Best “One *Revolver* To Do Everything”

The 357 seems to be the Discussion topic here.
I read a few others suggesting a different caliber-and a opinion against the 357,or lost of enthusiasm.
I’ve said it once before- With heavy boolets and around 1000 fps the 357 dosnt have to be a earcracker. Nothing wrong with Slower and heavy, That combination has been doing it for many many years successfully. Around 1000 fps and a 158 is my preferred target ammo, in 357 brass. Packs the punch and Isn’t difficult to shoot accurately. 180-200 is soft recoil.
Now Self defense ammo- that can be a different ball game. Yet 38 spl +p is no slouch and If indoors it’s preferable. Over 1200, Well- you know… It’s a tad Loud.

I like 357s with a 180 gr LSWCGC shoots hard with minimal flip and hits really hard.

You shoot that out of K frames?

Mr. Mosin said:

“Couldn’t”, or “couldn’t be bothered to try” ?

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Sometimes a certain model's build or trigger setup just doesn't allow for as good a trigger as another's in general. I am no gunsmith, but it is pretty much accepted conventional wisdom that you just can't get a J frame .22 revolver's trigger quite as good as a K frame.

And it doesn't have a lot to do with "bothering to try" - although you can always throw more $ at something, of course.


This might be a similar situation. I did feel that the stock GP trigger I experienced was somewhat better than the stock SP trigger, at least in that one case. Have read this same thing often from others.

I’m my limited experience , I know firsthand knowledge that the Sp 101 Can be a “smooth operation” trigger. Opinions vary, yet I have many old Smiths … J,K,L,N that are Stock and had trigger work done to them by good professional gun smiths for comparison . A phone call to Gemini would reinforce this information and not be “Opinions of A Keyboard Gunsmith”.

tubeshooter said:

Sometimes a certain model's build or trigger setup just doesn't allow for as good a trigger as another's in general. I am no gunsmith, but it is pretty much accepted conventional wisdom that you just can't get a J frame .22 revolver's trigger quite as good as a K frame.

And it doesn't have a lot to do with "bothering to try" - although you can always throw more $ at something, of course.


This might be a similar situation. I did feel that the stock GP trigger I experienced was somewhat better than the stock SP trigger, at least in that one case. Have read this same thing often from others.

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No Offense given towards You Tubeshooter

Lnf Crzr said:

No Offense given towards You Tubeshooter

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None taken. I never spoke in absolutes, and I made it clear that I am no gunsmith.


Many people will feel that you could have taken that Gemini trigger job $ and just gotten something else to begin with. And/or more ammo. YMMV. It always does.

I was informing Gemini is a professional and a phone call can extract a bit of information from for clarification purposes, Not spending the $.

Tho valid point

Oh, I see. Well, I'm sure they could.
Whoever cares enough can give them a call, I guess.

Perhaps Mr Mosin is considering the Sp101, and with as much knowledge provided to him- that’s the One he will end up with.

As a follow up! I have seen several mentions of 3” revolvers as a choice. 3” is great for carry and home defense but in some states 4” is the minimum for a hunting handgun. The OP might want to check that!

5” is my state…, Don’t these people that make the laws know 5” barrel revolvers are uncommon and expensive , Plus I want many of them

Someone in another one of the OPs threads linked to a place called 208gunshop. They had 2" blackened SP-101 revolvers for $589 with a total of $609 shipped. But don't bother looking. I just bought the last one and its on its way to me now. My son has wanted one of these for a long time and now he is going to get a nice gift. I will post pictures when it gets here and smooth it up for him and probably order new Wolfe springs for it. I hope I can get it is slick as my SS 101. It will rival a K Frame S&W for smoothness. The SA trigger isn't quite as good but the double action is sweet.

Lnf Crzr said:

You shoot that out of K frames?

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Sure, it was the 1600 FPS 125/110 Grainers that killed some K Frames, not slow and heavy, was flame cutting mostly.

Mr. Mosin said:

I’ve no intention of hunting... if my OP was read, it would be understood.

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Woods carry insinuates shooting something in the woods during a hunting season, is that such a big leap? My state is 4”.

wcwhitey said:

Sure, it was the 1600 FPS 125/110 Grainers that killed some K Frames, not slow and heavy, was flame cutting mostly.



