.357 Revolver
- Thread starter ReloaderRick
- Start date
I own a 6" Smith and Wesson 586. It's a beautiful gun that shoots wonderfully. The 4.2" 686 still calls my name though. There's something about that length that just seems right. I strongly doubt you'll regret either barrel length.
Those are 2 good general barrels lengths. If you are not able to handle them to see which one balances better for you, and if you are neutral wrt the possible slight advantage the 6 may give for target work, It pretty much boils down to which one looks better to you.
General shooting , the 4.2 " like my Match Champion, for target and longer distance accuracy the 6 " is a bit better. Several years ago there was a 5 " but I don't think it ever came up here . No matter what you are choosing a great gun, enjoy !
- Location
- The Badlands
The 6 inch barrel is going to be more accurate.....and since it is restricted , the only place you will be shooting it is at the range....so you must as well get the more accurate barrel for target shooting...
I have the blued 6" GP100 and it shoots like a dream, by far the handgun that I'm the most proficient with. That being said, a 4.2" stainless match champion GP100 calls my name... As does the Ruger 4.2" redhawk in 44mag. I was always told that Smith made better wheel guns but in my experience every Ruger I've ever handled has been great and I have now personally seen multiple broken S&Ws and heard of more.
Buy whichever you like or can find on sale, revolvers are addicting and you will likely end up buying more than one eventually.
Buy whichever you like or can find on sale, revolvers are addicting and you will likely end up buying more than one eventually.
I sure like my 4.2" beast, its got a decent balance and heft to it. .38 Special is barely noticable, so much fun to shoot and I have to say the single action is pretty decent for showing paper targets who's the boss. I feel like I should have gone 6" for the potential accuracy improvement, but that feeling goes away after I pull the trigger.
6" for slow deliberate target shooting. 4.2" if you think you'll eventually use it in speed based competitions. The shorter and lighter barrel lets you clear the holster more easily and swing between targets a little faster with less inertia to fight.
The short barrels also do balance a little easier in the hand. But the longer 6" guns, and particularly the half lug style barrels, only feel heavier when you try the two guns for balance one after the other. Once you don't have a 4" around the 6" feels just fine. It's that close a deal.
The 6" tends to give more accuracy not due to the added length of bore but due to the longer sight baseline length. You can more easily see any sighting errors. Or if you're shakey more sighting shake....
If you're just a casual target shooter for now but you even THINK that you may want to use it for action shooting later on then get the short barrel now.
The short barrels also do balance a little easier in the hand. But the longer 6" guns, and particularly the half lug style barrels, only feel heavier when you try the two guns for balance one after the other. Once you don't have a 4" around the 6" feels just fine. It's that close a deal.
The 6" tends to give more accuracy not due to the added length of bore but due to the longer sight baseline length. You can more easily see any sighting errors. Or if you're shakey more sighting shake....
If you're just a casual target shooter for now but you even THINK that you may want to use it for action shooting later on then get the short barrel now.
- Location
- West Quebec
That makes me think twice as I'd like a big boy as I have a 617..
