Competition Revolver

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Gunblade

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I'm going to be 21 very soon. As such I am going to apply for a pistol permit with the first week after my birthday. Here is my question.

I've already decided on a Springfield Armory XD-9 W/ Blackhawk holster as my first autoloader set.

I'm currently looking for a good 4" .357 revolver to practice and participate in local competitions with. Something for around $500 and under.

so far i've looked at Rossi, Taurus, and Ruger. (specifically the Rossi 971, the Taurus 66, the Taurus 627, and the Ruger GP-100)

Any Suggestions or advice?

Also, can anyone recommend a good holster?
 
From an IDPA/IPSC style viewpoint, a Smith 19. It's not the best revolver for IPSC, that would be a Smith 25 in .45ACP with a belt full of moonclips. But the 19 is a winner in IDPA. Adjustable sights are nice and you can get Safariland speedloaders. I recommend you avoid buying HKS speedloaders. There's no reason you couldn't use a .38 Special Model 10 though. Works for me. ;)

Don Hume makes a decent low budget belt holster. The "speed scabbard" IIRC. A lot of people use Blade-Tech.
 
Ruger GP-100 or S&W 686. As far as winning IPSC/IDPA goes, I think the S&W 625 .45 ACP with moon clips is the winningest revolver.

Just my .02,
LeonCarr
 
Get a Smith of some sorts. Either a 686 or 625. IDPA=686 IPSC=625 ICORE=625 or 627.

Should you decide that competition with a revo isnt your cup of tea (I cant think of a harder/more challenging division) they have resale value.

Holster selection is very game dependant.
 
The 686 is another good choice.

As far as winning IPSC/IDPA goes, I think the S&W 625 .45 ACP with moon clips is the winningest revolver.
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The 625 would be in Enhanced Service Revolver for IDPA. Talk about a lonely division. Practically the only time you'll see more than two ESR shooters(if you see any at all) in a match is in something like that Smith and Wesson championship and the Nationals. Of course, you will probably win your division quite a lot. :evil:

Great IPSC gun though.

(I cant think of a harder/more challenging division)
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Tell me about it. But it's very satisfying to earn the respect of the people who were ribbing you for bringing a beat up K-frame.
 
If you want to shoot competition, I'd actually lean towards a used S&W revolver. Either a K frame in 38 or an L frame in 38/357. You said you wanted something under $500 so looking for a used 610 is probably out of the question. Most serious IPSC shooters these days go with a 625 and moons.

I have a friend and fellow IPSC shooter who did very well with a 4" model 66. He always loaded it to minor with 158 RN's and he used speed loaders. If I were to use a 686, I'd moon clip it and shoot 38's with it. With speedloaders he managed to get into B class with it. You didn't say which kind of competition you were interested in, but the 4" would be good for IDPA and if you were going to shoot IPSC I'd actually reccommend a heavier barrelled 686 with at least 5". At short distances the short barrel is ok, but once you get out to 25 yards plus, the extra barrel length helps you out in sight picture. A heavier barrel keeps the muzzle down with less recoil and puts you back on target faster.

I was lucky enough to pick up a 610 when they were new and available and I use a 6.5" classic for IPSC and ICORE. I shoot minor for both so I can simplify my reloading practice and stay familiar with one power band.
 
Thanks. :)

As for competiton, I am looking into IDPA, but for now i'll probably be shooting bullseye at my nearest pistol range (It's a "cozy" place to shoot), and being that this will be my first handgun, I wanted something inexpensive I could practice with and then get a S&W when I have attained some proficiency with revolvers.

Ruger GP-100 or S&W 686. As far as winning IPSC/IDPA goes, I think the S&W 625 .45 ACP with moon clips is the winningest revolver.
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Out of the ones I've named, the Ruger is the best?
 
Well for a target revolver I use a smith and wesson k frame combat revolver in .357mag. but I shoot 148gr .38specials through it.

For bullseye I would really suggest you get a 1911. But thats up to you. you will need to get a revolver in .45acp. Bulls eye shoots .22, centerfire and 45. You only need two guns really. However Ruger does make a great revolver.

Personally for bullseye I use a Ruger MKIII 5.5bbl and a Kimber (soon to be replace).
 
