New 357

Gp100 is a fine choice

Bud's is currently showing 6" S&W 586 for $711. They ship free, so your only additional cost would be an FFL fee.

https://www.budsgunshop.com/catalog...d/80158/S&W+M586+Classic+6RD+357MAG38SP++P+6"

I would definitely look for online deals, which would allow you to choose between s&w or ruger, and maybe a 44mag. Wikiarms and slickguns have comparative search functions.

If $700 was your limit and you bought new and in store, in my area, you'd be limited to the GP.

On the like new or unfired used market here, I routinely see sw 686+ and ruger super redhawks sell at about that price...

Diliimar said:

I am wanting to get a target revolver at least 6 inch barrel in either 357 or 44 mag I reload so ammo cost not a big deal want to shoot 40 to 50 yards may hunt with it some but no scope and purchase price is important so say cap at $700 what yall recommend

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If you’re not set on a double action, Ruger builds a bunch of Blackhawks and Super Blackhawks in .357, .41 and .44 Magnum that you could probably pick up one of for less than $700.

Ruger GP100 would be perfect. Also, like .308 Norma said, the Blackhawk family is excellent if you don't mind them being single-action-only.

For target shooting I'd go with a Blackhawk or a S&W. I love GP100s and currently have 3 of them, but in my experience the triggers usually need some work, and so aren't the best target gun right out of the box.

7" 686....but it will be a little more than $700

If it's purely for target use, a single action Ruger you can mount a scope on makes sense.

WrongHanded said:

For target shooting I'd go with a Blackhawk or a S&W. I love GP100s and currently have 3 of them, but in my experience the triggers usually need some work, and so aren't the best target gun right out of the box.

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I am not so sure any are target guns right out of the box , and with today's prices is this not the sad truth of it..........

I bought my 6" S&W 586 for $595 a few years ago. It was used, but in near-new condition. Truly one of my most accurate revolvers. Probably made about 10 years ago or less.

You could also look at some of the new S&W 686's or Taurus .357's too, as they can be found in 7 or 8 shot versions.

Beach Bum said:

I am not so sure any are target guns right out of the box , and with today's prices is this not the sad truth of it..........

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Very true. S&W just tend to have a nicer double action trigger than Ruger, initially.
However, I've found that after dry firing a GP100 a couple thousand times, the trigger pull smooths out pretty nicely.

A .357 shouldn't be too hard to find. Ruger GP100 is the first that that comes to mind and I just checked galleryofguns and it looks like you can get a basic 686 or 586 for a couple dollars over $700.

I'm not sure what you could get in .44. There's the model S&W 69 but it comes with a 4" barrel and is a little over $700.

The S&W 686 was designed to take on the Colt Python in head to head shooting. In my view it's the best production .357 currently produced. The Ruger takes steel from the grips and puts it in the barrel so that it reduces recoil. I'm used to the Ruger Security-Six, which I think is a far better gun. The GP-100 is too much of a boat anchor. If I was going to carry the gun a lot, I'd look for a good, used Security-Six in stainless steel. If not, I'd buy a S&W 686.

Gun magazines back in the 80s frequently had articles on handgun hunting. And these articles were frequently accompanied by photos of a hunter aiming either a S&W 66 or Security-Six 6-inch pistol in falling snow (to highlight the guns' ability to function ibn snow or rain without rusting). When the GP-100 and S&W 686 replaced those guns, the handgun hunting articles pretty much stopped. The new guns were just too heavy for hunting, camping, hiking, but just right for range shooting. And though I didn't hunt, I hated to see the old guns go.

The 686 is extremely accurate. The action is much smoother than the Rugers' actions, but they can be improved by new springs and lots of dry firing. The Ruger GP-100 is not an improvement over the Security-Six, but just the opposite. Even Taurus is putting these damn underlug barrels on their guns, and many people (including me) think the .357 is much better outdoor caliber than an indoor caliber. Hunting guns can always be shot at ranges, but many range guns cannot be used efficiently outdoors; and getting S&W, Ruger and Taurus to understand this is next to impossible. If S&W would reissue its medium-frame 66 with a 6-inch barrel, and beef up the frame and the forcing cone just a little, it would be my number one choice as an outdoor gun. Barring that, your best bet would be to find a mint or excellent Ruger Security-Six or S&W 66 in 6-inch stainless, then I'd add new springs and some good rubber grips.

And if you're not going to be carrying it great distances, I'd snap up a S&W 686 and a good holster and carry that.




The Ruger Security-Six is a gun that should never have been replaced. It was strong,
durable, accurate and light.The last thing it needed was more steel.


..

Stainless version from Bud's, S&W 686 6" for $684 w/free shipping.

https://www.budsgunshop.com/catalog/product_info.php/products_id/26249/S&W+M686+6RD+357MAG38SP++P+6"

If you're a "qualified Professional", i.e., police, firefighter, etc., you can have this 7 shot 686 w/wood grips for $632.

https://www.budsgunshop.com/catalog...d/719018773/S&W+M686+Plus+Deluxe+Wood+357+Mag

If the OP is willing to go slightly used, he could get pretty much anything he wanted for that price.

FWIW, both of my Taurus 66 series have been excellent revolvers. My favorite is my Blackhawk. My friend's older S&W 66 is tied for the best DA trigger I've ever felt. My FiL's GP100 he bought a year or two ago had a very nice trigger straight out of the box.

Lots of good choices!

New? If double-action shooting is not a requirement, well, Ruger Blackhawk. My Blackhawk is the Bisley variant, and not .357, but .45 Colt.

Double-action candidates I like include the S&W 686 and 586, and Ruger GP100 and Security Six. If buying used, be aware that S&W has had times of poor quality control, such as the Bangor Punta era, and again during the multi-piece barrel era, and some Rugers have gritty triggers, but I have had very good luck finding Ruger GP100 and SP101* revolvers with quite smooth trigger actions, in the 2000-2008-ish time frame. (I used to remember when Rugers' triggers improved greatly, but have long since forgotten, by now.) The Security Six is long-discontinued, but seems indestructible, so a carefully-chosen, well-preserved sample can be a best buy.

S&W K-Frame S&W models cannot stand as many Magnum loads as larger-frame models in the line-up. N-Frame models have a large grip frame, that requires large hands, and long fingers, to handle properly. (I have large-enough hands, but medium-length fingers, so N-Frames are too big for me.) L-Frames have the same grip dimensions as K-Frames, while being large and sturdy for extensive shooting of Magnum ammo.

I have not mentioned fixed-sight models, because "hunting" was listed as a factor.

*The SP101 is not usually considered a hunting revolver, being small-frame, though a long-barreled version could be quite a nice field gun for folks with smaller hands.

I've never owned a Ruger 357 so I can't comment.

I do own several Smith and Wesson revolvers. My impression is the 19 and 66 are too light for a lot of heavy loads. I have two and I keep the loads light. The L frame is a much better bet for hunting and heavy loads. 686 would be a good choice. Also if you can handle an N frame that would be even better. A used model 27 or 28 would be ideal. Given that you will more than likely use it single action while hunting the size isn't that much of a problem. Of course if you have very small hands like DT you will want a 686.

I have a S&W 686 and it makes as good a target revolver as the Python. The balance is very similar, the accuracy is second to none and the trigger - at least on my copy - would be hard to beat. I've had mine for over 20 years and have used it for informal targets and deer hunting.

go with the 686.

If you decide to shoot official bullseye don't get a single action handgun. They are slow
to load and hard to cock compared to double action guns.
I'm not knocking Ruger single actions they are wonderful pistols and I have a bunch
of them.