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My oridinary S&W 442 is my favorite revolver that I own.

The reasons are mostly sentimental and because it works well.

My favorite revolver that I would like to own is a highly engraved Ruger New Vaquero.
 
My favorites S&Ws, 3-inch model 60 (TOP) .357 Mag 5 shot that I carry lots around the AZ house with CCI Red Cap shot load up front. The 4 inch 686 .357 Mag round butt was a US GOV issue and is the most accurate revolver I own, of many. The unit crest is 1 1/8 inch tall for scale.

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Had a Taurus Judge I never fired; gave it away. Had a Browning Buckmark in polished stainless I never fired; gave it away. Never fired that Custom Master Defender (as described in Post #33), either. Had a four-inch Taurus .357 that I gave to my dad. Had an 8½" Taurus 608 that would lock-up between cylinders when it was used double-action; gave it away. Had another Taurus .22LR revolver; think it was an M94. That one, too, swam away under its own power. I can't hit the long side of a Greyhound bus with a handgun, so I just gave them all away. I enjoyed the ownership of the items but was totally unable to use them as they should be used, so why have them?
 
My first favorite revolver was a Ruger Super Redhawk 44 Mag 9.5 in barrel. I rented it every chance I could. Never bought one and now that I have a T/C contender with a .44 barrel, it isn't a priority :confused: as I'm an admitted gun addict, so I'm consciously trading spaces in my collection versus adding. It is so hard...

I have 3 357 mag revolvers that rotate in my top spot. Colt Python 6in barrel blue, S&W 686+ 6in barrel stainless, and a Ruger SP101 3in barrel. The Colt is inherited from a close friend no longer with us and a silky smooth action & lockworks. It is my most beautiful gun without a doubt. The 686+ has a Crimson Trace grip, high vis sights, and yes that extra 7th chamber. It is a confidence builder. The Ruger is compact and accurate with a Crimson Trace grip as well. It did have to give one of it's chambers to the 686+ though, it only holds 5. Besides being easy to carry, it is my go to training weapon for all new shooters after they graduate from the 22.

I enjoy semi-autos but unless a person is willing to practice and train with them, I feel it is irresponsible to recommend them as a self defense weapon, hence the SP101 is my favorite "peace of mind" piece. When a person has a scare or even a feeling of vulnerability and wants to own a gun, I'm happy to put the SP101 in their hands and a handful of snap caps and help them win back their confidence.

At the range my revolvers hold my brass while my semis scatter it all over in a game of hide and seek. Even with a Cauldwell brass catcher, the crafty buggers escape on occasion.

Here's the 357 collection: 357 collection.jpg
 
BFR 45-70.
I waited 9 months for it the first year they were offered and have never been sorry. I modified the grips to fit my hands. Sent it back to the factory to have a rail and a Leupold EER 2x on it but about 4 years later moved to a Fastfire 2 when my eyes started to go wacko and actually like it better. Mostly shot 300 gr but acquired 500 slugs of 405 gr which unfortunately when loaded hot were a bit too much for my arthritic hands so added a MagnaPort, what a difference, now the 405gr feel like the 300 gr light loads. I self made a leather holster but was too short for the added magna port length so made a radical design steel, leather, and plastic one that clears instantly and works better than the leather one because I only have to pull it 3 inches to clear the holster instead of 13 inches with the traditional leather one.
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At least a thousand rounds and still looks and lockups like it was new. Plus, Still consistently ringing a ten inch gong @ 100 yards:):):):):)(rates five because its a five shot)
Not nearly as many rounds but is from the same 45-70 family

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Hands down favorite, Ruger Old Army slingin 280 gr round nose boolits.
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Second fav would be my Dan Wesson .44 Mag, a serious piece for serious work!


My Colt Python, is way too slick to not be on the list!
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And, lastly, the Chiappa Rhino .357 Mag! Funky, but man does it shoot!

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S&W Model 15-1 K-Frame, Combat masterpiece. In 38 Spl. I paid $65.00 for it at a gun show in 1962 and the bluing hadn't been shot of of the front of the cylinder. 3.5 gr. of Bulls-Eye pushing a 145 Keith HP and no jackrabbit was safe within a 100 yards. I've since added a set of Hogue grips to keep it from tending to rotate in my hand. This one goes to my grave with me.
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5" GP100, followed closely by the S&W 640 (j-frame snubnose). Both are .357

I might be getting a new favorite, though. I have a 5" 629 Classic on layaway at the LGS. Don't know if my old hands can still manage a .44 magnum, but I like the idea of having a bear gun.
 
5" GP100, followed closely by the S&W 640 (j-frame snubnose). Both are .357

I might be getting a new favorite, though. I have a 5" 629 Classic on layaway at the LGS. Don't know if my old hands can still manage a .44 magnum, but I like the idea of having a bear gun.
My son has the 4 in version of that from the Performance Center and with 300 grain bear loads it makes an impression your hand won't soon forget. However any bear will likely cause enough adrenaline that you won't even feel it. Great guns...
 
My favorite revolver is the S & W 500 Magnum 7.5" from the Performance Center that my wife gave me for my 50th birthday. Notable mentions are the S & W model 19 blue 4" I gave my wife as a wedding gift and the S & W model 60 that I still carry as my CCW, it just feels right.
 
Retired now, I decided a handgun might come in handy, old people being a target and all. I agonized over what to buy. I read magazines, watched online videos and asked around. I took a Fundamentals course and sought advice from the instructors. While most said 9mm semi-auto was the best choice I started getting vibes from revolvers - they just look like a gun ought to! I finally decided on the Ruger SP101 snub nose (2" barrel). It conceals easily. A Galco "Concealable" holster makes it disappear under a "tall" sized polo shirt. While it's chambered for .357 Magnum, it's a joy to shoot .38 Specials through it and I'm told that a good +P load hollow point has plenty of stopping power. (I chose Speer Gold Dot Short Barrel Personal Protection, 135 grain GDHP.)

It's also a reasonable range gun: if I'm going to use it for personal protection I believe I should gain some competence with it, and Grant Cunningham (in his snub nose book) says the snub nose is easy to shoot, but difficult to shoot well. It's still a challenge for me to put 25 rounds inside a torso target at ten yards, but I'm getting really good at 7. One thing it's not is a hunting weapon, but I'm basically a city boy anyway ;-)

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I upgraded the grips and had the factory main spring replaced by a 12# from Wolff. Note the tiny bit of bright nail polish on the front ramp sight, on advice from an instructor. This is a big help for older eyes. I've had it for two years now and I am very happy with it.
 

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