That One Go-to .357
- Thread starter Archangel14
- Start date
- Status
357smallbore
Member
357smallbore
Member
That pic is of my 1984 S&W 686. Best damn handgun I own. 37 years young, looks great and shoots fabulous
tomrkba
Member
- Joined
- May 30, 2010
- Messages
- 2,370
The 4" Python I handled the other day was $1,499. I really hated the squared off trigger face. I'd have to have a bunch of work done on it to make it acceptable. It looks good though. I also now appreciate the hump backed stocks. I use Herretts Jordan Troopers and these had similar characteristics.
tuckerdog1
Member
Have a couple other 357s, that for different circumstances, I'd choose one of them. But for the scenario you described, I'd have to go with this one.
sharp tooth
Member
- Joined
- Mar 5, 2022
- Messages
- 55
S&w performance center r8 great groups 60 yards out hands down favorite handgun I own I got a deal slightly used years ago cabelas for $900
Never mind the hand canon 500 also a good gun but me personally I can’t put more then 15 rounds down range in a day wrist to elbow gets major nerve damage
Never mind the hand canon 500 also a good gun but me personally I can’t put more then 15 rounds down range in a day wrist to elbow gets major nerve damage
Attachments
jrmiddleton425
Member
- Joined
- Jan 18, 2011
- Messages
- 663
I like these hypothetical questions, and you asked for a difficult, prolonged situation. Ask and you shall receive!
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
So here I am again, wandering the wasteland, and I've lost everything. Some fellow pretending to be a trader feigned interest in the M48BO Mauser I had for trade, punched my lights out, and took everything I had...my food, my CZ Custom SP-01, and twenty gallons of whiskey it took me a week of work to make.
So I "wandered the wasteland" some more until I found a somewhat intact Chevy truck that would start. It's a 1979 C10. The trim badges say it's a Diesel engine, but I found a mid-1960s Oldsmobile 350 Rocket in there. Based on the white top half, gray bottom half, split with a gold stripe paint job, there's a pretty good chance my grandfather used to own this truck. Based on the 1996 New York State inspection, I'd say my theory holds water. I found my Grandpa's truck in the middle of "thirty miles from anywhere" in what apparently used to be Alabama.
(In real life, that old Chevy is still running, and the guy who bought it from my father is still driving it)
Eight days later, travelling at night, I roll into what's left of Springfield, Massachusetts with the truck running on fumes. My destination is of course, 2100 Roosevelt Avenue. I find the Smith & Wesson factory still standing. From the amount of sand, weeds, and broken windows, nobody's been here in at least ten years.
It's a bit of a challenge to unlock the buildings, but nothing I can't solve with a twenty-ounce framing hammer and short pry bar I found in the truck. Other than my breaking and entering, the factory buildings look intact. Now I need to turn the lights on so I can see what I'm working with.
Entering the power plant, I see that turning the lights on may be half the battle. The emergency generator is a 8-71 Detroit with an air starting system. So here I sit, pumping away, like Helen Keller's teacher trying to get the concept of "water" across.
After a bit of this, I have enough pressure built up for a start. I sound the fuel tanks, and find that there are 200 tons of diesel and 600 tons of "Bunker B" to feed four boilers. This looks like a pretty standard 1940s setup, pretty well what you'd find on an old Navy destroyer. OK, let's light this candle.
I open the air valves, and hit the air starter. The valves and rockers clatter for a few seconds. Sounds like she'll live at 100 RPM, so I open the fuel valve. The engine starts, and the emergency lights in the power plant come on. A couple of minutes later, I have the switchboard set so the generator is charging the "house" batteries, and feed 24-volt DC to the main building. I start the 12-volt water intake pump, and then the emergency evaporator. In about 45 minutes, I should have drinkable water, so this wasn't a wasted trip. Woohoo!
With the lights on, I can search the main building. After about an hour, I find an assembled revolver. It looks like a 4-inch 27 or 28, but when I check the serial number, what I'm seeing is S675! (Note that I have never seen S675 to know what barrel length it has; I just made the number up.) This gun has been in this building since 1948 or 1949!
I have already found the old service department, and there were pick racks full of .357 Magnum ammunition. I empty sand out of a fire bucket, and put in the gun and all the ammunition I can carry. I also find a cleaning rod. I had to raid a presentation case for it, but it's MINE NOW. I find a couple of bars of GI soap, a bag of shop rags, and an old Case XX pocket knife. Those will work fine for cleaning the gun if I have to.
