GP100 5" OR 686 4" or 6"?

IMHO, 6" is for hunting. I don't even enjoy shooting full-lug 6" revolvers at the range. Just too much weight.

I'm a 4" bbl guy all the way around, for everything except hunting (because I don't handgun hunt). They are just perfect. Do you ever plan to carry this gun in a holster? Depending on your size and what holster, 6" and even 5" might be a little too long. Again, 4" guns pack great and they have plenty of barrel.

For me, I'd go GP100 if brand new. That is because they don't come with a lock. I won't own a new S&W with a lock, yeah, I'm one of "those guys". But, if we're talking pre-lock 686... than I'd honestly go with that over the Ruger.

But if the lock doesn't bother you, I think I'd still go Ruger. I just do not like what S&W has done to their revolvers in the past decade and a half, non counting the lock. Ruger on the other hand, is making GP100s the same way as they did in 1985. I just shake my head at the "new features" S&W has come out. All they are designed to do is make the revolver as cheap as possible to produce.

Just my $0.02, and I'm sticking to it.

If I had a chance to buy a 5" revolver I'd probably do it just for the novelty. I've always been drawn to the 3" and 5" guns instead of 4" and 6" which is far more common.

I would go with the 4" barrel with a Model 686 and a 5" barrel on the GP100. The balance of the 4" 686 is just about perfect to me while I would love to have a 5" .357 just for the uniqueness of it (and not being able to afford my dream gun, a 5" Model 27).

R

wild cat mccane said:

Thank you for the thoughts!

Does anyone feel the 4" kills the feet per second of the 357? Not hunting with it, but another consideration...

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If "something" needs to be stopped that thing will never know if it was hit with a round from a 4" barrel or a 5" barrel. It will be stopped just as well with both.

I own a 4" S&W M686-2 and I really like shooting it. The 6" model gives you a longer sight radius but like above, I don't care for shooting a 6" revolver.

well, i'm also 'one of those guys'. i can't bring myself to buy a smith with a lock.

i had a 3" gp100 that was great to carry and fun at the range, even with 180gr buffalo bore hardcast loads. however, it just didn't shoot that well. i had replaced the front sight with a gemini customs gold bead, and that helped, but still just didn't shoot well at all.

i sent it down the road, and recently purchased a 4" gp100. a friend has the 6" and it just seems too muzzle heavy to me, even for the range. the 4" is a great size for general purpose. mine is used both at the range, for woods carry, and occasionally as a truck gun.

if i had to do it over again, i would seriously consider the 5 inch, i don't think it would be much more to carry and the look is about perfect to my eye. the 4" is actually 4.2", so your gaining less than a full inch overall.

wild cat mccane said:

Thank you for the thoughts!

Does anyone feel the 4" kills the feet per second of the 357? Not hunting with it, but another consideration...

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Absolutely not.

4" barrels are what gave the .357 magnum it's excellent street record for effectiveness (read: stopping power-- but that's a controversial term). 4" bbls let the round do it's thing, and still be handy. With some hot 125 grain loads, you can still breech 1600 FPS with ease with a 4" gun. While a 6" might gain an extra 150 FPS so of velocity, that's not enough to make a difference for anything except hunting of larger game.

"However, all the Taurus bashing I've read got to me." That is sad. Mine still goes bang every time and has a very good trigger. Sometimes groupthink is wrong.

As a range toy or for hunting, 6" is the way to go. The longer sight radius is very helpful at 25+ yards.

For toting around or SD, 4" is better.

One little thought if you like a 5-inch barrel, especially with a very distinctive styling:

Smith does make a 686 with a slimmed down 5 inch barrel, no real lug.
It's in the company's Pro Series.

I bounced back and forth between the four and the six inches gp100 and bought the five to meet in the middle. I really like it. It took my some time to find one though. It seems like there are not a lot of them out there.

I will recommend the gun snob route.

Skip the Ruger, and the S&W. They are revolvers for mere commoners.

