Help me get the best .357MAG revolver.

[Muley Chaser]

I carry a Dan Wesson in 357 and love it. It's accurate comfortable and extremely reliable.

 

[Super Sneaky Steve]

A 6" GP100 or Blackhawk will handel the hottest hunting load all day long.

 

[Boo-Radley]

I think the best hunting sidearm for your bucks is a 6" barrel current production 629-6, SKU #163606. You can remove the rear sight by taking out one screw - and mount, with blue Loctite on the three screws, a Weigand SS rail. Add some rings and a scope - and sub some S&W/Hogue .460/.500 Magnum monogrips - and you have an easy to tote distance rig. Regular iron sights are fine, too - if that's your forte. Modern S&W K, L, & N frame revolvers are pre-drilled for a scope rail.



Yeah... it's not a .357 Magnum... it's a .44 Magnum. If you like lead, you can load some 240-300gr loads at 900+ fps - not 'real' Magnums - but effective. It weighs .1 oz more than a 6" 6-shot 686... an ounce more than the 5" 627PC mentioned earlier. I haven't hunted with mine - actually, I haven't hunted in decades. But my 6" 629 is a keeper, even if it seemingly wears that scope for only a few days before I tire of it! Besides, while some states/locales require 6" barrels - many also require calibers >.40 for handgun hunting deer, etc.

Stainz

PS I love my 4" 627 Pro and snubby 627PC's, but the only 6" .357 Magnum I have is a 66!

This is off topic, but thanks for the pic. i have been seriously considering a scope and Hogue grips for my 29-2, but I hated to give up what I think are AWESOME looks. You're pic sold me!

 

[CajunBass]

I believe that the .357 Magnum is the most versatile cartage ever developed, so you are making a wish decision. My suggestion would be a Smith and Wesson M-27 with a 5 - 6" barrel....

Yea. That'll work.

 

[easyg]

For the money I don't think you can beat the Ruger GP100.

 

[J-Bar]

I agree they're all this, but a k-frame wouldn't be my choice for a .357mag revolver that's primarily for hunting. In this case, I think you would eventually start seeing issues with timing, flame cutting, end shake, etc. I'd go with a larger L- or N-frame Smith, a Dan Wesson, or a Ruger. Just my $0.02.

If it's going to be used PRIMARILY for hunting, how many shots are year are going to fired through it? I could see these wear problems occuring in a plinker or a competition gun, but if he's only going to check the sights before he goes hunting, and then shoot one or two shots at game, what's the problem?

 

[340PD]

686ssr A very well done factory gun.

 

[dao]

Manurhin MR73 : a marvellous 7 pounds double action out of the box, hangun of the GIGN.

 

[Wildbillz]

In a 357mag, I like the Smith L and N frames. A Model 686 or a 27/28. All thought the N frame may be a bit large and to heavy for what you are wanting.

If I was going for the N frame I would look at the Model 29 and go 44Mag all the way.

WB

 

[Sport45]

Dan Wesson, Ruger GP-100, or S&W 686. Take your pick...

If single action is your thing look at the Ruger Blackhawks.

 

[ColtPythonElite]

Colt King Cobra....One famous master gunsmith said the MK III, MK V and King Cobras were the strongest mid-framed revolvers made....I know my pet shooter sure is stout. It's ate thousands and thousands of hot magnums and is still as tight as the day I bought it.

 

[tuckerdog1]

If a Freedom Arms is what you'd REALLY like to get, save a little longer & get it. You can save some pretty good money if you buy used,

And since you plan to handload, they will handle loads no other 357 can.

http://www.sixguns.com/tests/tt353.htm

Accuracy is amazing.

Tuckerdog1

 

[pikid89]

Ive been to the FA factory in Freedom WY, and they sure do make some beautiful guns...maybe one day this poor college student will be able to afford one lol

 

[Hondo 60]

Sorry, but there is no best 357 mag for everyone.

A lot of it depends on the shooter's preferences.

1. Do you want a single or double action? - (a single would eliminate S&W)
2. What size hands & fingers do you have? (I have small hands - so an N-frame S&W, wouldn't be my first choice)
3. Is this a gun you're gonna shoot a lot? or one that you'll shoot once & leave it in the nightstand for 20 - 50 years? (Lotsa use? Rugers are built like (& look like) a tank)
4. What sort of budget do you have?

