Revolver, that is my question...

[WildBill]

The suspense was killing me. So without further ado, here it is;

[ Image ]
Fresh from the FFL.

[ Image ]
All ready for the range.

Congratulations ... Beautiful! Now all we need is the range report.

[mr surveyor]

since you're into pink... I'd love to have the other grips

[WildBill]

since you're into pink... I'd love to have the other grips

I never thought to ask.

[urnoodle]

If all works as planned, I'll have the range report Saturday. Both this and the 10/22 takedown will get a workout. I don't know which one I'm more excited about.

since you're into pink... I'd love to have the other grips

I'm gonna hang on to the wood grips for a bit. I got the rubber grips so I could get more traction until I'm comfortable shooting the bigger caliber in a smaller package. If decide I like the rubber, I'll let you know.

[mr surveyor]

just jerking your chain. You need to hang on to those grips anyway. I'd doubt you'll ever want to turn loose of that beauty, but if so, the factory grips would certainly make it more attractive to 99% of the potential buyers.

You done fine on the choice. Now you owe us all a detailed range report or three.

[xb12s]

I've been following this thread for a few days and have been intrigued. Nice prize urnoodle. I think you did great.

I showed my wife (who is a somewhat reluctant shooter) and she was interested so I got excited. She's not much for pink grips, but she does like her stuff all dressed up (Old Gringo boots, etc). I looked around for grips on her behalf and stumbled on dajimgungrips and this is what I found for her:



and


The last one was the first one I saw in a google search. It was so artfully done, I didn't realize it was skulls at first because I was just tuned in on the colors and variation in the MOP. I'm not crazy about skulls, but it is really artistic.

Anyway, the wife was so excited about this that we went to the range yesterday and rented the only small frame revolver that they had -- An SP-101. (I have a 6" GP-100 and she hates how heavy it is). Unfortunately she didn't like the SP-101 much. She's 5'-0", and 98 lbs with not a whole lot of hand strength. She does fine with a Ruger SR22 and does okay with her SA XDm 9mm. She had trouble with the DA pull AND complained about cocking the hammer. I'm wondering if LCR or Smiths (66, Ladysmith, 686, whatever) would have easier action for her or if we would have to do some smith work to make those springs easier to work.

Urnoodle (or others who have handled different ones), is the trigger pull softer on the Smiths?

[WildBill]

Urnoodle (or others who have handled different ones), is the trigger pull softer on the Smiths?

Very nice looking grips.

IMO the Smith & Wesson revolvers have the best factory triggers of currenly manufactured revolvers. A trip to a competent gunsmith will make them even better.

The reason I limited my response to "currently manufactured" factory triggers is that some of the older guns like Colt and Dan Wesson also have excellent factory triggers. Revolvers like the Colt Python are know for their superb triggers. They sometimes still available, but most of them cost more than you would spend on a new handgun.

Other revolvers that I have shot, like the Rugers, Taurus, Charter Arms are not as good. IMO Rugers are probably the best. It's not only the weight of the trigger pull that is an issue. Some of them feel gritty and are not smooth. Most will smooth out a little and improve with live or dry firing.

Just changing the springs may help some, but they won't smooth out the trigger. Probably most people who buy these revolvers want to keep the price down and will not spend the extra money to have a trigger job. A gunsmith will hone the surfaces to remove burrs and imperfections of the internal machined parts. Since most people are moving towards semiautomatics, it is getting harder to find a gunsmith with a lot of experience working on revolvers. A caution: Unless you know what you're doing, don't try this a home.

[urnoodle]

I've been following this thread for a few days and have been intrigued. Nice prize urnoodle. I think you did great.

