or 6". I'm going to go to Four Seasons tomorrow and check them out.

Speaking of which (and if this isn't kosher to ask, please tell me), has anyone seen the used 686's at Four Seasons? I'm very new at this and although I've read the linked post on how to evaluate used revolvers, I'm still a little beyond my ken.

 

[dwarven1]

I wouldn't worry about it; S&W has a wonderful warrantee program. If you have ANY problems with it, just send it in; they'll make it right. Buy with confidence.

If you're thinking more of hunting (and maybe things like pin shoots), you might want to lean towards the 6" barrel; the longer sight radius will help your aiming. If for carry (some time down the road when you get a non-neutered LTC) or for IDPA, then go for the 4" barrel.

FYI... I have a 686P in 6", and a model 66 with a 4" tube. I love them both; they're both great guns.

 

[EddieCoyle]

I actually prefer to buy used S&W revolvers.

If you're thinking more of hunting (and maybe things like pin shoots), you might want to lean towards the 6" barrel; the longer sight radius will help your aiming.

He's going to scope it for hunting so it doesn't matter.

 

[O/U]

I've heard great things about S&W customer service. Good to know that they're so good at standing behind their products.

I'm going to head over to Four Seasons tomorrow morning to take a look. It sounds like I can be flexible about the barrel length if I'm planning on using a scope for hunting.

I'd love to find a 686+ model. That 7 round cylinder would be nice.

Now just to convince the wife!

 

[dwarven1]

Ah, there's the rub.

Sorry I missed the point of you using a scope for hunting; that would make the whole sight radius point moot.

 

[O/U]

Hi folks,

Well, I pulled the veritable trigger and bought my first handgun yesterday: a used S&W 686 with a ported 6" barrel. It's in great shape; just a few scratches. The bore looks excellent and I compared the trigger to several 686's at Four Seasons and this was the pick of the litter. It's also a 686-6, which I take to mean that it is the 6th engineering revision of the 686. I'm guessing the gun is a year old.

Here 'tis:

It needs some more cleaning, but I'll have at it later today. There is some ugly gun crust in the port and near the breech of the barrel so it needs some serious scrubbing. Any suggestions on this front would be helpful (as would any general stainless revolver maintenance tips that don't appear in the manual.) I bought some cheap .38 and .357 reloads to shoot this coming weekend. I can't wait.

Let me also say that Loyd at Four Seasons is a gem. He really took his time, was extremely knowledgeable, and double checked all of the "used revolver checks" with me: cylinder lockup, timing, bore, trigger etc. etc. He didn't rush me and thoughtfully answered all of my questions (there were a lot!). Kudos to Loyd and Four Seasons. They just earned a customer for life.

 

[firtree]

Nice choice! That is a very versatile pistol.

 

[dwarven1]

I like GunScrubber for the first pass at the crud - it's an aerosol and really does a great job - and Shooter's Choice for the bore. Gets stuff out that other cleaners (Hoppe's 9, Blue Wonder, M-Pro 7) all leave behind.