Most versatile revolver chambering

[mzvarner]

I am feeling the urge to buy a revolver. I plan to use it as a side arm for hunting and backpacking. I would also like to have fun shooting it. I would like a DA revolver (unless some one can convince me otherwise). My big question is what should I get it chambered in? I wouldn't mind being able to change the cylinders to be able to shoot a couple different cartridges. Right now i am thinking .45 col then i could also shoot the schofield (I believe). The .45 colt seems to be a pretty powerful pistol round that should be able to provide a little bear protection and I could also (eventually) get a rifle based on the caliber too... What say the experts?

[Bob R]

44 mag can be downloaded to 44 special which makes for a very pleasant shooting round.

45 Colt is a very good round, plenty of load data available to do what you want with it. Yes, you can find lever guns in this caliber.

.357 will also shoot 38, rifles chambered in 357 available, not real bear unfriendly, but neither is any pistol round actually.

Now, on to my personal favorite.

Find a S&W 610. You can shoot up to full power 10mm or 40 S&W, depending on your desires. If really wanting more oomph, have the cylinder reamed out to 10mm Mag and shoot all 3. No rifle for these rounds though.

bob

[thumpar]

Hi-Point makes a .40 SW rifle and you can always build an AR in .40 or 10mm also.

[ron]

.357 magnum.

Available in 7 shot K frame and 8 shot N-frame, both Smith and Wesson and Taurus. S&W the better investment, but the Taurus guns are good but less $$$ than the S&W but need trigger jobs to comParable to a S&W. RLHas can do a good job on one of these.

Medium frame 4 " barreled guns are easy to carry, recoil is controllable, both 357 mag and 38 spec ammo widely available and affordable, reliable manstopper, Adequate for penetrating a bear's skill with hardcast 180 grain loads, Adequate for deer at reasonable ranges, flat shooting, accurate, easy to reload, many bullet mold designs available. Guns can even be modified to chamber 9mm with moon clips. Ruger S/A blackhawks are available with xtra 9mm cylinders for that purpose and are immensely strong, durable guns and accuratre as well with adjustable sights. Ruger DA guns are also good but need trigger jobs. Older Colt revolvers also are good guns.

I have a model 28 large frame Smith and Wesson Highway patrolman that I absolutely Love, and when I carry it the Marty Robbins song, "Big Iron on his hip" always comes to mind. Imagine that, a gun with it's own theme song. It was made in the early 70's, has had a lot of rounds through it but is dead nuts accurate and has a SWEET trigger. It likes those Hornady FTX pointy-nose 140 grainers which are also good for home defense because of low muzzle flash. Very accurate ammo in my gun and would be a good choice for deer hunting IMO. velocity can do close to 1400 fps/644 ft/lbs out of a six inch barrel.

And Buffalo bore makes a 180 grain hardcast load that also does 1400 FPS and develops 783 ft/lbs of energy

6 inch N frame theme song:

[scrappy]

100% what Ron said. Couldnt agree more. a good 4" or 6" 357 is a very hard act to follow.

[BC38]

A third vote for the 38/357

You can get (or handload) light 38 target rounds, standard 38 special rounds, 38 special +p, standard 357 mag and even hopped up 357 rounds.

Projectiles range from 110 grains to 180 grains with at least a couple of dozen different weights and profiles.

Pistols come in everything from 2-shot derringers, to 5 shot J-frames, to 6, 7, or 8 shot revolvers and barrel lengths from as short as 2 inches all the way up to 10 inches.

Rifles come in single shot, 8-12 shot lever actions, and IIRC it seems like I've even seen a pump action somewhere.

IMO the 38/357 is the very definition of versatile...

[edzz]

My favored field pistol is a 3" S&W model 19, I have loads from 95 grains to 180 grains.

If I remember correctly the husband of Beatrice Banning Ayer was known to carry a .357 into harms way on occasion, if the .357 cartridge was good enough for him it's good enough for me.

[hatchdog]

Another .357 fan here, I personally prefer and own the seven shot 4" variety. It's great for packing, not too heavy or overly long and with the extra (seventh) shot it makes for a better defense gun.
Another plus is .38 and even .357 ammo is much cheaper than anything in .44 or .45 caliber, other than .45 acp of course.

