6" 357 Magnums - what do you do with them?

[FourTeeFive]

Obviously you shoot them. But other than having a bit of fun, they long barrel guns don't seem overly practical. I rarely do much with mine, so I'm contemplating selling them while prices are insanely high.

Any particular reason I should keep? I've got some snubbies, a 3" SP101, and a 4" GP100. So it's not like I'd miss a 6" too much.

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[trevi]

Well, if you hunt, some states may have minimum barrel length requirements. WA as I understand has a 6in min and .40 cal minimum for handguns.

How well can you shoot the 3 and 4in? Is it comfortable to shoot compared to the longer barrel?

 

[solv3nt]

Are revolver prices up?

 

[titsonritz]

A 6" barrel is right where .357 starts to liven up.

 

[FourTeeFive]

Well, if you hunt, some states may have minimum barrel length requirements. WA as I understand has a 6in min and .40 cal minimum for handguns.

How well can you shoot the 3 and 4in? Is it comfortable to shoot compared to the longer barrel?

I've thought about looking into handgun hunting but in reality it is way down on my list of things to do. I could definitely see a 6" or longer .41 Magnum for handgun hunting.

I can shoot the 3" and 4" well enough; the 3" is more of a defensive piece as it is small and has gutter sights. But the 4" has decent target sights, a full lug barrel, and is accurate enough. I take it camping mostly.

 

[FourTeeFive]

A 6" barrel is right where .357 starts to liven up.

No doubt the ballistics get interesting. Which is why I have a .357 lever-action carbine.

 

[FourTeeFive]

Are revolver prices up?

Yes, they're getting pretty silly, although 6" are lagging behind more practical guns. Check this out as a recent sold example:

GunBroker.com - Error

 

[trevi]

Are revolver prices up?

Was looking at a particular revolver 9mm Luger, yep, it is going for more than I am willing to pay. And the Taurus Raging Judge is going for double.

 

[nwwoodsman]

Why did you buy a 6" .357 in the first place? If that reason no longer applies, you can probably send it down the road with no regrets. I have a 6" GP100 that is my primary sidearm while hunting. It is a helluva range gun, being able to make shots that would be a little trickier with the shorter and lighter SP101. Being a bit on the heavy side, it soaks up the recoil and I can put more rounds down range before bubbleguming about sore wrist or fatigue

 

[FourTeeFive]

Why did you buy a 6" .357 in the first place? If that reason no longer applies, you can probably send it down the road with no regrets. I have a 6" GP100 that is my primary sidearm while hunting. Itis a helluva range gun, being able to make shot that would be a little trickier with the shorter and lighter SP101. Being a bit on the heavy side, it soaks up the recoil and I can put more rounds down range before bubbleguming about sore wrist or fatigue

Honestly part of it was just the cool factor and the look. They're definitely fun to shoot! I've got two six inch 357 so I might just sell one of them and keep the other. Just really can't see carrying it around, even when hiking. But yes, the full lug GP100 that I have is about as soft shooting as you get with heavy loads. The 4" full lug GP100 isn't too bad either. The 3" SP101 definitely gets a little uncomfortable after a while, just because there is so much less mass there.

 

[CLT65]

My first revolver was a Dan Wesson .357 magnum with a 15" barrel. After a while I did get tired of the the long barrel, and switched it out for a short little 6" barrel- much better!

One of my favorite revolvers now is a S&W 629 8 3/8" .44 mag. It's a lot more enjoyable to shoot than the 3" model 29.

It just depends on what you want to do with them, as to whether they're practical for you or not. I sure wouldn't care to carry the 629 concealed.

 

[OldBroad44]

A 6" barrel is where shooting full load .44 mag becomes pleasant for me. At shorter barrel lengths I prefer .357 mag. I prefer the under-lugged style barrels in shorter barrel revolvers. And an under lugged 6" .357 is nearly as big and heavy as an under-lugged 6" .44. So when I move up to 6", I prefer .44. I used to have 6" .357s before I got into .44s. These days I have just one .357, a 686 snubby, and have no intentions of getting more. And I have two .44s, a SW 8 3/8" 629 and a Ruger Super Redhawk 9 1/2", and also want several others, including a SW 629 Classic 6 1/2". (Super Redhawk barrels are so heavy they give the muzzle-heavy balance I like without under lugging. Likewise, the 8 3/8" SW 629 standard is muzzle-heavy without underlugging because of the barrel length.) (Re SW vs Ruger .44s, I like SWs for their lighter smoother actions and lighter overall weight. And I like Rugers for their ability to shoot .44 mag +P and +P+ loads, which takes the .44 up into Casull level power.)

