I greatly appreciate everyone's ideas.

Concealment isn't a problem. Weight of the firearm is a bit of a concern. I already carrying a cell phone, large pocket knife and multi-tool on my waist.

Rented a Ruger GP100 with 6" barrel Friday evening. Really enjoyed shooting it (nice trigger), but it was fairly heavy and took up a lot space. The gun range had it on sale Saturday for $340. Sale started at 9:00 am. I arrived at 9:05 and it was already sold.

The Taurus Judge is an ugly gun, but should I reconsider it?

Right now the S&W Model 19 is probably my leading choice.

For .357 if size is a factor look at the Ruger SP101 with a 3" barrel. Another option would be to go bigger and look for a Ruger Redhawk in .44 Magnum with a 4" barrel. My personal favorite is my Smith & Wesson 629 Mountain Gun in .44.

A Judge isn’t necessary to kill a rattlesnake, and there have been numerous better solutions offered for defense from other types of vermin. The Judge is big and heavy and there are revolvers that will more efficiently do what you want to accomplish. If you're set on a medium frame revolver the size of a S&W Model 19, consider a used Ruger Security Six. Sometimes they can be found for a couple hundred less than an equivalent used S&W.

If a GP100 is too large for your likings (handle a 4” before you write it off) the SP101 might be a better fit. It is very tame even with full house .357’s, more so than the Smith snubbies, and the 3” version might be the perfect form factor for what you desire. Very tough little gun.

GP100 in 3" or 4" is the way to go.

They don't get any tougher than a Ruger.

Can’t go wrong with a 3” SP101...

quote:

Originally posted by arfmel:
A Judge isn’t necessary to kill a rattlesnake, and there have been numerous better solutions offered for defense from other types of vermin. The Judge is big and heavy and there are revolvers that will more efficiently do what you want to accomplish. If you're set on a medium frame revolver the size of a S&W Model 19, consider a used Ruger Security Six. Sometimes they can be found for a couple hundred less than an equivalent used S&W.

The Police Service 6 is hard to resist as well

I've got a S&W 65 (its a 66 with fixed sights) with a 4 inch barrel.

I had an SP101 in 357 but got rid of it to finance something else.

It worked jsut fine for what you intend. and the 357 shot shells work jsut fine on cottonmouths w/i ten feet or so....

do a little research in finding how to look at a used revolver before you put your money down.

The Ruger GP is a great gun-I jsut got a great deal on the 65 and couldn't pass it up

In 357, a S&W 686 plus pre-lock. Otherwise a 625 4" 4 5acp/moon clips (mine is a 5" ).

Model 19s are beautiful guns, and I own a 19-6, but for a working gun around the property, I prefer the Ruger GP100. Mine is a 4", but I'd go with a 3" if I fell over one at a good price.

Stainless steel, bulletproof toughness, decent trigger, very safe with transfer bar system, comfortable grips. Add a set of Williams Firesights, which is a 5 minute, do it on your own bench deal, and you are good to go.

Because there are so very many good choices, if I were in your situation I would want to shoot as many different brands and types of revolvers and sixguns to get a feel for what you might prefer, since all of these guns mentioned so far are great guns. If you go this route of trying different kinds (renting, borrowing, etc), you may notice a couple of things. You'll find that sixguns have a different feel and way of shooting than a combat style revolver, and that different barrel lengths have a profound affect on speed, accuracy, balance and different practical preferences on your activity and intended use. Less so with caliber and power level, that's more personal preference, strengh, and tolerance/enjoyment/dislike of recoil. You just gotta try out as many as possible before you lay your cash down. Nothing wrong with starting out with something without testing different kinds but in that scenario your chances of hitting it right the first or second time are greatly diminished IF you're the kind of shooter that likes to have one or two examples of the 'perfect' gun in a particular category you may consider doing so. If not, that's cool too, just buy it and have fun. But based on what you said you wanted it for, for myself I would choose a gun with a 4 inch barrel, possibly 5 inch, but definitely not a 6 inch barrel for home and ranch for snakes and critters with different number of legs, that length can be difficult to manage, UNLESS it's a sixgun in a hogleg holster. See what I mean ? It's not always a clear and obvious choice if you're like me or others like me. But if you wanted to just get a gun so to speak, the gun that would have a low chance of disappointing you or not working out for you would be the GP100. And f it didn't work out you could always sell it and get most of your money back. The intersting trait of the GP100 or any Ruger brand revolvers for that matter is that they can be easily and (relatively) cheaply tuned and customized to your personal preferences, unlike more expensive brand revolvers with tighter tolerances and reputation. Hey a Colt Python with a 4 inch barrel would be great for your application, better than a GP100 for that use in my opinion in terms of balance and feel, but might set you back $8k. Anyway the journey is fun.

quote:

Originally posted by wxl:
In 357, a S&W 686 plus pre-lock. Otherwise a 625 4" 4 5acp/moon clips (mine is a 5" ).

