Small revolver

Ruger SP101 in .327 Federal 6 shot should be considered, IMO. She can plink with the S&W Long carry with the .32 H&R magnum or the .327 Federal magnum.

"The LCRx is the smallest, lightest .357 3" I am aware of."


Me too. Nothing else I have seen comes close. I have an LCR in 38 special. My friend has an LCR in 357 magnum. The triggers are great and I don't consider the 357's to be all that "punishing".

I have a 22lr LCRx. I like the larger grip and nice sights on the LCRx version. The DA trigger is terrible, but I'm assuming that's because it's a 22.

The S&W model 60 or model 60 Pro was my first thought. The M60 Pro has the added advantage of a tritium night sight in the front sight. Shooting it with the stock grips with full power magnums is not pleasant

Armybrat said:

View attachment 832151 Ruger SP101 in .327 Federal 6 shot should be considered, IMO. She can plink with the S&W Long carry with the .32 H&R magnum or the .327 Federal magnum.

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I like those grips were did you get them

I would also suggest the Ruger LCRx in .357 with the longer barrel. I think the hardcore guys tend to favor an all steel sp101 in 2.5" or 3" barrel lengths. They have the same 5 shot capacity and are heavier but I have never liked the triggers on any of them. The LCR series feel great right out of the box and there is a .38 special or .357 magnum ammunition to satisfy all your needs.

I'm with Jonesy814. Love my M60. Plain black sights.

Jack B. said:

Recoil is not a problem for her. She shoots my 480 Ruger with 355gr bullets and loaded to near max. plus her favorite gun is a Colt Trooper MKIII in .357 magnum. She just wants something smaller for carry but she doesn't like 2" barrel guns. she just prefers a longer sight radius.

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The .357 will recoil in the hand a lot harder than the .480 Ruger. Let's say you're shooting max 26.5 grain loads of Lil'Gun behind a 355 grain bullet. We'll used published 7.5" test-barrel data at 1531 fps, and a gun weight of 53 ounces typical of a Ruger. That gives:

Recoil Impulse 2.87 (lbs.sec)
Recoil Velocity 27.94 (fps)
Recoil Energy 40.03 (ft.lbf)

Now let's try a .357. Max load is 18 grains of Lil'Gun behind a 158 grain bullet for 1577 fps, but now our gun weighs 11 ounces, the lightest S&W .357 Magnum.

The Recoil Impulse is much lower indeed: 1.51 lbs.sec
but this isn't what you feel
You feel:
Recoil velocity: 70.48 fps -- the acceleration of the gun is MORE THAN TWICE the .480 Ruger
Recoil energy: 54.07 ft.lbf -- 35% more recoil energy than .480 Ruger

Practically speaking, the bullet velocities are going to be substantially different based on the actual barrel lengths. But just using the test data, you can see the .357 has the potential for a LOT MORE recoil than .480 Ruger when you get the "smallest and lightest" .357 Magnum.

Maximum 158 grain loads in my lightweight .357 Magnum with a 1.875" barrel did not chronograph at 1577 fps, but they went 1200 fps. How does the recoil compare at that velocity?

Impulse: 1.24
Velocity: 58.1
Energy: 36.06

As you can see, the recoil energy falls a little but short of .480 Ruger, but it's still extremely stout. More importantly, the recoil velocity is still MORE THAN TWICE .480 Ruger. In my experience, high recoil velocities are what make a gun the most difficult to deal with. They make for an extremely sharp jerk that is painful. Think about taking a fast jab from a lightweight boxer or getting hit with a fastball versus having a city bus slowly back into you. The bus has way more impulse and energy, but it's just going to push you back and won't hurt. That's why you want the revolver to weigh more like a city bus and less like a baseball.

With that said, I think the Ruger LCR is probably the lightest .357 with a 3" barrel. The S&W Model 60 might be next, followed by the Kimber K6S and then the Ruger SP101. My experience is with the S&W J frames. I have several in Scandium, Aluminum and steel. With reduced loads, they can all be shot well, but the steel guns are easier to do that with. By reduced loads I don't mean .38 Special +P, just less than maximum .357 Magnum. Shooting a 125 grain bullet at 1050 fps is more than any .38+P, but still only about 60% of a max .357 Magnum load.

K-frame S&W's are heavier than the J frames, but I think I prefer them for other reasons entirely. Because I can reduce or increase the load to whatever I like for a given weight, I don't dislike the J frames and similar size revolvers because of their lightweight. Instead, I dislike them because of their poor fit and the poor actions that are a result of compromise for size. The K frame action is better than all the mini revolvers, and the guns with longer barrels have a better sight radius, better sights usually, and a better balance.

The Performance Center Model 19 Carry Comp is a good example of what can be done to make a nice ~3" K frame carry gun. I think it is better than any of the mini revolvers. Personally, I would start with a Model 66 2.75" and do the modifications that I prefer, because if I bought the Carry Comp and still had to change the grips, the sights, and cut it for moon clips and didn't care about the compensator, then it's not a good value. But if it comes close to how you like it, then it's a good deal.

