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.)

Originally Posted by donn12

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.

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.
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.

Originally Posted by prof_fate

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.
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.

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.