Ideas On a S&W "Do It All" Gun

labnoti said:

I hunt game. I have a rifle for deer, antelope, bear, sheep, elk, but tags aren't abundant in my state. There are years when I won't have one. I have a preference to hunt with a rifle, but I got to thinking that I might well give the revolver a try. A revolver itself isn't the best for big game either, but it will do.

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Nonsense. Try it before you draw this conclusion.

Dibbs said:

S&W Governor, Larger Bore, shoots 45 Colt, very large, very light, also shoots shotgun shells;
that's as close to "doing it all", as I can get. Good for snakes, SD, all around shooter, which will also
fit in a large front pocket.

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You're kidding, right? That's the last S&W I'd ever own, let alone think of as a "do it all" revolver.

Dave

Years ago, I thought if I EVER get old, I'd be shooting lower recoiling guns. Now that the check engine light is coming on periodically, I've gone the opposite way. Maybe to prove I still got it.

Right now my thinking is one of the last guns will be my 5" MagNPort'd 629. Currently load "standard" .44mag and "hunting" .44mag rounds for it. Not too big, not to small. Just the right amount of "bark".

Dave T said:

You're kidding, right? That's the last S&W I'd ever own, let alone think of as a "do it all" revolver.

Dave

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It's the last one I'd own again for sure.

To add some perspective to those who say you must have something in a caliber beginning in "4"... Imagine if someone asked the question of a "do it all" rifle. The resounding response would be some form of a mid-range 30 caliber something. No, we wont be hunting water buffalo with it, but it would still serve us well in the other 99% of our tasks. I think the same applies to a "do it all" revolver. A 38/357 chambering would serve most of us quite well.

Kind of like saying a "do it all" hammer has to be at least an 8lb sledge hammer, otherwise we would never be able to drive railroad spikes. When in reality, a 16oz claw hammer will serve most people quite well.

With that said, I'll cast my vote for a 4inch K/L frame in whichever flavor you prefer.

Great, common sense response, Fireman 9731....and BTW, thanks for all the risks you guys take...Rod

I've moved away from revolvers but I have kept a J and K frame one of each. My do it all is a S&W N frame Mountain Gun 44 Mag.

fireman 9731 said:

To add some perspective to those who say you must have something in a caliber beginning in "4"... Imagine if someone asked the question of a "do it all" rifle. The resounding response would be some form of a mid-range 30 caliber something. No, we wont be hunting water buffalo with it, but it would still serve us well in the other 99% of our tasks. I think the same applies to a "do it all" revolver. A 38/357 chambering would serve most of us quite well.

Kind of like saying a "do it all" hammer has to be at least an 8lb sledge hammer, otherwise we would never be able to drive railroad spikes. When in reality, 16oz claw hammer will serve most people quite well.

With that said, I'll cast vote for a 4inch K/L frame in whichever flavor you prefer.

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Well, I took "do it all" literally. The .357 does indeed do a whole bunch of things exceptionally well. There a few pieces of the puzzle, though, where the cartridge is entirely inadequate.

Put another way, in case of angry bears I would much rather be holding a .30-'06 than a .357!

fireman 9731 said:

To add some perspective to those who say you must have something in a caliber beginning in "4"... Imagine if someone asked the question of a "do it all" rifle. The resounding response would be some form of a mid-range 30 caliber something. No, we wont be hunting water buffalo with it, but it would still serve us well in the other 99% of our tasks. I think the same applies to a "do it all" revolver. A 38/357 chambering would serve most of us quite well.

Kind of like saying a "do it all" hammer has to be at least an 8lb sledge hammer, otherwise we would never be able to drive railroad spikes. When in reality, 16oz claw hammer will serve most people quite well.

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You make a good case for “do it all” not being viable.

But.

I’d argue that the reason for the popularity of .30 for rifles is that the popular ones are capable of working as anything from plinking and target guns up to “any big game in North America” with only bullet/load variations. If you want the same theoretical flexibility from a handgun, you are looking at a large magnum. Yes, .357 is fine for deer (cue arguments from people who think it’s not enough), but deer aren’t everything.

.38 Special said:

Well, I took "do it all" literally. The .357 does indeed do a whole bunch of things exceptionally well. There a few pieces of the puzzle, though, where the cartridge is entirely inadequate.

Put another way, in case of angry bears, I'd much rather be holding a .30-'06 than a .357!

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Yup. But a 357 with a standard 158gr load will do better than a little auto pocket pistol any day. Except maybe some 45acp ball point blank, but how many 45acp "pocket pistols" are there really? Very few.

Sneakshot92 said:

Yup. But a 357 with a standard 158gr load will do better than a little auto pocket pistol any day. Except maybe some 45acp ball point blank, but how many 45acp "pocket pistols" are there really? Very few.

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For sure. But I fought Muay Thai as a cruiserweight and will take my elbows over any little pocket pistol. I wouldn't want to rely on either against that angry bear, though!

MaxP said:

Nonsense. Try it before you draw this conclusion.

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.38 Special said:

For sure. But I fought Muay Thai as a cruiserweight and will take my elbows over any little pocket pistol. I wouldn't want to rely on either against that angry bear, though!

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I get it. A friend had a run in during our gun deer season a few years ago with an ornery 400+lb black bear. He was carrying a single shot 243. He went out and bought a 44mag Redhawk the next morning. Guess he didn't like his odds with that 243.

4” 629

I have a S&W 65 that was a 3" round but that I had a 4" tapered or Standard barrel installed and cut for moonclips. I also installed a target hammer and trigger.
It is a very accurate gun and really thumps with 180g LRNFPGC bullets.