For the shooting...not for carry...it's a toss up between my Smith M27 with a 5" bbl, and a Ruger Flat Top with a 4-5/8" bbl. Both are heavy enough to enjoy range time with most any load and with a long enough bbl. to see some real precision...if any is still left in my 75 yo eyes. From a solid rest (keith's old long range position with knees drawn up and the gun held with a solid back rest), either gun in my examples will produce near 1" groups at 25+ yards on demand with my loads...

Skeeter once wrote that a 5" Smith M27 was his idea of a perfect .357 and I'd have to agree but for the short cylinder that precludes crimping Keith's Lyman 358429, a-170 grain SWC, in the designated crimping groove...the Ruger Flat Top is not subject to that limitation but it does lack the DA mode of fire...which I personally enjoy.

YMMv but make mine one of those two...Rod

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Rodfac,

S&W 586 L-Comp. L frame with a 3" barrel. This is a sweet pistol that's fun to shoot. I only have one other .357 (Taurus Mod 66), so It's easy for the 586 to be the favorite.

quote:

Originally posted by JD DRIVER:
My favorite to shoot is a 686 hands down.

Your mouth to God's ear. I have a 4" and a 6", would recommend the 686 series in a heartbeat to anyone looking for an all-around workhorse that looks good and is fun to shoot.

S&W model 28 Highway Patrolman

Has anyone seen or tried the Taurus 692 that is a 7-shot that comes with separate cylinders that can fire 9mm and 38-special / 357 magnum ??? Looks like they come in 2.5; 3, and 6.5-inch barrel lengths. God Bless

Has anyone seen or tried the Taurus 692 that is a 7-shot that comes with separate cylinders that can fire 9mm and 38-special / 357 magnum ??? Looks like they come in 2.5; 3, and 6.5-inch barrel lengths. God Bless

quote:

Has anyone seen or tried the Taurus 692 that is a 7-shot that comes with separate cylinders that can fire 9mm and 38-special / 357 magnum ??? Looks like they come in 2.5; 3, and 6.5-inch barrel lengths. God Bless

I have not, but that's a pretty cool idea for a DA platform...I'd love a convertible like that in a DA revolver. It frustrates me that Taurus makes (or made) some stuff that's really interesting on paper (The snubby model 450 in .45 Colt, and a J-Frame copy in .327 are just a few others I'm interested in), but they suck so bad at QC that I can't bring myself to get burned by them again. The two Taurus revolvers I owned had timing and lockup problems, and I've fixed timing issues on two others owned by friends in the past year. My theory is that the ratchets are poorly heat treated and wear prematurely, as that seems to be the problem I come across most often.

The other thing that annoys me is their insistence on porting everything. I know they offer models without porting, but it seems like an excessive number of them have it. In my experience, it doesn't make much difference doing the thing it's supposed to be doing (keep the muzzle down under recoil), but it does introduce a lot more flinch-inducing blast and flash back to the shooter, and sometimes even unburned powder and other particulate. It's also a pita to clean all the soot out of those little holes and off the front sight all the time. My .44 was ported, and it was the thing that I hated the most about it, apart from it's propensity to jump time and drop the hammer on the case rim rather than the primer !

Just bought this from my Friend... in the running now for a new favorite???

I don’t really have a favorite. Torn between a 6” GP100, 4” 686, and a 4” Mark V Trooper with vent rib. Its so hard to find 357 ammo that isn’t ridiculously priced that I am not shooting them much lately. The last couple of trips out with a revolver I shot the Mark V.

+

quote:

Originally posted by Legal Beagle:

quote:

Originally posted by JD DRIVER:
My favorite to shoot is a 686 hands down.

Your mouth to God's ear. I have a 4" and a 6", would recommend the 686 series in a heartbeat to anyone looking for an all-around workhorse that looks good and is fun to shoot.

I'm with you guys on the 686. It's a great multipurpose .357 Magnum revolver.

They are not too big and not too little. They are strong enough for hot loads. They are durable. They tend to be very accurate. Lots of grip options for different hands and needs.

But the thing that really sets it apart is the action. With just a little tuning, you'll get an unrivaled DA pull.

My first handgun was a S&W Model 28-2. Still own it and enjoy shooting it.

S&W 386 Night Guard!

My S&W K Comp... Good for carry and for shooting.




OK...so I might have a couple of wheelguns...

Toxo, that is a great revolver. I just purchased one also. Very impressed.

See my post

https://sigforum.com/eve/forum...6031561/m/2440077784

quote:

Originally posted by got2hav1:
Toxo, that is a great revolver. I just purchased one also. Very impressed.

See my post

Love it, I've got a new set of springs coming that will make this even better! Then I'm going to run it through the ringer

quote:

Originally posted by dbuck47:


My personal .357 is a Smith M13 33 inch and one of my favorite firearms to shoot , but not with magnums.

With nearly three feet of barrel, I should think magnums would be quite tolerable!

The three-inch heavy-barrel K-frames have quite a following. M13 blued, and M65 stainless in mag, and M10 and M64 in .38. Fantastic carry-guns.

I'm quite a fan of the Wessons. However, nothing handles warm loads, and the recoil, like a nice BlackHawk. On the DA side, the GP100 is the natural choice. Either of these are must-have TEOTWAWKI choices for sucking up the .357, LOL.

Colts are beautiful IMHO ...Pythons especially.

Smiths shoot really well.

Rugers are tanks .

I actually like my Dan Wesson the best though. Nice trigger out of the box , looks nice, you can change barrels . I have a couple lengths to choose from. They are just different and I enjoy shooting it as well as looking at it....

Favorite to shoot?
My 4in Python, hands down! The smoothest shooting pistol I own. My buddy has a 6in that I'm rather fond of too, but he ain't sellin' it.

The S&W Mod-19 or the -66 are up there as well!
2, 4 or 6in... For me, the sweet spot is the 4in. These are the pistols I first really learned how to shoot with. (Thank you Uncle Sam!)


Every once in a while, my mean streak comes out- and sometimes my favorite .357 to watch others shoot is my 340PD with some magnum rounds in it. I like carrying it, using it with +p or +p+ isn't bad, but the hell with that magnum shit!

Ruger SP101. Handles magnum loads well & shoots like a much bigger gun.

I have a Smith 627-0 . Built like a tank and shoots great .