Eaa Windicator .357 mag 4"

[RangerXanatos]

See the above gun listed in stock at an online vendor. Never held one but I'm looking for a budget .357 woods gun. Anyone have any experience with this gun? Price after insurance and warranty would put it at $365 picked up at my local ffl.

I'd also consider rossi, Taurus, and other budget friendly .357's.

I know many would say hold one in hand and compare to others but my time is very limited as my work schedule changes every week and usually puts me working all 7 days (2 jobs) going in early and closing at night.

Just wondering if this is something I should jump on or wait on.

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[Rick]

You should also look at used weapons. I picked up a Ruger SP101 for cheap from an estate sale through a gun dealer. It looked like it had never been fired.

[canid]

Whatever you do, unless you're already obsessed with machining, don't buy, borrow or build machine tools planning for that to expand your options. :P

I'll tell you one thing, though: <$400 otd for anything is on the acceptable side of ok for anything ready to go at my end of the country.

[hunter63]

Looks like a serviceable wheel gun to me.....But can't say as I haven't seen one, of heard of anyone that has one.

[kyratshooter]

You certainly should consider a Rossi or Taurus!

The Windicator has been around for about 50 years in one form or another carrying whatever name the importers could think of. Aries, Artumus, Titan, Tiger, and now Widicator.

I started revolver shooting with a Windicator in one of its previous incarnations back in 1971. I wore that pistol completely out but it took thousands of rounds to do it and I wished for a better gun each time I pulled the trigger.

It is a good solid starter pistol but that is exactly what it is, a beginner gun that will leave you with the desire for a better gun. Both the Rossi and Taurus are a couple of steps up on the shootability ladder, handle better and have much better trigger pulls.

You can also not expect to recover any resale value from a Windicator at trade in time. Best to count on selling it in the parking lot at the gun show when you get ready to upgrade, which will be very soon after you purchase the Windicator.

You will also not want to feed it .357 rounds except in emergencies. Just consider it a .38+P shooter with .357 capabilities. But all the mid-sized .357 revolvers are in that category. I have seen Rossi, Taurus and S&W model 19 pistols shot to a falling apart mess many times by overuse of full charge 357 rounds.

It is not until you reach the L-frame/N-frame S&W and the Ruger 101 that you can expect thousands of rounds of .357 service.

If I wanted a really good gun in .357 that would last a lifetime of .38spl shooting and be fully capable of shooting the hottest .357 loads I might happen to find, and still not cost me an arm and a leg I would look at the EAA Bounty Hunter.

It is better known as the Hawes Western Marshal made by Sauer in Germany. I have owned several and now have one in .44mag. It is a well fit and finished pistol.

It is also very close to your price point.

https://www.budsgunshop.com/catalog/...7MAG+4+12+BLUE

And believe it or not, you will wind up shooting your pistol single action 99% of the time anyway, especially if you want to hit something with it.



You should also consider a semi-auto for general purpose woods carry. There are some really good values in 40 caliber pistols out there right now and they are right alongside .357 performance levels and hold more rounds. If you check out that Buds Gun Shop link jump over to the police trade in guns. They have some real bargains.

https://www.budsgunshop.com/catalog/...roit+PD+Marked

I have also been known to slip a .45acp inside my belt and an extra mag in my back pocket for a short stroll in the woods.

https://www.budsgunshop.com/catalog/...2+Walnut+Grips

[RangerXanatos]

I ended up going with a Taurus Model 66, 7 shot. Stainless steel and 6 inch barrel. I've put a couple of rounds through it and have been happy thus far.

[Lamewolf]

Whatever you do, unless you're already obsessed with machining, don't buy, borrow or build machine tools planning for that to expand your options. :P

I'll tell you one thing, though: <$400 otd for anything is on the acceptable side of ok for anything ready to go at my end of the country.

I just bought a brand new Ruger 9E for $380 out the door ! Never heard of EAA firearms before ?

[hunter63]

Congrats.......
Taurus and Rossi have been around for a while now and seems to be a good product.....haven't heard much bad about them.

[Lamewolf]

It is not until you reach the L-frame/N-frame S&W and the Ruger 101 that you can expect thousands of rounds of .357 service.

Or the old Ruger Speed Six or Security Six, I've had my 6 inch Security Six for 35 years and can't seem to wear it out !

[kyratshooter]

I just bought a brand new Ruger 9E for $380 out the door ! Never heard of EAA firearms before ?

The polymer semi-autos are a whole different can of worms from a revolver and have changed the nature of mid priced pistols altogether. Even cheap revolvers are priced above the point of a mid-quality autopistol now days.

EAA firearms stands for European American Arms ad they are an import company. They specialize in mid quality rifles, pistols and shotguns marketed by their own names and bearing the EAA import stamp. They have been around for a long time.

