Home defense revolver for FIL

Hey,

So my Father in Law is looking at purchasing his second firearm... He comes from a LARGE non-gun-owning family and he is the first to break the curse when he bought a 22 savage rifle for pest control on their farm. He approached me last weekend about getting a home defense handgun for the house. My knee jerk reaction was a 4" 38spl revolver (smith model 10 or 15). They live in a ranch style house on 80+ acres in a semi-rural area. He is somewhat comfortable with handguns, and would like to practice a lot. My question for you is:

Should I push him to get a nice used Smith 38spl for ~$300 or try to get him into a glock/smith MP for $450? Personally, I would opt for a 38spl because of ease of use, but I wanted to see your thoughts. Ideas?

--SRS

Used S&W model 10

Glock.
Lots of reasons there are so many fans.
I have several choices, but my EDC is a 19.
A great balance of size, weight, power, and capacity.
They don't come any tougher or more dependable and it doesn't get much simpler as far as operation or take down for routine maintenance.
LE trade ins are usually priced right if price is an issue and usually have much more holster wear than internal wear.

As a plus I live fairly near the Glock Inc. HQ. If you are lucky enough to live in Ga just run them over to Glock in Smyrna and have them "check it out" they'll give it the once over and replace all the worn parts for free and test fire it. They will also swap out 10 round mags for "standard capacity" mags. It will come back as good as new for free and sometimes they even throw in additional swag.

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Originally Posted by 243LPR

Used S&W model 10

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Oh yeah.

I know the autoloader are the hot thing

But especially for the inexperienced gunner and even the experienced the safety and dependability of the revolver can't be beat. Simple and effective.

I love my 1911 but that s&w airweight 38 special is always close by.

I wouldn't overlook the Ruger LCR's. I've never been much of a revolver guy, but I love mine and the darn little thing is amazingly accurate at 15 yards for a little 2" snubby. Plus it's so light that I often forget I have it with me.

You should take him to a gun store and let him hold the various guns - revolvers/semi-autos, different calibers - let him rack the slides/open the cylinders.

Then try to get him to shoot something similar to what he liked the feel of in the store.

Get him what he's comfortable with, not something you are comfortable with for him.

For someone who is not gun savvy, I would recommend a revolver in .38 +P or .357 Mag. For someone who is gun savvy, pick any auto that fits and feels right.Use premium ammo in either for defense and practice with OTC cheapo stuff.

The .357 may be too much Bang, it is for me. I agree, the S&W or other dependable double action revolver is the way to go. Get comfortable with loading/recoil/noise. I like being able to break open a revolver and look at the cartridges/casings. It seems "safer" than the semi-autos. Hope not to be in a gun fight but would bet 5-7 rounds might be all I'll need from a revolver.

My next one will be the .327 mag that shoots four sizes off-the-shelf .32 caliber cartridges. And it will be more than a 4" barrel for a home pistol.

Beretta make a nice size (Glock frame) in their new carry/compact, the in-between size of the three frames. Safeties suit me.

I have taken my FIL shooting several times with my sig 226's (9mm, 40) and 220, as well as my glock 22, and smith model 15. He liked my WEAK reloads (160gr plated berrys, 3.0gr 700x) in the model 15, and nearly shot 200 rounds in one sitting. He said it was so much fun because the recoil was light, the gun was big enough to soak it up, and the sights were big. I went to my local gun store and bought a model 15-4 in great shape on Wednesday, and I think I will pass my older 15-2 onto him as a gift this Christmas. With a generous supply of reloads (fire up the Dillon!) and a few speed loaders, along with some Buffalo Bore 158 +P LSWCHP loads, I think he will like it. I am going to talk my MIL into buying a good pistol safe for the nightstand as no one wants my nephews or daughter to get into it. Personally, I don't feel undergunned with a 38spl for home defense. I really like converting non-gun owners to shooting enthusiasts! I've taken 20+ people shooting for their first time, and the model 15 is always the belle of the ball. It's hard to go wrong with it!

I really like the Hornady RAPiD safe with the RFID bracelet for nightstand use.

The pistol is secure, but with a quick wave of your wrist over the safe it opens or quick access. I believe they come with two bracelets.

Of course for HD There is always the upgrade to a "12ga with a light" option. Budget friendly,multi use on a farm, and unmatched in stopping power.

First I disagree on Glock. Their are lots of owner's because of the advertising and them wedging into LEO with bargains to gain more.
Its worth reading the book on Glock. Not anti gun, just lays out the sleazy nature of the company.
It was designed to full fill a military requirement not a civilian one.

While Glock leg is a more common issue, Glock butt has happened as well.

Essentially they have no safety (the trigger bar is an interlock in my opinion and not a safety). Due to the large number of ND with that gun it does not work.

It should never be carried in anything other than a correct holster.


I too agree a used 38 DA of any mfg that works is a good way to go. Its obvious and intuitive operation. Semi autos are not, regardless of the mfg.