Instead buy a new Korth Mongoose with the 5.25" barrel. Then bask in the unadulterated awesomeness of a hand fitted double action revolver made completely out of tool steel, that uses roller bearings for the hammer. Evidently the actions are insanely smooth, and tolerances/clearances are super tight.

Grant Cunningham, the insufferable (in a good way) revolver snob, has even admitted that the Korth Mongoose is better than any Colt Python or S&W Registered Magnum either manufacturer ever put out.

While enjoying the finest double action .357 money can buy, with the most elegant barrel length offered, you can also enjoy the seething jealousy of all of us knowing that you possess this firearm and we do not.

Does anyone feel the 4" kills the feet per second of the 357? Not hunting with it, but another consideration...

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I'm going against the grain and say YES, it is enough to matter. The numbers you see published in all ballistic charts for 357 and 44 magnum are from 8" barrels. The numbers you see in the real world from 4" barrels aren't close. Even 6" barrels are a compromise. Most rifle ballistics are from a 24" barrel and no one would be surprised if a 12" barrel on a 300 WM was a lot slower. But they seem surprised to find a magnum revolver with a barrel 1/2 the length the cartridge is designed for comes up short.

On a self defense gun where portability is a concern giving up the speed in a 3" or 4" gun is an acceptable negative. But once you get to 4" in a 357 mag you're only slightly better than the top end 9mm loads. Go under 4" and a lot of 9mm loads will beat 357 mag. This is a big part of why 9mm has replaced 357 mag for LE. The real world difference from the guns actually carried is not great enough.

On a gun intended for hunting or longish range target work the 6" or longer barrels make a big difference not only in bullet speed, but a longer sighting radius for more accurate shooting.

Here are some numbers to look at. The only part of the chart that is meaningful is the part where they used the same barrel and cut it shorter. When you compare different guns even with the same length barrel the speeds can be significantly different. Note how the 4" S&W was faster than the 6" Colt.

http://www.ballisticsbytheinch.com/357mag.html

I will preface this by saying that I own a 4-inch (actually 4.2-inch, thanks to Canada) GP100.

I looked at both 4-inch and 6-inch models before buying mine. I felt the 6-inch was a bit nose heavy. The 4-inch gun seemed to be the right size for a general-purpose .357. I can't remember if I've ever handled one of the 5-inch mhodels, but they have a following. I also like the feel of the 3-inch gun.

I chose the Ruger over the S&W because it's reputed to be stronger, because I like the looks (I may be in the minority here), because there's no lock, and because it was less expensive. I have since read that Ruger barrels tend to be faster than S&W barrels. Smith triggers are said to be better.

I have no regrets, although I would like to own a S&W revolver some day. When I do it'll probably be a .38 Special K-frame though.

My 4.2 inch GP-100 will shoot (my handloads) -

the 180 grain Missouri Bullet at 1312 fps,
the 185 grain Beartooth Bullet at 1293 fps,
and the 158 grain LSWC bullets at 1305 fps.

I completely disagree with this statement -

But once you get to 4" in a 357 mag you're only slightly better than the top end 9mm loads.

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Top end 9mm loads (my handloads) are about 1000-1050 fps with a 147 grain bullet.

I also like 5 inch revolvers, but the 4 inch is easier to carry and as long as I can get 1200-1300 fps with the heavy bullets, I'm happy.

I like both S&W and Ruger revolvers and you can shoot top end loads with either the 586/686 or the GP100 but some reasons I like the GP100 better are no stupid lock, no side plate, a solid frame, the trigger group drops out the bottom and is easier to work on, stronger lock up and I like the older rubber Letts grip when shooting full power heavy magnum loads.

You can improve the action with some Wolff springs and hammer and trigger shims.

I have a 6" stnls GP-100 and absolutely love it. It it a little nose heavy and too big to draw from an IWB in a hurry so I am looking for a 4" to compliment it. I have run 25k lead reloads through it and it is still as tight as when I got it. The 4" I think is the best compromise for an every purpose gun. It's not as nose heavy, conceals and draws easier, and will still give you enough velocity to do whatever you need it to depending on what you load it with.

