Revolver Suggestions: .357 4"

Status
Not open for further replies.
the primary use would be home defense and at the range.
Click to expand...

Jeff, GP100 it is. It can handle any 357 load you would care to shoot, it is accurate, durable, reliable and backed by a great American company. It is priced middle of the pack, that IMHO makes the GP100 the best value in the 357 magnum revolver market.

Or for about the same price as a new GP100, you may want to check out used S&W 686/586's, pre-lock models of course, if you fancy tradition, looks and fine trigger pulls over durability.

BTW, whether buying new or used, American or Brazilian made, subject your chosen one to the outstanding Jim March revolver checkout procedure, which is in the sticky threads of this sub-forum. This procedure may save you a lot of money and/or grief.
 
I had a Taurus 608 8-shot .357. Nice shooting gun. Although I updated to a S&W 627 V-Comp, and 327 R8 M&P. MyTaurus was, and is a great gun.

For a gun that cost about 1/3 of a S&W, they aren't bad.
 
I know it's mentioned as above your price range, but the money spent on a 686 is never regretted. In reality you can find a fine used example @$400.
 
Here is the scoop on all the Taurus and Rossi revolvers under discussion.
http://www.taurusarmed.net/forums/index.php?topic=7534.0
http://www.taurusarmed.net/forums/index.php?topic=7538.0
http://www.taurusarmed.net/forums/index.php?topic=7184.0
http://www.taurusarmed.net/forums/index.php?topic=7052.0

Within these few links are the other links on the various models for your consideration.

I do own a number of Taurus revolvers and one Rossi snub revolver.

Older 20 year+ models 65,and 66 and 85CH. New aquisitions are the newer 66 with 7 shots in it, a model 82, and a Rossi 462 snub. All the new ones are in stainless. The older ones are dureable,accurate, and have had longevity.

The new ones are just as accurate and dureable. No problems at all.

How accurate? That's in the links somewhere.
Granted there's a lot to go through, but this is your money,your life, and your niche that needs filling. So to know for sure is highly important.

I've had some experience with the Rugers and find them decent guns also.

Sold my one Ruger revolver to get another Ruger product.
Amazingly there are a large number of us Taurus owners who own Ruger products as well. I can bring that link forth if necessary if need be, but you've got enough to go through already.

Hope these prove useful.

What ever you pick enjoy it and good shooting.
 
Amazingly there are a large number of us Taurus owners who own Ruger products as well.
Click to expand...

It's not so amazing :) People who own these guns, especially the Rugers are looking for a tool to do a job, not a name to impress their friends with. They are workman's firearms. I have owned and carried almost every brand out there and I have chosen my GP100, Sp101's and my Taurus 627 because they meet every need that I have for my revolvers.

Also, these guns don't sit on the shelf. One of the reasons I love the .357/.38 is that I get to shoot it. Alot. I reload and I am putting rounds through these things as fast as I can put them together. I don't even bother keeping round counts on them anymore. I can tell you that I have gone through 3 boxes of 500 158 grain lswc bullets in the last 2 months and that is about average for me. The Taurus gets it's fair share of that and it has held up just fine. If it breaks I'll admit that I'm wrong but until then, I consider it as good as the others and I do trust it to work when it is supposed to.

I do have a S&W 638 and in the past owned a model 19 and though they are good guns, they are not "that" far above the others and besides S&W's have been known to have their faults as well. I have seen people have problems with them, just as I have seen problems with about every other brand at some point. The fact that they cost more does not make them better.

This is getting long, but I remember one instance in particular of a certain yuppie type fella that ragged on me long and hard about my "lower standard" Taurus at the range one morning. He was shooting a brand new S&W 340PD. It was an expensive, pretty, top of the line gun. (I know it was because he was really enjoying telling me so. ) On the 3rd shot out of the second cylinder, the cylinder crane broke and the whole cylinder assembly fell right out of the gun and landed on the bench when he opened it up. Being the helpful fella that I am, I offered to let him shoot my Taurus so that he wouldn't have to waste his trip. ;)

Point is, they can all have issues. I spend my money on what works for me to do the job that I ask it to do. As mentioned, the best thing to do is pick a gun from a quality manufacturer, check it out thouroghly before you buy it and you should get a tool that will outlast you. If I was only going to have one, my choice would be a 4" GP100 but thank God I am not limited that way! lol
 
I've owned all of the brands discussed, and still have several. The only guns I have had problems with were two of the four Taurii I've owned. One shot two FEET low at 25 yards, the other had a serious misfire problem. Since both of those guns were purchased as duty guns, both were summarily rejected. (Their customer Service people were AWFUL). If you know your way around good triggers, you'll appreciate the Smith & Wesson guns, though the others aren't far behind, especially in single-action mode. I personally think the Rossis are a bargain, worth what you pay for them, and sometimes more. But right now, if I needed another 357, and didn't want to pay top dollar for it, I'd call CDNN Investments and order a Smith 65 or 66, they had them in the last flyer for right around $300, some were less, depending on condition and such. Many were PD trade-ins, and IIRC, all were 4-inch guns. Most have seen little use, and display mostly carry-wear. I bought my 65-5 3-inch from them several years ago, and it's not the prettiest gun I ever owned (PD trade-in) but it shoots better than I do, and the trigger is to die for. I think I need several more, actually.

