Best 357 revolver for a steady diet of full house loads?

I have already posted my answer but I wanted to add this. Again all of the revolvers the OP his referred to are great revolvers for shooting 357 magnums. None of them are bad choices.
But if I was looking for a new revolver that can take 357 magnums all the time without setting me back a fortune then I would have to choice the Ruger GP100.
Reasons:
1. Built to take large amounts of 357 magnums.
2. Ruger is one of the best makers of guns.
3. The GP100 is easy to take apart and maintain.
4. The best value in a Large medium frame revolver.
Again, the others are very good choices but if a person takes everything into consideration then the GP100 will come out ahead everytime.
Regards,
Howard

Find a Ruger Redhawk in .357. I bet it's the best ever.

Deaf

Ruger Sr. designed the GP100 and always overbuilt the heck out of his designs. The L-Frame was S&W's answer to 19/66's being shot apart by hot 125gr Magnums. I love S&W revolvers but think the Ruger would hold up better. S&W 28 with 6" tube would also be a great choice if your hand is big enough. I had a nice 4" for a while that made Federal 357B's feel like 38 Specials and 38 +P's feel almost as light as 22LR.

I always recommend the 686+ because I feel it's the best 357 revolver out there. It will stand up to full power factory ammo, more than most guys can afford to put through it in two or three lifetimes. It's got perfect balance (3" is my favorite), an unbeatable trigger and is the perfect size for range, HD and IWB carry. The large Rugers may be stronger but if I needed more metal I'd go for a 627 which has an eight round cylinder and still a classic S&W trigger. The Rugers look fine to me but the trigger has kept me from owning one. My polished 3" 686+ I own with trigger work is one of the last of many I'd part with.

I'm surprised that the GP-100 is so out classing all the others.

I did vote for the GP-100, but the S&W 686 is my choice 1a.
(but it would have to be an older 686 w/o MIM & that !@#$%^&*! infernal lock)

Dan Wesson. Mine survived the 80s living on a steady diet of silhouette loads. I would think that parts availability should improve now that they are back in production.
http://www.cz-usa.com/products/view/dw715/
I don't believe that they reinvented the wheel design-wise.

Any S&W N-frame should be plenty durable enough.

Rugers kind of go without saying.

Pythons are not hothouse flowers. Mine is 45 years old and was a silhouette gun at one point. (Ironically the Dan Wesson has had more timing issues than the Python.)

Actually, none of the above. I'd go with a Freedom Arms in the caliber FIRST. I'd go with a Ruger Blackhawk second. You said "revolver", not "DA revolver". Out of the choices, I voted GP100, absolutely the strongest in this list, but then your list is also missing the Smith and Wesson N frame .357s. But, the GP100 ain't even close to the .44 mag capable Blackhawk design, let alone the .454 Casull capable Freedom Arms revolvers.

I vote for

A Dan Wesson model 15/715 should be up to the task. If not then a Dan Wesson model 40/740 .357 SuperMag. If still not strong enough, then a Freedom Arms model 83, chambered for. 357.

Edit: here you go... http://www.sixguns.com/range/fa353.htm

MAN, the handloads they show in that article are WAY over SAAMI, would FRAG a K frame. The FA is indeed the strongest .357 available, 'nuf said.

As far as handling the pressure of the .357 Magnum, the big frame Smith and Wessons like the Model 27, 28 and stainless 627 are probably stronger than the Rugers as the cylinder is much thicker and they would hold up better in a bursting test with over pressured rounds.

That is not the problem.

The lockwork on the S&W revolvers is more delicate and the parts are smaller and tend to wear out sooner than those of the Rugers do. This has nothing to do with handling pressure but in handling repeated mechanical cyclings. A real test might be to see how many dry firings these revolvers could take before they go out of time.

Ruger Redhawk, if you can find one.
Otherwise, Ruger Blackhawk. Those are easy to find.

Between the GP100 and 686, I don't think it matters, both are plenty strong... but there's a large difference in price that seems difficult to justify. $200 more for a smith over a taurus? sure. but over a ruger, which is every bit as good? Seems not worth it.

The best choice imo is the Dan Wesson especially if you appreciate the best accuracy at long distances. Obviously they proved their capabilities in the Silhouette competitions. The Ruger GP100, Redhawk or Blackhawk are good guns and very strong. The N frame Smith's should also be capable. I suspect L frames can take quite a beating too. A Freedom Arms revolver, my second choice, is probably the best quality revolver of any mentioned and is also very strong but also quite expensive.

I have Blackhawks. Some day, i'll move up to a Freedom Arms, but I'll want it in classic .454 Casull. I've got plenty of .357s. That FA can be loaded, it seems, hot enough to rival the velocities I get from normal .357 ammunition out of my 20" Rossi 92, though. That's pretty amazing. I wouldn't wanna get that ammo mixed up with my regular ammo, could be catastrophic on my medium frame guns, even my BLACKHAWK!

Well since the Dan Wesson is no longer really produced, other than some vaporware put out by CZ at some undisclosed point in the future I can't vote for it. The Ruger is very strong no doubt, but I would imagine a S&W 627 (6 shot cylinder) would stand up just as well and has a better trigger so that is what I am voting for.

Of course the most durable revolver I can think of to put up with full house .357 loads all the time and in great volume would be a Freedom Arms M83 in .357.

I voted for Dan Wesson. Mainly because I can't imagine ever wearing mine out and I have no experience with the other three choices.

GP 100 no question

I just noticed that this poll is 3-1/2 years old. Must have missed it the first time around, but suppose I would have voted the same way...

I went with the GP 100.

I had a 681 (fixed sight version) rebuilt three times. The last time the armorer told me that next time it would have to go back to Smith, he'd done all he could do. Be advised though, that it was several thousand rounds between rebuilds and it was all fast double action shooting.

So if I could only have one to last a lifetime of hard shooting the 686 doesn't make the list:

1. Ruger Redhawk (as has already been said "good luck finding one!")

2. Ruger GP100

3. Ruger Security Six

1. Ruger Redhawk (as has already been said "good luck finding one!")

2. Ruger GP100

3. Ruger Security Six

Click to expand...

I'd have a hard time putting the Redhawk at the top of that list. The cylinder is massive for sure and you'd be hard-pressed to hurt it. But the mass of the cylinder works against it if you're talking about rapid fire. The bolt has to stop the cylinder spin on every shot and will be hammered badly. I give the GP-100 the nod for longevity.

I voted GP100 purely for toughness but I'd say a S&W 686 would probably have a better trigger but for me the Gp100 is the 357 wheelgun they're just a very simplistic and overbuilt gun.

Went to the range a couple weeks ago with my 6" GP. 100 rounds of hot reloads and a few Buffalo Bore 180gr flame throwers, both my hands and the GP were unscathed and the only reason why I didn't shoot more was I ran out of 357 ammo. (shot more 38's).

I will say after a chamber full of 180gr. Buffalo Bores that reportedly goes over 1,400 fps, my hand did tingle a bit. Rest of my hot handloads felt whimpy after that.