If you’re on a budget or new to guns but need one sooner rather than later (which frankly you do) a good revolver has a lot going for it. When people say revolvers are obsolete they’re talking about for military use – in the US the average civilian involved shootings are “settled” in 3 shots or less. This doesn’t mean autoloaders aren’t recommended. Just that there are reasons you might choose revolvers beyond my reasons (I just really like them) and they are as follows:
They’re inherently safer than autoloaders. Don’t let noted liar and degenerate Alec Baldwin fool you. Revolvers, (especially single action revolvers) just don’t go off. Double action revolvers have heavy enough trigger pulls that it’s hard to shoot accidently. Single action revolvers are just not capable of firing until the hammer is pulled back. This is a big selling point to a lot of new gun buyers and people not comfortable with guns especially moms.
They’re very simple. They have few extra parts to bother with, you don’t have to take them apart to clean. Their “manual of arms” is very simple and easy to learn. it’s a literal point and click interface.
Budget revolvers are more reliable than budget autos, period. I write this newsletter assuming that you’re on a budget and don’t have and extra couple of grand burning a hole in you pocket. You have a few hundred bucks you want to spend and you had to cut spending elsewhere to get there. A $200 revolver will usually be pretty decent. A $200 autoloader will be hot garbage.
They’re underestimated. You can do a lot with a revolver. Revolvers didn’t magically stop killing folks because Glocks were invented. Or as Clint Smith says:
They do come with some drawbacks:
They’re rounds limited. Practicing reloads is key here.
Most are actually limited purpose but not more limited than a 9mm compact in terms of purpose. A rifle or shotgun works well to harvest game, defend yourself from large predators and clear out CCP troops during an invasion. Handguns simply aren’t that versatile. Most revolvers are not made for hunting (especially in our budget range) and those that are come in calibers new gun owners may not want to shoot (like magnums) or people on a budget might not be able to afford(I pay over a $1 a round for .45 LC ammo for example)
People in skinny jeans will laugh at you because you’re not carrying a gun they saw in a video game.
Their simplicity will make you complacent about practicing. But practicing, especially dry fire training is very necessary to be good with them.
Now that we have that out of the way I want to just put out a list of budget revolvers I like or recommend to people right now. I look at price, utility and either my personal experience with the guns or going through at least 10 good reviews of them.
I also am looking at availability which I can only judge by what’s around me so your mileage may vary. I’m coming at this with the idea this will be your first (but not last) gun but that if you’re a city dweller it’s something in our era of high crime that will be immediately useful to you. There are better guns for self defense but I want you to have something now that you can afford and that will work for you in stressful situations as you’re still relatively untrained and unskilled.
Let’s get into this
1 – The Heritage Revolver:
Heritage makes .22LR and .22 Magnum revolvers right here in the good old USA (although I hear they’re actually Italian revolvers assembled here) for under $200. Like way under. Like I recently bought one for $129 under. Almost anyone can afford one.
Another big selling point is that every model can change cylinders from .22 LR to the more peppy .22 Magnum which while not an ideal cartridge has more options when it comes to effective self defense ammo:
Some revolvers will come with both or you can order them for about $30 a piece. They also have a lot of accessories for owners. They come in various sizes with special grips but stick with the 4.75 inch or 6.5 inch Rough Rider if you only have one gun. They make 9-shot revolvers too.
People use them for snakes while hiking and they make great guns for trapping. I own a Barkeep from them and love it. 22s are versatile, light tools that you can find many uses for in a grid down situation. This is the only gun on the list that I recommend everyone have as it’s a useful tool for any outdoor activity or homesteading situation.
They have a safety which is off putting to revolver purists. Around me they go for about $150-175. My particular gun is as high quality as the replicas of cowboy guns high end Italian companies make.
With a gun like this I recommend paring it with an inexpensive shotgun for a cheap and effective woods running or home defense combo. If you are recoil sensitive .22s might be the only gun you can manage so don’t despair. .22 rounds for self defense have been developed for you. if you’re relying on these purely for defense get two and see if they can both be 9-shot .22 magnums.
2 – EAA Windicator:
European American Armory imports German made revolvers among other foreign made guns. Cowboys on a budget may remember their Bounty Hunter Colt Single Action Army clones which were the poor man’s Big Iron until Heritage took over that market. The Windicator (pronounced Vindicator because, you know, German) is their long standing offering for the American self defense market. These double action .38s (some are .357/38 but around me I see ones marked .38 on the barrel some I say they’re .38s) are throw backs to the kind of revolvers you picked up in hardware stores in the 60s. They come in four barrel lengths with two inch and four inch being the most common but they do offer a six inch.
They are rugged, reliable and cheap. Midway USA go a shipment in of the four inch that are selling for $340. .38 Special ammo is still available and cheap and effective on goblin sized assailants. They take HKS speedloaders (model 10-A) which can usually be found on Amazon for about $10 which makes reloading as fast as reloading a semiauto:
Complaints about them are that they are heavy guns with heavy trigger pulls. But this is nothing a good holster and dry fire practice can’t moderate. They go fast so if you see one jump on it.
