The .357 is pretty versatile, but I'm not going to ask what's the ultimate hunting .357 or the ultimate pocket .357. I want to hear what gun you think makes the most of what the .357 is best at.
I carry a .357 ankle gun, but I don't think it's the ultimate culmination of the .357. It has a lot of trade-offs or compromises. So what about a big .357 like the seminal Registered Magnums or the Model 27? No. That N frame's for .44's. It was a kludge, made to work for hot .38-44's and .357's but it doesn't quite fit, does it? Well, maybe it fits eight, but there's still a big gap.
Maybe the Model 19? Some people see the glass half-full, other's half-empty. It seems most people think the Model 19 overflowed just a bit with the .357. For those who saw the N frame glass as too big, and the K frame too small, maybe the L frame was just the right size? Is the ultimate .357 an L-frame? If so, which one?
Maybe it wasn't even Smith & Wesson that made the ultimate .357. The early Blackhawks were Ruger's first centerfire revolver and they chambered it in .357. Some people think they nailed it. Is an early Flattop the ultimate .357?
Well, when the .44 Magnum came out, it seems it eclipsed the .357 for those big-frame revolvers in every way. The Blackhawk was super-sized and mostly forgot the .357. The Model 29 was the N frame people wanted, not the Model 27 which was by then like a concession prize. Silhouette shooters and handgun hunters focused on the .44 and the string of big-bore cartridges that followed. Guns like the Freedom Arms Model 83 were built for those, but they did make a fine .357 in later years. Is the ultimate .357 a FA Model 97?
Maybe the .357's ultimate expression isn't in handgun hunting where even Elmer Keith abandoned it. Maybe it is in the little pocket revolvers like the first stainless steel revolver, the Model 60, or an SP101. Some people think the Kimber is better than all those, but it would be hard to believe that it took Kimber to make the ultimate .357.
More than one gun-writer has written before their own opinion that the Colt Python is the answer, even the greatest production revolver ever made in any caliber. Others say they wear fast, they're fragile, they lose timing, and the trigger reset's too slow. It's hard to pick nits with a jewel like the Python, but I don't think anyone would say they're a good value these days.
Maybe it's not a revolver. Maybe the ultimate expression of .357 is a Desert Eagle or a Coonan. Probably not.
What do you think?
I carry a .357 ankle gun, but I don't think it's the ultimate culmination of the .357. It has a lot of trade-offs or compromises. So what about a big .357 like the seminal Registered Magnums or the Model 27? No. That N frame's for .44's. It was a kludge, made to work for hot .38-44's and .357's but it doesn't quite fit, does it? Well, maybe it fits eight, but there's still a big gap.
Maybe the Model 19? Some people see the glass half-full, other's half-empty. It seems most people think the Model 19 overflowed just a bit with the .357. For those who saw the N frame glass as too big, and the K frame too small, maybe the L frame was just the right size? Is the ultimate .357 an L-frame? If so, which one?
Maybe it wasn't even Smith & Wesson that made the ultimate .357. The early Blackhawks were Ruger's first centerfire revolver and they chambered it in .357. Some people think they nailed it. Is an early Flattop the ultimate .357?
Well, when the .44 Magnum came out, it seems it eclipsed the .357 for those big-frame revolvers in every way. The Blackhawk was super-sized and mostly forgot the .357. The Model 29 was the N frame people wanted, not the Model 27 which was by then like a concession prize. Silhouette shooters and handgun hunters focused on the .44 and the string of big-bore cartridges that followed. Guns like the Freedom Arms Model 83 were built for those, but they did make a fine .357 in later years. Is the ultimate .357 a FA Model 97?
Maybe the .357's ultimate expression isn't in handgun hunting where even Elmer Keith abandoned it. Maybe it is in the little pocket revolvers like the first stainless steel revolver, the Model 60, or an SP101. Some people think the Kimber is better than all those, but it would be hard to believe that it took Kimber to make the ultimate .357.
More than one gun-writer has written before their own opinion that the Colt Python is the answer, even the greatest production revolver ever made in any caliber. Others say they wear fast, they're fragile, they lose timing, and the trigger reset's too slow. It's hard to pick nits with a jewel like the Python, but I don't think anyone would say they're a good value these days.
Maybe it's not a revolver. Maybe the ultimate expression of .357 is a Desert Eagle or a Coonan. Probably not.
What do you think?
