Regret? Naw...

But if I was starting up an interest in firearms NOW, instead of 10+ years ago, and I was true to form, my first handgun purchase would be the same as back then: A .357 revolver. Back then I got a 686 that I am VERY happy with. Like I said in the header, this is not a regret.



But if I was starting out NOW, I really look hard at the new revolvers available. Particularly the 327 M&P. I got to handle one at the Fun Show last weekend. It can shoot 8! shots of .357. You can use Moon Clips with it (though I'm not sure how, with a rimmed case...) It has a tritium front sight (the one at the show had it at least), and you can hang a light on it. A revolver like this could give semi-autos a run for their money in police departments. I guess Smith and Wesson should have come up with this in 1983. Had they, I'd probably own one now instead of the 686.

I noticed something else about the Gun Show a bit over a week ago. The plastic guns are invisible to me. So are the ARs for the most part. Why? I'm not in the market for a plastic gun, so my eyes pass over them. I can't tell you if I saw a XD, Glock, S&W, of BlurfleBoomer brand pistol. But I CAN tell you if that last table had Smiths or Tauri or Rossi revolvers.