.357 Snubbie suggestions

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I never understood the cult of the SP101. It's heavy, bulky,carries five rounds where the same sized Smith carries 6 and has a lousy trigger.
But to each his own.
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Its bulk and weight is the reason it's comfortable to fire with full bore .357, and the reason it will last forever when fed with those full bore loads. The "same" sized smith has a thicker cylinder, so they're not really the same size.

Lousy trigger? The cult I don't get is the "s&w's have great triggers" cult. They may be smooth, but most that I've tried are freakin heavy, which I don't really like. The SP101 trigger is not bad in DA, and is quite good in SA.
 
At a gun show last year I picked up two Airweight Smiths. One had a great trigger, one was terrible.

At one of our classes a lady brought a brand new 351PD (.22 Mag) it was the worst, heaviest, grittiest, trigger I've ever pulled. A year later I met her again at the range and she had stuck with her Smith, the trigger has smoothed out a bit, but it still gritty, and terribly heavy.
 
S&W 686 Plus - 7 shot - a wee bit wider across the cylinder and decent weight to handle the .357mag loads from nice to frightful. I own a 2 3/4" Ruger Service Six - nice piece - but doesn't compare to the S&W. IMHO - each gun is an individual...
 
S&W 686 Plus - 7 shot - a wee bit wider across the cylinder and decent weight to handle the .357mag loads from nice to frightful. I own a 2 3/4" Ruger Service Six - nice piece - but doesn't compare to the S&W. IMHO - each gun is an individual...

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Any of these will do great!

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And yes they are all mine!

Deaf
 
The Ruger SP-101 5 shot .357 is a winner compact gun a bit heavy but that's why it is not difficult to shoot from the recoil.
 
At a gun show last year I picked up two Airweight Smiths. One had a great trigger, one was terrible.

At one of our classes a lady brought a brand new 351PD (.22 Mag) it was the worst, heaviest, grittiest, trigger I've ever pulled. A year later I met her again at the range and she had stuck with her Smith, the trigger has smoothed out a bit, but it still gritty, and terribly heavy.
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I had a j-frame, and the trigger was smooth, but must've been 18-19lbs. Got rid of it and replaced it with my SP101, which has a much better trigger.

I fired a buddy's highway patrolman and model 29. Both had decent triggers, but they were not this mythical amazing s&w trigger that people talk about. They were about as heavy as the trigger on my GP100, and maybe a bit smoother.

Maybe I've just had bad luck? I just can't see why anyone would buy a smith over a ruger at the current price points, when the smiths seem to offer nothing for their price premium except perhaps a little prettyness.
 
To be honest, since the OP hasn't stated his intended use for the gun....I'd say we are all just pissing in the wind.

If his intended use is pocket carry, I would suggest that the SP101 or Model 686 (while both fine firearms) are too large and heavy for practical use. If he wants them for belt carry or playing at the range, then I would say they are a fine choice.

I was one of the first in the country to buy the LCR.357 retail (July 28th) and have likely put more rounds through it than most that have one. Everyone I have let shoot the LCR has been impressed with how well the Hogue grip reduces recoil when compared to other lightweight .357's with standard grips. The DAO trigger pull is one of, if not the best, I've ever had on a revolver straight from the factory. All this combined make it a very capable self defense weapon. If you have a weak grip, then I would suggest you carry it with .38+P rounds. I like shooting .38's out of it better than I have out of my friends standard LCR. IMO, if you can manage magnum loads out of a 2.5" K-frame, then you can manage it out of the LCR.357.

I know I haven't been on the board long, and I'm not trying to step on toes. My guess is most people commenting haven't even shot the gun he said he was must interested in. If there is a place you can rent them to try them first, have a go and see what you like best. As evidence in this thread...everyone has different taste. Just my 2 cents.
 
I am surprised that any discussion of a 357 Snubbie isn't centered around the S&W 640-1; I own several sunbbies and my 640-1 is the only one that I would classify as a fighting gun and not just BUG.
 
Will those Crimson grips with laser sights improve a snub nose .357 accuracy/performance?
 
I agree with find a getting the S&W model 66 or maybe you can find a S&W model 13 used.
 
Another vote here for the SP101. A little heavy but that works to your advantage when shooting .38 +P or .357 rds. I CCW mine all the time with an IWB holster you get used to it. I have a Smith 342Ti but hate to shoot it. My SP101 is the 3" version and love it.
 
kp said:
Another vote here for the SP101. A little heavy but that works to your advantage when shooting .38 +P or .357 rds. I CCW mine all the time with an IWB holster you get used to it. I have a Smith 342Ti but hate to shoot it. My SP101 is the 3" version and love it.
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I concur with you on this. I notice alot of gun shops are pushing the lightweight snubbies for (very expensive)CCW not for fun shooting but I still prefer to shoot the SP-101. Those lighter guns bite back too much but I guess they make a difference if you carry one on your person and probably won't notice the recoil if you have to use it because of all the adrenalin and stress if push comes to shove.
 
thanks for all the suggestions. I think I am looking at the sp101. does anyone here have any custom grips for theirs. I have a blackhawk and single six with custom grips.

If so where did you get them and what kind of price range (if you don't mind, if you do I understand).

thanks
 
If you're actually going to shoot a lot of magnums out of it, I suggest the SP101. Its size and weight relegates it to belt carry, but pays off when you touch off 125-grain magnums.
 
The Lone Haranguer said:
If you're actually going to shoot a lot of magnums out of it, I suggest the SP101. Its size and weight relegates it to belt carry, but pays off when you touch off 125-grain magnums.
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Especially those Buffalo Bore 125 grain loads in .357. 1,700 fps, 802 Muzzle energy.
 
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