Training revolver

[03RN]

The thread in the semi auto section got me thinking. I know, bad idea... The idea of a training gun to work alongside our carry gun does have some merit.

For revolvers the unloading of carry ammo is so easy and doesn't effect our carry ammo that isn't an issue. Breakage is, a bigger concern ime, with revolvers. I carried my 4" m64 when I had to send my M19 out a few years back.

That was kind of my thinking with my 3" Sokol M10. If my m66 goes down I've got a gun I can drop in my holster and run with it. Night sights, good trigger, good grips, etc. I won't feel like I'm under gunned while I'm trying to fix the 66.

But how about a training gun? I really enjoy shooting my m66 which is why it's over 25k rounds of full house magnums through it. But at some point I should step back and keep it for carry and shoot other guns for training, right?

Nearly any k frame will give me what I want although .38 only guns don't help much with recoil management. So if it's a magnum k frame it's a somewhat iffy magnum trainer unless it's a 66-8 or 19-9. Which is exactly what I've been looking for. A 4" modern k frame to abuse and leave my 2.75" 66 as a dedicated carry gun that doesn't get shot much anymore.

What's you revolver trainer and why? Is it identical to your carry or just close enough?

[john c]

For many years I carried a 642 as a backup. My training gun was a 640-1. It fit the same holsters, etc, and I could shoot many more rounds in a shooting session.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Catshooter]

For me your question was fairly tough. The only real answer I could come up with was multiple copies of the carry piece. Somewhat complicated and certainly expensive these days.

When I started shifting away from rollers (in the early eighties) I applied the same idea to them. Still do, really, the "pair and a spare" concept.

Sorry I have nothing other than that of value. Twenty five thousand full power in one sixty six would make me start searching too!


Cat

[revchuck38]

I rarely shoot .357s anymore, so for me, it's easy - carry the 3" M10 and shoot one of my other K frames. Or it should be, but I like shooting the 3" so much it's about the only revolver I shoot. I do need to change that.

[jh9]

Shouldn't really matter so long as it was made after 1997. Any of the post mim guns (even the pre-lock, post-mim) should be serviceable by the factory.

The best trainer is a current production model you bought new that you *wink wink nudge nudge* never shot reloads through so you have a factory warranty. Shoot it until the wheels fall off and let S&W figure out the rest. So for OP the most logical course of action is to get the 4.25" 66-8 and drive on. Just don't disable the lock since, for a range gun it doesn't matter and again... warranty.

[Colt191145lover]

I just bought a identical 66-8. Also let's me mess with grips and parts without effecting my carry gun. YMMV

[eb07]

The thread in the semi auto section got me thinking. I know, bad idea... The idea of a training gun to work alongside our carry gun does have some merit.

For revolvers the unloading of carry ammo is so easy and doesn't effect our carry ammo that isn't an issue. Breakage is, a bigger concern ime, with revolvers. I carried my 4" m64 when I had to send my M19 out a few years back.

That was kind of my thinking with my 3" Sokol M10. If my m66 goes down I've got a gun I can drop in my holster and run with it. Night sights, good trigger, good grips, etc. I won't feel like I'm under gunned while I'm trying to fix the 66.

But how about a training gun? I really enjoy shooting my m66 which is why it's over 25k rounds of full house magnums through it. But at some point I should step back and keep it for carry and shoot other guns for training, right?

Nearly any k frame will give me what I want although .38 only guns don't help much with recoil management. So if it's a magnum k frame it's a somewhat iffy magnum trainer unless it's a 66-8 or 19-9. Which is exactly what I've been looking for. A 4" modern k frame to abuse and leave my 2.75" 66 as a dedicated carry gun that doesn't get shot much anymore.

What's you revolver trainer and why? Is it identical to your carry or just close enough?

I use cheap charter arms professional 6 shots.
Use the same speedloader as my k frame

[RevolverRob]

This is a tough one for me, because I tend to view recoil management as secondary to trigger press. As a result, I view pretty much all DA revolvers as interchangeable. I'm not saying if you're running an Open Class ICORE gun you can just pick up an LCR and win Open Class with it. But I'm willing to put money on the table that you could pick it up and shoot just fine and vice versa without much of an issue.

So, for me it's far more critical to have a couple or three or twelve guns that have a spinny thing in the middle that holds ammo. And then you pull the trigger and spinny thing goes around and boom happens.

If you've found a holster you like, just buy one everytime you buy a new wheelieboi and call it a day.

[Catshooter]

"wheelieboi" I been doing guns for more'n 50 years and have never run across this technical term before.

I like it.


Cat

[MK11]

There's a bunch of 4-inch model 65s and 64s on Gunbroker. They aren't quite the steals that they were a couple of years ago when Aim Surplus had them for $299 but a decent deal can still be had.

I just won a 64 that's going to be chopped to three inches and serve as the trainer/beater to my three inch Model 13.