New Manurhin MR73: Is it Worth it?

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Jim Watson said:
And on the other side of the aisle, what good is a recessed cylinder on a .357 Magnum? I doubt there was ever any balloon head Magnum brass made and I doubt there was any folded head .38 Long Colt left by 1935. It is just another cranny to clean.
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Because the case heads aren’t sticking out the cylinder, when closed, is closer to the recoil shield. That gives more support for heavy magnum loads. Is it necessary today? Maybe not. Cleaning is no problem as I just disassemble and chuck it into an ultrasonic cleaner.
 
I admire finely made weapons as much as anyone but for a guy with moderate economic means like myself it's not worth buying at that price.

Handguns were designed for close range defense or moderate range (100 yards or less) hunting. This revolver is reputed to be accurate to 200 yards but for that kind of shooting there are many rifles and carbines that cost much less and are far more accurate and deadly at those ranges and beyond.

However IF I were filthy rich and had cash to throw around then and only then I might buy one.
 
This interests me more than a Korth however I would buy a new Python before this for half the cost. Maybe one day if they can get the price down.
 
There are a train load of Buffalo Bore rounds that are recommended for Ruger but definitely NOT for S&W. What’s that tell you?
 
loneviking said:
Made today? Or ever? The older S&W N frames would run full power .357’s and never quit.
My 28-2 dates to 1979-1980. Many of the internal parts were hand fitted. Recessed cylinders, top notch bluing and exceptional accuracy.
The only thing the French .357 has over an N frame is weight. The MR73 is 34 ounces, the N frames are over 40 ounces.
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I have worn out and rebuilt a M-27 and a couple 625's shooting lots of DA. The S&W steel and design has its flaws.
 
earplug said:
I have worn out and rebuilt a M-27 and a couple 625's shooting lots of DA. The S&W steel and design has its flaws.
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Yes, definitely but they are easily and inexpensively rebuilt. I work on my S&W and Korths and have a lot of spare parts for them but try to find a qualified gun smith for a Korth or Manurhin- if you need one.

jski said:
There are a train load of Buffalo Bore rounds that are recommended for Ruger but definitely NOT for S&W. What’s that tell you?
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...isn't the thread about the Manurhin MR73? All it tells me is that you are off topic.
 
PzGren said:
...isn't the thread about the Manurhin MR73? All it tells me is that you are off topic.
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I was trying to come up with an American made wheelgun that is comparable to the Manurhin in terms of durability and ruggedness. And I offered up Ruger as a possibility.
 
jski said:
There are a train load of Buffalo Bore rounds that are recommended for Ruger but definitely NOT for S&W. What’s that tell you?
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jski said:
I was trying to come up with an American made wheelgun that is comparable to the Manurhin in terms of durability and ruggedness. And I offered up Ruger as a possibility.
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I have a few Rugers and they do not compare in quality to the MR73. The MR88 is built by Manurhin based on the SP101 and sports an equally poor trigger but has six shots.
 
loneviking said:
Because the case heads aren’t sticking out the cylinder, when closed, is closer to the recoil shield. That gives more support for heavy magnum loads. Is it necessary today? Maybe not. Cleaning is no problem as I just disassemble and chuck it into an ultrasonic cleaner.
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The short Model 27 cylinders won't allow the use of many heavy bullets that modern revolvers use.
 
PzGren said:
I have a few Rugers and they do not compare in quality to the MR73.
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Nothing is going to compare to the Manurhin in quality. If given a choice between the Manurhin MR73 and a Korth, I’d take the MR73.

I was simply looking at 1 aspects of both guns: the Ruger’s durability versus the Manurhin’s durability.
 
The Manurhin (and Korth) is better than our domestic double actions, past or present, the same way a Ruger is better than a Heritage and a Freedom Arms is better than a Ruger. The same way a Holland & Holland is better than a Remington. Or a Bentley is better than a Chevy. Better materials, better machining, tighter tolerances, better fit & finish. I don't know why some folks have such an issue with accepting that concept.

