big al hunter
New member
If capacity matters more than size, check out the Ruger RedHawk in 357 mag. Comes with an 8 shot cylinder
I will suggest S&W 627 8 shot 38/357 or a S&W 929 9 mm 8 shotpossibly IPSC revolver.
but this raises the issue of what happens if light loads meant for the revolver end up in the automatic - not dangerous, just frustrating.
Reloading 9mm for a semi auto, you may have heard (or had to deal with) "bullet set back". With a revolver the issue is exactly the opposite. Bullet "creep" or "jump" (aka "jumping the crimp")
In a revolver, recoil acts on the rounds like a bullet puller. The gun, firmly holding the case, recoils away from the bullet, which inertia tries to keep in place. The amount of pull varies a lot due to several different factors, which is why we crimp (roll crimp) revolver rounds.
Not quite sure what you mean by "bullets in a slightly larger caliber". The bullets are the same diameter and interchangeable. Use the same dies adjusted for .38 spl. and add a .125" washer to the press to switch to .357. Easily done. I vote for the GP100. The only downside is an erosion of the chamber if you shoot thousands of .38, making high pressure .357 had to extract.SPECIFICATION
Intended use: Casual shooting, possibly IPSC revolver.
Restrictions: I live in Canada, so ultra-compact revolvers are off the table (minimum barrel length is at least 4 inches IIRC) and self-defence use is not a consideration. The silver lining is that I don't have to be able to wear it all day, it doesn't have to be concealable, and I can carry it holstered openly when on the range.
Considerations for calibre: I have all the necessary gear for reloading 9mm, and have considered a 9mm Parabellum revolver for commonality. I could down-load 9mm for low recoil without cycling issues, but this raises the issue of what happens if light loads meant for the revolver end up in the automatic - not dangerous, just frustrating.
The alternatives, therefore, are .357 Magnum and .38 Special. A .357 Magnum revolver suggests itself due to being able to use both types of ammunition, but can the experienced hands tell me if there is any downside at all with feeding a .357 a steady diet of .38 Special? The only downside of this is the need to buy an extra set of reloading dies, have bullets in the ever so slightly larger calibre, etc.
Not throat erosion, chamber erosion. Each chamber will develop a bit of erosion at the end of the .38 brass due to gases eroding the steel over a period of time.You can see this as a ring and feel it with a pick. Then when you shoot high pressure .357 the brass will flow (fire forming) into the eroded area of the chamber and cause .357 brass difficult to extract. It will take a lot of .38s to cause this due to their low pressure, but can be remedied by careful use of a mop and paste with fine grit to polish the chambers.Interesting, I’ve never heard of throat erosion in a revolver from shooting .38sp in a .357 mag.
Bought my GP100 in 1993. After a couple of months decided the action was too hard and gritty. Using stones and files I polished the sear, the hammer strut and the inside of a the strut spring with a fine rat tail file. Smoothed the the sides of the hammer and the frame and did everything I could to polish the inside of the cylinder, extractor and crane assembly that contacts the cylinder wall. That provided a SA pull that is short and not more than a couple of pounds. Double action is smooth but still fairly heavy, moving a lot of mass when loaded. As the man said, GPs can be made very smooth.If you have very large hands look at the N frame S&W model 27. I never have owned an N frame because they just felt a bit too large for my hands. If you like how they feel then that opens up other calibers to choose from such as .41Mag, .44Special, .44Mag, .45 Colt, .45ACP and then the hotter ones.
You may not be impressed with any of the triggers on new production guns. If you go to the range where they are competing I'm sure most shooters will love to let you check out the feel of some smoothed out revolvers. I'm partial to the older 586/686 but was amazed how smooth a GP100 can be made.
If you are serious about competing and want to be competitive, now is the time to listen to those who do compete so you pick the right model the first time. Otherwise you may be handicapping yourself. Find out now if you will want 6, 7 or 8 rounds in the cylinder and why.