I showed my wife (who is a somewhat reluctant shooter) and she was interested so I got excited. She's not much for pink grips, but she does like her stuff all dressed up (Old Gringo boots, etc). I looked around for grips on her behalf and stumbled on dajimgungrips and this is what I found for her:

[ Image ]

and
[ Image ]

The last one was the first one I saw in a google search. It was so artfully done, I didn't realize it was skulls at first because I was just tuned in on the colors and variation in the MOP. I'm not crazy about skulls, but it is really artistic.

Anyway, the wife was so excited about this that we went to the range yesterday and rented the only small frame revolver that they had -- An SP-101. (I have a 6" GP-100 and she hates how heavy it is). Unfortunately she didn't like the SP-101 much. She's 5'-0", and 98 lbs with not a whole lot of hand strength. She does fine with a Ruger SR22 and does okay with her SA XDm 9mm. She had trouble with the DA pull AND complained about cocking the hammer. I'm wondering if LCR or Smiths (66, Ladysmith, 686, whatever) would have easier action for her or if we would have to do some smith work to make those springs easier to work.

Urnoodle (or others who have handled different ones), is the trigger pull softer on the Smiths?

I really like those grips! I didn't see the skulls at first either.
Tomorrow is my range day but I have been dry firing it with snapcaps the past few days. I have small and weak hands to begin with. The DAO is takes a little strong for me but the trigger is very smooth. Single action takes very little pull. As I use it I think I'll get better with the DAO. I really like it at this point. It feels really good in the hand. As WildBill it is one of the smoothest triggers. When I shot the sp101 I didn't like the trigger as much as the Ladysmith and it didn't feel as comfortable in the hand either.

[mr surveyor]

as long as you're doing dry fire, I would strongly suggest working with both your strong hand and weak hand. You will be strengthening both hands, while smoothing the action even more.

As for the SP101, and other Ruger revolvers... mine have all smoothed out extremely well with both live fire and dry firing. Admittedly, out of the box the S&W revolver triggers are superior, but with a bit of use the Rugers smooth out very well. For long term use, particularly with the hotter loads, I much prefer the Ruger construction .... they just don't shoot "loose" as easily as others.

surv

[urnoodle]

The Ruger sp101 is still on my list because all-in I liked the pistol but the Ladysmith for me was just a bit better. I have come around to the way of thinking that one can't have enough guns my list is in a constant state of flux.

I've started working with both hands more often. I'm right handed however my left hand is stronger and I'm left eye dominant. I think if I work with the left more, it will make me a more well rounded shooter. I'm going for an exam before the end of the month and I'm certain I'll get a new prescription (pray it's not bifocals). New glasses hopefully will improve my groups.

[WildBill]

As for the SP101, and other Ruger revolvers... mine have all smoothed out extremely well with both live fire and dry firing. Admittedly, out of the box the S&W revolver triggers are superior, but with a bit of use the Rugers smooth out very well. For long term use, particularly with the hotter loads, I much prefer the Ruger construction .... they just don't shoot "loose" as easily as others.
surv

Rugers are built like brickhouses.

[TexasGal]

Xb12s;

Where did you find the grips in the top picture with the horse? I LOVE those!!

[Whisky]

Xb12s;

Where did you find the grips in the top picture with the horse? I LOVE those!!

I believe he said he found them here : http://www.dajimgungrips.com/shop/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[The Annoyed Man]

S&W, Colt, Ruger....all good revolvers. I've never owned a Colt revolver but have owned my share of S&W snubs and Rugers. I now have only one S&W M36 (in nickle), but like it's predessors it gets very little use. I have come to love my 3" SP101 .357 so much that I rarely carry anything else. Solid, dependable, reliable and very accurate shooter. I just could never master the little j-frames...particularly the airweights. The M36 in steel is a very good shooter, but I prefer to carry .357, and the 3" SP101 handles even the hot loads as well as the M36 handles the .38 spl's. As for pocket carry... it's not for me anyway, so not an issue in my day to day routine. But, I can wear a loose cover shirt rather than "office attire" during my daily work routine so the SP101 is belt carried. I will admit that "out of the box" the Smith's have much better triggers, but with a bit of patience, a lot of dry firing, and maybe one step down reduced power springs (very inexpensive and easy to install), the Rugers can be very smooth. Detail stripping a Ruger is pretty darned easy too.


surv

(oh, I would love to have a vintage Colt Detective Special some day, but I'd probably still carry the SP101)

mr surveyer's post finally got me to chime in to this thread, even though I see you finally made your decision.....

