The Poor Man's Revolver: The EAA Imported .38 SPL Windicator- Weihrauch

Recently I was thinking about buying another wheel gun. I didn't want anything special and I certainly didn't want to spend a lot of money. At one point I owned a 6 inch Chiappa Rhino 60DS, an excellent gun by all estimates, but extremely costly. It was a fun gun. But it wasn't practical for my needs as far as a wheel gun was concerned, so I traded it for a Smith and Wesson M&P 9. Again an excellent gun...But the trigger was among the most horrible I have ever used on a striker fired semi-auto...So out it went and in came my current carry piece, the Glock 19 Gen 4...This is my go to weapon. It is reliable, I have customized it to meet my tactical needs, and I am proficient with it.

I really didn't need another carry gun... I wanted this cheap revolver. I missed having a wheel gun, but since I didn't want to spend a lot of money I started searching the internet for a decent revolver at or below $300. I found it. The EAA Imported, German made, Windicator(pronounced Vindicator) in .38 SPL with a 4 inch barrel and rubber grips.





It is not a pretty gun. Even the EAA website will tell you as much:

Windicator- Weihrauch-European American Armory

It’s not the sleekest, or the lightest, or even the prettiest, but the Windicator is ready when you need it! With its six shot, double/single action, the Windicator gets the job done!

This revolver cost me $280. It came with a useless key lock, and an instruction manual that makes it a point to tell you NOT to use +P ammunition regardless of what model you get. It is not rated for it and all the problems that have been listed with the firing reliability of this gun have been the result of using +P ammunition in it regularly. Don't do it. Standard velocity ammunition will work just fine in this revolver. It's a sub $300 dollar revolver, do what the instruction manual says.

It is definitely a day time gun. Not meant for use in low light conditions. For better visibility of the front sight blade I recommend painting it. Since I don't need it as a carry piece, I will leave it as is. That said...This thing is accurate:



This was a ten yards using double action shooting. While it is a heavy trigger pull it is smooth and breaks cleanly. The single action is incredibly short and takes very little pressure to break. I had no issues with the sights in the lighting conditions I was in (indoor range). All I did to this revolver prior to firing it was cleaning off all the packing grease I could reach, and using a small amount of Hoppes #9 gun oil to lubricate all the moving parts.

This weapon fired 100 rounds of standard velocity, Italian made, Perfecta .38 Speciall FMJ ammunition. Then swallowed another 100 rounds of Federal standard velocity Lead Round Nose. It then swallowed yet another 100 rounds of standard velocity Hornady target loads and 50 rounds of standard velocity FTX self defense loads. Zero malfunctions. No missfires, light primer strikes, timing issues, or breakages of any kind to report.

While I realize this isn't really a bench mark for any firearm reliability test, generally speaking, for a 6 shot revolver, this isn't bad.

There isn't a lot of after market support. I'm still trying to track down a decent holster that will fit. The rumor is the S & W K-Frame holster will fit the thing, but I don't feel like tossing money down the toilet for a rumor. I also don't intend to actively carry this weapon. If I do carry it I will likely have it in a back pack or simply leave it in one of my vehicle compartments for "just in case" scenarios.

That said, for speedloaders, the HKS 10A loader works well, and 5 Star Firearms makes loaders that will work just fine with it as well.

Hopefully you get something out of this. If you are in need of a budget wheel gun that works, I highly recommend the EAA Windicator- Weihrauch revolver. It comes in 2 inch and 4 inch varieties, nickel or blued, and in .357 Mag/.38 SPL or .38 SPL only.

Happy Shooting.

I recently picked up a Smith and Wesson model 66.

Cost = free.

Love it.

Excellent post as usual.

a reply to: projectvxn


I've got one also......2" barrel.....357 ......6-shot. It's fairly heavy, as it should be being a .357. Seems to be reliable and trigger pull is as you described it. Would rather shoot my mdl. 19 S&W with a 2" barrel, but the EAA is much cheaper .

with all the druggies out there 38sp doesn't always have enough stopping power.

44 mag or 40 does indeed have enough stopping power if it doesn't lift them up and move them back a few feet before it puts them 6 feet under..

