.357 Magnum Recommendations

[PopsBdog]

I'm going to buy one for woods camping and target shooting. I'm leaning toward a S&W 686 plus 6" barrel, or Ruger GP100 as a second choice.

I am in the market for a .357 too for home, hunting and camping. Those are the two revolvers I have settled on, the only other model I was thinking of was a Dan Wesson 15-2. They are known to be very accurate. Get the 6" for sure. All the power the .357 ammo can put out and good accuracy, plus 38's for plinking, you can't beat the combo.

Since we are in the woods .357 is minimum for Black Bear. And double action for sure.
Bear is the main reason I want one. My 9mm is not quit big enough for bear.

I would think it is a matter of price and condition which one I would get.
I don't think you would regret any of them. :yes:

 

[glockman99]

Forget Taurus or Rossi. Go with a 6" stainless Ruger GP-100 and you won't be sorry.

 

[BAMCIS]

If that was the case, there would be a Check out my new Python thread, instead if the one you are reading now lol.

You have a good point. If the OP ever shot one he'd probably be ruined for life and he'd have to have one. Then this thread would never have been started.

After transitioning to Glocks in the early 90's I sold my Python and regretted it almost as soon as the deal was done. I vowed I would be a Python owner again. Now I'm happy to say I have two.

My wife didn't see what was so special about a Python until she shot one. Which is kinda why there are two in my safe right now.

 

[derrickd95]

There are many different great 357 mag revolvers out there like the Smith 27 or the Smith 28-2 highway patrolman. Rugers, the security six and the blackhawk are great guns, they are easy to take apart and polish and replace the springs to your taste in trigger. the colts you have the king cobra, python and the lawman. lawman being the cheapest. But why stop there get a lever 357 mag too. winchester marlin and rossi all make them. plus ruger has convertibles.

 

[oremike]

I have a 4" Dan Wesson that fits nicely in my perceived weapon needs between my .22 semi auto pistol and my .45LC blackhawk. Much more punch than the .22, a whole less weight than the .45LC it's my woods carry choice in a fanny pack when hiking about.

 

[oknow]

But that is totally unneeded. In fact, 357 Mag could be the most nonsensical round ever invented. The crazy recoil, muzzle flash and loudness (depriving the shooter of control, blocking night vision and causing hearing damage) - all of that just to propel a ~9.5mm bullet (and p**s off your neighbors at the range)? I can understand why the police may need to shoot 357 through cars, but it is simply a poor choice for "target shooting" which the OP said he planned to do.

Next you will be telling him what he ate for breakfast is not righ also.

 

[Netspirit]

Next you will be telling him what he ate for breakfast is not righ also.

If he asked "what kind of donuts should I eat for breakfast so that I can lose weight fast?" I would tell him that he is wrong in his assumptions.

Buying .357 (or .44, or 500 S&W, ...) for the stated purpose of "target practice" (and then mostly shoot .38spl anyway) is just as odd. There are a lot of good .38spl (+P) options on the market for that purpose. If the OP is looking for a bonus of using .357 for home defense then he should read some reports from people who had to shoot several rounds (because it is not a "one shot stopper") of .357 - indoors, without hearing protection, and then decide for himself if that is a good idea.

Someone above correctly stated that .357 can be reloaded with a wide variety of grains, so the blast/flash/recoil can be made quite mild, etc. But that basically means scaling .357 down to .38, which the OP can buy and use for his stated purpose of "target practice" in the first place.

For a revolver I would personally choose .22, or .38 spl + P, or 45ACP, depending on its purpose.

 

[Blitzkrieg]

But that is totally unneeded. In fact, 357 Mag could be the most nonsensical round ever invented. The crazy recoil, muzzle flash and loudness (depriving the shooter of control, blocking night vision and causing hearing damage) - all of that just to propel a ~9.5mm bullet (and p**s off your neighbors at the range)? I can understand why the police may need to shoot 357 through cars, but it is simply a poor choice for "target shooting" which the OP said he planned to do.

Voted most goofy post of the week

 

[oknow]

If he asked "what kind of donuts should I eat for breakfast so that I can lose weight fast?" I would tell him that he is wrong in his assumptions.

Buying .357 (or .44, or 500 S&W, ...) for the stated purpose of "target practice" (and then mostly shoot .38spl anyway) is just as odd. There are a lot of good .38spl (+P) options on the market for that purpose. If the OP is looking for a bonus of using .357 for home defense then he should read some reports from people who had to shoot several rounds (because it is not a "one shot stopper") of .357 - indoors, without hearing protection, and then decide for himself if that is a good idea.

Someone above correctly stated that .357 can be reloaded with a wide variety of grains, so the blast/flash/recoil can be made quite mild, etc. But that basically means scaling .357 down to .38, which the OP can buy and use for his stated purpose of "target practice" in the first place.

Consider this some people just like the thump from a big gun. I fell in love with a 454 just for target practice I guess I'm wrong too. In using your logic we only need one handgun or one rifle In 22 caliber instead of seven or eight For target practice In different calibers.
In other words it's what he wants not what he needs

 

[Netspirit]

Consider this some people just like the thump from a big gun.

That would be a whole different story, yeah. I am guilty myself of buying a few magnum shotgun shells just to withness the Second Coming before it actually happens. )

The OP said "target practice" so I assumed "precision plinking". 357 Magnum is not really made for punching holes in targets unless the target is driving a vehicle, like Bonnie and Clyde were:

 

[oknow]

That would be a whole different story, yeah. I am guilty myself of buying a few magnum shotgun shells just to withness the Second Coming before it actually happens. )

The OP said "target practice" so I assumed "precision plinking". 357 Magnum is not really made for punching holes in targets unless the target is driving a vehicle, like Bonnie and Clyde were:

***/u/me. Not a good way to live it sometimes gets Embarrassing.

 

[oremike]

I target practice with all my guns, whether it's shooting clays with the 12ga, paper and pop cans with handguns, or long rang high power. It's all about what I enjoy and being proficient at it.
One thing about the 38/357 debate, I load 38 level target loads in 357 cases so the bullets don't have to jump that extra .10 of an inch to engage the rifling, I believe it makes for a more accurate load.

