Shopping for a 357 revolver, help!!

JeeperCreeper said:

Anybody have a technical reason to skip on a Taurus?? You know, other than "Taurus sucks"

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Older Taurus? No, newer Taurus with matt finish, yes. Like I stated in post #19 I think the finish looks cheap. But thats just me.

I have 5 Ruger 357 revolvers. An SP-101 2 Security Sixes 4" barrels and 2 GP-100s with a 4" and 6" barrels. Of all the 4" barreled guns are my favorites with the 4" Security Six being number one. It feels just like a S&W model 19 in the hand.

I would get the Ruger over the Taurus just for the comfort of knowing if you ever had a problem they’d take good care of you and get your gun back to you fast. That’s worth a bit more in my opinion.

The 8 shot Smiths would also be a great choice. Good luck!

JeeperCreeper said:

OP here,
So my number one prospect is a Ruger GP100, 7 shot for $680.
But I'm really tempted by these cheaper $400-500 Taurus guns.
Anybody have a technical reason to skip on a Taurus?? You know, other than "Taurus sucks"

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The only somewhat technical reasons I can think of is reputation for repair service if needed, and holster/grip availability. If you can afford the additional $200 on the GP100, you will never miss the money, IMO.

JeeperCreeper said:

OP here,

So my number one prospect is a Ruger GP100, 7 shot for $680.

But I'm really tempted by these cheaper $400-500 Taurus guns.

Anybody have a technical reason to skip on a Taurus?? You know, other than "Taurus sucks"

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The only reason I can think of is resale value. The Ruger will hold a good bit value and a Smith will hold most of its value. These are my personal experiences reselling my guns. YMMV.

JeeperCreeper said:

OP here,

So my number one prospect is a Ruger GP100, 7 shot for $680.

But I'm really tempted by these cheaper $400-500 Taurus guns.

Anybody have a technical reason to skip on a Taurus?? You know, other than "Taurus sucks"

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Resale for sure. Used Smiths and Rugers hold their value. Not so much a Taurus. If you want to turn your .357 revolver into something you want more later in life, you'll be happier with what a Smith or Ruger brings than what you can get for a used Taurus.

Can't beat a good Smith. Picked up my 686-0 for right at $500 a couple years ago and it's probably my best shooter out of nearly 30 revolvers.

JeeperCreeper said:

OP here,

So my number one prospect is a Ruger GP100, 7 shot for $680.

But I'm really tempted by these cheaper $400-500 Taurus guns.

Anybody have a technical reason to skip on a Taurus?? You know, other than "Taurus sucks"

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I bought a new 6 inch Taurus in 91-92. I really liked the gun accurate balanced good in my hand.
The down side was that I shot the cylinder loose. I had buddy who hooked us up with thousands of out of date LAPD carry rounds in 38spl +P. Fired very few magnum rounds gut buckets of the old carry ammo.
I'm not badmouthing Taurus I currently own a convertible 22LR-22 mag that we use for criitter control in the shop.
If I were buying my first I'd try to find a way to obtain a Smith or Ruger that felt good in my hand. As others have stated the used market can be fantastic, especially if you get to check it out before you buy.

I own or have owned a bunch of them.

My mid-sized S&W 38's are great, but my N-frame 357 Model 28 is tied for the best trigger of any of my revolvers. I won it for a bid in the low $400's on Gunbroker because the finish is worn and it has incorrect grips. It is too large for convenient CC, but is great for everything else and fits my XXL hands very well.

My Ruger SP101's have both had poopy triggers. My friend has one with a trigger that isn't too bad. They are smaller and better suited for CC. My FiL bought a GP100 brand-new. His had a good trigger right out of the box. He shoots it better than any of this semiautomatic service pistols, even his beloved CZ75. I have a 38 special LCR and my good friend has a 357 version. They are excellent for CC and have great DA triggers.

I have owned three Taurus Model 66 derivatives. They have all had very good or excellent triggers. Maybe I got lucky. They were made in 1983-84, 1988, and 1990. The earliest one has a S&W style hammer block instead of the later transfer bar, and its trigger is ridiculously good. The 1988 model (it was stolen from me) had an excellent trigger. The 1990 one is a "fancy" Model 689 and its trigger is only very good. They also have Model 85 based 357's, but that is basically a j-frame, the triggers are not as good, and the recoil is less pleasant.

I had a Rossi 971 that I got used for around $300. It was very nice. Unfortunately for it, once I got the Taurus Old Model 66, it had to be traded. The Taurus was a similar: 6", stainless steel, mid-sized frame, adjustable sights... but the Taurus had a way better trigger. The Rossi was nice, but was traded away because its trigger wasn't as good.

I have four Charter Arms revolvers. They are light. Their triggers are oddly toy-like, but decently light. I don't know if they would be great for the OP, but they go bang every time.

