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17 Comments

  2. This is an excellent article about a revolver that works, and it’s inexpensive. A revolver can be a relatively safe, and easy gun for people without much gun knowledge, to use in an emergency. … The exposed hammer on a revolver is also a Safety ~indicator for everyone else.

    On May 18, 2019, SurvivalBlog had an article titled: “An Interesting Look at Urban Defense.” Within the article ‘loaner’ guns were recommended. = ~”Hi-Points have a street price of around $150, which is a lot more palatable for things you aren’t likely to see again.”~

    Not all emergencies are an End of the World disasters. Every year, there are local disasters such as Hurricanes, Tornadoes, huge forest fires, flooding and sometime large urban riots. = Maybe, if someone still owned a ‘Colt Python’ stored in a gun safe, they wouldn’t want to loan it out.

    An inexpensive extra gun can be hidden in a garage, or elsewhere in a home. … (Not many people would hide a Colt Python under a clothes dryer.) … The revolver would also have a potential use, other than just possible Natural Disaster/Emergencies.

  3. I’ve been looking for an inexpensive revolver to tote around on the ranchette during snake season and this sounds like it would fit that purpose very nicely.

    However, not for nothin’ would I use some unknown dood’s random handloaded ammunition. No telling how much of what kind of powder might be in those cases to cause a kaboom. Sorry to be critical, Pat, and thanks very much for an otherwise solid review. I’ll certainly end up buying one of these critters if I fine one with anywhere near that nice of a trigger!

  4. Great historical review of the sixties and seventies. I remember the old Super Vel .38 Specials that came out in the sixties (now revived under new ownership). In all the classes I’ve seen in the last 15 years, not a single revolver shooter has appeared. During a battlefield pick-up drill, my daughter picked up my .38 lying on the gun table and fired one round….it was empty. She got a very puzzled look on her face, as I had never taught her how to handle a revolver! She knew auto-pistols and military rifles very well, but the revolver stumped her. I was immediately exposed as a negligent dad! So John Farnam halted the drill and ran a ten minute impromptu lesson on revolvers…..and the drill proceeded. If you have revolvers around, be sure to teach the young about them. I like them for seed guns around the place. You never know. But I prefer 16 and 18 shooters for daily clothing. The light snubbies are great for non-permissive environments…..working in corporate businesses. Flash-Bang or Thunderwear holsters rule. No one gropes there to see if you are packing. Be sure to check out Federal’s new .38 Special 130 grain HST Micro loading on Luckygunner.com’s Handgun Ammo Test. Light recoil, consitant .72 caliber expansion in gel through four layers of clothing….from a 2″ barrel.

  5. Hmm, shooting someone else’s unknown reloads, hmm. iffy situation. Some yrs ago, a gentleman I knew of traded for a Marlin bolt gun with a replaced barrel and a bunch of reloads. After several shots being fired, the rifle blew up in his face and after looking a the injuries to his face, he was lucky to not have lost his sight in or more of his eyes.

    1. Similar thing happened to me. I was given some .308 reloads that were obtained from a recently deceased hunter, and the second cartridge “blew up” in my rifle, which was the exact same make & model as what the notes written on the box said they were meant for. They must have been loaded on the hot side, but the box didn’t mention it. The case expanded in the barrel and locked the bolt closed, requiring me to engage the services of a professional gunsmith with more experience than I have to remove it and inspect the action. Turned out okay in the end, but it was a good lesson about reloads.

      I retired the rest of the “unknowns” and pulled the bullets.

  6. Good review! The RIA M200 sounds like a bargain!

    For learning to shoot with a double action revolver, I was taught to balance a coin on the front sight and to dry fire until I could run the gun without the coin falling off. The great thing about revolver shooting is that it generally benefits your shooting with other handguns.

    Thanks for alerting me to this cool little revolver. It would be great if you could review the new Ruger Wrangler .22LR!

    Thanks again,
    Bob

  7. You noted the similarities to a Colt. When you’re looking for aftermarket grips, you may be able to make ones for Colt D-frames (like the Detective Special) work. They are the closest I’ve found. I’m still tinkering with my Pachmayer Compac grips to get them perfect.

    If your readers want to try the snubbie version, the wood grips that come with it are a complete POS, so have them throw in the polymer grips that come with the 4-incher. If I absolutely had to have a snubbie and couldn’t use the 4-incher, I’d even pay for a pair of the polymer grips.

  8. Great article about revolvers and their (continued) utility. I myself prefer a semi-auto like most modern gun owners, but there’s just something about a solid wheelgun that feels good in the hand and will never disappear. My full size frame .357 Mag always gets a nod or two from nearby enthusiasts whenever I take her out of the holster at the range. Mrs. Guesty learned on this one before eventually changing over to a Glock for her training classes.

    One of my buddies (with whom I went shooting a few weeks ago) is an original owner of a Colt Python, and is so protective of it that he’ll only take it out of the factory container and put a few rounds through it every few years. He won’t even let me hold it, no matter how much I’ve begged! 🙂 It’s worth a lot of $$$, but he’s keeping it as a family heirloom.

  9. Enjoyed the review. Thanks for reviewing a revolver. Have never seen this gun but will be on the look-out. I now have a point of reverence for this gun. Again , I enjoyed the review.

  10. I got the snub model. Apparently RIA cloned the colt detective model. It’s a ok gun. Once you figure out the sights it’s not terrible and range.

  11. I like revolver shooting for one particular reason. They don’t throw brass which is nice when you reload you own ammo. And it could be useful in other situations as well.

  13. This is a timely article as I recently bought one of these revolvers, and promptly had to send it back to RIA. It was out of time right out of the box. Brand new gun. Turned out the frame had a machining defect that would not allow the gun to time properly. RIA sent back a brand new gun. Though the process was a little slow, RIAs customer service was very good.
    I would also recommend the armscor .22 lr ammo. Very reliable in my Glock .22 conversion kit.

  15. I have been shooting revolvers since the early 80’s and have mixed it up with Auto’s as well. A good revolver in 9mm is the Alfa company, I have one and it shoots well. I also have revolvers in .45 Colt, .45 ACP, 44 mag 357 mag and 38 S&W and of course .22lr. Having a revolver in an auto caliber offers versatility and economy. Another good reason is no magazine fatigue. A revolver can be kept loaded indefinitely and so can the speed loaders/ full moon clips, a sure fit for a bug out bag or emergency stash. Add to that a break down carbine in the same caliber and you have coverage out to 100yds. Just saying>>> TTFN

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