Concealed Carry

Smith & Wesson make some j frames in 357. Great for CCW. Plus, thru 12-31-10, you get a 50.00 rebate.

see http://www.smith-wesson.com for details.

Here is a recent thread on the LCR: http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=555804

Personally, I would prefer something slightly larger and a bit heavier (putting shootability over carryability), like the Ruger SP101, but since you indicate you're looking for light weight I guess the SP101 may not be one you want to consider. (Just to be clear, I don't mean that the SP101 is difficult to carry - on the contrary, with a good belt I can barely notice the gun.)

If you get a chance, I'm sure it'd be worth trying out the LCR with .357 magnum loads (if that's what you ultimately want to load it with), see how you like it. Good luck!

If you insist on having a revolving pistol and want it small, I doubt anyone can beat North American Arms.

LCR is a great choice. An easy pocket carry. It is a HANDFULL in 357. I shoot 38 at the range, then load the 357 for carry. The trigger is smooooth............

LCR has a great trigger. .357 will be a handfull, but you said you wanted a light revolver, so there you go. When I carry a revolver, it's my SP101. But you said you want light, so that's out.

S&W 638 5 shot, .38 only.

A S&W WITHOUT the lock.

A Ruger SP101.

Otherwise the LCR. It's going to HURT with .357s.

Check out the SW 386 PD. I have one. The kick is prominent with full power .357 loads, but very manageable. It has the black Scandium frame, but uses a 6-rd stainless cylinder so it's about 24.5 ounces vs 18 ounces in the Airlights. And the two-tone looks really cool. S&W also has the 386 SC variants which are scandium frame and 7-rd scandium cylinders.

Mine's an L-Frame so it's much larger than the LCR's and similar in weight to an empty Ruger SP101. I use a pancake thumb-break holster and don't even know it's there. It has the Hi-Viz front sights and they stick out quite a bit, but I have no trouble drawing from the holster.

The SP101's are nice too. The SP101 was my initial thought when looking into wheel guns. They are easily concealed and comfortable to carry. If you have strong hands then go with the LCR...like it's already been said the LCR would be a beast with .357 loads.

Just to be clear, make sure you purchase the LCR-357, not the LCR. The former is for 357 or 38 special; the latter is 38 special only. I only bring this up because I've had a few friends look at the LCR for 357 but ordered the wrong revolver. As the others said, shooting the LCR-357 is a handful with a full magnum load. Personally, I would prefer to have more heft in the carry piece than the LCR can provide.

If you get a chance, I'm sure it'd be worth trying out the LCR with .357 magnum loads

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Good advice.

The OP said "I want the power and this point is not negotiable." In his shoes, I would definitely fire any pistol with full charge .357s before I bought it, and ask myself, "Do I want to do this 50 times or more every week?"

If the answer is no, and he finds it out after buying the pistol, then the power has been negotiated away.

There's nothing insufficient about a .38 Special. Whatever you get you'll need to practice extensively with it so having a revolver so tiny and overpowered you're afraid to shoot it is no good at all.

sp101 is plenty small

3 inch is what I have, two inch has a slight conceal advantage

I carry an sp101 on my belt. I find it too heavy for pocket carry. I don't like the feel of the LCR. For pocket carry/BUG I use either a Ruger LCP or S & W 642 Airweight.

I want one in .357mag. I know it will be a lot of recoil, but I want the power and this point is not negotiable. My real question is: is the Ruger LCR the best option?

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As you indicated in your post, recoil is a problem with full-power .357 loads in a small gun. IMO if you want a 357 snubbie, ignore the alloy or new polymer frame models, and go with a heavier steel frame model (Ruger SP101, S&W 640, Taurus 651, etc.). IMO the recoil of a .357 in an ultralight gun is detrimental to combat shooting.

+1 for a SP101.

I have a 3" model and if .357 is a must I'd say go with the SP101 2" because the weight will help. Recoil is still hefty but manageable.

I just started carrying a S&W 642 airweight for warm weather carry/backup and it's snappy as hell with .38+P's but I can group well enough with it and feel confident that it'll get the job done. If you're stuck on .357 then go with the Ruger for sure.

Another +1 for the Ruger SP101. The .357 Mag. is a very powerful round, I would not want to shoot a .357 in anything lighter than the SP101 either.

I just bought the .38 special LCR and am very pleased with it. It's a handful with 130gr FMJ rounds and such but is not unpleasant to shoot with 110gr JHP +P Hornady rounds.

I seriously considered the .357 version but after renting the .38 special and seeing how much sting I felt with FMJ rounds, I decided against taking on the extra weight of the .357 version, and perhaps even more sting.