If you stand back and think about the pricing, it's not really 'that' bad. Especially considering that it's a lifetime investment. We're not talking the difference between a $40,000 Chevy and a $450,000 Rolls-Royce Phantom. Virtually any new full sized DA revolver has an MSRP approaching or over $1000. So the $3000 French connection is like owning three Rugers or S&W's. Which means that basically anyone could own one, if they really wanted to. How many people are tapping out their responses with a $900 iPhone or a $1200 iPad that's obsolete in 5yrs? This is what always baffles me when the subject is multi-thousand dollar guns and people act as if you must just have piles of cash laying around with nowhere to throw it. I had my first custom revolver built 20yrs ago at a cost of $1500. Today that would be $2400, adjusted for inflation. At the time, I was making $10/hr so this was not a flippant purchase. However, it was important to me and it was what I really wanted, so I sacrificed less important things, saved my money and got it done.


jski said:
Let’s make this simple: Is there an American wheelgun that is as well made as the Manurhin MR73? Does S&W or Ruger or Colt use the same high quality tool steel that Manurhin uses? Is the design as well thought out as Manurhin‘s design? Is the fit-and-finish as well done as the Manurhin‘s? Is the final product as accurate and durable as Manurhin‘s?
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In a word, no, not in a double action. Only thing that is comparable is the Freedom Arms 83/97.


loneviking said:
Made today? Or ever? The older S&W N frames would run full power .357’s and never quit.
My 28-2 dates to 1979-1980. Many of the internal parts were hand fitted. Recessed cylinders, top notch bluing and exceptional accuracy.
The only thing the French .357 has over an N frame is weight. The MR73 is 34 ounces, the N frames are over 40 ounces.
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N-frame .357's are tough but they're not bombproof. The .44's make their shortcomings stand out. Folks wax poetic about hand fitting but it was necessary due to the limitations of machining.
 
CraigC said:
The Manurhin (and Korth) is better than our domestic double actions, past or present, the same way a Ruger is better than a Heritage and a Freedom Arms is better than a Ruger. The same way a Holland & Holland is better than a Remington. Or a Bentley is better than a Chevy. Better materials, better machining, tighter tolerances, better fit & finish. I don't know why some folks have such an issue with accepting that concept.

If you stand back and think about the pricing, it's not really 'that' bad. Especially considering that it's a lifetime investment. We're not talking the difference between a $40,000 Chevy and a $450,000 Rolls-Royce Phantom. Virtually any new full sized DA revolver has an MSRP approaching or over $1000. So the $3000 French connection is like owning three Rugers or S&W's. Which means that basically anyone could own one, if they really wanted to. How many people are tapping out their responses with a $900 iPhone or a $1200 iPad that's obsolete in 5yrs? This is what always baffles me when the subject is multi-thousand dollar guns and people act as if you must just have piles of cash laying around with nowhere to throw it. I had my first custom revolver built 20yrs ago at a cost of $1500. Today that would be $2400, adjusted for inflation. At the time, I was making $10/hr so this was not a flippant purchase. However, it was important to me and it was what I really wanted, so I sacrificed less important things, saved my money and got it done.



In a word, no, not in a double action. Only thing that is comparable is the Freedom Arms 83/97.



N-frame .357's are tough but they're not bombproof. The .44's make their shortcomings stand out. Folks wax poetic about hand fitting but it was necessary due to the limitations of machining.
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I’m obviously failing to communicate here.

I’m not certainly not comparing Manurhin‘s fit-and-finish nor workmanship nor the quality of steel used in construction nor accuracy to Ruger’s. That would be idiocy. Truly, without doubt, Manurhin is in a league of its own!

What I am comparing is ruggedness/durability. Could a Ruger Redhawk 357 sustain the same punishment and wear as a Manurhin and still function reliably?
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I got that, I just did not address it directly, as I really don't think most shooters are going to shoot enough to find out. No, I don't think a Ruger is going to compare favorably but it's going to take a hell of a lot of shooting to find out. Finish is irrelevant but fitment is paramount to longevity. Rugers enjoy an advantage over S&W through the design aspect, because they came along years later and benefited from the knowledge gained through decades of people shooting Colt's and S&W. If you think about Ruger's flagship guns, they were vast improvements over guns with known flaws/shortcomings/limitations. With the Blackhawk over Colt and other 19th century designs, it was mostly springs and the bolt design. With S&W's, much of their shortcomings were overcome with the solid frame. Add to that the fact that they merely adapted the N-frame to the .357 and .44 magnums, rather than starting from scratch. The Redhawk was designed for the .44Mag cartridge and somewhat overbuilt. Which is why S&W's shoot loose at 36,000psi while Rugers are good to 50,000psi. On the flipside, a Ruger Super Blackhawk .454 will shoot loose at 50-55,000psi, while the FA lives at 65,000psi. Freedom Arms is not more massive than a Ruger. Their strength comes from better materials, better machining and tighter tolerances. Which is the same advantage the Manurhin has over our domestic guns.
 
