Revolver thoughts

[ilaw]

Well, good for you Broham85. I'm glad you like it. But S&W's with a lock are an anathema to me. I would NEVER buy or own any S&W with a lock under any circumstances. That's simply my perspective. For that kind of money I'll buy an older Smith, like a m27 or m28, for example.

[kemasa]

S&W 460XVR.

[redcliff]

Although I like almost all S&W's and do love Colt Pythons (especially 4" barrel versions) my perennial favorites for range use are N-frame 29-2 (or earlier) 6.5" shooting .44 specials and 25-2 or earlier N-frame shooting .45 acp, as well as pre-lock 625's. Big-bore N frames are incredibly fun to shoot and just look and sound right.

I like cokebottle grips on my N frames and have originals as well as replicas made by Eagle Grip and Karl Nill.

In a .357 a 586 or 686 would be my choice for a lot of range use although the earlier Model 27's are beautiful. That 686 Competitor looks very nice for those that don't mind the lock!

[CinnamonBear723]

+1. I have a few and they are all great. Even the ones with that dumb lock.

[hundreddollarman]

I would get the 686 competitor. I have one; she's a tack driver and the best looker in the safe.

That's a beauty

[DArBad]

Same here, get the Smith. I've never been enamored of the King Cobra even when they were widely available back in the 80's.

My first gun was a brand new pre-locked Smith 686. I still regret selling it away back around 1991/92.

[559BearDown]

Colt for the cool factor

[pistolmeister]

When it comes to revolvers, I prefer pinned and recessed S&W over any Colt. When it comes to 1911, I prefer Colt over any other brand. My recommendation would be S&W 27-2 or 29-2. You can't go wrong with either model of S&W.

[rmurphy1969]

One other consideration is that it's becoming increasingly hard to get Colt parts. I tried to get a cylinder for a Detective Special and was sent to a parts broker. Colt seems to be slowly going out of business, at least in supporting its older products. I've been very happy with S&W revolvers, especially Performance Center ones, but try to find one without a Hillary hole.

[rodblder]

Take a look at the SW performance center lineup in 357. I have 5 of them, great shooters right out of the box, Very accurate!!!

[Nephthys]

My thought is always to get both, but when you can only afford 1 at a time, get the one that's harder to obtain or out of production, and the one that's still easily obtainable or still in production for later.

[FalconLair]

there is nothing wrong with a nice GP100 - or two - or three

[Calif Hunter]

If you want to shoot it a lot, get the S&W. If you will shoot it occasionally and want something that will increase in value and like not being part of the pack, perhaps go with the Colt. The King Cobras did not have the old style lockwork of the Python nor its tuning with the action more in line with the S&W.

[IVC]

But S&W's with a lock are an anathema to me. I would NEVER buy or own any S&W with a lock under any circumstances. That's simply my perspective. For that kind of money I'll buy an older Smith, like a m27 or m28, for example.

The locks can easily be taken out and even TK Custom now makes the plug.

I agree (up to a point) that the lock leaves behind the "plug of shame" or the "hole of shame," but for all practical purposes the lock shouldn't be a determining factor. I have several semi-autos where I removed the magazine disconnect (S&W 952-2, Beretta 85, etc.) and I don't look down on them just because they came to me crippled - an easy fix and all is well.

[808@515]

Does the lock affect the performance at all? I understand having it is like a LCI on a Sig visually.