I'd urge you to see about renting one at your local range, there's no good substitute for a good ole test drive.

sp101

Better living through tripling the energy.

S&w m640........

Double post!

The 12 oz. S&W Airlite revolvers are great to carry but I wouldn't want to practice with one. Since practice with your carry gun is a necessity I don't recommend an Airlite if you're going to load it with .357 Magnum ammo.

The Ruger SP101 is a great gun but IMO it's just a little too large and heavy for carry unless you are willing to belt carry that revolver.

That leaves the S&W J frame .357 Magnum revolver that are made of Steel. IMO any of the 3 made are good choices, the M60 is the Chief's Special, the M640 is the Centennial frame and the Bodyguard frame is the M649. They are slightly smaller and lighter than the SP101 and can be carried in your front pocket. Just remember to practice covering the hammer with your thumb when drawing if you buy a M60. The other two are no problem because the hammer is either shielded or not external.

I own a M640, it's a great revolver and it shoots very well with 145gr Winchester Silvertip .357 Magnum ammo. (not that I can find any of that ammo over the past 2 years)

giggitygiggity said:

I am looking at revolvers. I want something very nice and small. The Ruger LCR looks like it might be a good choice. What are some other options? I want one in .357mag. I know it will be a lot of recoil, but I want the power and this point is not negotiable. My real question is: is the Ruger LCR the best option? Are there any better options? I am going for concealability, light weight, accuracy, and good trigger.

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Well, add hand-bruising recoil, massive muzzle blast and muzzle flash that will leave you night-blind. Toss in the lack of controllability for follow-up shots, which even with the .357 Magnum are a good idea. Then let's talk about that "not negotiable" idea.

There's a good reason just about every person who has replied to your query has recommended either a heavier revolver or a lighter load: the Scandium/Airweight Smith J-frames and the LCR are prime examples of gunmakers having the technology to produce a firearm but not the wisdom to consider whether it's a good idea.

There is a thread on THR called What's your recoil limit? that might be worth checking out. There are all the expected hand howitzers like the .44 Magnum, .454 Casull, etc., but a surprising number of responses cite the J-frame Smith & Wesson Airweights and Ruger LCR. Even with +P loads, the featherweight wheelguns punish the hand. And the tiny grips aggravate the matter by not allowing the shooter to grip the gun with the entire hand. Apparently somebody at Smith & Wesson and somebody else at Ruger forgot, didn't know or didn't care that the little finger is crucial to grip strength and you need all the fingers you can get on the grip to control these little guns that already kick like a mule.

You might think we're all wusses and wienies but it ain't so. I have a S&W Airweight - a Model 637 chambered for .38 Special +P and a S&W Model 60 with a 3-inch barrel chambered for .357 Magnum. I have fired over a thousand rounds through each and realized there are better and more meaningful ways to demonstrate my manhood than pushing the envelope with hot loads in too-light handguns. I have also realized that .38 Special is really a pretty darn good round in a belly gun and that being able to squeeze off multiple shots in rapid sequence is more likely to stop an attack. I do practice with Magnum ammunition in the Model 60 and carry it loaded with +P, but the Airweight (which I carry more than any of my handguns) has five rounds of .38 Special Hornady Critical Defense on board and I carry a speedloader with five more rounds in my pocket. I also dumped the Uncle Mike's Boot Grips and replaced them with slightly larger grips that allow me to use all fingers to grip the gun. And, yes, I do practice with what I carry every time I go to the range.

So, is the LCR your best option? For a Magnum, no. The SP101 is the way to go, preferably with the longer barrel. If you want the LCR, you'll be better off with the .38 Special +P version loaded with some decent hollowpoints.

I like a steel revolver...more weioght = better control, for me anyway...

I recently bought a Rossi 462, 2" stainless 6 shot .357 magnum...I replaced the hammer spring with one from Wolff, and it is a very tight, reliable and accurate shooter with a very good trigger, great size and takes my old S&W K frame speedloaders.
I have owned many Smiths, Rugers and a few Colts over the lawst 4 decades, and a few Rossi's-I think Rossis get an undeserved bad reputation-I have never had any problems with any of the 3 I have owned, and I carry my new one everywhere. The old Smiths now mostly stay at home.

mark

As I mentioned the 386PD 6-shot w/2.5" barrel would probably fit your needs well. Since you really want a .357 that is light enough to carry, but heavy enough to retain accuracy and shooting comfort you should check them out. With a mix of scandium alloy & stainless materials it's the best of both worlds.

Try this link to get more info and see pics - http://smith-wessonforum.com/s-w-re...onight-386pd-6-shot-accessories-now-pics.html