mhl6493

  I'm a big fan of Ruger revolvers as well.  The first gun I bought just a few months ago was a Ruger GP100 -- Love it!  They're right up there with S&W in my book.  Both have their strengths.  

Dave, I think you're probably right. I think I better go ahead and invest in a pretty big gun safe... :D Very nice (and diverse) collection, by the way!

  I've got both the wife AND the mutt, so I'm with you...  :D

Wow, I like that one too, Patton!

Very nice, Rickey! That's quite a collection.

  Yeah, I noticed that too.  No way I'm going to be able to convince my wife to let me spend THAT kind of money on a gun right now...

  Maybe I need to pay a visit to OA sometime when I'm in the area (and can actually convince my wife to let me buy another gun  :D).  Are y'all located off of exit 89 on I-24?  If I'm thinking about the right place, I've seen the sign several times on the way to Nashville.

  I'm not really sure what to attribute my revolver attraction to, but there's just something about them to me.  More expensive usually compared to their semi-automatic brethren, and far less rounds-in-ready -- but much more beautiful IMHO.  Only reason I bought the LCP was concealability.  All things being equal, I would have preferred a S&W 642, but the LCP was smaller and lighter.  But I do see a 642 in my future.  Or a 640, or a 60, or a 686, or an SP101, or a...  :D

  Seriously?  Dang, I was just in Fugates last Friday!  That's where I bought my LCP.  Must have just missed it.  That's usually my luck.  I'll probably feel pretty dumb once you tell me, but what is VOW?

Just wondering, why are some Smith & Wesson revolver models so incredibly hard to find -- like the 640 and 686 plus, for example?  Is it a simple matter of supply and demand?  I would think, though, that today the demand would be for semi-automatics, not revolvers.  The Smith revolvers that seem to be in popular demand are the Airweights, and there seems to be plenty of them around.  So is it just that S&W isn't producing very many of the other models anymore?  I'm new to firearms, love revolvers, and am just trying to figure out why it's so hard if not downright *impossible* to locate some specific models, even though they're still listed as being in production.  

Very, very nice!  And I'm with Musicman - if you ever want to get rid of a few revolvers, I'd be glad to listen...  :D

  Wow, sorry man.  That's terrible.  Definitely impacts how you view things...

Thanks for all the responses.  Very good input.  Regarding the suggestion to keep the gun cocked for a few days without one in the chamber -- this is going to be a dumb question to most of you, but how exactly would I do that?  Would I simply rack the slide with the magazine out, then insert it?  Remember, I'm a newbie, especially to semi-automatics, so take it easy on me...  :D

Just found this thread, and it has been a very interesting and informative read.  I just bought my first carry gun, a Ruger LCP.  Only the second gun I've ever owned, period, so this is all pretty new to me.  The LCP has no safety, and even though I know having a round chambered makes more sense from a self-defense perspective, I'm just having trouble feeling comfortable with carrying a hot gun with no safety in my pocket (even in a good holster) -- which I will be doing a lot of.  Two things I'm wondering about: (1) How likely is it that the gun will accidentally discharge?  I have a 10-year-old daughter who still loves to sit in daddy's lap.  If she were to somehow accidentally cause it to fire, well, you get the idea... (2) Mentally, how did y'all come to grips with carrying hot?  I know the logic of it, but I've just got this eerie feeling about it that I'm having trouble getting over.  

Quite a timely thread for me, as I'm also looking for a good safe.  Had not heard of theSafe House in Knoxville.  It's about an hours drive from me, but I'll check it out.  Keep the suggestions coming!

  Very nice!  Thanks!

Just out of curiosity, how readily available is .380 self-defense ammo like the Federal Hydra Shok?  I did a quick internet search, and it looks like most places don't have it.  I bought a box of Blazers at the gun shop just to practice and get used to it, but I'd definitely like to get something else eventually for carry purposes.

  Lots of very good advice, JAB.  I'm new to firearms in general and carry guns in particular, so I'm always open to input for folks with a lot more experience than I have.  Thanks again!

Thanks again for all the great advice in this thread.  I went down to my lgs this morning, just to hold a few and talk for a while about what I'm thinking/looking for.  I actually ended up buying a new Ruger LCP.  I know, I said that I shot one before and didn't much like it.  And that's true.  But the trigger on this one felt a lot better than the older one I shot.  And as to it's snappiness, it'll never be a range gun for me, obviously.  But I'm determined to shoot it enough to feel comfortable with it should I ever have to use it.  In the end, the concealability won me over.

  Thanks.  I did a lot of research before I bought it, and everything I read kept coming back to a stainless steel 4 inch .357/.38.  Even folks whose favorite gun was something like a Glock 19 said that if all of their guns were in a fire and they could only save one, it would be a 4 inch SS .357.  Very versatile.  That made my decision for me.  Also considered a Smith 686, but they're pretty hard to find and more expensive.

  Very good advice.  Thanks.  I actually bought my first gun recently, a Ruger GP-100.  I plan to use it for home defense (.357) and range practice (.38).  So I already have that base covered.  My next purchase will be exclusively for concealed carry purposes.  

  And a bank account with a lot of zero's...  :cry:

  Very true.  My instructor in my carry permit class a couple of weeks ago told us that our carry gun probably would never be our favorite gun.  Something has to be compromised to achieve concealability.  I'm still trying to figure out what exactly that balance is for me.  I'm still thinking a steel or lightweight revolver, or maybe something like a small 9mm (Shield, LC9, etc).  Having ready access to actually shoot and try out all the models I'm considering is the biggest problem.  

  That makes sense to me.  I shot a friend's LCP a couple of weeks ago.  Just looking at it, I thought it might be exactly the little pocket gun I was looking for.  Size-wise, sure.  And then I fired it.  Uh, no...  :surrender:

  Thanks.  I definitely plan to check out the LCR before I do anything.  I checked with Tactical Advantage Corp in Knoxville (I heard that they rent guns to try them out), but they don't have either the 642 or the LCR available to rent.  (Not sure why, given how popular they are.  I guess most folks want the semi-automatics).  Shooter's Depot in Chattanooga has them both, but their rental fee is a lot higher than TAC.  May just have to bit the bullet (yeah, I know) and pay up...