Just started shooting last July at local range & LOVE it. I own a Glock 19. The range has a pretty good selection of guns for rental. My goal is to eventually try all of them. I would like to try a .357 but am not sure where to start. My choices are as follows: Ruger SP101, Ruger GP161, Glock 32, & S&W 686. Any recommendations?
.357
- Thread starter glockmom
- Start date
hey glockmom! first of all, congratulations on having GREAT taste in handguns, hard to beat a glock. Another of my personal faves is the versatile, simple reliable .357 revolver. if first starting out shooting one, i would pick either the ruger gp100 or s&w 686. you will want to shoot something w a 3in barrel minimum for sight radius/ recoil reduction. the ruger is heavy and will soak up the recoil well. the smith and wesson 686 imho is the more accurate of the two. finally, dont start out shooting full power .357 loads. start w a light 158gr .38 target load, and then finish the session w two, maybe three cylinders of the hot .357 stuff, just to get the feel. ENJOY!!
shouldazagged
New member
What he said.
You might want to note that the Glock 32 is chambered for .357 Sig while the revolvers you list are in the more common .357 magnum. The .357 Sig round was developed to mimic one particular load of the .357 magnum to work well in semi-auto handguns. It is not nearly as versatile as the .357 magnum round in revolvers. I do not mean to sound condescending but I don't want to presume you have this level of knowledge.
Either the Ruger GP161 (a variation of the GP 100) or the SW 686 would be excellent choices. I'm more of a SW person when it comes to revolvers but that's more of a personal preference.
Either the Ruger GP161 (a variation of the GP 100) or the SW 686 would be excellent choices. I'm more of a SW person when it comes to revolvers but that's more of a personal preference.
Here's my take on the .357: First, you need to determine what the purpose of said gun is going to be. There are .357's suitable for consealed carry, then there are larger ones suitable for open carry, then there are even bigger ones that are not comfortable for normal carry but are carried for hunting,etc, then the biggest ones that are really only used for target work or perhaps tolerated for hunting work.
Figure out what you want to do with it and you'll get some more specific answers as to which model best fits your need.
Figure out what you want to do with it and you'll get some more specific answers as to which model best fits your need.
Crankgrinder
New member
welcome to the forum, glad to see y9u here and compliments on your taste in handguns once again. My first choice in pistols was first a nine then a 357 in that order same as yours. I bought a beretta and then a gp100. I advise you go with the heaviest revolver you can come up with which also has a 4 or 6" barrel. They are a pleasure to shoot. Sp101 will produce more felt recoil. Smaller gun=more recoil, bigger gun=less recoil in the same caliber generally. 357s are also fun to reload and work up loads for btw.
If you get a chance, give the SP101 a shot (no pun intended) as well if you plan to carry with it. .38s are fun, .357s are RUDE but controllable with the stock grip, I feel that a larger aftermarket grip would render them quite enjoyable.
But the SP is nearly half the weight of the GP, if you plan to carry your .357. I wear mine daily in a cheap Ace Case while I await the arrival of my "real" holster.
Ivan
But the SP is nearly half the weight of the GP, if you plan to carry your .357. I wear mine daily in a cheap Ace Case while I await the arrival of my "real" holster.
Ivan
I think the 4" S&W 686 is the route to go. It is not for carry, though I did until I got the 627PC. It is an excellent revolver to learn revolver shooting with, from .38 SPL to full house .357 magnum. After you learn it makes an excellent Home Defense hand gun. The 4" makes for more manageable recoil and better sight radius for learning accuracy. I personally think S&W has a better trigger to learn double action shooting with than a Ruger, but different strokes for different folks.
Obviously, the best advice has already been given: try out as many different makes and models as you can and pick the one you like best and can afford. I have owned quite a few over the years: S&W Model 28, 586, 686, Ruger Security Six, Speed Six, GP-100, Llama Commanche (my first centerfire revolver, cut me some slack), Colt Lawman, Trooper, Python. They were all decent, some better than others. My personal favorite is the S&W Model 28 with the 4" barrel, but they are hard to find in nice shape and becoming pretty pricey. Since I didn't want to abuse my nice older one, I bought a new Ruger Stainless GP-100 a couple of weeks ago with the 6 inch barrel. Figure I can use it for the warmer loads and longer range shooting while the Model 28 handles the light loads and closer range plinking. I also have a very nice SP-101 snub for carrying when I am not packing the Glock Model 19. I heartily recommend the stainless GP-100 in either 4 or 6 inch barrels for the best buy in a new .357 Mag. Good luck finding one, and even better luck finding reasonably priced ammo for it.