I don't CC anything longer than 2" or 3". 4" is nice for HD or woods carry. 6" is best for range work: The extra sight radius is extremely helpful.

Here is my LCR. I put the slightly larger LCRx grips on it to fit my XXL hands. For me it is a short-range SD handgun. It carries light and shoots easiy.

This is from the late 70's. The quality is outstanding. It is kind of long for SD, but its trigger is so nice that I can do some seriously good target shooting with it.

Another great target shooter. I feel that the 6" barrel is a little awkward for SD, but it sure is accurate, and its medium frame and semi-lug barrel are handy.

This is my favorite handgun for HD or on my belt in case a deer stumbles up on me and I can't get my rifle turned around quickly. My good friend has a classic S&W Model 66 that his dad gave him. Its trigger is slightly better, but for both of us, both revolvers have the same practical accuracy.

Pudge said:

Can I be the first? You should probably get a Glock.

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35W

JeeperCreeper said:

OP here,

So my number one prospect is a Ruger GP100, 7 shot for $680.

But I'm really tempted by these cheaper $400-500 Taurus guns.

Anybody have a technical reason to skip on a Taurus?? You know, other than "Taurus sucks"

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I have a Taurus 357 605. 3 inch.
It has been flawless and the trigger broke in very smooth.

JeeperCreeper said:

I've been eyeballing the Pro or Performance Center guns... Looks like they are only like $100 more and I feel like I would love the difference for a small fee

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One thing I've learned when buying guns is that I don't let the price of a gun make the decision. I buy the gun if it speaks to me, if I like what I see I buy it. If its more than I have at the present than I save until I have enough to buy the gun. Only one time did I settle and was really never happy and regretted it. Taurus are fine guns and I own a PT 92FS that I have cherished for more than 34 years and still works flawlessly. I have a nice snub nose Rossi in 38 cal that is fantastic gun that was purchase about 34 years ago also. As some one suggested earlier go to a LGS and see if they have any that you can caress . The feel of the gun in your hand is important and you will know which to get. Or better yet go to a gunshow where I'm sure they will have every available revolver for your choosing.

Like Bikerdoc recommended. Ruger Security Six's can be found used at good prices.

I believe the Redhawk in 45 acp requires moonclips. I'm not too much of a fan of those. I have a Taurus 9mm revolver. Super accurate, a little stout on the recoil, but the moonclips are a little bit of a pain. Still, nice revolver and very accurate.

JeeperCreeper said:

OP here,

So I had a busy day and I thank you all for the advice!! I went to 2 big box stores, and 2 LGS... Here's what I tried

Ruger:
GP100 standard
GP100 7 shot
GP100 match champion
Redhawk 8 shot
Redhawk 45 colt/acp

S&W:
686 in a bunch of variations

Conclusion: I like them all. Balance, ergos, trigger, sights.... All great. So it's gonna come down to finding a good price.

I'm gonna keep looking used. Found a LNIB stainless 6" GP100 used for $550. Kinda fair, but I'm in a tough market. And the barrel is slightly longer than I want.

Also found 2 Ruger Redhawk 8 shots for $725 used. Considering those maybe.

I'll have to keep checking online prices

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Good luck! Did you try the RedHawks double action? I wasn't fond of mine, trigger reached was just long for me and the single action was nearly six pounds,although very smooth. I really liked the gun ,and am a huge Ruger fan, even tried a set of hogues, but the grip frame size was a limiting factor for me and it just didn't workout as much as a I wanted it too. I got my redhawk for a steal on GunBroker and sold it for a profit. Live and learn. Large palms with short fingers makes me particular about grip feel and trigger reach unfortunately.

Seems like I remember hearing about some reported reliability issues with the 7-shot GP100s. At least with some ammo; not all brands. I feel like that is important info to have. Kind of surprised nobody has mentioned this...

Redhawks will be heavy, same for any N-frame Smith.


The conventional wisdom would be to find a 4" 6-shot GP or 686. These are traditional and standard; easy to find. There are other options too - Ruger Six series and others. Personally I wouldn't dismiss a Blackhawk, Vaquero or other SA .357 out of hand - especially if size/weight is not an issue.

I'm fond of S&W revolvers but the Ruger GP100 has an excellent reputation. You cannot go wrong with an S&W 586 or 686 or a Ruger GP100. Both brands are generally good shooters.

I like the looks of the S&W revolvers.

The only GP100 that I have is a 44 Special. The Rugers look frumpy to me but beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

The S&W N-frame revolvers or the Ruger Redhawk are also good revolvers although they get to be a bit large.

I also have a couple revolvers that utilize moon clips., 45 ACP, 9x19, and 38 Special. With a BMT Equipped moon clip loader/unloader, using moon clips is easy and with little work. The BMT Equipped tools are a bit pricey for many folks though.