If Winchester is importing a mid price gun and selling it as a Winchester EAA will import it under its true name and sell it for less.

Remington had a "Spartan" brand of shotguns and combo guns several years back. EAA imports the exact same guns from Turkey, under the EAA brand, and sells them for a hundred bucks cheaper.

The Windicator brand is a cover for several pistols made by several manufacturers. Their autos are clones of the CZ line, made in Italy by TZ, for much less money.

https://www.budsgunshop.com/catalog/...erican+Armory/

[Lamewolf]

The polymer semi-autos are a whole different can of worms from a revolver and have changed the nature of mid priced pistols altogether. Even cheap revolvers are priced above the point of a mid-quality autopistol now days.

EAA firearms stands for European American Arms ad they are an import company. They specialize in mid quality rifles, pistols and shotguns marketed by their own names and bearing the EAA import stamp. They have been around for a long time.

If Winchester is importing a mid price gun and selling it as a Winchester EAA will import it under its true name and sell it for less.

Remington had a "Spartan" brand of shotguns and combo guns several years back. EAA imports the exact same guns from Turkey, under the EAA brand, and sells them for a hundred bucks cheaper.

The Windicator brand is a cover for several pistols made by several manufacturers. Their autos are clones of the CZ line, made in Italy by TZ, for much less money.

https://www.budsgunshop.com/catalog/...erican+Armory/

WOW< they have a lot of nice looking handguns don't they !

[kyratshooter]

Yes they do.

Gun Digest did a "review" of the Witness brand offerings about a year ago, and by review I mean more than a ten minute box opening and three shots at a tin can on Youtube!

They did some extensive firing of several hundred rounds through several pistols, as well as the visual inspection, and found the pistols to be more than their monetary value, excellent guns for the price. Brand new, in the box, out the door for less than $300 for some models.

Witness also offers their frames in a variety of colors so your better half can mix and match her pistol to her outfit. They offer both compact and full sized service models in 9m and .40.

And being direct copies of the CZ products they offer all the features of the CZ line at about 1/3 the price.

I have several of the EAA offerings, both handguns from Italy and Germany and shotguns from Turkey, and I have had good service from all of them.

[Wildthang]

There are plenty of good used Smith and Wessons, and other quality pistols that can be found in that price range. I would rather have a used S&W, as a new cheep POS for around the same price!

[Lamewolf]

Yes they do.

Gun Digest did a "review" of the Witness brand offerings about a year ago, and by review I mean more than a ten minute box opening and three shots at a tin can on Youtube!

They did some extensive firing of several hundred rounds through several pistols, as well as the visual inspection, and found the pistols to be more than their monetary value, excellent guns for the price. Brand new, in the box, out the door for less than $300 for some models.

Witness also offers their frames in a variety of colors so your better half can mix and match her pistol to her outfit. They offer both compact and full sized service models in 9m and .40.

And being direct copies of the CZ products they offer all the features of the CZ line at about 1/3 the price.

I have several of the EAA offerings, both handguns from Italy and Germany and shotguns from Turkey, and I have had good service from all of them.

I really like the looks of that 4 inch 357 you mentioned !

[kyratshooter]

There are plenty of good used Smith and Wessons, and other quality pistols that can be found in that price range. I would rather have a used S&W, as a new cheep POS for around the same price!

I own several good S&W revolvers and no one is getting them at that price point! Double that and add $200 and you will come close.

Some of the used police trade in S&W M&P autos are also good buys for the money, but some folks prefer to buy new, and the TZ guns are excellent quality. We are not talking about Hipoints, Ravens and Jennings .25 autos here.

[hunter63]

There are plenty of good used Smith and Wessons, and other quality pistols that can be found in that price range. I would rather have a used S&W, as a new cheep POS for around the same price!

Not around here, your not.......S&W wheel guns are like gold.

[natertot]

The only S&W wheel gun you might find for that price are the one the Brazilian LE guns that were imported back and refurbished. Those were selling a few years ago for $250-300. I'm sure they all dried up now. I owned one for a bit, she was ugly but she worked.

My .357 is a Ruger Blackhawk. Love that thing.

[edr730]

a pistols.jpg

I know I'm probably not putting this in the correct place. So, I'm just inserting this in this thread. Someone from a good family asked me about them. I guess they want to sell them. I don't have interest in them. They said civil war ivory handles. Can anyone tell me anything??

[hunter63]

a pistols.jpg

I know I'm probably not putting this in the correct place. So, I'm just inserting this in this thread. Someone from a good family asked me about them. I guess they want to sell them. I don't have interest in them. They said civil war ivory handles. Can anyone tell me anything??

Why don't you start a new thread?

[edr730]

I would have if I knew how. Never did it in 8 years.