Woods carry insinuates shooting something in the woods during a hunting season, is that such a big leap? My state is 4”.

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I personally distinguish between woods carry revolver and a hunting revolvers. My woods carry revolvers are a lighter and less powerful revolver that I carry when working on the hunting property or generally in the wood but not explicitly hunting deer. Varmints are always a target of opportunity while working and my wood revolver is sufficient for that but not the revolver I would choose to hunt deer with. My deer hunting revolvers are larger and in more powerful cartridges.

Woods carry revolver is a S&W M10 4-inch in 38 Special or Webley Mark VI in 455 Webley.
Hunting revolvers are a S&W 610 in 10mm Auto or a S&W M29 in 44 Mag, both 6.5-inch revolvers

I grew up hunting in Ohio were hunting handgun has to have at least a 5-inch barrel. That only applied to deer hunting so if I wanted to carry a 3-inch gun in the off season to shoot groundhogs or coyotes that would have been legal.

wcwhitey said:

Sure, it was the 1600 FPS 125/110 Grainers that killed some K Frames, not slow and heavy, was flame cutting mostly.
.

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I’m very knowledgeable as to the Flame cutting or what really caused issues, the Forcing cone cracking from lead and 125jhp in the K frame.
I asked Becouse Most don’t shoot 180s in smaller K frames, Yet I do…. As I previously stated. Slow and heavy is my preferred 357 ammo.

Mcb- Completely Agree 100%

I get his point! But I thought we were talking about 1 gun, do it all! My state 4” .35 Caliber. I in no way mean that 3” is somehow incapable of anything, I am a fan. I just think the one gun concept should check as many boxes as possible. Myself for a hiking or woods knock around gun is either a .22 Rossi 4” or a Model 15 .38 4”. Deer Season my 5” SBH comes out, sometimes as my primary. Sometimes it’s just different nomenclature. In my area quite a few call bullets or projectiles “heads”.

Lnf Crzr said:

Mcb- Completely Agree 100%

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I recently went on this particular search and ended up with a 4” S&W 66-5. Gun is perfect in every respect and for everything short of concealed carry I proclaim it as the perfect all rounder. For me-everyone will have their own needs that need to be met as has been shown all through this thread.

In the end I “need” two revolvers to complete my all around perfect gun. Now in search of the second which will be a J frame .357.

Lnf Crzr said:

I’m very knowledgeable as to the Flame cutting or what really caused issues, the Forcing cone cracking from lead and 125jhp in the K frame.
I asked Becouse Most don’t shoot 180s in smaller K frames, Yet I do…. As I previously stated. Slow and heavy is my preferred 357 ammo.

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I can't see where a 180gr lead bullet would damage a K-Frame and a 158gr bullet will not do any damage. After all you are only talking 22 grains more bullet weight. In other words cut a 40gr 22 bullet in half and thats what you are adding mass wise. Only a tiny bit more weight.

The K frame is a spectacular 357 revolver

From the information on line regarding the subject about the K frame forcing cone getting cracked… It is from The 110/125gr High velocity rounds and the dramatic impact on the forcing cone. Or/and lead built up on forcing cone- 6oclock having the “notch” weak spot.
The 158gr ammo generally dosnt move as fast with all the hot gases and so on to do the damage.

I’m sure someone will be along shortly to critique these statements and say it in a different way…. Yet that’s the issue and what I’ve read about it, Plus talking to older officers/gunsmiths from that era and the firsthand accounts about cracked barrel/forcing cones.

I cast my heavy 357 just soft enough, refrain from Jacketed and Don’t need to crank up the fps/pressure. I select the correct powder to safeguard against extreme heat and this seems to prolong life in my K frames.

Really enjoy the K frames, had many, have yet to crack one and actually enjoy the 180gr type ammo around 1000fps out of em.

That’s my opinion, dosnt need to be yours or corrected. Tho I’ll discuss it politely with you

Ps - I’m in agreement with you ThomasT, I do not feel the 180 or 158 will cause issues… unless it’s some of the boutique ammo companies. Yet not many can afford to shoot much of that stuff anyways.

I cast and loaded my own ammo. Those 180gr bullets out of my 65 are a blast. Shooting them out of Marlin 1894 is deadly.