The .44 is much better for hunting medium game than the .357. While I have successfully taken deer with a .357, this was before I got into .44s. The .44 mag gives somewhat greater flexibility in bullet placement and somewhat greater range than does the .357 for deer a size animals. And for elk in Oregon, .357 mag is not even legal, or at least wasn't back when I last looked.

On a very long camping trip where rabbit stew mattered but it wasn't deer season, a 6" .357 might still be the best choice, as the ammo is considerably lighter. Assuming you can carry the gun comfortably. A 6" .357 is a great gun for teaching beginners. Loaded with .38sp wadcutters, its like shooting a .22.

Back in my hiking/camping days, which was before my .44 era, 6" .357 mags were my favorite woods guns. They were easy for me to carry concealed in a simple slide holster on my belt in 4 o'clock position. (But not with an actual holster)The shape of the revolvers complemented that of my female body in the waist region. I normally did some shooting every day while hiking or camping. For concealed carry in urban areas or situations where I'm not expecting to do any shooting or when its too hot to easily conceal a gun on my belt, I prefer a smaller gun that I can put in a fanny pack when I want. That's where my .357 snubby shines.

 

[po18guy]

Obviously you shoot them. But other than having a bit of fun, they long barrel guns don't seem overly practical. I rarely do much with mine, so I'm contemplating selling them while prices are insanely high.

Any particular reason I should keep? I've got some snubbies, a 3" SP101, and a 4" GP100. So it's not like I'd miss a 6" too much.

Nice.
Shoulder.
Rig.

 

[Certaindeaf]

Well, if you hunt, some states may have minimum barrel length requirements. WA as I understand has a 6in min and .40 cal minimum for handguns.

How well can you shoot the 3 and 4in? Is it comfortable to shoot compared to the longer barrel?

Jeez, Washington sucks.

 

[Certaindeaf]

I'd sell them. I've owned very few revolvers with barrels longer than 4".
Even when I lived on a horse in Montana a 4" .44 magnum was heavy and long enough.

 

[coop44]

A 6" barrel is right where .357 starts to liven up.

From 6-10 inches the 357 becomes a viable distance/hunting cartridge shorter than that you might as well be shooting 38 special. So much is lost in unburned powder and recoil in a short 357, I see a big muzzle flash as nothing but a waste.

 

[OldBroad44]

From 6-10 inches the 357 becomes a viable distance/hunting cartridge shorter than that you might as well be shooting 38 special. So much is lost in unburned powder and recoil in a short 357, I see a big muzzle flash as nothing but a waste.

Shorter barrel .357s can be effective hunting guns if you get ammo designed for short barrels. These have faster burning powders that expend nearly all their energy in a 2 1/2" barrel. See the short barrel .357 and .38 sp ammo at Buffalo Bore, which gives velocities at several barrel lengths. "Short barrel" is right in the name of the ammo.

Back when I had two Ruger Security Sixes as my main guns, one was 2 1/2", the other 6". I could keep everything on an 8" paper plate at 40 yards, with 6 round groups normally about 5". This was offhand, SA. I couldn't get any more precision from the 6" than the 2 1/2". Also couldn't do any better from sitting or table rest. However, with the 6-incher I could shoot many types of ammo and get good performance. And the 6-incher is much better for point shooting without using the sights. Or for shooting from the hip.

 

[esbshaw]

FWIW - I have two model 28-2s, a 4" and a 6". If push came to shove I'd keep the 6" with no second thoughts. Just watch a few episodes of Gunsmoke. Matt Dillon pulling that 7.5" Colt SAA makes a 6" barrel look downright petite and dainty!

 

[Andy54Hawken]

A proper fitting and styled holster , along with a sturdy gun belt , goes a long way with ease of carrying handguns.
That said...you will go through a lot of holsters and belts , till you find the combination that works for you.
Andy

 

[Nosferatu]

Well, if you hunt, some states may have minimum barrel length requirements. WA as I understand has a 6in min and .40 cal minimum for handguns.

How well can you shoot the 3 and 4in? Is it comfortable to shoot compared to the longer barrel?

Almost right, which these days passes for subject matter expert.