Personally for a semi auto, I prefer the Semi auto DA s as they are the close analog to a revolver. I know the striker thing has gained momentum, but a lot of incompetent people own them.

That does not mean a well versed person in pistol handling rules is not a good owner, frankly as we have all see o the gun range, very few are.

It would more or less depend on the guy who will be using it. I personally prefer shooting revolvers, but carry a sigp250. Both revolvers and semi-autos have advantages and disadvantages that will need to be weighed. A revolver does have an advantage in simplicity in operation. This is a point and shoot type of weapon, and if the first round doesn't fire, you have 5 more that you can shoot. That's not to say the revolvers don't jam. I did have a Judge that the timing would constantly go fubar. I quickly sold that POS and vowed to never again buy a taurus product. The 629 I purchased in March has never jammed and is a blast to shoot. Revolvers usually aren't picky about they bullets you feed them. I've seen issues with some revolvers not liking some bullets designs. This problem is easy to work around in an auto: just don't shoot that ammo.

A semi auto, from a quality manufacturer like sig, ruger, glock, springfield, smith and wesson, will be extremely reliable. The battery of arms is significantly different when comparing a revolver vs a semiauto. In a semiauto, you have to be wary of the magazine vs the revolver's cylinder. Both can fail. I've also never been comfortable about guns that don't have a double strike capability. In case a primer doesn't fire, I want to be able to squeeze the trigger again to make the thing fire. No racking the slide or thinking on my part. I want as ultimate in simplicity as I can get when it comes to my personal safety.

If it were me, and someone were to ask for my help in choosing which option would be best, I would have them shoot both, and see which one they are more comfortable in using. As for me, I like to shoot both. Perhaps next year I'll look at getting both. I swear drugs would have been a cheaper addiction lol.

I was in the same boat a few years back when I bought my first HD weapon. I would be considered FIL age, so I went went a revolver. No safety to worry about, don't need to worry whether one has been chambered or not, and no "accidental" shots. It just seemed a more safe option. Now that I am more comfortable with side arms, a semi would not be a concern.

good da revolver works for me. no tricks if you have to use it in dark, no worries about jamming. if cartridge fails to fire, just rotate cylinder for next round

My choice would be a 357 revolver with a 6" bbl. This is for home defense and will be shot/practiced with a LOT more if it's comfortable. Nothing more comfortable than a heavy 357 with mouse phart 38spl practice ammo. Keep the serious stuff for serious social encounters. One of the best bargains out there is a good used DAN WESSON. Or one of the many Rugers, S&W ain't the only game in town.

Bob

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Originally Posted by Rick_W

You should take him to a gun store and let him hold the various guns - revolvers/semi-autos, different calibers - let him rack the slides/open the cylinders.

Then try to get him to shoot something similar to what he liked the feel of in the store.

Get him what he's comfortable with, not something you are comfortable with for him.

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This. Bonus points if you can go to a place with a member/membership that gets free rentals. Then you can pick the caliber(s) and go to town and letting him try. Even w/out the free rentals, I agree this is best. You may find he's a natural in a Glock 21SF .45 vs. the revolver. My wife was this way... never fired a gun in her life. Went to the range, got 9mm/.40/.45 and went through their rental library. Out of everything, she was group and most natural w/ the one she currently has (aforementioned Glock) whereas I hate it b/c it feels like a brick to me. Personal preference for the shooter.

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Originally Posted by Arkie

My choice would be a 357 revolver with a 6" bbl. This is for home defense and will be shot/practiced with a LOT more if it's comfortable. Nothing more comfortable than a heavy 357 with mouse phart 38spl practice ammo. Keep the serious stuff for serious social encounters. One of the best bargains out there is a good used DAN WESSON. Or one of the many Rugers, S&W ain't the only game in town.

Bob

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Agreed, I shot the PPC with an N frame 357 and they supplied wad cutters. Like shooting a 22.

I now have a DA Semi Auto (Sig which is a solid gun)

I am not longer as physically capable as I was due to a back injury. More rounds without having to reload.

However, I had a 45 Cold type for many years and semi auto were not a transition problem

If you are going to have a semi auto, a good DA model is my choice. .

When I shot revolver I did it almost exclusively SA.


Most of the time I hear something in the night, I can grab the DA and have my finger on the trigger and ready for a snap shot but still plenty of stop time and no risk of a ND. If I am really concerned then I cock it and keep my finger outside of the trigger housing.

As you can de-cock the DA safely (still pointed at the floor) its a good option in my opinion and would have been my first choice for a semi auto if I knew about them back in the day.

With the option to cock the DA and its SA from there on and deals with the changing trigger feel (that has not been a problem for me but I grew up shooting pistols so not a problem and that included revolver for the most part but also 45 colt semi auto.

Medium frame 357 revolver and run 38 +P. easy recoil management, large enough to good grip, but not too heavy. reliable and easy to use.

Yep