Looking for a cheap .38 or .357 revolver

[krismoriah72]

if i had a rattlesnake/varmint problem i would look into a 20 gauge pump. Yes you can kill a snake with snake shot out of a .38 but most likely you will wound it with a couple of shots and have to go finish the job with a shovel or whatever is handy.

I think you can get into a decent 20 gauge pump at a pawn shop or gun show for around $100

Nothing wrong with going up to 12 gauge either.. my home defense weapon is a 12 gauge Beretta semi-auto that has zero kick..and will take down a deer, squirrel, snake...or man depending on the shells i choose.

FWIW my dad had a .38 special with CCI snake shot that he would carry with us when we went berry picking as a kid. He would always hand the gun to me when we would see a blacksnake or copperhead..i dont think i ever hit the snake but i did love to pull that trigger. Maybe times have changed but like i said a rattlesnake to me would mean involving a shotgun.

 

[2cool]

The main thing is to check the cylinder timing. If it's off, you'll get a spray of metal for your trouble. There are a useful number of videos on YT to show you what to inspect.

 

[UncleDave]

Originally Posted By: Al
Very little reason to buy a .357 for the vast majority of people.


Its an extremely versatile weapon and round. One round covers a short and long gun.

You can always shoot 38's in it for little money. Its cheap to shoot and easy to find.

The same 357 out of a rifle sizzles and has almost no recoil - and can take out nearly any game you can get a clean shot with at close ranges.

 

[bunnspecial]

Originally Posted By: raffy
Yep, revolvers have gone up a bit in price - $300 is probably what you'll need to pay for a S&W Model 10 or 15 in decent but not pristine condition. Watch out for "cylinder cramp" in any revolver you look at, which means the cylinder gets tight at a certain clocking position. It's a fairly common problem with older ('60's to '70's and maybe later) S&W's and not always easy to fix, as parts for specific years of S&W's can be hard to come by. Just speakin' from experience!


I've owned a lot of 60s and 70s S&Ws(in fact that's when most of mine were made) and this is something that I've yet to encounter unless it's a case of one of the charge holes having a lot of crud built up on the face.

The only thing I can think of that would cause this is a bent crane, which is a case of user error(specifically "flipping" the cylinder closed rather than pushing it) and is easy to spot by looking at the gap between the crane and the frame with the gun closed. A good gunsmith can USUALLY fix this without replacing parts.

As to parts availability-the big issue will come if you need a new ejector star for a pre-82 magnum revolver(19-4, 27-2, 28-2, 29-2 and earlier-also the stainless equivalents of these, and I don't remember the dash cut-off for the 13 and 58) as the factory no longer can supply the correct recessed star for these guns and your only chance will be to find a gunsmith with a blank star from this era(good luck). S&W will fit a new(non-recessed) cylinder for a few hundred dollars. I have a 19-3 that had a stripped ejector rod when I bought it. After bouncing around the factory for a few months, they finally fit a new rod at no charge.

 

[FADEC]

Originally Posted By: krismoriah72
if i had a rattlesnake/varmint problem i would look into a 20 gauge pump. Yes you can kill a snake with snake shot out of a .38 but most likely you will wound it with a couple of shots and have to go finish the job with a shovel or whatever is handy.

I think you can get into a decent 20 gauge pump at a pawn shop or gun show for around $100

Nothing wrong with going up to 12 gauge either.. my home defense weapon is a 12 gauge Beretta semi-auto that has zero kick..and will take down a deer, squirrel, snake...or man depending on the shells i choose.

FWIW my dad had a .38 special with CCI snake shot that he would carry with us when we went berry picking as a kid. He would always hand the gun to me when we would see a blacksnake or copperhead..i dont think i ever hit the snake but i did love to pull that trigger. Maybe times have changed but like i said a rattlesnake to me would mean involving a shotgun.

Thanks for the great replies.... May check out the shotgun suggestion. Just need a beater gun. It's going to sit out in the garage, so it will be dusty, dirty etc.

 

[FADEC]

Thanks for the great replies.... May check out the shotgun suggestion. Just need a beater gun. It's going to sit out in the garage, so it will be dusty, dirty etc.

 

[Robenstein]

You want a cheap one new, the Rock Island 38's are based on/inspired by the old Colts and are under 300 new. You can get them as a snubbie or with a 4 inch barrel. It is a gun you can knock around and not feel bad about.

As others have mentioned, for used, a S&W Model 10 is hard to beat. The Ruger Security or Service Six guns are another old one to look for. Just make sure it all locks up right when you cock the hammer and the timing seems kosher on the double action pull.

I bought a like new in box blued Ruger Security Six 357 mag gun about 8 years back for under 300 bucks. You may still be able to get a nice one for around 300, especially in blued.

 

[Gasbuggy]

Consider a used taurus public defender or judge. .410 rounds. I don't know much about snake shot.

 

[john_pifer]

I got my sister a brand-new Maverick 88 20GA for <200 bucks from Academy Sports 2 years ago for Christmas.

 

[Robenstein]

Originally Posted By: Gasbuggy
Consider a used taurus public defender or judge. .410 rounds. I don't know much about snake shot.


It is largely a gimmick gun. Only the Raging Judge is something I would consider if you trust the quality control. And that is because you can shoot 410, 45 Long Colt, and 454 Casull. For anything other than small critters or snakes, use the 45LC or 454 rounds.

 

[Doog]

Here is the best "snake gun" you can find new for $204


http://www.wholesalehunter.com/product.asp?productid=79219

 

[Gasbuggy]

Originally Posted By: Robenstein
Originally Posted By: Gasbuggy
Consider a used taurus public defender or judge. .410 rounds. I don't know much about snake shot.


