.38 Revolvers?

I carry a Smith & Wesson model 64 .38 special +p every day for work. Its a piece if E36 M3. I've broken one after less than 1000 shots.

Get a better brand and a you'll have more fun with a higher caliber. A higher caliber wont kick much more. I've said many times, I'm a fan of Ruger, and the only Smith & Wesson id trust would be pre-1985 or my handcuffs. I could fish hook someone with them.

ValuePack wrote: For general target and plinking use, you'll want at least a 4" barrel, preferably a 5" or 6". Just get a .357, two guns for the price of one isn't bad in this case

Two excellent points there. For a shooter, you want at least a 4 inch barrel, but 5 or 6 is better. If you have any thoughts of carrying it concealed, even 4 is a little big (and usually heavy).

JoeyM wrote:

93EXCivic wrote: So I know that S&W and Ruger are good guns. I have heard mixed reviews about Taurus and I have only fired a Judge and I didn't like it. I am guessing other brands like Rossi and such are kinda crap.

I just bought a Rossi .38 special and with the limited amount of shooting I've done, it appears to be more accurate than my Dad's Ruger LC9 pistol. Judging from what the Rossi website says, it's safe to assume that the quality of Rossi and Taurus revolvers is identical:

Revolvers sold by BrazTech with the Rossi name are manufactured in a brand new facility owned by Taurus in SaoLeopoldo, Brazil. Much of the tooling and many of the machines were acquired from Rossi during negotiations between the companies.

Based on what he's said in the past, Hess seems to think they're tolerable http://grassrootsmotorsports.com/forum/off-topic-discussion/when-i-reach-for-my-revolver/46701/page1/

Dr. Hess wrote: Taurus are not "knock offs." They bought the factory from Beretta with the rights to continue to make the same models. They licensed the S&W designs, I think. Quality from Taurus was (is) better than S&W or Beretta. And they have a life time no-bs warranty. Got a problem? Fed Ex it to them, they fix it, they send it back. Don't even need a FFL to do it. The Taurus 92's are a serious bargain these days. The mag is different (hole in a slightly different place or configuration), but otherwise they are identical to the Baretta 92's. Sell used for around three bills.

I've owned my Rossi M88 since I was 21. That's 15 years of good service and never an issue. Dad bought his M88 about 5 years prior to that and has had the same good luck with it.

I wouldn't hesitate to recommend one to a friend... in fact one of my friends actualy bought a Rossi recently and loves it.

<img src="" /> I had a S&W 686 plus, 7 shot .357, with a 6" barrel. It was a good gun. I had a S&W 60, 5 shot .357 with a 3" barrel. It was a great gun. I currently have a military or police surplus Taurus 82, 6 shot .38, witha 4" barrel. It appears to be a copy of a S&W K frame. It is a good, straight shooting revolver.

Look around for bargains. I got the Taurus for under $180.

In reply to Woody:

I couldn't agree more to most of these comments. I have and love my GP100 6" in .357 - my first revolver and I appreciated the longer barrel when learning to shoot it. It is a range gun and woods gun though - and it's heavy. I'll get one with a 4" barrel some day, and will use that in the woods other than in deer season. I just picked up a S&W M&P Sheild 9 mm to learn to shoot it and for concealed carry. If you are planning to run lots of rounds through it I'd probably stick to Ruger or S&W, although I have heard decent things mostly on Taurus revolvers.

Another nice advantage (IMO) to the Ruger is the coiled main spring, vs. the flat spring in the S&W.