Small revolver

There's always the M60.



Or the mini-686 as I like to think of it.

Kimber K6S is excellent.

Ruger LCRx but I doubt you or your wife will enjoy shooting 357 ammo

Jack B. said:

I'm looking for the smallest and lightest revolver with a 3" or longer barrel, double action in .357 magnum. I'm a large revolver person and have very little knowledge about smaller revolvers and what's readily available out there. This is for my wife and the specifications are hers. Don't give advice on semi-auto's , she already has one. She wants a revolver. If you can provide info on a easily obtainable revolver that fits her criteria , we would appreciate it.

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Small and light in a 357 = a lot of recoil a 3" revolver is not a pocket gun so have your wife shoot a light 357 then a Ruger Sp101 and see if she still
wants a light 357 just my 2 cents

I love the S&W model 66 in 357 and now am shopping for a model 19 also in 357.

My husband got me a Ruger Sig in 357 and it didn’t fit my hand whereas the S&W fit perfectly. I own and and like Ruger a lot it’s the hand fit for me on this style. The shape between the two are different, space between the grip and trigger is what I’m talking about.
Have her try them to see what fits her hand better. The longer the barrel I’ve found does soak up some of the recoil, not that recoil is a bad thing

I do own a S&W .38 snub and even though it’s lighter the model 66 is easier to shoot and hit the target.

S&W model 60-15 Pro series. 3" barrel, approx 23 ounces. Pleasant to shoot with .38s, vigorous with full charge .357s ( I prefer the midrange Remington 125 grain Golden Saber .357). I've had the Ruger SP101. With its heavier weight it handles magnums better but I like the trigger and carry weight of the 60-15 better. Your wife may feel otherwise.

To fit your criteria I'd say Ruger LCRx.
https://www.ruger.com/products/lcrx/specSheets/5444.html
I'd leave the rest of unsolicited advice to everyone else.

Ruger or charter arms?

Charter or Ruger

I had a 4” sp101 that is a good candidate. However it have numerous quality issues. I cant imagins the Charter will be much better.

I’d look for a k frame

Charters are certainly lightweight, but I would guess .357 out of one would be punishing. One of the reasons I went with one of their .45 acp models is that I don't subjectively feel that .45 kicks/blasts as hard as .357. Out a 22 oz gun, that's all the more I want to try and handle. Even at that, mine is a close up blaster for SD.

I think the model 60 is a good choice. Nice solid steel but not overly heavy. For my personal needs, gun weight trumps most everything. I'd like to get an LCR 3" .357 at some point. It would make for a nice light hiking gun.

The LCRx is the smallest, lightest .357 3" I am aware of.

The Kimber K6s 3 inch only weighs a bit more than the LCRx 3 inch and gives you 6 rounds versus 5. It’s pricey but they are very nice revolvers.

The 3" LCRx.357 would be an ideal choice for a lightweight revolver.

Fine Figure of a Man said:

Ruger LCRx but I doubt you or your wife will enjoy shooting 357 ammo

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The great thing is you can shoot lighter loads in .38 Spcl.

Unfortunately your wife has set up a hard bill to fill. None of the ultra-light .357 Magnum revolvers come in a 3" barrel although the all steel revolvers are both all that heave in a J frame size gun.

The 3" S& W M60 is a really nice revolver and it's lighter than the SP101. The Performance Center Pro M60 is very nice and not much more than the standard M60.
https://www.smith-wesson.com/firearms/performance-center-pro-series-model-60

Does she really want light weight, or just thinks she does? She needs to try .38 out of an Airweight. I don't like shooting even .38 out of those.

S&W Model 13 3" https://www.gunbroker.com/item/802749796

If a Colt Trooper is her favorite, then she obviously has good taste.

jlemay69 said:

S&W Model 13 3" https://www.gunbroker.com/item/802749796

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The OP specified "smallest lightest" revolver. The K frame is a great revolver but it is larger than the J frame, not the smallest by any means.

I would recommend the SP101 in 3 inch for .357. They are no lightweight however.

Small. Light. 3". .357 Mag. Readily available.

The absolute lightest is going to be the LCRx, although it's heavier than I thought at a claimed 21.3 ounces. Not sure how readily available it is at this point, either; that should improve over time.

I think next up is the Smith model 60. Weighs in at 23.2 ounces, I think. Fairly commonly found.

The new K6 with the hammer surprised me also; it only claims to weigh 25.1 ounces with a 6th shot. I don't think these are anybody's definition of "readily available" right now.

Ruger SP is probably the easiest to find in the wild out of all these, but is the heaviest at 27 ounces.



As you can see, not a whole lot of spread. Is polymer a deal breaker? How heavy is too heavy? Weight just goes up from what I have listed when you start talking K frames and Ruger GPs. Good luck.

21.4 ounces on my scale. I added a little oil and carbon.....grin

I really like my Ruger SP101, 2 1/8 inch .357 hdbiker