[mzvarner]

I am surprised at the overwhelming popularity of the .357 which I have to say caught me off guard. I did a fair amount of research into the caliber last night and this morning and I think I am now leaning more towards it as well. Ammo cost ( but I do reload), less recoil (then my original options), and magnum power in a smaller= less weight package. However, I do have a few questions...

1. I read somewhere that to really get the full benefit of shooting a magnum pistol cartridge you want to use a 5" min barrel otherwise your not getting the full potential. Some may not agree with this so let me know why. At any rate, 5 " is the longest I am willing to go, and my logic on this is I am willing to carry my 5" 1911 so why not a 5" revolver. I am also trying to be some what weight cautious.

2. I prefer the look of the S&W line of revolvers, but WTF is with all the different numbers. It is like Glock and is very confusing to see the differences. At any rate, I am leaning towards the 686 plus with the 5" barrel. However, I am going to do more research on question one. If I find that barrel length is not limiting the power of the magnum then I will probably look at the 686 plus in a 4" barrel. However I may be convinced to pursue a Ruger if someone has good evidence to do so. Honestly tho, I hate the look of their Single action line and my buddy has a Bisley and Vaquero that I have shot and they feel awkward in my hand. I have shot a super redhawk as well and it was a little better but not much. The ruger GP100 series looks good to the eye and wallet, but I have yet to handle one.

http://www.smith-wesson.com/webapp/wcs/ ... rrorView_Y

[hatchdog]

[quote="mzvarner"]I am surprised at the overwhelming popularity of the .357 which I have to say caught me off guard. I did a fair amount of research into the caliber last night and this morning and I think I am now leaning more towards it as well. Ammo cost ( but I do reload), less recoil (then my original options), and magnum power in a smaller= less weight package. However, I do have a few questions...


2. I prefer the look of the S&W line of revolvers, but WTF is with all the different numbers.

S&W really likes to offer lots of variety within the same family or caliber, see M&P semi's Anyway, within the revolvers chambered in .357 S&W offers this caliber in four of their five frame sizes which right there creates four model numbers. Then add the different finishes, blue, stainless, etc and the numbers expand greatly. If you plan to shoot lots of full power 357 loads you should limit your choices to the L (586/686) frame or the N (27 or (28 if it is still offered)). The K frame series 19/66 is fine for packing and casual shooting but a steady diet of full magnum loads can stress the frame. Also, I believe you have to get the L frame for the seven shot cylinder and the N frame for the eight shot cylinder.

I also suggest you stay with a DA as your primary intended purpose is woods self defense. A single action could be limiting in an up close encounter with a sharp toothed animal.

[Astocks2622]

the 44 or 45 is more versatile in the SIZE game you can reliably take with it, but the 357/38, in my opinion is one of the best general purpose cartridge families out there. I own the Gp-100 in 4". I love it. i am planning on transitioning to the 10mm for woods carry, as I can duplicate the performance of a 357, but with 15 rds in a gun I shoot better.
That said, the Ruger GP-100 in 357 is a great all-around gun. a bit heavier than the smith wheelguns, but you basically can't break them. the triggers aren't as nice out of the box as the smiths, but they can be made quite nice with minimal work. I would be comfortable with taking deer out to 75 yds with mine, rested of course. I have a 180 gr XTP load moving about 1100 fps, which reflects the Hornady book numbers. my woods load pushes a 185gr hardcast lead bullet right at 1300 fps. I don't really want to push that hard in the smith. I think it would handle them just fine, there just isn't as much meat to the smith revolvers. I kind of compare the Smith to a sports car, & the ruger to a pick-up truck. either will serve you very well, they are just aimed at different purposes. handle both, & if possible, shoot both. I'd be willing to meet up somewhere to let you shoot mine. shoot me a PM if you want. good luck!

[ron]

I am surprised at the overwhelming popularity of the .357 which I have to say caught me off guard. I did a fair amount of research into the caliber last night and this morning and I think I am now leaning more towards it as well. Ammo cost ( but I do reload), less recoil (then my original options), and magnum power in a smaller= less weight package. However, I do have a few questions...

1. I read somewhere that to really get the full benefit of shooting a magnum pistol cartridge you want to use a 5" min barrel otherwise your not getting the full potential. Some may not agree with this so let me know why. At any rate, 5 " is the longest I am willing to go, and my logic on this is I am willing to carry my 5" 1911 so why not a 5" revolver. I am also trying to be some what weight cautious.

