Printable View
I recently bought my 1st handgun, a Beretta 92fs and I am hooked! I would like to get a .357 revolver and I like the separate safety/decocker on my 92fs. Is there a disadvantage to a smaller size? too much recoil? what size is the smoothest? I am leaning towards Ruger or S&W but I would love to hear your ideas.
From what i have seen I am interested in the S&W 686 3 or 4" barrel or a Ruger SP or GP with the same. I really like the looks of a stainless steel with back grips. I also really like the Crimson trace grips from my 92FS so I may add those down the line. Any feedback on these or others to consider?
I am leaning towards the ruger for the safety but I will have to see both. Anyone have one or the other?
i own a smith 586.... old model, 6 shot, blued.... best revolver i have ever had. the trigger is almost as smooth as a pythons....... so if you dont mind used, and you are hooked on stainless, get the 686 , old model 6 shot.
Smiths and Rugers are both good guns. What will you be using the revolver for? Concealed carry, home defense, plinkin', or a combination of those. Buy the gun to fit your needs.
I am going to go to the DC gun show to look at a bunch of guns. I am thinking about whether or not a safety is a big deal for a revolver. I like the looks of the S&W but like the Ruger also. My wife surprised me by being a little open to using a gun so if I could find a nice .38/.357 with not too much recoil that would be a huge bonus. I think the revolver would be much more simple to use in a panic situation and maybe a .357 fired into the ceiling would help persuade someone to move on. If a .357 is too much gun for her I might get her a .22 LR revolver....to the average person some of them look exactly the same.
Wait........wait! You're going to fire a round into the ceiling to scare the bad guy off???
I am sure my wife would rather fire a warning shot than a kill shot. I would think this would be a bigger deterrent than just seeing a gun. This would only apply if I am not home. If I am then I would not fire any warning shot
if enough of a threat exists.
I went to the local gun store to buy a 686 Talo with a 3" barrel. When I handled it, it seemed too big for daily carry.
Then I handled a model 60 with a 3" barrel; it felt a bit small.
I ended up with a Ruger SP101 with a 4" barrel which is right in the middle size and weight wise. I just picked it up on Saturday so I have not yet fired it. I have no review until then. The size feels right to me. But it is only a 5 shot gun.
S & W makes the Night Guard series in Scandium. They are available as 7 or 8 shot in .357. Both are lighter than my SP101. (But pricey.)
OK....sure, they look the same to an intruder and just showing a gun will scare some off and putting a hole in most folks will cause them to pause as few want to get shot twice. But these scenarios assume a kid or rational person. Hey, they're attacking you to the point you had to shoot - how rationale are they? A 22 is not gonna stop someone unless you are very very accurate with your shots. The 357 will stop them. 38 maybe, maybe not.Quote:
Originally Posted by donn12
As for recoil...well, to be accurate you have to shoot a lot and some folks don't like recoil. You can load light in a 38 and have less recoil than a heavy 357, but the gun can make a big difference too - a 2" snubby with light 38 will be a handful compared to a say, a 6" barrelled 686 which I find to be a big, heavy gun - great if your shooting 357 but tiring for plinking. YMMV of course.
Quote:
Originally Posted by prof_fate
Maybe I am wrong but I assumed a shorter barrel would mean more recoil so a lighter gun would also have more recoil? A longer barrel would be more accurate all things being equal?
yes - with the same cartridge a smaller gun/shorter barrel will have more recoil than a larger gun/longer barrel. Also less power due to the shorter barrel (less time for the powder to burn and push on the bullet before it leaves the barrel).
357 will have a lot more kick than 38 in any gun. Probably too much kick in a small frame/short barrel gun - the kick will hurt accuracy and 'scare' the shooter (make them flinch).
A friend had a snub nose 38 for her purse and I don't know how well it worked for her, but I detested the thing. Every other shot I had to stop and regrip the gun as my big hands and it's little grip were not compatible.
The flip side was a friend with a dan wesson 357. Pleasant to shoot - but it was big and heavy, like a smith 686 - ccw would be a PITA due to it's size and weight. And I would think holding it at arms length for a lot of shooting would be tiring also, especially for a smaller individual like many women are.