help me decide on a new 357 revolver

R

rebs

New member
I have a S&W model 19 4" barrel. I have only shot light loads in this revolver since it is a light frame and have read about forcing cone problems with full mag loads.
I would like to buy a heavier frame 357 mag with a 6" barrel for shooting full 357 magnum loads.
What would you guys recommend ?
 
If its a range gun my thought is a 686. If it does not have to be a S&W then the Ruger GP 100 in a 6" barrel would be an excellent choice
 
You will not go wrong with either a S&W 686 or a Ruger GP100. I own both and both are good shooters.

For shooting .357 you are wise to consider a 6" barrel; the extra weight is kinder.

Both a 686 and a GP100 benefit from a competent trigger job.
 
My money and it is a range gun, I might be looking at a single action, probably a Ruger Blackhawk.
 
The K frames are fine ( model 19's and 66's, etc ).....if you are shooting 158gr bullets.../ most of the issues with forcing cones were with lighter bullets. None of my model 19's have had an issue ...and they have thousands of rounds thru them in 158gr FMJ bullets.

But sure, if you want to go with something blued or nickel ...a model 27 or 28 ( N frames will fit the bill nicely )....or in the L frames a model 686...4" or 6" will be fine. I have a lot of K,L and N frames in .357 mag ...its my favorite caliber.

In new guns ...S&W is making the 627's... 8 shot, stainless, N frames...and I picked up a 2 5/8" and a 5" ( both performance center guns )...they have MIM parts and the internal frame lock ...and its a very different look than the older guns ( model 19's, 27's etc...) / they won't replace the older guns in my view, but there is nothing wrong with them either.

My all time favorite .357 Mag...is a 4", model 27-2, Nickel...its a great gun ( N frame of course ).

Model 66's in 2 1/2" and a 4" in my collection.
http://thefiringline.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=88633&d=1365177303

Some 4" 19's and 66's to the right ...a 686 6" at top ...and a model 27 6" blued..
http://thefiringline.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=85935&d=1357929955
 
I think you are spending way too much time reading internet forums. My first centerfire handgun was a model 19 with a 6" barrel. I bought 2 boxes of factory ammo and decided it was time to start reloading.

I had a Speer #10 manual and a single stage press. I reloaded every full power load in that book that I had powder and bullets for. And that included loads with 110gr bullets that were listed as getting 1700fps from that barrel length. And hundreds of full power 125gr bullets.

I never had one bit of trouble out of that gun after shooting at least 3000 rounds and probably a whole lot more than that. You should have seen my collection of empty Speer bullet boxes I had.

If you want a new gun I understand that. But don't sell your model 19 short. It is one of the very best 357 magnums you can own.
 
And I think the new internet buzz on the model 19 is that a dirty forcing cone may be what is causing split barrels. Maybe that is why I never had any trouble with mine. I was proud of it and cleaned after each shooting session and never allowed any carbon to build up on the barrel.
 
Bigjimp I will second what you said and add the Ruger GP 100 I do like the full under lug. Last year I sold most of my S&W I let 32 of them go BUT i keep some very good ones and I have one that has a double S# it came off a Indian reservation in AZ and bought in Tombstone AZ from the same gun shop that sold Wyatt Earp his gun. I have the papers with the gun I have the 25 gun that was 357 and it is not a 19 it was before the 19
 
Last edited:
I have three 686's. My first one digested all my handloaded ammo from Speer #10 - and well beyond - back when I loaded with more courage than common sense. Never had a problem and still shoots great today with no forcing cone - or any other - issues.

That said, I'm as Smith & Wesson as they come. But I have no doubt that Ruger builds a plenty sturdy product as well. Going to be hard to go wrong with either.
 
In the interest of full disclosure I am a hard core fan of S&W, particularly pinned and recessed S&W's.

For range use a pined and recessed mod 27 8&3/8" is hard to beat for control and accuracy and they are beautifully made with target tigers, hammers and grips. Although for some people the factory target grips might be better replaced with a good set of rubber grips.
 