2. I prefer the look of the S&W line of revolvers, but WTF is with all the different numbers. It is like Glock and is very confusing to see the differences. At any rate, I am leaning towards the 686 plus with the 5" barrel. However, I am going to do more research on question one. If I find that barrel length is not limiting the power of the magnum then I will probably look at the 686 plus in a 4" barrel. However I may be convinced to pursue a Ruger if someone has good evidence to do so. Honestly tho, I hate the look of their Single action line and my buddy has a Bisley and Vaquero that I have shot and they feel awkward in my hand. I have shot a super redhawk as well and it was a little better but not much. The ruger GP100 series looks good to the eye and wallet, but I have yet to handle one.

http://www.smith-wesson.com/webapp/wcs/ ... rrorView_Y

a 357 with a 4 inch barrel does not lose a significant amount of power compared to a 5 or 6 inch barrel. But let me tell you a secret that the gun writers never seem to know much about or want to talk about. Each individual barrel, rifle or pistol, will produce different velocities than the next barrel that comes off the assembly line because of the effect of very, very minor differences in machining that has a great deal of effect on velocities for some reason. Generally tighter barrels will shoot faster that oversize ones but a lot of it really can't be explained.

As a result, some barrels are "fast" and some are "slow". On revolvers cylinder gap can also effect velocity. One time I chronagraphed 3 different 357 magnum Revolvers, a 2 1/2 inch, a 6 inch, and a 4 and 1/2 (4.62) inch Ruger Blackhawk. the 4.62 inch barrel was faster than the 6 inch barrel, but amazingly so was the 2 1/2 inch barrel , and it was nearly as fast as the 5 1/2.

The 2 1/2 inch barrel was an unusually "fast" barrel and the 6 inch barrel was a slow one, and that gun had a somewhat large cylinder gap as well and that didn't help matters any either. If that had been my gun I would have put another barrel on it and tightened up the cylinder gap, either that, or sold it and bought another gun. But a lot of guys have guns that have slow or fast barrels but they never chronagraph them so they don't know the difference.

The other thing is there isn't any reason to be concerned with a little velocity loss with the 357 magnum cartridge because it has enough to spare. The 140 grain flex tip Hornady load claims 1400 fps but that velocity was measure in a vented test barrel and real-world velocities are likely lower, but even if you lose 100 fps, a 140 grain bullet at 1300 fps is plenty for Deer at reasonable ranges or feral human recidivists at close range. And same thing goes for the Buffalo bore 180 grain hardcast also rated at 1400 fps, though Buffalo bore's velocity figures are usually pretty close to what you get in the average gun.

As far as all the confusing model numbers. Smith and Wesson has discontinued models and brought out new ones and it's been a little confusing from the time they started bringing out stainless steel models and putting a 6 in front of the model number for stainless and a 5 for blued and then they discontinued blued guns altogether. Be sure and consider used S&W's as well as new because they don't really wear out. I also think that the Taurus guns are worthy of consideration but when you pay more for a Smith and Wesson the gun will retain it's value better than a Taurus. And the smiths have nicer triggers, but that can be fixed with a Taurus.

When it comes to the Blackhawks they are excellent guns and stronger than any of the others and can handle some pretty hot loads if you're worried about velocity loss. But if you don't like how they fit your hand and can't shoot the gun well then it isn't the gun for you, but that's not to say you couldn't learn to shoot one well. Bob Munden could shoot a single action faster than a DA, but he did it by fanning the hammer and holding the trigger back. I actually tried that a number of times with a 30 carbine Ruger Blackhawk that I used to have and was able to do pretty good but that gun had very little recoil. Right now I'm actually looking for a six inch 41 magnum Blackhawk. But I also have a smith and Wesson 41 mag with a 4 inch barrel but I like the 41 mag so much I want another one and I also like the Blackhawks.

As far as single actions being slow, I consider accuracy more important than rate of fire and it isn't how fast you can pull the trigger, it's how fast you can aim the gun while your pulling the trigger. And if your trigger finger gets ahead of your aim than all your doing is spraying and praying. There's also something that can greatly speed up the rate of fire of a single action and it's called "Adrenaline Assist". It happens quite often in panic mode. I read about one guy (I think it was Larry Kelly of mag-na-port) who was firing at a Bear with a DA Ruger redhawk and afterward he recalled that he had been cocking the hammer for each shot just like he did when shooting at targets. But he did it really fast! And his aim was true so he killed the bear and lived to tell the tale.

