Which 3" 357 magnum?

If you're thinking of possibly the
S&W Model 19 at 34 ounces,
you might also consider the S&W
586 L 7-shot at 36 ounces or the
Ruger GP100 7-shot at 36 ounces.
Either alternative with the short
stocks are as compact as the 19.

None of the above. My needs are met with a 3" SP101 and a 2 3 /4" Security Six. Would love a 3" 2 7, however.

Personally I'd say it comes down to which you like best. I'm more or less a Smith and Wesson guy, but the others are good choices too. I've got a 4" Model 19-9 that I like a lot, and I like my Colt Pythons. I don't care much for Rugers, but that's more a matter of I don't care for the way they look than any real objections to them. An old Security/Speed-Six with a 2 3/4" barrel is a good choice now that I think about it.

What is the intended use? If the primary use is conceal carry then I would go with the Kimber. The rear sight on the S&W looks to me like it could snag easier than the Kimber. As for the Colt, I'm not a fan of their cylinder release design.

As others have mentioned, Ruger got it right with the Speed Six, especially the models with the fixed rear sight. With that said, the Kimber is a bit smaller and easier to conceal and most important over the Speed Six, still in production.

Best out of the box trigger, for certain. And I've shot every one of the poll choices. Not worried about the cylinder release.

J frame 3”
Maybe something different than what you stated… yet very capable. I’ve shot plenty of Warm 180xtps out of mine.Still Solid

I know the the Security Six series has its fans these days, but I have to say I prefer the GP100 3” I own now to the Stainless 4” Sec Six I used to own. I shoot it better, too.

If you want new then I would be all over the Kimber, but I also would not rule out a Rhino 30ds. Kinda odd looking but the rhino is a heck of a gun. The Kimber just looks incredible. I would (and do) avoid smiths newer than about late 90s or early 2000s, and the new colts just aren’t what the old colts were… not meaning that in a bad way, they are simply of a different design. I can’t force myself to like them because of the classic gun names but of different design. For me, it’s down to Ruger, Rhino, or K6. The rhino would win in the long run. I loved the 2” rhino I had except for the sights. The 3” has much better sights and is not a pignose wierdo.

If your going classic, then a 27 or a king cobra are the only things I would add for consideration.

I too tend to favor Ruger revolvers. I have a few S&W's, a 1986 Colt King Cobra, and all the rest are Rugers. For me the 2-3/4" Security Six is the perfect size 6 shot 357. A little smaller that the GP100, and a little larger than the SP101. It also carries well in a high ride leather thumb break.

If I could only choose one 357 Mag 3” for carry
Definitely would be my 13

These are just rite.
Mine is the less Pretty one- it works for a living.

Have posted this picture several times and enjoy shooting all of them. For carry it would be a hard choice between the Colt King Cobra and the Kimber K6s DA/SA. Both have great triggers and the Kimber has sights that my 65 year old eyes like. You really can't go wrong with either of your choices. Now I'm wanting to find a S&W model 13 with a 3" barrel. My wife has her fathers old 4” barrel model 13, it has one fantastic trigger !

I'd be taking a hard look at the s&w l-comp.

You start getting into the lite weight 357's and heavy loads, you're just spitting in the wind. With lite carry revolvers I prefer the 19OZ 44spl's, they hit a lot harder then pipsqueak downloaded 357 loads or lite weight bullets in the 357's trying to reduce recoil.

Myself, I tested both the 19 carry-comp and the l-comp before buying. While the comped 19 did everything it was supposed to do, the l-comp was impressive. Impressive enough I bought 1


The extra 2 OZ weight of the l-comp VS the comped 19 was worth the 7-shot VS 6-shot cylinder. Right now my carry load is a 170gr bullet that's only doing 1200fps. I went with this lite load simply because it's nothing to do 200 round + range sessions with this load/l-comp combo. Try doing that with the kimber or colt, you've find out you just spent a lot of $$$ on a revolver that start to get punishing after 24/30 rounds.

forrest r said:

Try doing that with the kimber or colt, you've find out you just spent a lot of $$$ on a revolver that start to get punishing after 24/30 rounds.

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Have you tried it, and if so, when and how many shots total?

I have shot extended range sessions, mainly to test when and if fowling affects function. No problems or discomfort, for me.

lincen said:

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Great photo, thank you for posting!

