If you’re shopping for a 38 Special revolver, the Rock Island Armory lineup makes the choice simple.
Pick the 4-inch barrel M200 for home defense and range days, or pick the 2-inch M206 for concealed carry. All four models house six shots, are chambered in 38 Special, and sells for under $350. The M200 and M206 are double-action, single-action, while the spurless models are double-action revolvers.
There’s no single best revolver for everyone, but there is a best fit for how you plan to use it. To help you find yours, we talked with John McClain, an in-house Rock Island Armory firearms expert with Armscor, about barrel length, home defense, concealed carry, ammo, and what separates each model.
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The 10mm auto ammo delivers more velocity, penetration and energy than 9mm and .45 ACP, without giving up much magazine capacity. Rock Island Armory builds one of the industry's deepest 10mm lineups, so the real question isn't whether 10mm is powerful. It's which model fits how you shoot.
This 10mm buyer's guide walks through the tradeoffs, the ballistics and the Rock Island 10mm options built to handle them.
Let’s break down firearm trigger actions.
Single action only (SAO) requires cocking the hammer before the trigger works. Double action/single action (DA/SA) has a long first pull that cocks the hammer, then lighter pulls after. Double action only (DAO) has no manual cocking; every pull is the same weight.
These terms describe hammer-fired guns specifically, a separate question from striker-fired vs. hammer-fired. Here's what each one means, with real examples from the Rock Island Armory and RIA-USA lineups.