Stepping up to centerfire

Pretty tough to beat a 4" Ruger GP100 or S&W 686 for HD .357- and of course, they can also shoot .38 Special rounds as well.

The new production ones are fine, but dont overlook clean, used examples. Both of these guns are pretty much indestructible, require little maintainance, and have adjustable sights. Holsters, different grips, and speed loaders are plentiful as well.

Other excellent choices, though some are out of production, would be the Ruger Security Six, S&W M27, 28, 19, 65, 66, 586, or 681. For a bit more $$, the Kimber K6 has a strong following, and owners of the new Colt King Cobra seem highly pleased with it.

As far as guns to avoid......anything by RG, and any Taurus or Rossi made in the last decade, IMO.

Right.
Not much controversy here.
Do shoot .38 Specials. An early course of Magnums is the road to a flinch.

Ruger GP100 or S&W 686. Both can be had in 7 round configuration though the 686+ is more common. Can’t go wrong with either one. The Ruger will be less expensive. I have have both and in time so will you, lol.

Jim Watson said:

Do shoot .38 Specials. An early course of Magnums is the road to a flinch.

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I agree. Jumping to the .357 Magnum from a .22 is a very big jump. Standard pressure .38 Special ammo is a good next step especially in a all steel gun like the GP-100 and S&W M686.

Sounds like a solid plan and I can't argue with the suggested guns. I am a big fan of the 686. Still need to add a 6 inch

Ooooooh if I were you, I would find a vaquero in .357/9mm.
Magnums, 38s, and 9mm for plinking.

I love my 686. If your budget is tight don't overlook the offerings from Taurus. Yes they have let some bad ones slip through but so has EVERY other manufacturer. You just don't get all the piling on of bashers with the others.

I agree with the recommendation for a 686 or GP100.

Can't go wrong either way. The k frames like the model 66 are great too but the larger frame guns handle magnums better.

I also agree to start with 38 special and work up to magnums.

You have several options for a .357 revolver. Some good suggestions have been made. You may also want to look at the new S&W model 19. It’s a K frame with a 4.2” barrel.

One that I would love to have is the S&W 327 TRR8. It’s an 8 shot .357 with a 5” barrel. It can be adapted with rails for sights, scope and / or lights. There is also it’s sibling the 327 M&P R8.
These 2 aren’t everyone’s cup of tea, though. They are ugly but 8 shots of .357 or .38 from a revolver. Pretty darn cool.
I have a 327 Night Guard with the 2.5” barrel. It’s definitely one of my favorite handguns.

A lot depends on what you are willing to spend.

Smith 686 or Ruger GP100 are what you're looking for. 4" or 6" depending on if it's just for the range.

Both of these models now come in u shot cylinders if you're not a traditionalist and some nice hogue rubber grips, like the monogrip, will tame any recoil the large frame doesn't.

You can even put a no drill rail on the GP100, replacing the front and rear sights with screws for the rail, and mount a red dot if you're so inclined.

I personally own two gp100s, one is the match champion with fixed fiber optic sights, the other is a 6" GP100 with the weighed rail setup I described. I'm very happy with the accuracy and performance of my rugers. I dont like the hillary hole.

I agree with the others. A 357 magnum isn't a bad next step, but starting out with 38 Specials is a good initial entry to centerfire.

You could go for a 44 Special GP100, but it will cost more to load.

Unless you have a specific use in mind, I think anything larger than a 357 is just going to cost you more money to load. If you have a use, reloading larger caliber revolver cartridges is no more difficult than smaller ones. They just take more materials to produce.

Really can't go wrong with a S&W Model 686 or a Ruger GP100. In a single action I would go with a Ruger Blackhawk or Vaquero.

Howdy

A bunch of years ago I was a newbie with Semi-Auto pistols. Yeah, I know this is the revolver forum, but bear with me.

I went to the local shop and ordered a 50 year anniversary Ruger Mark II pistol. Yeah, this was a bunch of years ago. My thinking was I would get used to autos with the 22, and then move onto centerfires.

Before my Mark II showed up I ran across a used 9mm Browning High Power for a good price. I bought it and shot it a whole bunch before my 22 showed up.

So much for getting used to Semi-Autos with a rimfire.

You say you are confident now with your 22 Single Action and want to move on to a centerfire revolver.

I strongly suggest you stay away from 45 Colt until you learn to reload. Store bought 45 Colt will break the bank. The same with 41 Magnum, 44 Special, and 44 Magnum. And yes, 44 Mag does kick considerably more than 357 Mag. Can't comment about 41 Mag, I have never owned one.

