Suggest a 3" revolver!

I'd look for one of the Ruger Speed Six 3" .357s. They were ordered and carried by some of the federal agencies. They are slick. Oh yeah, I agree on all of the S&W suggestions.

I purchased a 3" Ruger LCRx .357 last year and it is fast becoming my favorite. I chose it over a 3" SP101 because it offered adjustable rear sights. It came in nicely at 21 ounces and with the smaller tamer grips it is easily concealable.

How about a S&W 657 no dash tucked away in its custom 3" holster?






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Waveski said:

The J frame was built for the .38 special ; based on my experience I will not exceed that caliber in that platform.

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You are absolutely correct. When the I frame was stretched into the J-Frame and chambered in the 38 Special an instant classic was born. It felt good in the hand and fired a decent SD round even if back then it was a round nosed bullet. It still hurt to be shot with one and if shot in the right place would be the last bad thing that ever happened to you.

But add a six shot cylinder and it makes a great low recoil gun in 32 long and later in 32 mag. And a J-Frame 22lr is just a treasure to own. You have to have to own one to appreciate what a fine little gun that is. S&W just got it right when they made the J-Frame. Its like the Chevy 350 of engines. Common as dirt and reliable as it gets. Just a "do everything" platform in its class.

Ratshooter

Back in the day, when the Model 40 or the Model 60 was all the rage (very hard to come by along with costing a king's ransom when you did find one), the Model 36 with a 3" barrel (and a round butt), could be had for half the money and was a much easier gun to shoot with that longer sight radius. I wish I had kept a couple of them as they were great for concealed carry.

I have a 3 inch model 36 that I am pretty fond of. Very nice shooter. I can't see myself parting with it any time soon.

I have a Smith & Wesson model 60 Pro and a model 63. Both very sweet J frames.

Ruger LCRx .38 + P. 5 shot 3" barrel. Weighs right at 20 oz. when loaded.

I collect 3" K Frames and in my opinion there is probably not a better carry gun. The only bad news is a 3" K Frame is so popular today that they are demanding a lot of money. A nice 3" Model 66 will bring north of 1K and a nice prelock 3" Model 13 or 65 will go for $650+. The flip side is if you are patient and watch classifieds and visit Pawn Shops that you may stumble across one that the owner does not realize the popularity and you can steal one. The 3" Model 36 is a great little carry gun and they can still be found in the $400 range at times and as @Tallball stated, the 3" Rossi 720 is a fantastic little gun.

Here is a friend's 3 inch GP100 and my 3 inch 686-6. Both great shooters, though the larger adjustable sights on the S&W make shooting at longer distances a bit easier. The trigger on his Ruger isfactory, but unusually light & smooth for a Ruger but the trigger does travel a longer distance shooting DA

Taurus 692, 7 shot, 3" .357 mag/9mm. Come's with both .357/.38 and 9mm cylinder crane assemblies, and easily changeable by a push of a button. Nice tight locking, strong over built gun for a Taurus.

No mention yet of this worthy 3-incher. Well, eventually the word will get out. Best out of the box trigger I've yet to experience on a new revolver. Simply superb.

Since you already own a SP101 you should go bigger!
My suggestion is the 3in 686+

Great gun, a J frame Smith wont be much different in size to your Ruger.

A 3" LCRx .22 is currently on my wish list. It's a bit of an ugly duckling but I think it'd make a fun kit gun.

Pat Riot said:

I have a Smith & Wesson model 60 Pro and a model 63. Both very sweet J frames.

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Pictures or it didn’t happen
Here they are:

S&W Model 13

bassjam said:

A 3" LCRx .22 is currently on my wish list. It's a bit of an ugly duckling but I think it'd make a fun kit gun.

View attachment 884900

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Ugly duckling compared to what? I have two 3" LCRx's.. a .22WRM and a .357. I think they're both handsome boys.

Ruger GP100 3". Nuff said.

https://ruger.com/products/gp100/specSheets/1752.html

Definitely a Colt King Cobra

The Best!

357 Terms said:

Since you already own a SP101 you should go bigger!
My suggestion is the 3in 686+

Great gun, a J frame Smith wont be much different in size to your Ruger.

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He should "go bigger" only in that for a carry gun he already owns the most packable gun in the SP101 and now could use something with a longer barrel, not another carry gun he doesn't need. The bigger guns with short barrels will tip outward with OWB and would have to be IWB. Yet with even one more inch in barrel will not be top heavy in a holster. Then there is still the bigger grip, which pokes out the side. I think I would expand my view of choices to 4" barrels or longer, a gun that is just fun to shoot or a hunter.

I have experience owning some of the guns mentioned. The S&W 60 Pro has rifling that rules out use of lead bullets, and the glow sights don't glow enough to matter. The Model 60 prelock is a great shooter but is too small to handle 357 Magnum store bought, running okay with reloads tailored to the gun. As a 38 Special though, the 357 chamberings shoot fine. The 686s and GP100s are pushing the limit of what one might carry concealed.

Another thought would be to get a single action or you could do like I did and get another SP101 but in 327 Federal Magnum, moving to a 6 round cylinder. That is easier if a reloader, but the ammo is out there if needing to purchase ammo.

My choice would be a S&W Model 13.

I think you should ask Eddietruett if he'd take your $800 Cabela's for this:
Added to my 3” K Frame Collection

My Rossi 720. I put a hammer on it.

Ruger Speed Six 3"

Good luck, they are not common.