Papajohn
 
First off,

Taurus does NOT make a revolver as good as Ruger & S&W.

In a 4" .357 I'd choose a Ruger GP100, SP101, S&W 686, 60, 620.


ther is only one manufacturer I will not buy. Taurus.

Don't be penny wise and pound foolish. Buy the better gun not the cheaper one.
 
I chose a GP100 and one of the main reasons was that I felt very confident (given it's reputation for reliability) that I could buy a used one and still have a completely reliable gun.

Was able to get it for $370 so I saved some good cash and have a gun that i'll likely be able to pass on to my grandchildren


Don't have any experience with a Taurus but in my case of just goin' off of people's comments on boards like these i decided that a used ruger was a more reliable option then a new taurus. My father in law does have a Tracker in .17hmr though that i really want to shoot
 
I like my Dan Wesson with the 4" barrel because it is accurate with any ammo at 25 yds and I can keep a 6" group at 100 yds with the 158 gr SP using the 4" barrel. You can get a 'Pistol Pack' with a Dan Wesson frame, along with 2 1/2", 4", 6", and 8" barrels.
 
First off,

Taurus does NOT make a revolver as good as Ruger & S&W.

In a 4" .357 I'd choose a Ruger GP100, SP101, S&W 686, 60, 620.


ther is only one manufacturer I will not buy. Taurus.

Don't be penny wise and pound foolish. Buy the better gun not the cheaper one.
Click to expand...


Actually when i got my Taurus it was the better gun. Both smiths they had where rough and grind. The cylinders needed to be pushed out of the frame for reloads and the double action was like pulling a chain thru sand. The rugers i held where okay but not as great as people make them sound. For home defence and just range time a Taurus is a great choice.

If you've never fired a Taurus or are only going off of what your friend of a friend has said don't comments about things you don't know. Seems to be a running theme of this board. If its not Smith or Ruger its not worth considering.
 
what I currently have: blued Ruger Security Six

what I have owned in the past: blued Ruger GP100; stainless Ruger GP100; blued S&W 19; stainless S&W 65; Taurus 66; stainless S&W 686; stainless Colt King Cobra

fav: stainless Ruger GP100; S&W 686

'shoulda kept' Colt King Cobra

per Jessica Biel's character in Blade Trinity...'Lucky 7 with silver hollowpoints' (referring to a S&W 686 +)
 
I have a friend who bought budget-fitting new blued Taurus 4" 66 7-shooter. We swapped springs - regripped it - and he broke it in shooting .38s. Hard for me to say, it really is now a decent revolver - as was his little 5-shooter SS 4" .45 ACP Tracker. No, they will never operate, last, or resell like a S&W, but it fit his budget. He keeps it stoked with +P 158gr LSWCHPs for home/self defense.

I shoot a lot more than he does... I reload. I would rather have fewer but higher quality firearms. I recently divested myself of some interesting, but aggravatingy unkept when new due to poor QC, firearms - most of my Rugers. I did this in time to see new GP100s and the new 4" RHs with excellent quality, making me wonder whether or not Ruger's visually impaired QC inspectors had finally retired. At any rate, my S&Ws have continued to increase in number - including those with the Infernal Lock and MIM parts - they make fine revolvers today.

Okay, if you can swing it... a new S&W 620 gets you a 4" partially lugged barrel, much more traditional and proper-looking, IMHO, than the full lug of the 686, much less the full shroud of the GP100. It runs $569-$599 new locally. The 4" 686+ runs ~$30-$40 more. The best buy is the $719 I spent a couple of months back on my 627 Pro. This is a 4" tapered lug N-frame .357M with an eight round capacity. It will take moonclips - and you can easily change the front sight - without tools! It also has a custom barrel, chamfered charge holes, is moonclip ready, and has a 'tuned' action. A lot of goodies for, at most, $150 more than the 620. The 620 is no slouch, by any means.

My 627 Pro, with the same HiViz sight I use on my 625JM shown above it, is below:

IMG_0582.jpg

Good luck!

Stainz
 
http://www.taurusarmed.net/forums/index.php?topic=8478.0

As for a comparison of S&W versus Taurus here's another take on that.

S&W,Ruger, and Taurus,even Rossi make good sturdy serviceable revolvers ( Links on all that can be brought forth too if need be).

As for a supposed superiority of one over another,nope. No always and not under all or most conditions.

When one buys the revolver, or any gun for that matter, it's wise to inspect it very closely. One needs to have a good working knowledge of that. If not then the help of good mentor is called for. That or someone who has a excellent knowledge of such things.