Oh and Bonnie and Clyde were shot with BAR's

 

[unklekippy]

The Blackhawk is a great gun (as all Rugers) but I found the balance terrible on the 7" one I used to own. I was told the late model Blackhawks use the same frame as the Super hence the poor balance. I sold it for just that reason.

While the best(opinion) BH is a 4&5/8", the SBH is absolutely perfect with the 7&1/2" barrel. The grip frames are the same, but I personally have never had a balance issue. The original BH frame was smaller, as was the original .44 BH. in '60('61?) the frame of the .44 was changed to the SBH frame to handle the pressures of max load .44mag loads. In '72(again, I could be off a year or two) we saw the release of the current XR-3 grip frame. With the release of the 50th Anniversary BH's in '03, we saw the original, smaller grip frame on that model.

As an example, this is why Three-screw BH's are used to make .44Spl. conversions. Converting a NMBH would give you the same size gun as the .44 SBH, so what's the point, when you could simply put Specials in your Magnum?

 

[unklekippy]

You have a good point. If the OP ever shot one he'd probably be ruined for life and he'd have to have one. Then this thread would never have been started.

After transitioning to Glocks in the early 90's I sold my Python and regretted it almost as soon as the deal was done. I vowed I would be a Python owner again. Now I'm happy to say I have two.

My wife didn't see what was so special about a Python until she shot one. Which is kinda why there are two in my safe right now.

Any S&W blows away the Python. The Python may group 1/4" better at 25 yards and it may have a slightly better "balance", but it has a MUCH weaker action and that action isn't nearly as smooth. All that for only 3-4 times the price!

John Henry Fitzgerald("Fitz", of Colt's fame) tried for years to get Ed McGivern, Elmer Keith, Phil Sharpe, Bill Jordan and so many other famous greats to switch from S&W to Colt. The only one that wold even come close was Charley Askins Jr. and even then, while he loved his Colt's New Service(an unnecessarily large pistol and, like most Colt's, unfortunately fragile.) he refused to give up his S&W's.

Now, why would all the greatest sixgunners of the 20th Century refuse FREE guns that were worth more than any S&W? It's because they simply refused to give up their S&W's(which in a lot of cases were paid for out of their pockets), which was part of the deal. I have done my own research. The opinions of the greatest shooters ever means a lot to me, still.

 

[unklekippy]

I target practice with all my guns, whether it's shooting clays with the 12ga, paper and pop cans with handguns, or long rang high power. It's all about what I enjoy and being proficient at it.
One thing about the 38/357 debate, I load 38 level target loads in 357 cases so the bullets don't have to jump that extra .10 of an inch to engage the rifling, I believe it makes for a more accurate load.

Oh and Bonnie and Clyde were shot with BAR's

Technically, Bonnie and Clyde were shot with Colt Monitor's, which were a civilian version of the BAR.

 

[unklekippy]

That would be a whole different story, yeah. I am guilty myself of buying a few magnum shotgun shells just to withness the Second Coming before it actually happens. )

The OP said "target practice" so I assumed "precision plinking". 357 Magnum is not really made for punching holes in targets unless the target is driving a vehicle, like Bonnie and Clyde were:

This photo is from May 23rd. 1934. The .357 Magnum at that point was still being developed by Phil Sharpe and Elmer Keith. It arrived in 1935.

By the way, Sharpe and Keith went with S&W for the first .357 mags. They did that because of a stronger and smoother action than the Colt. It really is that simple.

 

[Dapapadon]

First handgun I bought was a Taurus 38 special from a co-worker back in the 80s. Loved it, but hurt it shooting +P loads in it and it went down the road. If I only owned one 38/357 it would be a 357. Most guys that shoot regularly want to shoot the "thumpers" along with the lighter target loads. Me included.

For what it's worth I own a Blackhawk convertible, a SS New Vaquero, a 686+ and Taurus' in .38 special & .357 Mag. Can't say it's my favorite but the BH convertible is the one I shoot the most. I bought it used at half the cost of the S&W 686+. When I bought it I could get 9mm for $4 a box cheaper than 38s so it's had several 9mms through it.

Next in this caliber line for me will be another smaller S&W, a Ruger Security Six or a GP100. Preferably .357 mag. Come to think of it I wouldn't mind another BH, a New Model this time with a 6" or so barrel.

 

[oremike]

My Blackhawk is a Bisley that I had bobbed to 6", much better balance and still shoots an 8" group at 100yds with my pet hand load.

 

[Sgt Nambu]

Which is best? Up to you! I will say, shoot a single action before you buy one! I, personally, dislike them. I'm not saying that they are bad revolvers, just different! Also, the .357 lives and dies by velocity, so really consider a 6". Good luck on your purchase!

 

[jbett98]

Ruger Security Six in Stainless Steel with Pachmayr Presentation grips and a Wolff reduced spring kit.

Very accurate, affordable, probably the easiest revolver to take apart and built to last a couple of lifetimes.

I picked up some .357 Magnum reloads from an estate sale, and they are the hottest Magnum loads I have ever shot.
When I go out to my friends farm to shoot, we take turns loading up the Ruger Security Six with a mixed load of .38's and some of those fireball express loads, then hand the gun over for the other guy to shoot.
It's a real surprise when you touch off one of the hot ones.

My mint 6" bright polished SS Python never leaves the gun safe, it's too pretty to shoot.