What is a good and cheap revolver?

cobra 38, armscor 38, taurus 38, police surplus S&W model 10,

.38 special is a common and least expensive of centerfire revolver calibers.

you could get a .22 revolver such as the taurus tracker 990 but the lack of stopping power in .22 makes it a very difficult round for self defense.

each of the 4 revolvers i mentioned are offered at different price points.

armscor & police surplus S&W Model 10 at less than $200. cobra at $250, taurus at $300. I consider guns more than $300 to be not cheap.

all of the revolvers are cheap and reliable, although the cheaper you go the more quirks they'll have and you'll need to learn work with it.

Get a 38 Special. The ammo is "cheap" and readily available. Plus you have a lot of options for a revolver. You can probably get a Rossi or Taurus for the least amount of money. As for reliability, revolvers are reliable. If you're going to practice a lot and not carry the gun but just have it at home for defense, then go with a slightly larger size gun. The recoil will be more pleasant than in the little five shot snub nose revolvers.

The all metal units of the Taurus eighty five are inexpensive revolvers. They run circular $375 for stainless objects, or $325 for blued objects. My spouse has one, as good as my spouse's mother, and each are first-rate shooters. Do not nonetheless, purchase the Taurus "Ultralite" revolvers, or any of their alloy framed revolvers. The alloy body models include hardened steel firing pin bushings which will also be alleged to behave as a bearing floor between the hammer and the tender alloy physique, and twith cylinder pin bushings that must take the recoil stress off of the gentle alloy body. On the other hand, these hardened metallic pieces are poorly tempered and are susceptible to cracking/shattering, in an effort to lock up the firing pin or cylinder (respecitvely) causing the gun to emerge as inoperable, and requiring alternative from Taurus. The all steel items wouldn't have this crisis. The Rossi revolvers are "Taurus" revolvers that have been sub-shriveled, and would have the identical "steel = just right adequate, alloy = no good" rule. My other recommendations often is the Ruger SP-a hundred and one, which runs about $475, or the S&W 642 that runs about $four hundred (although I decide on the uncovered hammer S&W mannequin 60 Ladysmith, however the pricetag is ready $650). Honestly, each the Ruger and the S&W's are some distance advanced to the Taurus's.

a cheap revolver or a good value?

Cheap... there are several imports out there... expect timing issues and stiff actions

Taurus makes a fair line of revolvers... I carried a snub nosed T 85 and I'd still have it - but mine was the titanium ported version... it made a good trade when a J frame came around.

Used Smith and Wesson K frames... a beater Model 10 thats ugly and locks up tight goes for about $400 around here... a pretty one for not much more. The 357 magnum K frames generally bring over $500 (used retail) and I'd rather have an old SW than the newer MIM CNC versions with the lawyer lock. Same on the 5 shot J series... Smith and Wessons were sold in blued, nickled and stainless steel over the years.

Cheap, or inexpensive? Big difference.

For a cheap gun that you'll probably wind up hating, get something like a Charter Arms Bulldog in .38 Special.

For an inexpensive revolver that will last for decades, consider something like a Ruger LCP or one of the various S&W revolvers, again in .38 Special. You could also consider .357 Magnum, since you can load up with .38 Specials and be just fine.

There are a few used .38 special revolvers you can get in the $250 range online. jgsales usually has some on hand.

Rossi .38 special...............>