Best 357 revolver

[fireninja13]

Overall, for strength, reliability, build quality, factory trigger, finish, price, etc. my vote is for a Pre-Lock, Pre-MIM, S&W 686+

Mine w/ a 6" barrel and factory Hogue grips is at the very top of my "never sell and never trade" list.

 

[Iceberg]

S&W M27 w/ 4" bbl. 327PC is a close 2nd. I love "N" frames.

 

[Chipperxd]

As soon as the budget allows, I am getting a 627 Pro or PC.

Who doesn't like a 8 shot revolver?

 

[orygun]

Overall, for strength, reliability, build quality, factory trigger, finish, price, etc. my vote is for a Pre-Lock, Pre-MIM, S&W 686+

Mine w/ a 6" barrel and factory Hogue grips is at the very top of my "never sell and never trade" list.

Mine was a 4" and I wish I'd never sold it. Got blindsided by the 10mm bug. Not what I expected it to be and by then, the Smith was gone...

 

[bigblue]

I have a 4" 686+ and it is my goto trail gun. Its lifetime partner is a pre-Remlin Marlin 1894C. I disabled the lock in the 686 without issue by Dremeling down the catch part to be flush with the locking lever and then put the lever part back in ... maybe 15 minutes all told and stoned and polished all the contact parts in the process.

 

[Howard1955]

For the value and built like a tank, 5 inch Gp100 stainless. Very accurate.

I agree with Salps on the GP100. The 6" barrel seemed a bit too heavy on the front end, but the 5" feels just right to me. Stainless is easier to keep the rust off. A cowboy holster for the farm, a crossdraw holster for town - either way, it's a great gun.

A Buffalo Bore 180 hard cast from this gun will drop a deer where it stands.

 

[Howard1955]

Just one?!

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"Meanwhile, at Taurus..."

Oh, man, that made me laugh. Thanks.

 

[Dr_Lou]

Great cartridge! What its primary use? This will help determine proper barrel length. Mine's for CCW. My favorite is the S&W 66 2.5"

 

[fireninja13]

I agree with Salps on the GP100. The 6" barrel seemed a bit too heavy on the front end, but the 5" feels just right to me. Stainless is easier to keep the rust off. A cowboy holster for the farm, a crossdraw holster for town - either way, it's a great gun.

A Buffalo Bore 180 hard cast from this gun will drop a deer where it stands.

View attachment 318187

To really get the full potential from the .357 Magnum you really need to go over 4" barrel length. This site is great: BBTI - Ballistics by the Inch :: .357 Mag Results

Here is their muzzle energy graph by barrel length for different popular ammo. Tells a very interesting story. . .

 

[muggers29536]

S&W 686+ 2 3/4"(7 holes),S&W 327 M&P TR8 (357mag, 8 holes), and the Governor 45acp (45LC, 45acp, 410 shotshells, 6 holes), once a week range trips....Aahhhh! Life is Good!

 

[Guardian 380]

Love those Smiths. After years of shooting 6, the TRR8 seems to go on forever between reloads.

 

[Sgt Nambu]

View attachment 318342 Great cartridge! What its primary use? This will help determine proper barrel length. Mine's for CCW. My favorite is the S&W 66 2.5"

Love the 2.5" 66! Miss mine, what a flame thrower at night!

 

[Guardian 380]

Love the 2.5" 66! Miss mine, what a flame thrower at night!

I have one in the Model 19 and it is a flame thrower indeed. Quite the looker as well.

 

[Crohnos01]

I have on my wishlist a GP100... A buddy of mine has one and its a sweet shooter. Mind you, it took about 300 rounds before it broke in and became a good shooter, but it definitely shoots well now.

However, my personal favorite is my 6" royal blue Python... I can put 6 shots through the same hole at 10 yards all day long with that sweetheart... That being said, I bought it used in 1982 for $400. To replace it today would cost me a kidney, so I shoot it once a year just to fall in love with it all over again.
For a nice every day shooter though, my money's on the GP100

 

[Cigarlvr313]

We are split here, I like Colt and my Wife prefers her S&W

 

[Cigarlvr313]

I might add that these are both from a time (70's) that a working man could afford to buy them......lol

 

[Sgt Nambu]

I might add that these are both from a time (70's) that a working man could afford to buy them......lol

Truth!!!
Wish I'd invested more in them then. I have never owned a snake gun, and at this stage I probably never will. To me, the Colt Diamondback is the very picture of a perfectly proportioned, perfectly beautiful revolver!
Also, IMHO, S&W's revolvers aren't as quality as they once were, and Ruger builds to a better standard than they once did! Again, just MHO!
This darned thread has got me hankering to replace my beloved S&W 686 6"! I've got enough autoloaders for the rest of my days, but only three revolvers left!



Here's one of them. S&W .38spl (+P), 3", "J" frame.

 

[DB is Here]

The TR8 & 686 are on my bucket list...just so nice to look at.

 

[RVTECH]

I shot a very nice (and early) 4" Mod 66 over the weekend. It had a Wolff spring kit and had almost TOO light of a trigger but I put six into close to 2" at 17 yards and with a little more practice could have done better.

 

[Cigarlvr313]

Just to help put things into perspective. The Python was a "Carry" and "Work" gun for Police Officers, so was the S&W when we bought those.