The Russian Mosin Nagant Forum

When i turn 21..or if i an buy one through a face to face transaction before(My uncle owns one but hes a vacation right now so ill have to ask him if he wants to sell his when he gets back)..I really like 357 Magnum revolvers...i have shot one a few weeks ago and it was really a blast to shoot. In your guys opinion what would be the best value and reliablilt 357 magnum to buy..I want something not Expensive, but also reliable and fun to shoot. It will be a house gun...if i ever want to conceal carry i doubt it would be a good carry gun..but i may keep it in my car all the time anyhow when im out of the house.

A Ruger, either in single action like the Blackhawk, or double action like the GP 100. How could you go wrong? Smith and Wesson, Taurus, well the list could go awhile. Any .357 is going to be a great thing to have.

Ruger SP101. Rugged, reliable and people have been known to carry them, also.
But then, Rugers have always fit my hand well, so I may be biased.

I'm a big S&W fan, if you want one built like a Swiss watch I would go with a used S&W Model 19 or it's stainless brother a Model 66, my favorite revolver of all time. Those are known as K frames. You'll have to find one of those that is used cause I think K frames have been discontinued in 357. A little bit more heavy duty 357 from S&W would be an L frame like a 686 also a sweet revolver. The L frame is the replacement for the K frame, it can handle any load where as the K frame shouldn't be shot with any 357 load other than the original 158 grain. You can shoot 38s all day long with a K. The Model 27 or 28 is an N frame, bigger still and many an S&W pistolero swear by 27s and 28s. All of the above would have superior triggers and very good accuracy. Remember I said they were built like a Swiss watch, they can also be a bit finicky, especially the K frames but the triggers on S&Ws are usually fantastic. Now if your looking for something built like a tank the Ruger GP 100 or a used Security Six would fit your needs. The Ruger's trigger usually isn't up to the S&Ws but they are reliable and built to take it. A used Security Six would be easy on your wallet and you would fall in love with it. Ruger also makes a smaller 357 called an SP 101, My carry is a 2 1/4" barrel SP. The main drawback to it is a 10 lb double action trigger which actually is a good thing in a carry gun. It also kicks like a mule with full bore 357s. Taurus, never saw one that I liked and you won't find a Colt for a decent price anymore.

Rugers are haard to beat> or a nice S&W be a good second choice. I love the Blackhawk what a machine they will never seem to fail and fill my hand. The important thing is how the model fits you. When I look at pistols I handle them is it dosen't fit you hand well it won't shoot for you and you won't like it in the end.
The automatic prefence with many shooters have made 357s really affordable in these parts.

For the money a GP100 is very hard to beat.

I am partial to Ruger. Well built and darn near indestructable. A good stainless blackhawk and you can't go wrong.

desdem12 wrote:I am partial to Ruger. Well built and darn near indestructable. A good stainless blackhawk and you can't go wrong.

Ditto. I have a Ruger Vaquero in .357.

I have both the Ruger GP100 and the Blackhawk .357 mags, both have served me well for 20+ years and will continue to do so for my lifetime, another 3-4 hundred years They are built like a brick shithouse.

Everyone who lives in the USA who is not crazy or a criminal should own three guns:

1. 12 gauge shotgun
2. .22 rifle
3. .357 magnum revolver

I got all of them within two feet of me right now

I must be crazy then. I only have
12 guage by the bed
45 auto close to the tv i am watchin
P-64 on the other side of the bed
Don't even own a .22 rifle.

Des! It sounds like you need to go buy a .22! You have GOT to have at least one!

Looks like you're pretty well armed

Ruff hood i live in

desdem12 wrote:Don't even own a .22 rifle.

What the hell is wrong with you?

Yeah, get with the program, Des
You need a nice little Ruger 10/22 with a 30 round banana magazine and a peep sight. Maybe two to make up for lost time

I have so many .22's that I have lost count, the most useful of rifles and the cheapest to shoot, I am forever dragging them home from the flea markets. I shoot countless thousands of .22 rounds a year, enough to fill a small bucket with empty brass last year. You need to get a .22.

Alden wrote:Everyone who lives in the USA who is not crazy or a criminal should own three guns:

1. 12 gauge shotgun
2. .22 rifle
3. .357 magnum revolver

Actually four, every red blooded, John Wayne lovin' American should own a 1911 too.

For the money the Ruger is about the best way to go. I have a Security Six in Stainless with a 4 inch barrel that I use as a carry weapon. I also have a S&W 586 6 inch (actually my wife's gun) this is a very nice weapon but for strength a Ruger is the way to go unless you want to spend the big bucks and buy a Freedom Arms model (can you say $1500) so buy the Ruger, anyone of the models people here have suggested will do fine, though I'd stick with a double action if I'm planning on carry it as a personal defense weapon.