Berretta makes a nice one Beretta PX4 Storm Compact .40 Cal Semi-Auto Pistol 12 shot clip plus one in the chamber, cost less than $500

Get the one with the stainless steel barrel for conceal carry

a reply to: projectvxn

Great review. My spouse and I are still not too keen on having a gun in the home but revolvers have always attracted me. This looks very much like a gun I'd like to have. Needs a purple grip, though.

I think the revolver types are appealing to me for the simplicity and history. I mean, you can actually see what is happening and what makes it work. I like that.

a reply to: ChesterJohn

I'm really interested in the px4. What do you think of it? Is the recoil noticably lower?

originally posted by: projectvxn

This revolver cost me $280. It came with a useless key lock, and an instruction manual that makes it a point to tell you NOT to use +P ammunition regardless of what model you get. It is not rated for it and all the problems that have been listed with the firing reliability of this gun have been the result of using +P ammunition in it regularly. Don't do it. Standard velocity ammunition will work just fine in this revolver. It's a sub $300 dollar revolver, do what the instruction manual says.

/thread on that comment alone.

$50-$60 moar will get you a Charter Arms .357 Mag, there's no advantage to a sub $300 revolver.

I bought my EAA .38 special 11 years ago when I turned 21 and lived in a bad area. Thankfully I never had to use it, but I know it would have worked if I had to. It is still my go to CCW. I open carry Sigs when hunting or hiking, but carry my inexpensive Windicator most other times. Great choice!

a reply to: projectvxn

I have the .357 Windicator with a 4 inch barrel. I love it! Painted the sights for better aiming. Shoots great and drops back on target easily enough. Never had an issue whether I'm using .38 or .357 rounds. Only drawback is the weight. I carry it at my night job and it wears on the hip a bit.

a reply to: Shamrock6

Freaking cops raiding the evidence locker.

OP you accidentally posted the wrong target picture, unless the poor man's revolver is a paintball gun. So many people act like they know guns on the internet, but end up posting pictures of their airsoft or paintball guns!

This isn't Call of Duty bud! Who do you think you're fooling? I'm a level 20 firearms instructor, and I can spot a fake a mile away. Poking a bunch of holes in a target with the pen you used in the picture to prop up the "gun" and then shooting those holes with different paint colors at 50 leagues doesn't make you an expert.

Everyone knows revolvers jam up more often. If you really want to shoot, get a hi point.

I need a nap.

That looks like a pretty good gun for the money. I have 3 wheel guns. They are all Smith and Wesson, and all are stainless. I have a 22, a 38s/357, and a 500 ( 50 cal Magnum) . I bought the 38/357 first. Probably 25 years ago. Model 686. I think I paid about $300 for it new, at the time/ The 500 cost around $1300 if I remember correctly. I do have a small Kimber auto. Its a stainless ultra carry2. Its a tiny 45. I prefer my 38s/357 most of the time. Its my go to gun. The 50 is just too powerful, and to heavy. The rounds are expensive as well. 38 special rounds are very affordable. I target practice with those but load 357 hot loads when I carry

a reply to: Domo1Revolvers jam up? What? WTF are you talking about?Ive never had a wheel gun jam. Autos are far less dependable. You are an instructor? what, on video games? Ive been shooting for over 50 years.

a reply to: visitedbythem I am pretty sure he's kidding. Actually really hoping he was joking, lol. Telling him to get a High Point is a dead give away.

I do have to say that I was also confused about the colored target. My targets just have big holes in them. No colors

a reply to: visitedbythem

Pretty sure they are called reactive splatter targets.

a reply to: Woodcarver

The way it is designed there is minimal recoil, very accurate too

a reply to: Domo1

It is not a paint ball target. That is a special type of target it is black but when you hit it the color underneath is revealed. It is a reactive target

a reply to: Shamrock6

Aren't they nice? I've got one, too.

Does everything I need it to do. It lives in my desk drawer for that "god I hope it never happens" moment.

I'll have to look into that Windicator.

originally posted by: visitedbythem
I do have to say that I was also confused about the colored target. My targets just have big holes in them. No colors

It's called a Shoot N' See target. They are excellent when you want to be able to see your hits and work on trigger control.