Best .357/.38 under $600?

P

PatrickBateman

New member
Hey guys,

Looking to purchase my first gun and Im leaning towards a revolver. Any suggestions as to the best one i can get for under $600? I would like it to be chambered in either 357 or 38 special, and with a 4" or 6" barrel. No snubs please!

edit: will be used for carry, and home defense. Also would like it to be a DA/SA.
 
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First thing I would ask you, is what is the intended purpose of this gun? Plinker? Home defense? Carry weapon? Shower gun (just kidding)?Something else?

I'm no expert, but I've owned several revolvers, mostly .357 mags, one, no two .38s specials, and a couple .44s mags over the years. Most of them, including the first one were Smith and Wessons. And most of the revolver shooters I know will unhesitatingly say that Smiths are the best production revolvers out there. I'm not enough of a real shooter to debate that one way or the other.

What I will say is that right now I feel that the Ruger GP 100 in 4 inch .357 magnum is the best all-around revolver that I currently own, for several reasons.

One, although it's not a forged gun like the Smiths, it is a sturdy, durable weapon.

Two, the trigger, while maybe not quite as nice as a Smiths, is very very good, IMO. And most of my friends (non-revolver guys) can't tell the difference between the two, but they can tell between these triggers and some of the cheaper weapons out there.

Three, the Ruger is easy to disassemble, easier than the Smith. This makes maintenance easier, as well as spring replacements, etc.

Four, side by side at 25 yards my 4-inch Smith and Ruger are pretty much equally accurate. Both can easily shoot 3 inch groups for me (standing, single action shooting), and I'm sure a real shooter could do better.

Five, the Rugers are generally less expensive, so if it's bang for your buck, it's Ruger.

Peace.
 
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My vote would go for a Ruger new model Black Hawk. Then again I prefer single action revolvers. For a more informed response you may want to tell us what you plan on doing with said revolver.
 
I have a sw model 64-5, 4 inch barrel in 38 spl and I love it, very accurate and very sweet trigger.
 
With some patience you should be able to find a very nice used pre-lock Smith 686 in that price range. That would be my first choice.
 
what revolver for sd and carry?

hi, I am with mr. damnold;
nothing but nothing beats a s & w model 10, or 15, or 19 or such.
still lots of used ones for a few hunnert dollars. and mine has many thousands of rounds thru it flawlessly
 
New, I'd go with a GP100...

If you can find a really great condition Ruger Security Six ,buy it...that would be the ultimate ....:D
 
New would be ruger gp100. Less than 600 bucks. Used would be a ruger security or service six. Same size as a s&w k frame 357 but much stronger and better suited for magnum rounds
 
FlyFish said:
With some patience you should be able to find a very nice used pre-lock Smith 686 in that price range. That would be my first choice.
Click to expand...
...or its blued or nickel equivalent: the Model 586. For some reason, all of the nickel M586's I've seen recently have been very pricey, but you'l occasionally find a blued one for a decent price.

Another couple of contenders are the M581 and M681, which were 4"-only fixed-sight equivalents of the M586 and M686 respectively. These tend to sell for less than a M586/686 in less-than-pristine condition, but they're substantially more difficult to find. That said, there are several M681's on GB for $539 right now, but they all appear to have ugly import marks on them.
 
I see used S&W 686 4" on gunbroker, so I think you ought be able to find one in a local gun shop, for under $500. I think a 4" S&W 686 is a great revolver to own for the multi purposes you mention.
 
I don't recall exactly what I paid, but my new (last year) GP100 cost around $600.
Another choice would be a used, classic (pre-lock) S&W, like a 686.
 
In my area of the country, a brand new Ruger 4" Blued GP100 goes for approx $550-$570. That would be an awesome choice. The stainless version is not much more, but slightly over your stated $600 budget (say $620-$640).

or

For the same price, $550-$570, in my area, you can get a brand new Ruger 4" SP101 stainless. Slightly smaller then a GP100 and 5 shots instead of 6. But, you said you wanted to carry and the smaller size and less weight might be a good trade-0ff.


I would go with either of those. I focused on new guns because this is your first gun. The worst thing that could happen is buying a bad used gun for your first purchase. Ruger also has a very good customer support for their products. If anything is wrong, they fix it .
 
Forgot to add, I paid $250 about 2years ago for my sw, it was a police trade in. If you dont mind used, check with your local gs to see if they do that
 
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