I scrounged up this S&W 625 (.45 ACP/AR) Mountain Gun and couldn't be happier. The "Moon Clips" seem just like what you need and with a bit of effort, you can find these fine revolvers still floating around. As an alternative, S&W offers a same N-framed .45 ACP/AR revolver with a black scandium frame as the "Night Guard" too.

quote:

Originally posted by Larry109:
Need some wisdom on purchasing a revolver. I am looking for something to carry around the ranch that will allow me to have a couple of rounds of snake shot and then a few rounds for pigs or 2 legged varmints. I am think a 4 inch barrel. Used or New, looking to spend between $600 to $1000. Have looked at the Tarus Judge, but that is one ugly looking firearm. What would be a good one?

Congratulations on your ranch!

I live on a farm, and carry daily. In my humble opinion, you need something light enough to carry all day. Weight matters a lot! I get waist chafing from a heavy gun. I consider anything heavier than a SP-101 to be too heavy for daily carry, particularly in the summer.

I never felt the need for a fight with a snake, so the snakeshot is something I am not familiar with. My concerns are foxes, raccoons and Pit Bulls. With practice, I am able to shoot a snubbie well enough. I don't find a 4" barrel to be any more practically accurate than a 3" barrel, particularly given my less than perfect eyesight. I usually carry my S&W 360J snubbie. It is very light, and has single action capability.

My next revolver purchase will be a Ruger LCRx in .327 Federal. With a 3" barrel, an LCRx, in your choice of calibers, would be an excellent choice. Just as Pasig and Roland said!

Pick up a nice used S&W model 66 with a 4" bbl. It'll do everything you need and then some.

Another vote for a GP100 in 3" flavor

Saturday I went to the Ft. Worth gun show. Tried out every revolver that was in my price bracket. Found a Ruger SP101 with a 4" barrel, but it felt unbalanced. The Ruger SP101 with a 3" barrel had a grip that just seem a little short, but a fellow had one at nice price. The S&W revolvers all seem a little heavy, as was the Ruger GP100.

Was just about to purchase the SP101 with a 3" barrel, when I ran across a Ruger Security Six with a 4" barrel. Loved the way it felt, and wasn't too heavy. We did a little dance over the price and agreed at $500. Fellow was individual who had a table. So no tax, no paperwork.

Went to gun range this morning...and I am really happy. Ever have a gun that you think is a better gun than you are a shooter? That how I feel. In double action it has a long pull, but very smooth. In single action, it is a lite trigger. At 21 feet it was hitting a tight pattern. My plan was that this would be a shoot little, carry a lot gun, but it probably will be going to range a lot more than I figured. I really happy about this one.

I would like to thank everyone for their help. Learned a lot about revolvers over the past few days. Here are couple of photos:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/...24@N07/shares/vTV07g

https://www.flickr.com/photos/...24@N07/shares/7JR5Ph

quote:

Originally posted by Larry109:
Saturday I went to the Ft. Worth gun show. Tried out every revolver that was in my price bracket. Found a Ruger SP101 with a 4" barrel, but it felt unbalanced. The Ruger SP101 with a 3" barrel had a grip that just seem a little short, but a fellow had one at nice price. The S&W revolvers all seem a little heavy, as was the Ruger GP100.

Was just about to purchase the SP101 with a 3" barrel, when I ran across a Ruger Security Six with a 4" barrel. Loved the way it felt, and wasn't too heavy. We did a little dance over the price and agreed at $500. Fellow was individual who had a table. So no tax, no paperwork.

Went to gun range this morning...and I am really happy. Ever have a gun that you think is a better gun than you are a shooter? That how I feel. In double action it has a long pull, but very smooth. In single action, it is a lite trigger. At 21 feet it was hitting a tight pattern. My plan was that this would be a shoot little, carry a lot gun, but it probably will be going to range a lot more than I figured. I really happy about this one.

I would like to thank everyone for their help. Learned a lot about revolvers over the past few days. Here are couple of photos:

Very well done. You actually did what I wish most folks would. You did your research ahead of time and then went out laid hands on the guns.

I think you made a great choice. I wish that Ruger would bring back that series of revolver. Shoot it in the best of health.

I never cared for Smiths. i had a pinned and recessed nickel 19 that had a yoke that galled on its own cylinder. I fixed it and then gave it away. Taurus makes total junk. I have 1 out of 3 that hasn't had to go back for service. I'm done with them.

Ruger makes a solid revolver, but I don't like their single actions anymore. They've turned their loading gates into safety mechs, and they were never meant to serve that function.

If I were in the market for a good revolver, I'd shop around for an older Colt...or older Ruger.

Congrats on picking up the new revolver! Looks like a fine example.

《====== also has one, but in stainless.

Although I prefer the GP100 over the Security Six, I agree that it's heavier. I find that helps me, but then again, I don't carry one on my hip every day, nor intend to, so that definitely should be taken into account.