.357 Revolver

These either / or discussions get tiresome. It may be your first revolver, but it ain't gonna be your last. Just get whichever one gives you wod now and then get the other when you feel the urge. Either / or pffft - should always be BOTH!!!

I like long barreled revolvers personally - have a Ruger Super Redhawk with the 9 1/2" barrel in 44mag and a 686 6". The 686 is one nice piece of kit. Ruger's nice, but there is imho a quality advantage to the S&W, which is of course rfelected in the price.
 
What sort of powder works well in a 4.2 for magnum loads? I've still got some 2400, and a few pounds of 4227..
 
Ok

So what do you use when the only 2400 to be had is partial 20 year old canisters found at gun shows? ;)

I bought the 4227 just to help bolster my supply, since it seems to be widely available, but it really doesn't seem to burn all that well. Shoot 100 rounds and sweep enough up off the floor to load 5 more.



Anything that isn't a flake powder...those are annoying.
 
When it comes to wheel guns I love them. Was taught to shoot on a Smith model 10 years ago. I have owned Ruger GP100 and have a S&W 66 and 25-1 and a Colt python the winner for me is the Colt in 4 inch length or to newer shooter 4.2 barrel. If you can master the trigger pull of a revolver you can shoot any semi. But you can't say the reverse can you IMHO.
 
I think what hes saying is the pull on a revolver is longer and requires more weight then the pull of a semi. I've shot double action semi's and can say that this statement isnt entirely accurate. Good fundamentals and trigger control is really what you need to shoot anything well. My GP100 does have a long pull, but so does the HK P3000. 6 of one, half dozen of the other.
 
I have two 357s, a GP100 6" barrel and a Smith 19-3 with a 6" barrel. I much prefer the Smith over the Ruger. It has a much nicer trigger and 30 years later the Smith is still tighter than the Ruger was new.
 
I think what hes saying is the pull on a revolver is longer and requires more weight then the pull of a semi...
That most certainly depends on the specific guns you are comparing. Although his experience may be limited to a narrow range of guns (hoping for clarification) his comment was specific to revolver actions compared to semi-auto actions, not DA/SA/Striker, etc.

Good fundamentals and trigger control is really what you need to shoot anything well.
Agreed. I have never made a distinction between different actions in the context of his statement, just different triggers.
 
I have two 357s, a GP100 6" barrel and a Smith 19-3 with a 6" barrel. I much prefer the Smith over the Ruger. It has a much nicer trigger and 30 years later the Smith is still tighter than the Ruger was new.

I'll bet Grant Cunningham could make you feel somewhat different about that. I have a 19-4 and other than at the factory, it has not been shot. The DA is not great IMO and it is heavy. I had a GP-100 that was professionally tuned and it was super-sweet. No offence, but these comparisons of one gun to another don't mean much to me. The Performance Center team would likely make your 19-3 unrecognizable to you (as in even better) and Grant Cunningham could do the same for the GP-100. Out of the box, from the factory, there are some generalities you can draw but there are always exceptions. Once you fire a gun a thousand times or so, it changes again. My 19-4 with a little shooting and tuning will be great, as can most guns.
 
From bersmith- If you can master the trigger pull of a revolver you can shoot any semi......

.......Can you elaborate on that? Just curious as to your point of view...

We're talking the double action pull, not single action. The need for smoothness in the double action draw on a revolver's trigger will soon make or break a shooter. Those that learn to master the revolver DA trigger pull and still place rounds on target in small neat groups can move on to shoot any other gun well with a minimum of familiarity.

Some distinction is also being made in this thread between DA with a revolver versus DA in a DAO semi auto. From having shot a few DAO semis with unaided triggers I'd suggest that a proper DAO semi trigger will train a shooter in pretty much the same way as a revolver used in DA mode. Some of the assisted DA semis don't qualify for this distinction. But the current DAO police and similar service guns most certainly do.

The point is that to shoot well with a DA trigger one can't putz around with tricks or bad technique and plan on being even OK. So if they can learn to shoot well with a DA then they'll be able to shoot SA guns very well.
 
My GP100 4.2" stainless is one of 3 guns I would never consider selling even on my worst day - My trigger has smoothed out beyond my expectations and feels like its lightened after all the shooting I've done and it still locks up tighter than a bank vault.. Up to you but it sold me on the ruger brand and now I own 5 different ruger models
 
The need for smoothness in the double action draw on a revolver's trigger will soon make or break a shooter. Those that learn to master the revolver DA trigger pull and still place rounds on target in small neat groups can move on to shoot any other gun well with a minimum of familiarity.
Agreed.

Some distinction is also being made in this thread between DA with a revolver versus DA in a DAO semi auto.
No offence, but I didn't read that anywhere. The poster was comparing a revolver to "any" semi-auto with no mention of SA, DA, DA/SA, or DAO. So where I go with that is comparing apples to apples...so for example, a DA revolver that can also be cocked and fired SA, compared to say a Beretta 92 FS that can also be fired DA as well as being cocked and fired SA. In this regard, I see no distinction between the trigger pull and what is required of the shooter when firing a revolver and a semi-auto, both in DA mode. Sorry, getting off topic...
 
Ok

So what do you use when the only 2400 to be had is partial 20 year old canisters found at gun shows? ;)

I bought the 4227 just to help bolster my supply, since it seems to be widely available, but it really doesn't seem to burn all that well. Shoot 100 rounds and sweep enough up off the floor to load 5 more.



Anything that isn't a flake powder...those are annoying.

Heavier bullets, solid crimp should help ignition. That said, there are better powders in. 357, I reserve 4227 for the. 22 Hornet...
 
Have both the 686 and the GP-100. The GP-100 4.2" is the gun I use in competition. The trigger is every bit as good as the 686 and the gun is lighter by exactly one once. Both are excellent guns but the Smith is back up to the Ruger. If you decide to play IDPA using your revolver you will be better off with the 4.2". We have an exemption up here for revolver division to allow revolvers p to six inches but it is only good for Canadian competitions and it likely won't exist past 2015.

The 4.2" guns seem to sell faster than the 6" guns if you are concerned about re-sale value.

Choose one and go play with it. They are fun to shoot.

Take Care

Bob
 
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