[Flawlessfoose]

I will put my vote in on a 357 mag as well. Never owned one in a smith, but have owned one in a ruger GP100. What a tack driver, recoil was modest and I love the versatility of the bullet weights. Buffalo bore problably makes the hottest Hardcast load out there for dangerous animals.

[hatchdog]

If you are thinking Taurus I saw an ad in this week's Exchange paper for a seven shot .357 (no stated barrel length) with 200 rounds of ammo for $450.00. This is about $250.00 less than you will pay for a Smith & Wesson. If you meet up with astocks2622 let me know and if I am available I will bring my S&W for you to try out. (astocks, I will bring my 10mm and you can give it another run if you would like) Always looking for a good excuse to go shooting!

[KRD]

I agree on 357.

[Gleng]

I vote for the .44 Magnum. It can be loaded up or down to whatever is required. My hunting load is a 180 gr. JHP @ 1869 fps and it will shoot 4" groups @ 100 yards from my scoped Redhawk. Ruger also makes bolt action rifles in both .357 & .44 Magnum - I had one of the 77/.44's a few years back and it shot quite well. I tried a different brand of .357 magnum rifle and never did get acceptable accuracy out of it. As far as pistol accuracy I have had lots better accuracy results from my .44's than my .357's with both cast lead and jacketed bullets. I would choose a Ruger over a S&W as they are capable of handling heavier loads - had a friend that had to send his S&W 629 back and have it repaired a couple of times and his loads were what I would consider to be mid-range. Don't know of any mfg. that currently sells a DA revolver that has interchangeable cylinders for switching calibers. The .357's are generally available in a lighter/smaller frame version if weight is a consideration.

[ron]

If you are thinking Taurus I saw an ad in this week's Exchange paper for a seven shot .357 (no stated barrel length) with 200 rounds of ammo for $450.00. This is about $250.00 less than you will pay for a Smith & Wesson. If you meet up with astocks2622 let me know and if I am available I will bring my S&W for you to try out. (astocks, I will bring my 10mm and you can give it another run if you would like) Always looking for a good excuse to go shooting!

Me too. I can bring my Glock 10mm w/ extended barrel & truglo sights and S&W model 28 Highway patrolman also.

[ron]

I vote for the .44 Magnum. It can be loaded up or down to whatever is required. My hunting load is a 180 gr. JHP @ 1869 fps and it will shoot 4" groups @ 100 yards from my scoped Redhawk. Ruger also makes bolt action rifles in both .357 & .44 Magnum - I had one of the 77/.44's a few years back and it shot quite well. I tried a different brand of .357 magnum rifle and never did get acceptable accuracy out of it. As far as pistol accuracy I have had lots better accuracy results from my .44's than my .357's with both cast lead and jacketed bullets. I would choose a Ruger over a S&W as they are capable of handling heavier loads - had a friend that had to send his S&W 629 back and have it repaired a couple of times and his loads were what I would consider to be mid-range. Don't know of any mfg. that currently sells a DA revolver that has interchangeable cylinders for switching calibers. The .357's are generally available in a lighter/smaller frame version if weight is a consideration.

Nothing wrong with the 44 mag but compared to the 357 there are fewer handguns chambered for it. And as you said, the Smith N-frames aren't really up to a steady diet of full-house loads. Smith and Wesson made some modifications to the model 29's and 629's during the late 1980's early 90's and it was called the "durability package" and they beefed up the cylinder locking bolt and enlarged the engagement surface as well as enlarging the notches in the cylinders.

Those guns are a little stronger but when I had one of those and reloaded for it, I stayed below max. A Ruger Blackhawk can handle a steady diet of max loads, and a Redhawk can handle loads that are somewhat over maximum. The Taurus raging bull series are also pretty strong because they chamber the same basic gun for the 454 casull.And where the 44 mag really gets a boost in power especially out of a rifle is with the heavy bullets around 300 grains.

As far as 44 mag rifles my brother has a Ruger 44 mag carbine that his wife got for him way back in 1976. He's bagged a few deer with it using a reload that consisted of WW296 powder and a Hornady 265 grain softpoint. A friend of mine used to have 2 marlin 1894 carbines, one was a 357 and one was a 44 and both were quite accurate. I got to shoot a Marlin 41 magnum carbine a while back and it was very accurate.