I'm on a bit of a revolver kick right now. I have a lot of .45 Auto ammo and reloading components, and I really like the idea of a double action, defense-oriented .45 Auto revolver. Unfortunately there are very few choices and it looks like I'm going to have to buy one second hand, though I really would prefer NOS/Unfired condition. It looks like my choices are:
-S&W Model 22 (either original production or one of the newer repros that are also no longer in production AFAIK)
-S&W 625 (Also out of production, and I'm iffy on the QC on the 625's made most recently given S&W's current QC problems)
-S&W Model 25: Again, old production, and would need to find one in .45 Auto rather than .45 Colt
-S&W Governor: Frankly, not interested due to size, shape, and current QC of S&W
-Ruger Redhawk .45 Colt/Auto: I really, really like the idea of this, but IIRC these have always had reliability issues. I'm not even sure Ruger makes them anymore.
I see a few NOS Model 22's and 25's on Gunbroker, however they only take checks/money orders and in this day and age I do not feel comfortable mailing that amount of money in the postal system.
Are there any choices I'm not aware of or forgot about? Is it crazy for me to consider getting a 6-shot .45 Auto revolver for carry when I have capable, higher capacity autoloaders in the same caliber? Should I just stick with .357/.38 for my revolver cartridge and get another GP100 7-shot like I was planning?
I feel that in many self defense situations, the revolver may offer some reliability advantages concerning poor grip, something coming in contact with the slide while cycling, shooting within a vehicle (as DB notes, many auto malfunctions happen inside vehicles while shooting in "space"), etc. Not to mention going to ban states.