Just to shoot, I would prefer an N frame or something else substantial.

For carry, I've heard nothing but praise for the Kimber and really like the looks of them, though they are all nice choices.

I have a couple of Sp101's, and they are kind of meh. I don't shoot them any better than j-frames, but they are larger and heavier.

As the OP said, you might as well have six shots if you're going to carry something that size.

I selected the S&W Carry Comp. I have nothing against any of the 3. I am sure any of them would give great service, but I am more familiar with S&Ws and I have to admit the Carry Comp just looks cool as hell… this is purely an aesthetic observation.

Now, I carry OWB. If I decided to carry IWB or if humidity and dampness was an issue I might go with one of the others.

forrest r said:

I'd be taking a hard look at the s&w l-comp.

You start getting into the lite weight 357's and heavy loads, you're just spitting in the wind. With lite carry revolvers I prefer the 19OZ 44spl's, they hit a lot harder then pipsqueak downloaded 357 loads or lite weight bullets in the 357's trying to reduce recoil.

Myself, I tested both the 19 carry-comp and the l-comp before buying. While the comped 19 did everything it was supposed to do, the l-comp was impressive. Impressive enough I bought 1
View attachment 1030607

The extra 2 OZ weight of the l-comp VS the comped 19 was worth the 7-shot VS 6-shot cylinder. Right now my carry load is a 170gr bullet that's only doing 1200fps. I went with this lite load simply because it's nothing to do 200 round + range sessions with this load/l-comp combo. Try doing that with the kimber or colt, you've find out you just spent a lot of $$$ on a revolver that start to get punishing after 24/30 rounds.

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I have a 173 Lyman mold- Really like the 180xtp and have Carry ammo that’s 180gr.
I stay around 1200 for a 4” brl. I don’t feel that this is “Mild ammo”. It’s not 1450fps 125gr, Yet it’s definitely Magnum territory. Use in Mod 13 and a 686

The last one I had was real nice, it was a 686+ Deluxe 7 shot.

New
-Colt King Cobra
-Ruger Model 1789


Used
-Ruger Speed Six
-S&W Model 13

Can't speak on the S&W, but own/owned the K6s & King Cobra (and an SP-101), all 3" barreled versions. Examples of one, so take with a grain of salt, ymmv, etc.

SP-101 went back for a repair early on, but was back in about a week & went through several thousand rounds without issue. Took awhile to get proficient with it, & the trigger had a lot to do with that. Wasn't horrible, but wasn't very good either. Didn't dislike it by any means, but never really meshed with that revolver. This was in the mid 2010's, fwiw.

Not a good experience with the King Cobra. Went back for light strikes, sticky ejector rod & a timing issue. Timing & ejector rod issues eventually corrected, but light strikes persisted. Did not shoot it well, though in fairness that's likely a symptom of just not fitting my personal preferences in grip, balance, sight picture etc. Did have a good trigger. Made mid-2020, fwiw.

K6s DASA is now my carry gun. No problems at all out of the box. My favorite trigger & sight picture of the three. Most comfortable of the three with magnum loads- more a statement on how well it fits me personally than any magical ability to absorb recoil. I get back on target for double taps faster as well, probably because I'm able to get a higher grip on this revolver than with the other two (again, a good fit for me, but we know one size never fits all).

If it sounds like I'm a fan of the K6s, it's because I am . It's not perfect though:
- Wish they'd used the extra barrel length to increase ejector rod length, uses the same one as the 2" models. I've not had any trouble (yet) ejecting cases when done with authority, but making it full length sure wouldn't have hurt anything.
- Kinda wish there were different front sight heights available. Like the fixed sights for a carry gun, & mine are right on with 158 grain loads. Noticeably low with 125. Carrying 158's for now, but haven't settled on that long term. If I go 125, would have to either file down the front sight or spring for the (expensive) adjustable sights Kimber sells.

Those are the only two nits I have to pick with it, and one is correctable if I so choose. Can't comment on long term durability; so far so good after 850 rounds. It does appear to be very well made, with good materials.

I have only one. The S&W 360 M&P. The Scandium frame lightweight is a delightful trail gun and with the right clothing easy to carry concealed. On the other hand it is somewhat brutal to shoot with .357 ammo. Everything is a compromise.

I can't believe how flat against my hip this gun sits in a Desantis OWB holster.