There are a select few double action revolver makers that'll win almost everytime.
S&W, Ruger, Colt, Freedom Arms, Thompson Center etc. are all very good (the last 2 probably being the best, but you'll pay through the nose too).

There are also ones that I personally would stay away from.
Some like Taurus & Rossi, some not so much.

 

[JaxJim]

I will echo the Colt King Cobra. I'm mostly a S&W guy, but the Colt King Cobra is one of my favorite shooters. I have both a 6" and 4". The 4" holsters well, shoots great and like another poster also said: the 4" has digested thousands of rounds and still is tight and accurate as the day I bought it.

Just for comparison, I own a Ruger Blackhawk, several S&W, Taurus and Colts in .357. The Colt King Cobra is my favorite shooter of the bunch (followed closely by the Ruger Blackhawk).

The above notwithstanding, I usually carry a 629 .44 4" in the field nowadays. I have taken more hogs with this 629 than any other firearm I own. Probably due to it being my constant companion in the woods.

 

[TrailWolf]

I keep hearing that the Rugers are built tougher than the Smiths - like the GP100 can handle much more than a 686 because it has a much thicker frame...

Isn't the reason why the Ruger is thicker because it is a cast frame and thus needs the extra metal, where the Smith is a forged frame which is inherintly stronger than cast, diminishing the need for extra bulk...? Am curious...

I own a pre lock 4" 686+ that I love and is a great woods and plinking fun, but want to pick up a smaller .357 - was thinking maybe a sp101 or even going for the sp101 in .22lr for guilt free fun.

 

[pikid89]

don't confuse regular casting with Rugers Investment Casting...they are 2 different processes..the Rugers are ridiculously strong

 

[gotboostvr]

I'd look for a older pinned and recessed S&W, either a K or N frame. My 19-3 is my absolute favorite pistol to shoot and if the barrel was one inch longer I'd use it for deer hunting here in Ohio (minimum 5 inch barrel length)

As it is, I think my next revolver purchase will be a 6' N-frame, either in .357 or .44 mag just cause I don't have one yet.

 

[exavid]

I'd agree with that, my 1974 .357 Model 28-2 Highway Patrolman with it's recessed cylinder and pinned barrel is about as good as it gets. It's easily as good fired SA as any single action revolver I've ever owned and is darn near as good in DA too. Very smooth DA with no noticeable stacking. The 6" barrel with it's long sight plane as well as the adjustable rear sight makes for very accurate shooting. That big N frame will absorb all punishment a .357 can dish out. I can shoot .357s through that gun all day with no discomfort other than the price of ammo. Reloading does help a good bit with that too.

 

[svtruth]

I have a GP-100, great gun, used to have a King Cobra, hell for stout, but the Model 19
is poetry in steel, beautiful to look at, great trigger, great ergonomics.
Never shot one, but Dan Wessons get a lot of praise.
My advice, get several, as poeple have said, very versatile cartridge, so why not a scoped SS for hunting in wet November woods, a M-19 for sheer joy, maybe a MK III Trooper, very heavy DA trigger pull as one might expect in a service gun.
Best is a limiting term, no one would have a wine cellar with only one wine in it, variety is the spice of life. Each will make you appreciate the nuances of the others all the more.
Good luck.

 

[wheelgunslinger]

I like my Dan Wesson quite a bit. One of the best revolvers I've ever had. And, I've had a number of them.

 

[skidder]

For hunting....A Ruger is the best choice. You can pound out the heavy loads and they just keep on ticking. I've had Smiths (66 and 629) and Rugers, and the Rugers seem to absorb the heavy hunting loads better, not just on your hand, but in their parts.

You Smith guys like your pretty little revolvers, understandable, but this guy is doing some serious hunting...lets give him the best advice.

 

[Blue Brick]

RedHawk 357

 

[PO2Hammer]

By the time you customize a Blackhawk to Freedom Arms standards, you could just buy a F/A model 97. On mine the throats are a tight .358" as are the barrel grooves. The sights are far more robust on the F/A as well.

 

[baylorattorney]

I've hunted with my Ruger New Model Blackhawk .357 magnum for 7 years. I've killed numerous wild hogs and even deer with it. Everything I've hit with it has died. It looks a little worse for wear, but it's rough country out here.