I do not have any experience with the other revolvers listed in the OP's original post but I do know that Glocks have terrible cylinders.

tubeshooter said:

Seems like I remember hearing about some reported reliability issues with the 7-shot GP100s. At least with some ammo; not all brands. I feel like that is important info to have. Kind of surprised nobody has mentioned this...

Redhawks will be heavy, same for any N-frame Smith.


The conventional wisdom would be to find a 4" 6-shot GP or 686. These are traditional and standard; easy to find. There are other options too - Ruger Six series and others. Personally I wouldn't dismiss a Blackhawk, Vaquero or other SA .357 out of hand - especially if size/weight is not an issue.

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IIRC there was a "rim lock" issue where the rims would get stuck together and not eject after firing with certain ammos.on the 7 shot gp's.

MidRoad said:

IIRC there was a "rim lock" issue where the rims would get stuck together and not eject after firing with certain ammos.on the 7 shot gp's.

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Thank you for clarifying. So not a reliability issue per se - more of an extraction issue.

tubeshooter said:

Seems like I remember hearing about some reported reliability issues with the 7-shot GP100s. At least with some ammo; not all brands. I feel like that is important info to have. Kind of surprised nobody has mentioned this...

Redhawks will be heavy, same for any N-frame Smith.


The conventional wisdom would be to find a 4" 6-shot GP or 686. These are traditional and standard; easy to find. There are other options too - Ruger Six series and others. Personally I wouldn't dismiss a Blackhawk, Vaquero or other SA .357 out of hand - especially if size/weight is not an issue.

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Regarding N Frame Smiths, they aren’t all heavy. There are several that use titanium cylinders and/or alloy frames that are surprisingly light.

SteadyD said:

Regarding N Frame Smiths, they aren’t all heavy. There are several that use titanium cylinders and/or alloy frames that are surprisingly light.

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This is true, and thanks for the correction.

I don't own any large frame (Taurus Hunter series, Redhawk/SRH, N-frame Smith) in .357 Mag. I do own medium-ish frame .357's (Two K frames, an L frame 686+ and two Dan Wesson 715's) and I find this frame/revolver size to be the perfect size for that round. (My big frames are in .41, .44 and .45C/.454). I am not a fan of small frame .357 revolvers, my centerfires are all in .38 Spl, but many folks do well with them.

All things considered, a 7-shot 686+ would be my first choice. There are a lot of great used ones out there if the retail for a newby is too much (Other than the seemingly always on sale 642 and its lightweight J frame brethren, new Smith's ain't inexpensive! ).

For a while there were some reported issues with the .357 Ruger GP 100 7-shot binding up with ammo, but I have zero first-hand knowledge about this so I don't know if these were internet hoopla or a real issue. https://www.calguns.net/calgunforum/showthread.php?t=1450021 (This has some U-tube clips linked in it. )

Good luck with your search, you're in the market for a fantastic firearm for sure!

Stay safe.

JeeperCreeper said:

Just like the title says, I'm looking for a cool double action revolver. I already own a Ruger Blackhawk 45 convertible and a Rough Rider 22lr/mag... Clearly I like swapping calibers

So I'm really considering a DA/SA in 357, but I don't know alot about the options as far as current quality vs price. I would love a 7 or 8 shot cylinder, but for a good price, 6 will do. Probably around 4" barrel. Mostly range use, some woods/hunting/defense carryover as well.

Options: Taurus, Ruger, S&W... Maybe the EAA Windicator.

Is Taurus decent quality now days? Did S&W cheapen up their triggers? Is Ruger overpriced?

What say you all? What would you recommend?

I prefer value for money, but really don't want to go above $800-ish, hoping for less.

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PM me if you're serious.

fireside44 said:

With 800 bucks I think I'd get a talo edition gp100 Ruger. A solid do all gun. Range, woods carry, a bit large for ccw. But that would be most of your cash

90s interams Rossi 971 is a good gun at $350-400 used. 2.5", 4", and cyclops models are available with the cyclops commanding more money. I like stainless steel so I'm biased.. Ruger sp101 used about 450-500, also a good gun but substantially heavier than the same sized rossi. But, I would trust a Ruger with full time .357s whereas the Rossi is more Smith like and may loosen up quicker with lots of stout loads. The Rossi has six shots vs five for the sp101.

I'm sure someone will show up and roundly bash Taurus and Rossi.

But, you should probably just get a Glock if it hasn't been mentioned yet (kidding of course).

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I'm not going to "bash" Rossi or Taurus, as long they're a Tracker or Cyclops.

silvermane_1 said:

I'm not going to "bash" Rossi or Taurus, as long they're a Tracker or Cyclops.

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I noticed the cyclops has begun to command a small premium over the past few years. Same action as the 971 and 720 just with a longer heavier barrel and underlug from my understanding. Really too bad because Rossi really stepped up the game in the 90s before getting forced into braztech/taurus.

I'd grab one of the police trade in S&W M65 that several vendors have in the $400 range. With an $800 budget, think of all the ammo you could afford. lol