A 357 Magnum is a good idea because you can always shoot it with relatively inexpensive factory 38 Specials, and run a few magnums through it as you gain experience. Stay with this caliber until you get some more experience. Don't be tempted by other calibers which you may or may not be able to find easily in local shops. Stick with the tried and true 38 Special/357 Mag combination which can be found everywhere.

Personally, I will never buy a new Smith and Wesson revolver again because the last one I bought, a seven shot Model 686-6, had QC problems that should have been caught before it left the factory. I have zillions of old (some are really old) S&W revolvers, but you probably should not go down that road until you have some more experience.

I have lots of Ruger Single actions, both Three Screw and modern transfer bar guns. Ruger makes great single actions and I can heartily recommend any of them.

I only have one Ruger double action revolver, a GP 100 that was made in 1997. I bought it used a few years ago and am very pleased with it.






Yeah, if you go down the Smith 686 road you will probably be fine, I just don't like them.

One thing in favor of the 686 is it is built on the L frame. The L frame is a little bit larger than the K frame. K frame S&W 357 Magnum revolvers, such as the Model 19 can sometimes have problems with split forcing cones with some high velocity light weight bullets in 357 Mag. That's why the L frame was developed, to put more space between the gas collar on the cylinder and the bottom of the forcing cone. The forcing cone on this Model 13-2 is typical of K frame forcing cone. The flat spot is a clearance cut to clear the gas ring on the cylinder. This is a weak spot, and can sometimes split with high velocity lightweight bullets. This was fine for the 38 Special K frames, but it started being a problem when they were chambered for 357 Magnum.






This is the forcing cone on my Model 686. There is no flat for clearance, it is full thickness all the way around.






I have heard that the forcing cone is not an issue on the new K frame 357 Magnum Smiths, but I wouldn't know as I don't own any really new ones.

I have had my Model 19-3 for over 40 years, and it has never been a problem. But I don't put a whole lot of Magnum rounds through it.

By the way, my old Model 19 was the first centerfire revolver I bought back in 1975, before I owned any 22s at all.

Why not a 32 Magnum? Don't own one personally. Heard good things about them. Want recoil as much as a 357. Ammo might be hard to come by locally. I always buy in bulk online. If you reload even better.

Find a Ruger single six 357 that comes with the 9mm cylinder that way can experience 9mm, 38, 38+p and 357 all in one gun.

I'm with skeeter...(except the centerfire Rugers are Blackhawks). Since you are already accustomed to single actions it would be an easy conversion. Recoil is pretty moderate, even with .357. Of course not many (anybody?) would consider it an ideal self defense weapon but it if you ever pull it on somebody it will get their attention, I promise you. I have a stainless convertible Blackhawk .38/.357 and it's quite a range gun with .38 Specials. It does pretty well with 9mm also. But the .38's are better. It really depends on your primary interest.

<--- S&W bigot

Go with a 6" 686. Get a 6 shot, don't be suckered in by the 7shot "Plus". With .38spl target loads it's fun to shoot with minimal recoil. Work your way up to .357mag as you feel the need. These guns are accurate and have a great feeling single action. Find a used one at a local gun store that has checked it out and will stand behind the sale.

You're doing it right, Orange Cat. Like most of the guys here I'll say a .357 will give you the most flexibility. I think I'd recommend a good double action over a single action.

Jonesy814 said:

View attachment 858717 Sounds like a solid plan and I can't argue with the suggested guns. I am a big fan of the 686. Still need to add a 6 inch

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I'd love a 3" 686! Very nice collection!

If I could only have one handgun, it would be a medium-framed DA 375 with a 4" barrel, though I would mostly shoot 38 specials through it. That is still my preferred HD handgun.

As another poster said, the Blackhawk 357 is a joy to shoot, and you have already basically trained for it. If you get the one with the extra 9mm cylinder, you can get VERY cheap ammo for it. Mine shoots 38 special, 357 magnum, and 9mm all equally well.

4" barrel smith and Wesson chambered in .38 Special (A model 10-something) K Frame; they are usually available used and do not break the bank. Be warned though - if you get one with a really good trigger - all other stock triggers will just seem OK after, you'll be spoiled.

Tallball said:

If I could only have one handgun, it would be a medium-framed DA 375 with a 4" barrel, though I would mostly shoot 38 specials through it. That is still my preferred HD handgun.

As another poster said, the Blackhawk 357 is a joy to shoot, and you have already basically trained for it. If you get the one with the extra 9mm cylinder, you can get VERY cheap ammo for it. Mine shoots 38 special, 357 magnum, and 9mm all equally well.

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I am currently without a 357 mag or 38 revovler and I need one to go with ny 1894. Although I want to get a Smith (or several) at some point, I'm considering the Taurus 692. Ability to use cheap ammo, and the flexibility to use 3 different types of ammo in case of a shortage