info need about taurus m617 (first revolver)

L

Liquid

New member
well i am looking into buying a revolver for ccw. i currently have a glock 26 but after seeing my step sisters taurus i was impressed about how easy it is to conceal. i think she has the 85 ultra light with the hammer not ported, unfortunately i did not get to shot it. now for my self i was thinking something more in the way of a .357. i was also informed that .357's can shoot .38's if so are they as accurate and why would anyone buy a regualr .38? now am thinking about the m617 since i would have 7 bullets, i am used to at least 10 in my glock so 7 sounds better to me then 5. now i hear that the .357 is a powerful bullet and if this is the case should i get multialloy/total titanium that weights 16oz or stainless that weight 29 oz, which metal would last longer? another thing i am thinking about is getting it ported. at first i was going to get a 19c but then i was told buy a few people if i have to shoot at night i will see a big flash and since its only a 9mm i just went with the 26. now since the revolver has a 2" barrel i am sure there is going to a be a lot of flash anyway so would porting do me any harm, and i would look into getting low flash defense bullets. also i would be getting hammerless since i intend on keeping it in my front pocket and i wouldn't want it to snag.

thanks
james
 
Great thoughts and many great questions. For a concealed carry 357 snubbie, you will get a quandry of answers here. I will jump in with my 2 cents and explain my reasoning, for what its worth.

A 357 snubbie is, always has been and IMO always will be a great CCW. Its small, not heavy, dependable and powerful.
Most will agree with that.

Regarding the 617 7 shot vs the 605 5 shot, especially for concealling in a front pocket...I would go with the 5 shot. The cylinder is much smaller and makes it more easily hidden. The gain of 2 shots is questionable with a good speed loader and practice using it.

Porting on a 357 snubbie, has good and bad points...there is really no difference in the flash between ported and non ported 357 snubbies...I did my own "backyard" testing with a Rossi, Ruger and Taurus...very little difference. The negatives are porting sends stuff your direction you may not want or may not be safe is fired close to your body.....thats what I hear here and it makes a little sense.

A light gun vs a steel gun of this caliber/size is still up in the air.
Sure its light....you dont even know its there...I have looked hard
at the Scandium guns.....oooh ahhhh! But I dont know how they will hold up to a lifetime of 357 mag rounds run thru them. The
weight of a 5 shot snubbie isnt that much, but enough to help curb the recoil quite a bit.

I have shot many 357's, some snubbies and I carry a 6 shot steel snubbie almost all of the time. It weighs 25 oz unloaded and when you shoot hotter loads thru it..you feel it. I dont know if I want to shoot a lighter gun with the same ammo.

You can shoot 38 special ammo thru a 357...why? Because its mostly cheaper and at the range...getting used to your gun and how it shoots...is ALOT less hard on you and the gun. You can shoot it all day and not worry about getting stung" like the mag
loads can do after a while.

Good luck and shoot well.
 
You will definitely like the stainless better for shooting. If you want a good 7-shot, check out the SW 686 - plus before you buy. I think you'll find the trigger is a lot smoother.

BTW: with a snubby barrel, the advantage of .357 in muzzle energy over .38 +p is not too much. I wouldn't put magnums in acarry gun because they tend to penetrate too much and have a high risk of hitting somebody behind the target. A .38 +p hollow point will cut a guy in half at close range, don't know how much more power you need than that.
 
Just for the sake of putting #'s up...(I like #'s ;) ) The average snubby 357 has 375-400 FPE...typical of a 4" barrel 9mm load.
A snubby 38 with +P loads averages...200-225 FPE..typical of
a good .380 from a 4" barrel....
The 357 is twice the energy producer...but you feel it!
Shoot well
 
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