Back in the days before drastic, fantastic, plastic pistols ruled the day, companies like Sturm, Ruger and Smith & Wesson were locked in a battle to decide who would be crowned the King of the double action revolver market. The distinction was important, as the double action revolver represented the largest segment of the commercial and law enforcement handgun markets. Continue reading “The Great Revolver Frame War – Part I”
Category: Revolvers
2018 Project Gun: Smith & Wesson Model 60-15
It’s funny how things work. This article was planned to be the very first one ran on RevolverGuy.com. Several things happened (mostly at my own doing) that changed this course. My friend Aaron (at the ITRH Urban Survival Podcast) wanted to to run my revolver interview much earlier than I had anticipated. Wanting to space out reviews of revolvers (because I don’t have many), I pushed this one to the back burner. Then I got in touch with Mike Wood to write a review of his book. I got some new ideas and the next thing I knew, RevolverGuy.com was charting its own course. But a year later I’m finally getting around to writing the article I started in October of 2016. This is an article about MY first revolver, the Smith & Wesson Model 60-15. Continue reading “2018 Project Gun: Smith & Wesson Model 60-15”
The Perfect J-Frame: Two Years In Review
As the the sun sets on 2017, I wanted to talk about my experience with the perfect J-Frame Revolver: the S&W 640 Pro Series. I’ve carried this gun day-in/day-out for almost two and a half years now. It has been a special gun in that it has taught me an awful lot about the revolver. I’m going to talk about the accessories and solutions I’ve found to make this the most viable self-defense option possible, and my thoughts on going forward into the 2018. This will also be a bit of a reminisce over some of the changes I’ve made over the last year, and some things you can expect in the coming year. Continue reading “The Perfect J-Frame: Two Years In Review”
The Making of a RevolverGuy: My First Revolver
My first gun, not surprisingly, was a .22 rifle. That seems to be where most of us start out, because it’s a lot easier to teach a youngster how to shoot a rifle than it is a handgun. I always had a lot of fun with that rifle, but the time came when I wanted to shoot a handgun, instead. I didn’t know it quite yet, but I was ready to take my first steps as a RevolverGuy. Continue reading “The Making of a RevolverGuy: My First Revolver”
A RevolverGuy Tribute to Skeeter Skelton
Skeeter Skelton once wrote that the only way to improve upon the Smith & Wesson Model 24 .44 Special would be to make it in stainless steel. Soon after, S&W presented the Model 624, a .44 Special N-frame made from stainless instead of carbon steel. I happened to have read Skeeter’s words a few days prior to walking into a local gun store that had a 624 in their used gun display. It had the 4-inch barrel (6-inches was an option) and was wearing Pachmayr rubber grips. The price was right with no box or papers and I became the new owner of my first .44 Special. Continue reading “A RevolverGuy Tribute to Skeeter Skelton”
The Ruger GP100 Match Champion
If you’ve been reading this blog for any length of time you’ve doubtlessly noticed that with the exception of Steve Tracy’s recent article, I haven’t given Ruger much love. That changes today! After Mike and I visited the Ruger factory in Prescott, we were generously offered access to T&E samples of Ruger revolvers – an offer we wasted no time taking them up on. The first gun I wanted to get my hands on is the one reviewed here: the GP100 Match Champion. Continue reading “The Ruger GP100 Match Champion”
Ruger Review: The .44 Special GP100
The .44 Special cartridge is an enigma. Many knowledgeable handgunners can’t understand its attraction. But, for the same reason that revolvers are still made in .38 Special, even though that round will fire in a .357 Magnum, the .44 Special round carries on, even though it can be fired from a .44 Magnum as well. Some shooters opt for a .44 Magnum knowing full well that they’re more likely to fire .44 Specials most of the time. Having a gun that fires multiple chamberings is a sound idea and a concrete way of looking at things, especially if cost keeps one from purchasing multiple firearms. Continue reading “Ruger Review: The .44 Special GP100”
Missing Link: The Smith & Wesson Model 68
When Smith & Wesson introduced their Model 69 Combat Magnum revolver in .44 Magnum back in 2016, there were a few RevolverGuys out there who wondered if S&W skipped a model number. The shooting world already knew about the popular Model 67 Combat Masterpiece Stainless, and now we had the new Model 69 Combat Magnum in .44, but shouldn’t there have been something in the middle? A Smith & Wesson Model 68, perhaps? Continue reading “Missing Link: The Smith & Wesson Model 68”
Am I Crazy? The Revolver Equation
Am I crazy? As you know I’ve been carrying a J-Frame revolver for almost two years now. I really enjoy this little round gun. I can almost literally forget it’s there, but it’s actually fun to shoot. I’m intimately familiar with it and I can run it pretty hard. However, lately I’ve begun to feel that I’m operating at the top of the gun’s capability (with my 686 on the other hand, I doubt I will ever feel limited by the revolver). I have also begun to feel like maybe it’s time to move back to something a little more capable. With this in mind I’ve been looking at other revolvers.
Contradicting Myself: Revolvers for Non-Shooters
If you’re a Revolver Guy, you’re probably a pretty serious student of handgunnery. We can acknowledge to each other that there are a couple different categories of shooters out there. There’s guys like us that dry practice all the time and run through several thousand rounds a year. Guys that know what their carry gun will do at 100 yards and have sore knees from crawling around in gravel looking for that sixth piece of brass. You guys and gals aren’t the group I am concerned about. If you want to carry a revolver, a 1911, a DA/SA gun, or… well, whatever blows your skirt up, you won’t get too much argument from me. You know pretty well what you’re doing and I won’t pretend to know better than you what works for YOU. Continue reading “Contradicting Myself: Revolvers for Non-Shooters”