Contemplating Revolver Purchase

[chaim]

Hi Guys,

I already have a 4" GP 100.

I want a smaller and lighter revolver for all day carry on hikes.

I darn near pulled the trigger on a Kimber. A friend told me to read as much as I could about Kimber.

I did pull the trigger on a 2.75" Model 66. It was a compromise.

It should be at my FFL early next week.

Congrats, good choice (not that any of them wouldn't have been). I love my 3" S&W 65LS. If I hadn't bought the Colt King Cobra I would have the new 66 with 2.75" barrel on my radar (though I like a 3" barrel better). I'm sure you're going to enjoy it, and it will definitely be noticeably smaller and lighter than your GP100.

So, with your expected arrival date, you've probably had it for a week or two now. Have you been able to get it out on the range yet? What do you think?

 

[44 AMP]

I'll use it as a hiking/trail handgun in So Cal. It will be worn inside of an OWB holster.

that's a regular belt holster, right? worn outside the pants, on your belt or a dedicated gun belt??

IF so, why restrict your barrel to 3"? The bulk of a revolver is in the cylinder and grips, and an extra inch of barrel isn't much added bulk. 4" revolvers are common and do give measurable performance increase over shorter barrels especially with magnums.

Going to a 6" allows a significant increase and for me, anyway isn't a disaster worn in a belt holster. I can understand choosing a short barrel to save weight, but isn't choosing a heavy frame pistol kind of undoing that weight savings?

,357 too light for cats & bears? The biggest cats you're going to find in North America don't out mass the bigger humans, nor are they armor plated. They're FAST, but not heavily built, and none of them will fail to fall to a properly placed .357 bullet. Putting the bullet in the right place is always YOUR responsibility.

bears? we have endless threads about handguns for bear. They can be entertaining.

 

[Real Gun]

that's a regular belt holster, right? worn outside the pants, on your belt or a dedicated gun belt??

IF so, why restrict your barrel to 3"? The bulk of a revolver is in the cylinder and grips, and an extra inch of barrel isn't much added bulk. 4" revolvers are common and do give measurable performance increase over shorter barrels especially with magnums.

Going to a 6" allows a significant increase and for me, anyway isn't a disaster worn in a belt holster. I can understand choosing a short barrel to save weight, but isn't choosing a heavy frame pistol kind of undoing that weight savings?

,357 too light for cats & bears? The biggest cats you're going to find in North America don't out mass the bigger humans, nor are they armor plated. They're FAST, but not heavily built, and none of them will fail to fall to a properly placed .357 bullet. Putting the bullet in the right place is always YOUR responsibility.

bears? we have endless threads about handguns for bear. They can be entertaining.

A 4+ barrel should provide a full length ejector, which if the grips allow, should be appreciated with magnum length brass. I think that is the ideal carry length unless crossdraw. Longer barrels are an issue when sitting, as we saw with horse soldiers and their 7 1/2" barrels. Same thing with simply sitting.

 

[blfuller]

How about a new Python?