I have a 31/2" Charter Arms 5-shot in 38 Sp/357 Mag that I like very much. It has a smooth action, is very accurate & recoil is noticeable but not a problem for me. However the muzzle blast is monstrous. I have carried that little revolver with me on several occasions knowing full well that if I ever have to use it with 357 Magnum loads in a self defense situation my ears are going to be blown away (along with my adversary).

This reminds me... I want to make a 4” barrel s&w 360pd for my next smithing project as “kit gun”

The SP101 357 DAO 2.25" at 26oz is easy to carry and has enough weight to reduce recoil compared to the lightweight snubs. Stout 357s are still a handful but 38 spl+P are a breeze to shoot.

Jack B. said:

Thanks every one. She wants the .357 because it will let her shoot 38 special. When she gets home I'll get her to read your responses and let her go shopping. So you know she is not a novice when it comes to guns. She's been shooting since she was a young girl. Raised on a farm and her dad had some guns he carried and her brother was an avid hunter she learned much from them.

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She wouldn't want a 357 if she had shot some in an itty-bitty gun like you are describing, .357m is punishing in a small/light/short barreled gun.
I see no reason to buy a 357 over a 38 as most people only shoot 38 specials anyway and a 38 will a little lighter/shorter/cheaper.
Had a super light smith scandium 357m, loaded up 5 rounds, shot 2, then ejected the other 3, and went back to 38 special.
Not what you wanted to hear, I'm sure.
jmo,

I agree that a well placed 38 Special is enough. I don't think you need to blast someone w/a 357 to stop an attack but since the little gun could take the pressures I often packed it with factory 357 Mag. 125 grain semi jacketed hollow points for maximum effect. Necessary? No. Handy to have? Yes. But, at the expense of my hearing? Also yes!

Charlie Martinez said:

I agree that a well placed 38 Special is enough. I don't think you need to blast someone w/a 357 to stop an attack but since the little gun could take the pressures I often packed it with factory 357 Mag. 125 grain semi jacketed hollow points for maximum effect. Necessary? No. Handy to have? Yes. But, at the expense of my hearing? Also yes!

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A .357 in the 1st shot position negates a quick 2nd follow up shot.
A .38sp in the 1st shot position and a .357 in the 2nd would be a better line-up, jmo.
But would be all .38's in my gun, maybe even +P but not any .357m.
Read about recoil in above post #32, interesting info.

LUCKYDAWG13 said:

I like those grips were did you get them

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Altamont.

Well I shoot a Lady Smith which is manageable with full 357's and I like it for it's size. But I prefer a 3" as a minimum for 357's with a 4" as ideal for me. But here's the "But" again, 4" guns just don't fit in my back pocket nearly as well as 3" guns. My favorite is the SP101 3" in 357. Fits the back pocket nicely and the little extra weight is not an issue for me.
I used to carry a Charter 44 Spl 3" but was never convinced that the 44 Spl would penetrate well on a bear scull. With a small carry gun like that your talking end of the barrel shots, so I like the idea of the 357 with soft point's or WFN lead slugs for penetration. I love the 44 Spl for the 2 legged critters, but for 4 legs, if I'm not carrying a full house 44 mag or my 480, I'll take the 357. Had to use a Charter 44 Spl to dispatch moose one time and was not impressed. Talking factory loads.

stonebuster said:

The SP101 357 DAO 2.25" at 26oz is easy to carry and has enough weight to reduce recoil compared to the lightweight snubs. Stout 357s are still a handful but 38 spl+P are a breeze to shoot.View attachment 832329

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Those Pachmayr Diamond Pro grips help tremendously with recoil.

How about the obvious: Colt’s newly reintroduced King Cobra?

I recommend the S&W model 60 Pro.
I have one and it’s a nice little shooter.
It is quite lively when shooting .357 magnum rounds.
The tritium front sight is a bit of a joke though. I wouldn’t rely on it as a true night sight. The illumination isn’t much.
For factory ammo mine likes Hornady American Gunner in both .38 and .357.
If you have the ability to rent one I would recommend your wife try it out.

I would probably go with a Ruger SP101 as the few extra ounces of weight would make the gun slightly more controllable than it's lighter weight counterparts.

I have the standard LCR, and think the LCRx would fit the bill. Mine is in 38 special, but it's a pussycat with hornady critical defense +p ammo. I've thought about picking up one of the 3 inch models, and throwing on a G10 grip to use as a smaller all around revolver, although admittedly I was going to go the 22wmr or 327 federal route so I could keep it at 6 shots. Another benefit of the LCR is the front sight is (supposed to be) easy to replace with something better than a black serrated blade. I haven't changed it out yet, but I'm going to try to do that this week.