help me decide on a new 357 revolver

I've been running whatever I want through my 66 for 20 years now.
Rebs, I think you should get a couple boxes of 158 gr magnums and put them through your 19. Let it flex its muscles a little. Let it feel good about itself.
 
I have just bought a S&W 686 with 6 in barrel, haven't got to the range yet, i like the look and feel of the gun looking forward to shooting it. The S&W 686 and Ruger GP100 are the revolvers you will see most on the ranges here.
 
Fiocchi tends to run a little hot, so I run most of my target shooting with that in .38 special. Then I run a cylinder or two of .357 magnum near the end just to appreciate the difference. Because of the bottom mounted barrel on my Chiappa Rhino, there's not a huge difference, but it's there. I can one hand off hand shoot it with .357 magnum and do close to my normal on hand two hand performance if I shoot slower.
You might want to consider one in a 6" barrel.
 
I have pretty much decided I am going to shoot 158 grain in my 19-3 and enjoy it. I love the gun but was just hesitant about the forcing cone. It has the target hammer and trigger. This is the first hand gun I bought back in the 70's and I didn't want to ruin it.
Thank you for all your help, I appreciate it.
 
Your K-frame, Model 19 is fine for sustained firing of .38 Special rounds and moderate firing of .357 Magnum loads. If you plan on shooting .357 Magnum cartridges a lot-especially those with 125 grain bullets, I would get the slightly more robust L-frame. The heavier Model 686 and its ilk will have less recoil and, accordingly, offer better control for repeat shots.
 
Since you already have a classic double action a classic single action would round out your 357 battery....Ruger Blackhawk's are retro cool and tough as nails.
Gary
 
BY chance I met a guy at the range yesterday that was shooting a model 19-2 4" the same as mine. I noticed it was loud and recoil looked more than I get. I asked him what he was shooting and he said 158 gr JHP magnums. He said he doesn't reload and all he has shot in his was full factory 158 gr magnum rounds. He had put thousands through it since he bought it in the mid seventies. I asked if I could see it and felt the cylinder lockup and it was quite tight, hardly no play at all. I am going to occasionally shoot a box of them through mine. I will be 70 in November and I guess I should enjoy my model 19 while I am still able to enjoy shooting.
 
The best choice could be a S&W 686 SSR ... this revolver gets the Pro shop touches on the trigger ... And its a 4 inch ... better if you plan to carry ...
 
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I'm glad you've decided to just enjoy your model 19. Good call.

I love shooting .38spl out of my 6" S&W 586. It feels like a pop-gun with that full underlug barrel!
 
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