3- Armscor Rock Island Revolvers:
Another .38 revolver on this list, Armscor is a company that makes revolvers in the Philippines. They are high quality from what I hear and best of all – cheap. They have run about $250 for years and anyone I’ve met IRL that owns one says they’re great and I’ve yet to see a bad review. Some people say they’re shipped with “too much” oil on them requiring you to clean it right away but since these guns are made and stored in the humid tropics you should be grateful.
They come in various lengths and styles but the four inch M200 is a good “combat revolver” for you blue state dwellers who are limited in magazine size but may need to fight you’re way out of a building. Also takes HKS speed loaders. Get a bunch.
.38 ammo comes in +p varieties and this gun is safe for that – but Armscor says you should limited how much you shoot through it. Regular .38 special is fine for your purposes though.
Not much more to say about it – at this price you could get two for what you’d pay for one used Glock.
4 – The Smith and Wesson The Model 637 38 Special +P
This mouthful of a revolver is a J-frame revolver – variation of the old Model 37 Chiefs Special Airweight that was the Cadillac of back up guns for decades. Made for concealed carry this gun has a barrel a hair shy of two inches and is rated for “continuous use” of +P ammo. This means those hot loads you shove in their won’t break it.
For people that don’t know +P ammo is, as Wideners.com explains:
Ammunition rated +P generates a chamber pressure higher than the cartridge’s published standard, but the level is less than those produced when proof rounds initially torture test a firearm. Increased bullet velocity is the result—an advantage for some self-defense handguns—but not all guns can safely run the hotter loads. In those cases, the added stress can prematurely wear parts, void some warranties or, worse yet, lead to catastrophic failure and personal injury.
Owners of firearms rated for its use, however, can run the ammunition with confidence. Improved performance on target is the biggest advantage. Flatter trajectory is another, although +P is primarily handgun ammo, where reduced holdover at 100 yards isn’t a huge concern. That benefit, however, may be of interest to anyone with a pistol-cartridge carbine.
Increased recoil is the primary drawback, even in guns rated for its use. Getting back on target to assess, fast, is a potentially lifesaving self-defense skill knowledgeable instructors emphasize. If that muzzle rise is unmanageable, or if the added energy makes practice painful, +P probably may not be a good choice.
Today the Sporting Arms and Ammunition Manufacturers Institute (SAAMI) publishes pressure and safety specifications for commercially available cartridges labeled +P. Firearm safety is the organization’s primary mission and, coupled with the industry’s strict compliance to those guidelines, it’s a good option for enthusiasts.
In the world of revolvers .38 +P is essentially a middle ground between using regular .38 Special and .357 Magnum. It gives you more power than standard .38 loads but with less recoil (in theory) than a .357.
Except this revolver is light enough that you might not know the difference. It takes standard loads though too.
It’s only a five shot but perfect for concealed carry or as a back up gun. At about $475 it’s the most expensive “budget” revolver on the list but S&W quality is worth it. I recommend this gun for people who are in semi bad areas but can still carry and like to stay light. This gun is only 14oz unloaded so you can slip it in a pocket and not even know it’s there.
Revolvers like this can contact shoot, that is be pressed against a guy and fire without jamming, something most semiautos can’t do. Not that I recommend this but in areas with overzealous DAs some people don’t like to leave shell casing laying around and revolvers like this don’t.
As a law abiding citizen I don’t recommend you think that way.
For me I’d use this as a backup gun for my main carry but if you only had one gun a S&W revolver is not a bad way to go.
5 – The Charter Arms Boxer
This is a J-frame .38 with a six shot cylinder and a 2.2 inch barrel. It has a fiber front sight and no rear for fast shooting and a rubber grip. This is basically a set up for people who want to grab something when they think they hear a breakin.
Charter Arms has made revolvers since 1964 and their reputation suffered from a bad run in the 80s or so but their new revolvers (and the older ones) are pretty good. I have a Charter Arms I shoot often and it’s held up for years.
It retails for about $350 and at this point are laying around almost everywhere in my area. Not a bad truck gun or for the nightstand. While I haven’t fired this model I have fired the Patriot often and it’s about as accurate as you are out to 30-40 feet. They also have a nice single action trigger pull and the double action isn’t too stiff.
I get up nice and high on the grip and f you do that you’ll basically hit around where you’re pointing.
I would not say any Charter Arms is +P rated though.
Like I said before there are lots of caveats on revolvers, I personally pair mine with shotguns for home defense. But I’ve checked on bumps in the night and ran off a potential burglar with a snub nosed revolver and never felt I couldn’t defend myself. If you have the extra money to buy a home defense AR, a high end Glock etc by all means. If you’re on a budget look into these pics.
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Author Rob Taylor