Last thing is, I need some water. I find five or six old Stanley thermos bottles, the REAL ones, with New Britain, CT right on the label. I go back to the power plant and do the "hillbilly dishwasher" thing with the emergency evaporator to wash them out, and once they're clean, I fill them up.
Now to find some gas for the truck, and then I will go find that "trader" and get my CZ back from him.
Last edited:
WisBorn
Contributing Member
Is it a 3" model? I love mine!!!
CopperFouling
Member
Would have to be my 686-4
Nice grips on that revolver there.
Last edited:
lincen
Member
If I had to choose only one it would be the second one down, a S&W 686 plus.
ontarget
Member
At the very beginning of this thread, I said I'd take my 4 inch 686. I have since procured a 4 5/8 Blackhawk in 357. After getting to know it...I'd have a tough time choosing between the two, especially with the idea of being stuck in a harsh environment for an indefinite amount of time.
plainsdrifter
Member
- Joined
- Jun 3, 2021
- Messages
- 606
Looks like a dang Smiffy commercial in here. Pfffft SP-101 3 inch
tactikel
Member
S&W model 28-2. Over 26k rounds through mine with zero malfunctions. Off sandbags she will print 2” at 50 yards with my handloads. I did have the forcing cone recut at 24k.
kBob
Member
Wow, might be a hard thing for some folks.
I mean if I just wanted it for hunting or plinking or a revival of metallic Silly wets…. Yes the Dan Wesson would be nice.
If I wanted a tank that just keeps going and has “decent” accuracy a Ruger Security Six would not be bad.
If I wanted to empress folks then a classic Python would be nice.
Bit honestly for all around and forever…
It was called THE .357 before it got a number and when introduced….
“five inch” Model 27 in blue, folks.
Looks, reliability, accuracy, power, …. am I missing something?
-kBob
I mean if I just wanted it for hunting or plinking or a revival of metallic Silly wets…. Yes the Dan Wesson would be nice.
If I wanted a tank that just keeps going and has “decent” accuracy a Ruger Security Six would not be bad.
If I wanted to empress folks then a classic Python would be nice.
Bit honestly for all around and forever…
It was called THE .357 before it got a number and when introduced….
“five inch” Model 27 in blue, folks.
Looks, reliability, accuracy, power, …. am I missing something?
-kBob
ECVMatt
Member
- Joined
- Jan 7, 2004
- Messages
- 2,870
I have two 5" Model 27's and they are fabulous. They shoot really easy, are accurate, and are truly beautiful. They are a bit large and to some that takes them off the "perfect" list. To each his own however and owning more than one is what makes America great.
wcwhitey
Member
- Joined
- Dec 30, 2006
- Messages
- 2,814
It’s easy to say this thread is filled with beautiful revolvers. Every one of them is a perfect go to .357. Everything else is personal preference. My 66 no dash 4” and 66-1 6” in this pic. Great pics, I bet a .357 revolver as a class is the most common handgun in America if one was to be able to count that.
HollowDawg
Member
- Joined
- Mar 9, 2021
- Messages
- 89
Ruger Security Six stainless. Can disassemble the thing with just a dime...and that's just to take the grips off. Taxi Tested Tough!
kBob
Member
Everyone talks about the barrel sets with the Dan Wessons, but I seldom hear mention that they also offered interchangeable grips with them as well.
You could slap a six inch barrel and shroud on that puppy and a Set of big old S&W looking target grips and knock over steel turkeys and wobble Rams (just being honest)
Drop on a four inch barrel unit and a nice mid sized grip and it was a duty gun or HD wonder.
Put on the snubbie barrel and yea verily there was a compact grip that tapered to the bottom so you could use your pinky to actually hold it with.
Of course you could mix and match. Girl friend way back then liked the six inch and the small grip, so….that’s how it was. She could shoot with it very well.
without having to match a frame you could have most any style grip you wanted.
If only opening the cylinder crane had not been such a juggling act compared to a S&W….
-kBob
You could slap a six inch barrel and shroud on that puppy and a Set of big old S&W looking target grips and knock over steel turkeys and wobble Rams (just being honest)
Drop on a four inch barrel unit and a nice mid sized grip and it was a duty gun or HD wonder.
Put on the snubbie barrel and yea verily there was a compact grip that tapered to the bottom so you could use your pinky to actually hold it with.
Of course you could mix and match. Girl friend way back then liked the six inch and the small grip, so….that’s how it was. She could shoot with it very well.
without having to match a frame you could have most any style grip you wanted.
If only opening the cylinder crane had not been such a juggling act compared to a S&W….
-kBob
- Status
