Oh man! Did someone mention 3" Smiths?
For carry use, as a car/RV/home defense gun I'd say the Model 65 with 3" barrel is ideal. 13 is a close second, but the blued finish is a tad less user friendly, though even more beautiful. Some would argue, though, that blued guns conceal better because they're dark. That's an excellent point. But you just can't knock around a blued gun as much as a stainless gun and wind up keeping it looking as great. And stainless can be buffed, sanded, wooled, polished right at home for a revitalized finish. Bottom line... gotta have one of each!
For .357 I think a 2 1/2" barrel is just too danged short. And a 4" is too long for carry or glove box. 3" is perfect.
On a gun like this you don't want adjustable sights... they're not needed and can catch on clothing... I think they just get in the way. And let's be clear, these are not target guns... they're close range defense guns! And in that role... the 3" barrel, fixed-sighted, 6-shot, medium-frame .357 revolver IS pure defense gun perfection! That means S&W 13 or 65 with 3", or Ruger GP-100 3".
Smith & Wesson Model 65-5 .357 Magnum 3" barrel - Signature Pic
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Smith & Wesson Model 13-3 .357 Magnum 3" barrel
Brad Davis: action job, bobbed hammer, recontoured trigger
Also of much interest (very much interest to me!) is the Ruger GP-100 with 3" barrel. I have one in stainless and one blued and these are simply awesome revolvers as well. The actions are not quite the "feel" of Smith's (though they're definitely very nice in their own right!), and they absorb more recoil and are very rugged. They're nearly identical in dimensions to the Smith 13/65, but the cylinder is just a tad thicker. And they're a tad heavier than the Smiths.
These little GP-100's make shooting heavy loads even more comfortable than the Smith K-frames. An excellent alternative and a joy to shoot for hours on end. While the grip looks like a standard GP-100 grip, they are actually reduced in size from the larger GP-100 grips... making the gun that much more concealable. These grips, while smaller than standard GP-100 grips, are a little larger than SP-101 grip size... resulting in a compact but very comfortable grip size and no problem to pack.
Ruger GP-100 3" Barrel, Fixed sights, .357 magnum (KGPF-331)
Just got through testing some new loads tonight in this little GP-100 and I couldn't be more thrilled with this purchase. I almost hate to say it, but while I prefer the Smiths for their elegance, I actually prefer the GP-100 as a day to day working gun. The GP-100 makes shooting the powerful .357 just pure joy.
I would love to have a 681 or 581 (these are fixed sight L-frames) with a 3" tube, but they are exceptionally difficult to find!
NOTE: Ruger will be installing internal safety locks in their guns next year.. if you want one of these 3" GP-100's, without any funky keys and locks, you might want to act soon. Stainless version will run about $440 street price new and the blued version about $365 street price. Davidson's has the blue version on sale ($290 dealer cost) until January 15th. I know of no other source for the blued version. They're a close-out model. Expect a dealer to add about $25 shipping and $50 profit. The stainless version is available from RSR (also a closeout item!) and Jerry's. Get your dealer on it for you soon.
As for the Smith 13 or 65 with firing pins on the hammer and without internal locks, keep your eyes peeled on the used market. I bought the 65 shown above for $275 and the 13 for $301... found them on Gunbroker! The hammer-mounted firing pin is more desireable as you can lighten the action a little more on those and still get reliable ignition than you can with the frame-mounted firing pins on the newer Smiths.
For carry use, as a car/RV/home defense gun I'd say the Model 65 with 3" barrel is ideal. 13 is a close second, but the blued finish is a tad less user friendly, though even more beautiful. Some would argue, though, that blued guns conceal better because they're dark. That's an excellent point. But you just can't knock around a blued gun as much as a stainless gun and wind up keeping it looking as great. And stainless can be buffed, sanded, wooled, polished right at home for a revitalized finish. Bottom line... gotta have one of each!
For .357 I think a 2 1/2" barrel is just too danged short. And a 4" is too long for carry or glove box. 3" is perfect.
On a gun like this you don't want adjustable sights... they're not needed and can catch on clothing... I think they just get in the way. And let's be clear, these are not target guns... they're close range defense guns! And in that role... the 3" barrel, fixed-sighted, 6-shot, medium-frame .357 revolver IS pure defense gun perfection! That means S&W 13 or 65 with 3", or Ruger GP-100 3".
Smith & Wesson Model 65-5 .357 Magnum 3" barrel - Signature Pic
---------------------------------------------------------------
Smith & Wesson Model 13-3 .357 Magnum 3" barrel
Brad Davis: action job, bobbed hammer, recontoured trigger
Also of much interest (very much interest to me!) is the Ruger GP-100 with 3" barrel. I have one in stainless and one blued and these are simply awesome revolvers as well. The actions are not quite the "feel" of Smith's (though they're definitely very nice in their own right!), and they absorb more recoil and are very rugged. They're nearly identical in dimensions to the Smith 13/65, but the cylinder is just a tad thicker. And they're a tad heavier than the Smiths.
These little GP-100's make shooting heavy loads even more comfortable than the Smith K-frames. An excellent alternative and a joy to shoot for hours on end. While the grip looks like a standard GP-100 grip, they are actually reduced in size from the larger GP-100 grips... making the gun that much more concealable. These grips, while smaller than standard GP-100 grips, are a little larger than SP-101 grip size... resulting in a compact but very comfortable grip size and no problem to pack.
Ruger GP-100 3" Barrel, Fixed sights, .357 magnum (KGPF-331)
Just got through testing some new loads tonight in this little GP-100 and I couldn't be more thrilled with this purchase. I almost hate to say it, but while I prefer the Smiths for their elegance, I actually prefer the GP-100 as a day to day working gun. The GP-100 makes shooting the powerful .357 just pure joy.
I would love to have a 681 or 581 (these are fixed sight L-frames) with a 3" tube, but they are exceptionally difficult to find!
NOTE: Ruger will be installing internal safety locks in their guns next year.. if you want one of these 3" GP-100's, without any funky keys and locks, you might want to act soon. Stainless version will run about $440 street price new and the blued version about $365 street price. Davidson's has the blue version on sale ($290 dealer cost) until January 15th. I know of no other source for the blued version. They're a close-out model. Expect a dealer to add about $25 shipping and $50 profit. The stainless version is available from RSR (also a closeout item!) and Jerry's. Get your dealer on it for you soon.
As for the Smith 13 or 65 with firing pins on the hammer and without internal locks, keep your eyes peeled on the used market. I bought the 65 shown above for $275 and the 13 for $301... found them on Gunbroker! The hammer-mounted firing pin is more desireable as you can lighten the action a little more on those and still get reliable ignition than you can with the frame-mounted firing pins on the newer Smiths.
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