Nothing against the Smith but the Ruger is generally less expensive and will last as long or longer and is overbuilt like a tank.

I will recommend the gun snob route.

Skip the Ruger, and the S&W. They are revolvers for mere commoners.

Instead buy a new Korth Mongoose with the 5.25" barrel. Then bask in the unadulterated awesomeness of a hand fitted double action revolver made completely out of tool steel, that uses roller bearings for the hammer. Evidently the actions are insanely smooth, and tolerances/clearances are super tight.

Grant Cunningham, the insufferable (in a good way) revolver snob, has even admitted that the Korth Mongoose is better than any Colt Python or S&W Registered Magnum either manufacturer ever put out.

While enjoying the finest double action .357 money can buy, with the most elegant barrel length offered, you can also enjoy the seething jealousy of all of us knowing that you possess this firearm and we do not.

Click to expand...

Yeah, I'm not sure who would want a "Korth" with a Nighthawk logo on it. I guess it a way to get one on the cheap in comparison to a real Korth Combat.

The Rugers have a less desirable trigger than the S&W but I still prefer my Colt revolvers to either of the others. I shoot my 4" 686 more than my 6" but used to shoot the 6" more.

Get one of each used for a good price and sell the ones you don't want after the post election panic has died down on things that hold more than 10 rounds and are black in color.

We could all tell you what shoe fits us best but it won't mean it is the one for you.

Either is a good choice but I like Smiths.

The 3-5-7 Talo edition of the 686+ can be had with an unflutted cylinder if you like that and a 5" barrel.

bc1023 said:

Yeah, I'm not sure who would want a "Korth" with a Nighthawk logo on it. I guess it a way to get one on the cheap in comparison to a real Korth Combat.

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Someone looking for the performance and build quality. I'm a shooter not a collector, so as long as the gun held up and performed as well I could care less. I don't care that the cylinder rotates opposite of a Korth Combat, nor do I care if the cylinder latch is relocated on the "lesser" model. I also like the DLC finish over bluing for a gun I'd plan on shooting the snot out of.

The Korth Combat is beautiful, but not currently being imported officially. Neither is the Manhurin to my knowledge. No US manufacturer cares to make a revolver to those standards anymore.

I would say if you sold a gun that you liked because of the bashing , I would not get a S&W with the lock . I have a 686 -3 with a 6" barrel that might be the last handgun that I would sell .

I also have a 4" GP100 that I like , but not as much as my 6" 686 -3 . If you don't like the trigger on the GP100 you could always have trigger work done and still be in the price of a new 686 or Talo .

As far as barrels go , if it is just for the range I would go 6" . If I was going to hike with it , it would depend how I was going to carry it . If I was going to use a chest rig , 6" . If I was going OWB , 4" barrel . I also like your idea of the 5" barrel as a compromise .

not sure where you are sourcing them, but gunbroker shows about $100 difference between the two.

with regard to the transfer bar, i don't even notice it in mine. never even thought twice about it.

The transfer bar needs to move freely, and the rattle is due to the play in the bar needed to ensure it doesn't snap off under repeated hammer blows. Shimming it, if even possible, to reduce the rattle, is a bad idea. You are asking for troubles down the line. The bar needs to move up and back in its appropriate channel, as well as up and down.

I doubt you could even find a smith that would do it for you due to the potential problems, and I suspect the gun wouldn't function properly.

I have an SP101 and while I don't like the rattle, it doesn't bother me because I know why it happens. It does not rattle if being carried in a holster. Only if you shake it around.

I like the GP100 with the now-discontinued 6" non-lugged barrel. It seems to balance about like a 4" fully-lugged GP100, while giving my aging eyes the benefit of the longer sight radius.

I briefly owned a 5" fully-lugged GP100, which had a seriously gritty trigger action. I got rid of it during a down-sizing period, without ever shooting it, because I liked the above-mentioned slimmer-barrel 6" GP100 better.

Any GP100 with more than 4" of barrel is difficult to carry in a standard hip holster, if I want to be able to sit in a vehicle seat or most chairs.