Service Revolvers
Typical Service Revolver
These guns are usually easy to identify. They are traditionally built on a full size frame and are matched to barrels that range between four and five inches. They almost always feature a cylinder that is comprised of six chambers but some models will have only five.
Typically, the guns are fed ammunition that is effective in a gun fight, but not too difficult to control when follow up shots are needed. The most popular round sizes are .38 Special and .357 Magnum.
While these guns are no longer being adopted by military and law enforcement agencies,the service revolver has an avid following in the civilian community. The guns constitute a large portion of all home defense guns with only the 12-gauge shotgun outselling it in this regard. The reason for the service revolver’s popularity in the home is the fact that it has no magazine to jam. You can load a Smith & Wesson 686, stick it in the drawer of the nightstand, and pretty much forget that it is there for years until you hear the sounds of an intruded in the house at which time the gun will be ready to fire. Giving a semi-automatic pistol the same treatment and you’re liable to find that the spring loaded action is not working properly, and if it is, you only can get a singe shot off before the gun jams because the magazine was compressed for too long.
Accuracy, reliability, and the ability to be loaded with man-stopping ammunition all add up to the Service Revolver being a welcome addition to any gun collection for many generations to come.
The newest reviews of these types of handguns can be found below. A complete list, organized alphabetically by title, can be accessed through the link at the very bottom of this page.