Like him, I've never owned a Colt revolver, but have owned several S&Ws. Those Colts that Doc lovingly refurbishes are things of beauty, and I nearly bought the one he sold to Divided Attention, but she beat me to it! In any case, I (we) currently own 4 revolvers: my 5" Model 29 Classic .44 Magnum, my M&P340 .357, my Model 640 .357, and my wife's Model 642 .38 +P. From a carry perspective:

• I never carry the Model 29 at all. Don't even own a holster for it. It's an N Frame with a 5" barrel and a full length underlug, and it weighs a LOT.....maybe not as much as a Ruger Redhawk, but it is still not a practical carry gun. Besides which, it has that black polished finish you love so much on Divided Attention's snubbie. Carrying it for any length of time would eventually mark up that finish and wear it off in places.
  
  The M&P340 is the lightest of all our revolvers, and it has an abbreviated "boot grip." That's the one I throw in a pocket when I head out to the yard or mailbox, or when the heat is just too great to bear carrying anything bigger and heavier.
  
  The Model 640 is all stainless steel, and it would be the rough equivalent of a hammerless SP101. In other words, it is really too heavy for a pocket gun. In fact I own two semiautos with higher capacity that weigh less, both of which are pocketable, and which I will carry in a pocket or a holster before I will carry the 640. I use it almost exclusively as an instructional gun when I'm teaching a basic handgun class.
  
  The Model 640 used to be my wife's EDC when her choice was between it and her Glock 19 (which wouldn't easily go into or come out of her carry purse). She now has a Kahr CW9 for an EDC.

While there is certainly nothing wrong with owning a revolver, and polished beauties like Doc540/Divided Attention's Colt are extremely desirable, you have to ask yourself whether you're considering it from an EDC point of view or not; because if you are, then weight, capacity, and preservation of a beautiful finish are things you want to consider.

I have actually lusted after the 3" SP101 for a while. Make mine a .357 for its versatility. But if I got one, I would almost certainly sell off the Model 640 because I can't justify having both. And if I got one, I would only belt carry it. I'm not a revolver collector, so I'm only thinking in terms of filling a niche in my armory, rather than in making a collection more complete.....consequently, it is hard for me to justify a heavy, low capacity revolver for belt carry. At that point, it becomes a matter of the heart more than anything else. I mentioned that I nearly bid on Doc's gun, but had I bought it, it is so pretty that I would have in all likelihood never carried except as a "mini-BBQ gun" simply because I would have wanted to keep it that pristine looking.

So the point of all of this is to make sure that you're clear about your expectations. Me? I was primarily looking for a BUG/Pocket gun that was actually practical in that role. The M&P340 fills that bill extremely well, but it was expensive. The cost was worth it (to me) for its intended use. Anyway, just be clear about your expectations. Nothing wrong with any of those choices per se, but there might be a disconnect between your expectations and what you actually wind up using the gun for. Just food for thought........

....and by the way, good choice you made......

[urnoodle]

Without having fired this one yet, I already know this will not be my last revolver. I hadn't given much thought to owning one until I handled one on Black Friday and it felt really comfortable. My intent wasn't to carry the Ladysmith but if goes well at the range today then I suspect it will become one of my carry guns. I am already thinking about an old Colt revolver. Divided Attention and WildBill's are beautifully done. I've seen Doc's work on the forum and it's fantastic! I'm keeping my eyes open for anything else he may list in the future. I'll have to wait until after the holidays. I've spent enough for 2012.