New to revolver world and getting up to speed

[tlong17]

I’ve poured over these pages only occasionally looking at other resources. I’m beginning to ponder my first revolver. I’ve shot them, played with them, never seriously considered them until now. Currently I’m considering either a 642 or LCR who’s primary role is pocket carry/gym short/sweatpants carry to the grocery store or whatever other similar circumstance I find myself in. Taking the place of a P365.

I recently moved from SFA to DA/SA for the main, 95% of the time carry, pistol. I feel better with the DA first pull and therefore want to carry that over into this gun’s role as well. A DAO revolver appeals to me in place of the 365. Given its role as a 5% of the time carry piece, I’m ok with the trade off in lower capacity for the safety, non-magazine fed, slightly more concealable (for me) nature, and contact shot capability of the revolver. Given that, is it worth the time investment to switch? Am I better off just staying with the 365 or other SFA for that role?

Suffice to say I need a lot of practice shooting one not having much trigger time on anything other than a semi auto.

I am looking for any guidance that can be shared with regards to revolver choice, ammo choice (wadcutters from my research so far) and anything else training related I need to know. I have done as much reading as I can but would appreciate a distilled version here.

Be gentle with me revolver-forum.

[fatdog]

642 (I would seek out one of the no-lock versions, 642-1) or the Ruger are great choices for the use case you describe. I prefer the older airweight Colt D frames myself but that is not the place to start for somebody new. Get a good pocket holster (I like Mika, but there are many options), learn to load/reload with a speed strip as part of your range practice, consider a bellyband worn at waist level as an option for sweats or gym shorts. Pick a set of grips on the gun that allows you to control it.

It is impossible for me be be objective about the 365 Vs snubby. I started with the snubby in the early 80's and it is as natural to me as driving a car or opening my front door at this point. But I suspect it will be a steeper learning curve (proficiency) for you than the semi-auto was, and you need to invest the time (dry fire and live) or I would not do it.

Ammo, it is hard to argue against the wadcutters, I personally settled on the Barnes 110gr copper HP's.

[Lester Polfus]

I have owned a 638, the kissing cousin to a 642 for years, and the next gun I buy will be either a Ruger LCR or Smith 640 Pro to replace it, so I can take advantage of the better sights those gun provide. It is a gun-smith proposition to replace the front sight on a 642, and would likely cost a substantial fraction of the gun's overall cost. Also, little can be done about the shallow rear notch.

The 640 Pro comes with excellent sights, but is expensive. I played with a friend's LCR and while not as good as the 640 Pro, the sight picture is a vast improvement over the 638/642. The LCRs front sight can be replaced with nothing but a pin punch and some patience.

The Lucky Gunner Lounge and Revolver Guy websites have some excellent information.

[revchuck38]

Sample size of one, but my 642 shoots high with wadcutters while 125-130-grain bullets hit to POA. That said, at this point in time, I'd take what I could find and make it work.

[Clusterfrack]

@tlong17, as a very semi-auto oriented person, I never expected to be carrying a 5-shot snubby as much as I do. It took some convincing, and practice. The snubby is now an important part of my CCW toolbox, and I do not carry a Glock 43 anymore when I need something small and light.

I didn't find the trigger to be the main issue, possibly because my main carry gun is a TDA (CZ P-07), and I compete in USPSA Production with a TDA. The biggest learning challenge was the ergos, and developing a consistent index.

Now, about gun and caliber: a hard requirement for any gun I carry is that I can strip it and replace parts as needed. As well, I do not like adding calibers to my arsenal and want to carry well-vetted defensive loads. This led me to the Ruger LCR 9mm.

[tlong17]

@tlong17, as a very semi-auto oriented person, I never expected to be carrying a 5-shot snubby as much as I do. It took some convincing, and practice. The snubby is now an important part of my CCW toolbox, and I do not carry a Glock 43 anymore when I need something small and light.

I didn't find the trigger to be the main issue, possibly because my main carry gun is a TDA (CZ P-07), and I compete in USPSA Production with a TDA. The biggest learning challenge was the ergos, and developing a consistent index.

Now, about gun and caliber: a hard requirement for any gun I carry is that I can strip it and replace parts as needed. As well, I do not like adding calibers to my arsenal and want to carry well-vetted defensive loads. This led me to the Ruger LCR 9mm.

Thanks for the great response. Staying with one caliber certainly has its advantages and I like the idea. How much harder is it going to be to shoot than 38 sp??

[Clusterfrack]

Thanks for the great response. Staying with one caliber certainly has its advantages and I like the idea. How much harder is it going to be to shoot than 38 sp??

I think it's very similar to .38+p, and maybe less annoying because the gun is steel and slightly heavier.

[tlong17]

I think it's very similar to .38+p, and maybe less annoying because the gun is steel and slightly heavier.

Very cool. Thank you. And thank you for the links above. That P&S episode has been sitting in my watch list for too long. I appreciate seeing your experience incorporating the LCR as I feel like I’m working through the same thing, albeit with less overall experience.

[Clusterfrack]

Very cool. Thank you. And thank you for the links above. That P&S episode has been sitting in my watch list for too long. I appreciate seeing your experience incorporating the LCR as I feel like I’m working through the same thing, albeit with less overall experience.

Glad to help. There are a lot of options, and I'm very much not a revolver guy--so get more opinions! There are still a lot of things I don't like about revolvers, but everything's a tradeoff. I was super frustrated that the gun disassembled itself after shooting only a couple 100 rounds. Now, with blue Locktite on all the screws that came loose/fell out, the gun seems ok. I definitely need to order some spare parts. Aside from that, Ruger LCR seems very durable and easy to work on. I like the sights too.

It took some experimenting, but I found the right grip (Bantam) and figured out how to hold the gun in the same way as I shoot an auto (thumbs forward). Basically I wanted the advantages of a snubby, without having to change how or what caliber I shoot.

[03RN]

Im actually going to be the voice of dissent, and I primarily carry revolvers. I think if you are using a 365 and its working then stick with it for pocket carry.

If you wanted to start carrying a revolver on the belt then thats different. A k frame is a good start. If youre looking for gym shorts carry than I think a 2" m64 with barami grips is the way to go imo.

Pocket carry in gym shorts is a floppy mess.

The k frame will give you a better grip and trigger to learn on with more room to learn how to reload efficiently with.