I just bought my first revolver (I don't count my NAA mini). It's a Taurus 617, the ported stainless 7-shot .357 Magnum. I bought it new from my favorite pawn shop for $330 before taxes and the $10 TBI instant background check. Diane, the store owner, ran clean out of .357 ammo, so I settled for .38 Special's and hocked some .357's off my brother. Hey, every girl needs a good six-shooter to complement her semi-auto. 
This was a mission not only for me but a secret one for my father; he has a green parkerized Colt 1991A1, but rarely carries it on him because it is so large. He also does not group well with it, though with smaller caliber pistols he shoots quite well. He is stubborn and doesn't seem to want to get past his weak cup-and-saucer grip even after the prodding of both my brother and I, and has not looked for an alternative carry pistol. So, he rarely carries at all. I was hoping that in owning the Taurus, he would shoot it and like it and it would possibly inspire him to find a carry pistol that would suit him better.
I chose this particular model after researching many different ones in that caliber; I wanted something fresh out of the box that I wouldn't have to modify to suit me, and one that was also known to be reliable and efficient. It is an excellent pistol, and I shot well with it immediately. To get the general feel for a revolver, I always start by shooting it single-action. I had 2 inch groups from 25 feet. When I shot it double-action, I did not do well, as my shots scattered the size of a large dinner plate. After a couple more tries I tightened my groups. With the .38 Specials in UMC's and Silvertips, there was almost zero muzzle jump. With the .357's in Gold Dots, the kick was much more noticeable, but it came from the grips jumping upwards into my palm. My groups were the same with both calibers. It was amusing to see the blast of flame coming out the ports. I went though 125 rounds with no sign of my hands getting tired, and wished I had bought more.
My father was eager to try it out. He took to it immediatley, shooting better with it than I had ever seen him do with his Colt. He was amazed that the snubbie hardly kicked at all. Impressed, and said he'd most likely be searching out an alternative for his Colt. Mission accomplished.
What is a shame is that I shoot much more accurately with the Taurus than my Kahr K40, which is my normal carry pistol. Funny I also shoot better with a full-size 1911. It's not the Kahr's fault; I think a tiny semi-auto in such a large caliber kicks alot and scatters my shots wider. On a good day I can shoot a 2.5" group, but most of the time it's in a 4" to a 6" group. Seems like I have a new carry pistol now; even though the caliber is smaller than my Kahr's, I believe the shot placement is more important. (My Kahr is sitting on my bed right now, whispering, "You traitor! How could you do this to me! I don't love you anymore!")
This was a mission not only for me but a secret one for my father; he has a green parkerized Colt 1991A1, but rarely carries it on him because it is so large. He also does not group well with it, though with smaller caliber pistols he shoots quite well. He is stubborn and doesn't seem to want to get past his weak cup-and-saucer grip even after the prodding of both my brother and I, and has not looked for an alternative carry pistol. So, he rarely carries at all. I was hoping that in owning the Taurus, he would shoot it and like it and it would possibly inspire him to find a carry pistol that would suit him better.
I chose this particular model after researching many different ones in that caliber; I wanted something fresh out of the box that I wouldn't have to modify to suit me, and one that was also known to be reliable and efficient. It is an excellent pistol, and I shot well with it immediately. To get the general feel for a revolver, I always start by shooting it single-action. I had 2 inch groups from 25 feet. When I shot it double-action, I did not do well, as my shots scattered the size of a large dinner plate. After a couple more tries I tightened my groups. With the .38 Specials in UMC's and Silvertips, there was almost zero muzzle jump. With the .357's in Gold Dots, the kick was much more noticeable, but it came from the grips jumping upwards into my palm. My groups were the same with both calibers. It was amusing to see the blast of flame coming out the ports. I went though 125 rounds with no sign of my hands getting tired, and wished I had bought more.
My father was eager to try it out. He took to it immediatley, shooting better with it than I had ever seen him do with his Colt. He was amazed that the snubbie hardly kicked at all. Impressed, and said he'd most likely be searching out an alternative for his Colt. Mission accomplished.
What is a shame is that I shoot much more accurately with the Taurus than my Kahr K40, which is my normal carry pistol. Funny I also shoot better with a full-size 1911. It's not the Kahr's fault; I think a tiny semi-auto in such a large caliber kicks alot and scatters my shots wider. On a good day I can shoot a 2.5" group, but most of the time it's in a 4" to a 6" group. Seems like I have a new carry pistol now; even though the caliber is smaller than my Kahr's, I believe the shot placement is more important. (My Kahr is sitting on my bed right now, whispering, "You traitor! How could you do this to me! I don't love you anymore!")