The Model 19-3 I had was a great revolver...2.5" nickel. I've owned a 4" 686 also. My favorite S&W is a Model 15-3 38spl, the revolver I bought cheep during the great police revolver sell off, and which started me on Smiths.
Two years ago, I bought a 3" GP100, and it is an incredible shooter. The trigger rivals my well used Model 15. Maybe I got lucky, but prior to getting it, I read comments on the GP trigger, and read up on home trigger jobs.
After shooting mine, I decided I wasn't doing a thing to it.
 
S&W saw the deficiency in its K-framed guns and introduce its astounding 686 and vastly underrated 681 line of revolvers. Ruger saw the new S&W pistols and decided to arbitrarily increase the size and weight of its guns, significantly overbuilding an already overbuilt line of .357s! Ruger also took steel from its grip and converted it to a mainspring strut, and added it it to the gun's barrel, throwing the balance to the front of the gun! Although this appealed to some shooters, many outdoorsmen took one look at that extra steel and groaned.

I've always liked the K-framed .357s and the old Ruger Security-Six and Speed-Six revolvers. And I loved the 686s, their smooth double and crisp single actions, and their Colt Python-like accuracy. (As far as I could tell, the Ruger GP-100s delivered no boost in inherent accuracy. They weren't dogs, but they added nothing but weight to the gun and reduced recoil, but to shooters who carried the gun far more than shooting it, it felt like a boat anchor.)

Throughout the 80s, the sleek stainless 6-inch Ruger Security-Six and S&W 66s was often touted as great handgun hunters. But when those guns were discontinued, few of the new, heavier guns seemed to fill the vacancy.

So I vote for either the new rebooted S&W 66 or a used Ruger Security-Six.



In my journalism course in collage, we were taught not to add words until
we could add no more, but to delete words until we could delete no more. I
feel the same about steel. Although I believe the S&W 686/586/681/581s are
the finest.357s ever made from a production standpoint, if I had to carry one
in the wilderness, I'd pick the old Ruger Security-Six or a used S&W 66.

SW_Ruger_1.jpg


If I were shooting on the range, I'd choose the
S&W 686. But if I were hauling it out camping, hiking
or hunting, I'd go for a lighter gun that was not a
Taurus. Underlugs make revolvers too heavy, in my
view. If I was a casual or competition shooter, I'd
choose one of the S&W "L-frame" revolvers.
 
Last edited:
The Smith 686 and the Ruger GP100 are the two best contenders for your needs.I have both and use them quite a bit.

The Smith will probably have a better trigger, although the Ruger will be OK too...

Both are outstanding revolvers.
 
I stated in my earlier post that there is not a thing wrong with your model 19 and heavy loads. I wish the poster Wil Terry would come along and chime in. IIRC he has a model 19 with a recorded 50,000 rounds through it and its still clocking along.

With that I would say if you insist on a heavier gun I will support what the others have said and tell you to get a GP-100. I have one from the early 1990s and have shot God only knows how many thousands of rounds through it. It was my center fire falling plate gun and I won a shelf full of trophies with it and a Ruger MKI target model 22. But the vast majority of loads were light lead loads. You really don't need full power loads for range work. They get tiresome after a while.

I have no experience with the 586/686 but its an S&W and thats almost all you need to know about it. But for a range gun I would rather have a model 14 or a K-38. I will buy one when one comes along at a price I can justify.
 
Don't get too heavy of a gun, the 6" full lug GP100s are very nose heavy and fatiguing to shoot after a long range session.

You can always try to scrounge up one of the old discontinued half lug GP100s. They haven't made them in years, but they pop up from time to time on the auction sites and at gun shows. Those are great guns.
 
Model12Win

"...Don't get too heavy of a gun, the 6" full lug GP100s are very nose heavy and fatiguing to shoot after a long range session.

You can always try to scrounge up one of the old discontinued half lug GP100s. They haven't made them in years, but they pop up from time to time on the auction sites and at gun shows. Those are great guns..."

You mean like one of these? http://www.ruger.com/products/gp100MatchChampion/models.html
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top