Then one can purchase,clean before shooting,get aquainted with the gun, and then go break the gun in properly.

Proper shooting techniques and plenty of practice get thrown into the mix to make one proficient.

This helps eliminate any number of stumbling blocks.
 
Based on my experiences with the Rossi Model 972, I'd not hesitate to suggest one to somebody looking to buy a quality .357 for not a lot of money. In the short amount of time the 972 has been in my house, it has had 400rds of .38 +P and .357 fired through it. I know that's not a lot, but I figure if there were going to be any defects within the revolver, they would've shown themselves.
I'd rather have a S&W 627 Pro or a 686P if I had the money, but I wouldn't be at all disappointed if all I could afford was a Rossi, and in all likelyhood a 4" .357 will be the next addition to my collection.
 
Thanks to all of those who replied. I didn't intend to start a ruger-taurus-smith war, I was just wondering what some other suggestions other than ruger and taurus people had for someone looking into .357's.
 
My experience with Taurus is very limited. Three friends had different models and were all at least 10 years old. All three had serious mechanical and material problems. I have no real experience with newer Taurus guns. Maybe they got their act together as of late.

Ruger makes an excellent revolver for the money. I have shot a few examples of the the SP101 and GP100 and all were well-built revolvers. The trigger-pulls were not nearly as refined as S&W's, but none of the examples I shot had any mechanical or material issues and worked perfectly. Again, my experience with Ruger revolvers is relatively limited, but all positive to date.

In the last two years I have purchased several used S&W revolvers. Three were a 4" model 65, 4" model 66, and a 4" 686. All were pre-lock and mim-free (not that it makes a difference to some people). All are excellent revolvers and the average price was $315 each (after a little haggling), purchased from dealers... not private sellers. All were in excellent condition and needed only a good cleaning. The 66 showed the most wear, but was perfectly servicable the day I brought it home. It has slight end-shake which is easily fixed whenever I feel the need to address it. The other two are practically new and lock-up and time as well as any new gun I've handled and shot.

The 66 and 65 are basically the same gun, with the exception of adjustable vs. fixed sights. They are the internediate-sized K-frame and carry and easily. They are not intended to shoot a steady diet of magnum loads, rather, they are intended to be fed .38spl for regular practice and only occasional magnum ammunition. The 686 has the slightly larger and robust L-frame and supposedly will handle a steady diet of magnum ammunition without issue.

I strongly favor S&W's and have carried one daily for over 10 years (model 642). I have used their customer/warranty-service and couldn't be happier with the results. I have no complaints with the comapny other than their insistance on using internal locks on new guns. Since plenty of pre-lock revolvers are out there, it's really a moot point for me. That's an argument for another day, though.

Were it me and I needed a .357, I'd look first for a lightly used K or L frame S&W. In the unlikely event one could ot be found for a decent price ($275-$400) I'd look at a new or lightly used Ruger. Both companies have a pretty solid track record for quality and customer service and used examples abound for very reasonable prices.
 
My personal experiences have turned me to S&W and Ruger. Every Taurus I have had has had issues, albeit minor for the most part. My friends and family who have had Taurus guns have had problems with all of them.

My most recent model 85 decided to break the firing pin return spring the last time I shot it. My friend had his PT145 blow apart in his hands after about 200 rounds and his Gaucho .45 Colt never worked from the beginning (and still didn't after 5, yes FIVE, trips back to the factory). My uncle was blessed with two PT-92's that will not function regardless of who cleans, shoots, or works on them, except for Taurus who can't find anything wrong.

Now I am not a "brand whore" and I know that other guns blow up, but that is just to much for me to trust Taurus.
 
I had to send my GP-100 back to the factory for repairs. After the repairs, it's been 100% reliable, the trigger is great, and I point naturally and shoot great with it. I even bought another one, and gave it to my brother.

I had two K-frame Smiths chambered in .38 special. They were perfectly reliable guns for me and very accurate, but not as accurate to me as the GP-100. I sold one to a friend, and gave one to another friend. I prefer the trigger on the GP-100, and I feel the size/weight between the two is a wash, even though they were K and not L frames. Practically speaking, they're all about the same size and weight.

I also prefer the ergonomics and adjustable sights of the GP-100.

Man, you just gotta find what works for you, and probably buy and sell a few guns before you find it.

I also can't stand the locks on new Smiths and Tauri. There's no need for a key lock on any gun. It's just wrong.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

E
  • Locked
Holster advise for hiking
Replies
10
Views
2K
BlkHawk73
B
S
  • Locked
Comments On the Model 627 7-shot in .357 Magnum
Replies
4
Views
510
roscoe
R
H
  • Locked
Taurus grip question
Replies
9
Views
1K
bluetopper
bluetopper
R
  • Locked
Titanium Cylinder face errosion
Replies
3
Views
742
Old Fuff
O
N
  • Locked
Taurus 626 Total Titanium
Replies
5
Views
2K
natronone
N
Back
Top