The Ruger is the best choice of the pick. It's strong, durable, and ugly enough to scratch up. :D

A Smith has more options as far as customization goes. It will probably have a better trigger to start with.
 
The Ruger is the best choice of the pick. It's strong, durable, and ugly enough to scratch up.
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It seems like the Ruger is the way to go. Now to see how much my local gun store is charging for it...

-----------------------

The gun store is charging $530 for stainless steel GP-141, did not have Rossi, Taurus, or blued Ruger in stock.
 
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I'd go for a GP100. If there's no violation of the rules, and I don't think there is depending on the classification, have a good gunsmith lighten the action a bit with a spring change. I'd avoid doing anything else. Just practice like crazy, the gun is more than up to the task.
 
I think I've got it...

My set up will be:

Ruger GP-141 $530
3-Safariland Comp II (or III) $20 each
Safariland Model 333 Speedloader Holder $30-$40

Now I just need to decide on a good holster (preferably IDPA approved.)
something in leather or nylon...
 
Safariland 333 is not allowed in IDPA.

Nylon holsters are seldom satisfactory.
Blade Tech makes good Kydex gear, including speedloader carriers, but an outfit will run to $125.

The least expensive holster I have seen used successfully at IDPA is the Hume JIT.
Any sort of flap pouch speedloader holder will be fairly slow. Frankly, you can do about as well with them in the side pocket of jacket or vest.
 
Last I looked, Ready Tactical had pretty inexpensive speedloader pouches. I can't bring up their site though. They seem to have a pretty good rep.
 
If you reload weak hand (as I do) the 333 will work if you fabricate a pannel that covers the base of the speed loaders (a thin strip of kydex works great. I guess you could also make the modification and cut it down to hold just two and use it for strong hand reloads as well.
 
Thanks for the tips on the speedloader holder, I appreciate it.

Is kydex the best for competition revolver holsters? I realize that the nylon holster is probably a bad idea, but what about leather?
 
Kydex is by far the most popular take a look at comp-tac.com. The speed or locking paddle are the two I see the most.
 
The strengths of leather, like the ability to mold to your flabby white flesh, don't really matter much in IDPA. Kydex rules. Most of the people I know who use kydex in IDPA use a leather CC holster. The equipment race wasn't killed, just stiffled. ;)
 
Thats funny, the first kydex holster I had was a iwb sob carry holster. I liked it because it didn't absorb sweat and I could draw and reholster with out a hassle. I never owned a Kydex "outer ware" holster until I started gun games I thought/think plastic looks cheap, but no doubt it's fast.
 
Gunblade,

The vast majority of the serious action revolver competitors use the S&W revolvers mentioned by hoser and sargenv. Rarely a Ruger. A couple of years ago in a competition with about 150 shooters one used a Ruger and that shooter was more of a fun than serious competition shooter.
 
Yup.
Ruger is hell for stout, but S&W rules the competition revolver market.
Massad Ayoob shot a Ruger GP at the last IDPA Nationals and I know a guy in Florida who shoots one with full charge magnums to keep his hand in with his gunfighting weapon. But they aren't common.
 
Get the one that fits your hand best. Shot bullseye(there are variations in the course of fire. NRA bullseye isn't the only game) for years with a Smith 19 that never did quite fit my hand. The GP fits perfectly. Mind you, I have short, wide hands. How well a revolver fits your hand is the most important thing. Close counts though. Grips can be changed to make too small a fit bigger, but too large can rarely be fixed easily.
Think Ruger or Smith and have the trigger done. Either one will need a trigger job. It takes more than just a spring change for either to get a really good trigger. That's just part of a complete trigger job. Plus a bullseye trigger isn't quite the same as an IDPA/IPSC trigger. Bullseye trigger jobs are usually just the single action pull. Action shooting games can be just the DA trigger pull. Some of those are DA triggers only. Limits what competitions you can shoot a bit. A CCW trigger is a whole different thing, if that's what you're thinking.
If you go with a Smith 19, you're looking at a used one. Smith doesn't make them any more. Used isn't a bad thing. It takes a lot of abuse to ruin one. Although, a 19 that has seen a lot of magnums fired through it may be a bit loose.
 
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