Jim Watson said:
The recess doesn't "support" anything. It doesn't allow any more "support" of the cartridge. Purely cosmetic, added because they could and another justification for charging more.
A plain cylinder, which they are making now, encloses the entire case body up to the rim.
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The recesses are just something else to get gunk in.
 
CraigC said:
If you stand back and think about the pricing, it's not really 'that' bad. Especially considering that it's a lifetime investment. We're not talking the difference between a $40,000 Chevy and a $450,000 Rolls-Royce Phantom. Virtually any new full sized DA revolver has an MSRP approaching or over $1000. So the $3000 French connection is like owning three Rugers or S&W's.
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Exactly, I bet lots of people who say they would never spend that much on a Korth or MR73 have a couple dozen lesser guns that cost $15K in total.

Which means that basically anyone could own one, if they really wanted to. How many people are tapping out their responses with a $900 iPhone or a $1200 iPad that's obsolete in 5yrs? This is what always baffles me when the subject is multi-thousand dollar guns and people act as if you must just have piles of cash laying around with nowhere to throw it.
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Or a $50K 4WD truck, that is a depreciating asset.
 
I'm kind of new to revolvers but I have always heard that the Webley Mk. VI, with the Webley speed loaders, is the best combat revolver ever made. (And probably the ugliest ) If I were buying a revolver for its quality and esthetic beauty, I would go for a Korth or a Manurhin. Or better yet, a highly conditioned Registered Magnum. But if I'm lookin' for a fight I'll take the Webley.
 
JCooperfan1911 said:
The new ones will not be as well made or use as good of materials in the design.
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Is this your speculation or do you have sources, facts, and/or data to support your statement? I will not be spending anywhere close to $3K on either a new or used one as Id rather have 2-3 S&Ws or Colts for that money. However, they interest me and I always enjoy seeing how re-releases stack up against their ancestors.
 
giggitygiggity said:
Is this your speculation or do you have sources, facts, and/or data to support your statement? I will not be spending anywhere close to $3K on either a new or used one as Id rather have 2-3 S&Ws or Colts for that money. However, they interest me and I always enjoy seeing how re-releases stack up against their ancestors.
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See post #14 in this thread.
 
Paul7 said:
See post #14 in this thread.
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If you read the thread and look at the video and the comments, many have agreed that he was shooting way over powered loads. There is also some question to if the barrel was getting plugged with lead when a jacketed bullet went down could have caused an issue. Looking at the gun it seems like a user issue, not a gun issue.
 
Let be frank, when talking about strength of 357 Magnum revolvers, IMO FA M83, Redhawk, NM Blackhawk and S&W N-frame are well above all other revolvers. However, all 357 Magnum revolvers should be judged by how many full power magnum loads they will take before erosion of forcing cone develops and affects accuracy.. I am aware that Manurhin had reputation that it should take indefinitely 150 rounds a day. However, according to some reports, that's not case any more. As far as I know, the only way to achieve very long barrel life is to use one those high tech alloys, see excellent article about steels used on SRH 454 https://www.carpentertechnology.com/blog/most-powerful-revolvers-get-lift-from-aerospace-alloys .
 
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Onty said:
Let be frank, when talking about strength of 357 Magnum revolvers, IMO FA M83, Redhawk, NM Blackhawk and S&W N-frame are well above all other revolvers. However, all 357 Magnum revolvers should be judged by how much full power magnum loads they will take before erosion of forcing cone develops and affects accuracy.. I am aware that Manurhin had reputation that it should take indefinitely 150 rounds a day. However, according to some reports, that's not case any more. As far as I know, the only way to achieve very long barrel life is to use one those high tech alloys, see excellent article about steels used on SRH 454 https://www.carpentertechnology.com/blog/most-powerful-revolvers-get-lift-from-aerospace-alloys .
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The issue I see about reduced quality is all I can find is a guy who knows a guy who once talked to a person that said they are going downhill or they are talking about the MR38 or others which are not explicitly the MR73 in 357. They might call it the MR73 but it is in .32 caliber or some other caliber, which by the manufacturer documentation, isn't a MR73. They don't seem to be specifically talking about the version of the revolver used by the GIGN.

I guess time will tell as more and more of them are imported from Beretta if there are any issues.
 
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