What's stronger? GP100 or New Vaquero?

Super Sneaky Steve said:
I have no intention of blowing up either gun. I just want to know for my own knowledge, but if Ruger ever made another .357 Max revolver I'd be all over that.
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Ruger did offer the .357 Maximum at one time. I believe Ruger had a problem with flame cutting of the top strap and forcing cone erosion, both a common problem with the round. Dan Wesson was the most successful at the .357 maximum/Super Mag. The key to the flame cutting was running a tighter than normal barrel gap. The DW's ran .002.
 
Well they kinda do - and it's fairly cheap, too.

The recipe goes like so:

* Buy the basic model 357Mag Blackhawk large-frame "convertible" with a second cylinder in 9mm.

* Ship the 9mm cylinder off to Gary Reeder along with (about) $300.

* It comes back as a "356GNR", which is a 41Mag shell necked down to .357. That costs $200, plus $100 for his loading dies and data.

Net energy is very, VERY similar to the 357Mag but on a standard-length frame. The resulting gun is still a normal 357Mag with that cylinder in, or a total beast with the modified cylinder.
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Don't people still do the .357/.44 Bain & Davis also?
 
I think Gary's version makes more sense. The bottleneck part is less drastic, so you can crank the pressure up higher without the shell popping back out and tying the gun up.

And by starting with the 41 you have more cylinder beef in all directions.

Honestly, it *should* work in a NewVaq or other mid-frame but Gary won't build one except as a custom five-shot. NewVaqs reamed out to 41mag with a .41 barrel have been very successful. Gary has loading data for S&W six-shot N-frame 357s converted which are less pressure than the version of the same round for the large-frame Rugers. I strongly suspect a NewVaq six-shot 356GNR would be fine with that class of load but...yeah, Gary won't go there.

But in the large-frame, works awesome and it's not very expensive.
 
As I often tell my wife . . . "I have no opinion . . . " :D

I have three 357s . . . but I usually only shoot standard 38 spls in 'em . . . I guess that makes me safe from being stupid? :D:rolleyes:
 
The Ruger Redhawk .357 is pretty darned strong for a D/A revolver:eek:! Here are two photos of the cylinder on my Redhawk .357. The second photo is a comparison of the Redhawk .357 cylinder with a Smith& Wesson Model 27 cylinder:
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