My first revolver?

M

m88tow

Inactive
I am looking to get a revolver this spring. I am going to be using it for some recreational shooting but mainly for hunting whitetail deer. What caliber should I go with, .357 or .44 mag? By the way it will be a Smith and Wesson with which ever caliber that I go with.
 
if its good enough for the Navy Seals and years in the hands of law enforcement its good enough for me and you and everyone else.....686 S&W .357magnum oh and get the 686P for one extra round if you desire.
 
Also just to clarify, I am not a newbie to Revolvers just never owned one of my own. I have shot my fathers .357 many, many times. So any pointers on which caliber is best for say 20% recreational shooting and 80% hunting would be great.

The Body Bagger: Very true and good recommendation on that model. Thanks :)
 
New Smiths really aren't worth that much. You'll end up paying $700.00-$800.00 for a 686. Take a look at Guns America. There's alot of great deals on used S&W revolvers that are much better quality then the new Smiths. Yes go with the 357mag, it's cheaper and with the right load very capable of taking down deer!
 
You'll end up paying $700.00-$800.00 for a 686
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:eek: :eek: :eek: I just picked up my 4" 686P just 1 month ago for $525.00 at the local shop....Gander Mountain wanted $549.99 but I wasn't going to pay THAT much for it ! ;) You need to check around my friend.

Edit to add: what type of hunting are you planning on m88tow?
 
Mainly just whitetail deer. I usually hunt with my 12 guage but next season I want to try a revolver, just a little bit more of a challange.
 
m88tow,

I have taken whitetail deer with .357, .41, and .44 Magnums.. I can tell you that all three work wonders on deer. If I am shooting deer over 250lbs, I usually prefer a .41 or a .44 magnum. That is just a comfort thing for me, at that size your .357 shots if not accurate can leave the animal running and potentially lost. With all this said, deer are killed in almost every state in the union with .22 Long rifles. The .44 magnum is a very versatile caliber and if you decide to hunt larger game it will allow you that ability. .357 magnum will be much cheaper to shoot and even cheaper with target .38 specials. Good luck.

.44mag
 
I was going by suggested retail since I don't care for revolvers and therefore I'm not going to waste my time looking around.
 
Lost deer? Yes. I hit a rather broad buck in the chest with a 180 gr Winchester Supreme JHP 357 Magnum. I watched him disappear into the horizon. Sad sight. Would a 44 Magnum have dropped him? I doubt it. A 45 Long Colt might have. I lost a buck I hit side to side with a 30-30 a few years ago too. Big and slow works. I would look for a Model of 1955 in 45 Long Colt with a 6" barrel in a S&W. I would prefer a Ruger single action in 454 Casull loaded with 45 Long Colts.
 
You can lose a deer hit well ie. double lung shot with almost any gun, deer are very strong animals. I think that I will be going with the .44 mag, I just like the option of being able to hunt bigger game with the same revolver.
 
I was going by suggested retail since I don't care for revolvers and therefore I'm not going to waste my time looking around.
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and yet here you are in the revolver forum giving revolver advice :confused: Let me guess....you slept at a Holiday Inn® last night?
 
I was going by suggested retail since I don't care for revolvers
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Ruger all the way and in single action.

I know you said Smith and Wesson but a Ruger single action will be quicker to turn if you don't like it, and you won't take that hard a hit on it.
 
CZ75daddy0405,

While I have shot a few Rossi revolvers in my time that were enjoyable to shoot. But I have .357 loads in my reloading box that my GP100 digests every weekend that would destroy your 972 in a matter of shots. The Rossi's I have seen, held up well with factory SAAMI pressure loads. In that context, yes, they will keep up in my experience. Accuracy was great out of the two I shot that were 4+ length. Good luck with it.

.44mag
 
With your stated hunting emphasis, .44 Mag for the versatility as another(s) noted -- in a 6" Taurus or S&W if you don't mind the $$, or 6-1/2" Ruger Blackhawk (can get longer for even better hunting accuracy but then less wieldable and fun for other functions). I have a 5-1/2" Vaquero which is great but a handful, and (for this type hunting function) have thought about getting a 7-1/2 incher and having it shortened to the Blackhawk's (available) 6-1/2"--Vaqueros generally only being available in the Colt SAA-lengths. For your plinking or self defense, you can shoot .44 Specials as other (original) posts and replies have indicated neither the .44 Mag or Special is particularly cheap to shoot. If you reversed your priorities (type of shooting need), I'd choose a .357. In Az the whitetail are about the size of Weimareiners, so a .357 would be just fine. But back to the hunting focus, for larger mule-deer like eastern bucks, I'd rather have the .44 Mag.
 
"So any pointers on which caliber is best for say 20% recreational shooting and 80% hunting would be great."

Well, I may be a little late chiming in on this, but here's my 2 cents: If it were me, and I was looking for a 20/80 like you are, I'd go with the .44 Mag, at least a 6"er. No point in short changing yourself if hunting is going to be your primary purpose.

Now, for my case, I figure it to be more like 90/10, and it has to be useful for HD, too. I got a 4" 686.
 
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