It is largely a gimmick gun. Only the Raging Judge is something I would consider if you trust the quality control. And that is because you can shoot 410, 45 Long Colt, and 454 Casull. For anything other than small critters or snakes, use the 45LC or 454 rounds.



That is just it, he only wants something for snakes so is .410 better than .38 snake shot? I think he will easily find a Taurus for $300 or less, but a decent .38 or .357 might be tough to find. Everything is relative but we've had more issues with our two Smith & Wesson 686s than any of the three Taurus guns, which are Raging Judge, Judge, and Public Defender. Our 686's have issues with .357 casings getting stuck even with clean bores.

 

[bunnspecial]

Originally Posted By: Gasbuggy
Our 686's have issues with .357 casings getting stuck even with clean bores


Are you using factory ammo, or are you using handloads? If handloads, sticky cases are a sign that you're approaching the safe limit.

Also, when you say clean chambers, are you really sure that they're clean? My guns that had been shot a lot with 38 specials took a lot of time and work to really get the chambers spotless to where they ejected reliably. I've used a couple of different strategies. One of these is to get a couple of fresh 45 caliber bronze brushes, chuck them in a drill, and work it through the chambers. The other thing I've done is bell a case to where it just barely fit the bottom of the charge hole and repeatedly drive it in and out to act as a "scraper." Doing this, you can feel when you've hid the 38 special crud ring. In both cases, pre-treatment with Ballistol or Hoppes can make this go smoother.

 

[Robenstein]

That is what I do when I have to clean 38 carbon rings out of my 357 Ruger. I soak the cylinder bores with MMO for a bit and then use a bronze brush in a cordless drill. MMO is good at softening up carbon I found.

 

[billt460]

A safe method to completely clean revolver chambers is to put a bronze bore brush in a cordless, variable speed drill. Then dip it into some Hoppes #9 and run it in and out of the chambers at low RPM. After several passes the chambers are brilliant. I use the same method to remove plastic wad fouling from shotgun barrels. I just took the handle off an old cleaning rod and chucked it into the drill. If you remove the screw in choke tubes first, it will remove all of the old grease and crud from the threads as well.

 

[Gasbuggy]

Originally Posted By: bunnspecial
Originally Posted By: Gasbuggy
Our 686's have issues with .357 casings getting stuck even with clean bores


Are you using factory ammo, or are you using handloads? If handloads, sticky cases are a sign that you're approaching the safe limit.

Also, when you say clean chambers, are you really sure that they're clean? My guns that had been shot a lot with 38 specials took a lot of time and work to really get the chambers spotless to where they ejected reliably. I've used a couple of different strategies. One of these is to get a couple of fresh 45 caliber bronze brushes, chuck them in a drill, and work it through the chambers. The other thing I've done is bell a case to where it just barely fit the bottom of the charge hole and repeatedly drive it in and out to act as a "scraper." Doing this, you can feel when you've hid the 38 special crud ring. In both cases, pre-treatment with Ballistol or Hoppes can make this go smoother.



Factory ammo. American Eagle and Remington. It was a rather common problem for the 7 shot models. We had it happen on the first day it was fired, one stuck more than the other. The range manager took the one back into their shop and brought it back cleaned. Casings stuck immediately. They took it in the back again. Same thing. They suggested it be sent to S&W. Last I looked people on forums were polishing their bores to stop it completely. I've shot plenty of .357s, you should be able to shoot both rounds in the same hour plinking at the range.

 

[billt460]

Originally Posted By: Gasbuggy
It was a rather common problem for the 7 shot models.


True. As increased capacity revolvers become more popular, (7 & 8 shot .357's and 10 shot .22's), so will extraction issues. You are increasing the force required to eject that many more cases. The only way to offset this is to polish the chambers to a much higher degree. Something manufacturers won't do because it increases production time too much. If you choose a Smith & Wesson Performance Center gun, this will not be as much of a problem, because they take more time to perform these extra steps. This is because they know many Performance Center guns will see competition.

With a single action obviously this isn't any more of a issue because you are ejecting the empties one at a time, regardless of how many chambers there are. On my Ruger Super Redhawk in .454 Casull, I always take a wooden dowel to tap out the empty cases, just in case. The chambers are brightly polished, but given the fact it operates at 63,000 PSI, cases still tend to stick regardless.

 

[ZeeOSix]

Originally Posted By: billt460
Originally Posted By: Gasbuggy
It was a rather common problem for the 7 shot models.


True. As increased capacity revolvers become more popular, (7 & 8 shot .357's and 10 shot .22's), so will extraction issues. You are increasing the force required to eject that many more cases. The only way to offset this is to polish the chambers to a much higher degree. Something manufacturers won't do because it increases production time too much.


If cleaning the cylinder bores doesn't fix it, then yes, it's a bore size and/or surface finish problem. I had a Taurus 357 Mag where if 38 Spl was shot the cases would eject just fine, but if 357 Mag was shot the cases would stick pretty badly in the cylinder bores. Close inspection found that the bores where not finished very smoothly, and the increased pressure in the 357 expanded the brass case into the surface imperfections and locked the cases in the bores. The gun was sent back to Taurus by the dealer I purchased it from, and Taurus reamed out the bores and finished them better (they were also slightly under sized) and that cured the 357 Mag cases from sticking.

 

[billt460]

Sometimes using Nickel plated cases can help. The Nickel is harder and slicker, so it tends not to stick as easily. It also does not tarnish. Any small, microscopic imperfections can all help cases to adhere to the chamber walls. This is why a lot of the larger African calibers used for dangerous game have gone to Nickel plated cases. A stuck case while hunting a charging buffalo can be a lot more than an inconvenience.

 

[Robenstein]

Rough chambers sure can make things stick. Not revolver related, but I had that issue with an old Norinco Tokarev 9mm I had. It took finishing the chamber to solve the issues.