[patsyboyusa]

Hi everyone, I'm new to all this and I'm about to purchase my very first gun and have decided to start with a revolver. I have limited shooting experience but have fired both autos and revolvers and I do have a preference towards revolvers, to me they just feel like a real gun. I'm looking for a good all round gun, fun on the range, doesn't take years to master, easy to use and will stop any unwelcome guests without having to reload. Seeing as this will be my very first gun, it must be "Made In USA" and once again my preference is towards Smith & Wesson, I look forward to all your advice, thanks.

 

[chorst294]

I'd probably buy a S&W 686 Plus 7 shot .357 revolver with a 4 inch barrel. With all the money you save, you could purchase a nice holster and maybe some custom wood grips. With a budget of $1,000 for a S&W revolver, you should end up with a very nice gun that should meet all the needs you listed. Good Luck, make sure to tell us what you got.

 

[BillM]

For me, the universal "everybody needs at least one" revolver is a 4 inch
357 with adjustable sights. My current one is a S&W model 19.

 

[jeepcreep927]

What's a R-E-V-O-L-V-E-R-? No I am kidding. I would think for a grand you may be able to touch some of the stuff out of the S&W Custom Shop. Don't know what caliber you're leaning toward but .357 would be high on my list. If I had $1000 to spend though, I would hunt down a model 25 in .45 LC. I love that caliber and have a Ruger Bisley (converted Black Hawk). I would love a double action in .45 LC but can't afford one.
Good luck.

 

[h&k bigdaddydieseldan]

I agree I would look at s&w custom gun shop revolvers like one similar to the one Jerry Miculek uses really sweet custom guns performance center for s&w

 

[patsyboyusa]

Hi everyone, I'm new to all this and I'm about to purchase my very first gun and have decided to start with a revolver. I have limited shooting experience but have fired both autos and revolvers and I do have a preference towards revolvers, to me they just feel like a real gun. I'm looking for a good all round gun, fun on the range, doesn't take years to master, easy to use and will stop any unwelcome guests without having to reload. Seeing as this will be my very first gun, it must be "Made In USA" and once again my preference is towards Smith & Wesson, I look forward to all your advice, thanks.

I've made my mind up and I'm going to go for the S&W 357 686 4" and once I'm comfortable with it. I will replace the rubber grip with some nice wood, purely for esthetic reasons, I can't wait. Anyone got one for sale LOL!

 

[Catfish]

Good choice. You now have a quality gun and some money to buy ammo with. Don`t be afraid to buy cheap .38 Sp. ammo for practice. The more you shoot it the better you`ll get. I load all of my own ammo and made a guy look real silly when he came out to my house with a real nice model 27 S&W and some Federal Premium .357 ammo. He said he was willing to pay more for more accurate ammo. When I told him I would shoot the cheapest stuff I could get because it was more accurate than his he looked at me real funny. He was a new shooter and we were shooting at abt. 75 yrds. at cans. He was holding abt. a 6 ft. group. I ask if I could shoot some of my ammo thriugh his gun and my group was less than 1 ft. He tried it and his groups dropped to abt. 3 ft. which isn`t bad at that range for a beginer. So burn up alot of ammo.

 

[Flint Rock]

S&W PC Center

With a $1000 budget, and a leaning towards S&W, look no further than the Performance Center. A 586-L Comp or the N frame 627. That's 7 or 8 rounds of magnum bliss. The 586-L Comp would be a great medium frame carry revolver, and I would guess that the 627 would be a easy shooter.

 

[dnthmn2004]

I would choose a S&W 686 3". Just my personal opinion with your specified criteria. Use the extra money in your budget to get a nice holster and some ammo. Or if you want some "useless flash" you could get a Crimson Trace Lasergrip for the 686. Some of the other suggestions obviously didn't follow your $1000 budget, especially with TAX and dealer handling fees.

 

[Flint Rock]

I would choose a S&W 686 3". Just my personal opinion with your specified criteria. Use the extra money in your budget to get a nice holster and some ammo. Or if you want some "useless flash" you could get a Crimson Trace Lasergrip for the 686. Some of the other suggestions obviously didn't follow your $1000 budget, especially with TAX and dealer handling fees.

Gunbroker has a PC 627 listed at $800, several others at $900. Ditto the 586-L. No tax, just shipping and a transfer fee. That puts you under $1,000.

 

[supergus]

For $1,000 you can pick up one of the S&W Performance Center guns. The Model 327 TRR8 or the M&P R8 (same gun in that they both accept upper accessory rails, but the R8 has an integral lower rail and the TRR8 has a removable lower rail) They're both 5" barrels instead of 4" BUT they hold 8 rounds of .357 mag (or .38 sp for plinking or practice) If you're set on 4" consider the S&W TR .45. Same basic idea with the lower integral rail (no upper rail), but shoots .45 acp (6 rounds).
The TR .45 is nice because you can pick up a semi auto pistol in .45 acp and use the same ammo. The nice thing about the TRR8 and R8 is the 8 round capacity which is nice for home defense. You'll still have to buy a holster though, so if 1k is your absolute max, go with the 686 plus (7 rounds) .357. Once equipped with a custom holster (go with one of the top makers, it's worth the wait)you should still be easily under a grand.

 

[robocop10mm]

Save a bunch and buy a nice used Smith. The 19/66 series are good revolvers that hold up well as long as they are not fired with magnums alot. A step up would be the 586/686. Robust and accurate. Hold up well to a steady diet of mags. My favorite is the N-frame. A good used 28 is a work horse.