I need a 357...

[bensdad]

Hi guys,
I need a 357. I've been shopping around, but I just can't make up my mind. Looked at a S&W mod. 66 today ($399 used). Also looked at a Taurus 66 ($420 new). The Taurus took one more in the wheel.

This'll be my first center-fire revolver (have lots of autos). Am I looking in the right direction? I don't want a carry gun, per se, but I don't want a long-barreled gun either. I'm just looking for a functional, practical, moderately good-looking 357. What else should I consider? How about prices in the Twin Cities (MN) metro area? Any and all help is much appreciated.

TIA, Rob

 

[496 polara]

The ruger sp101 is a good choice.

 

[earplug]

S&W, Ruger adjustable sight four or five inch

I left out Colt due to cost and lack of support.
The S&W 66 you saw may be a great deal if it is working fine. Realize K frames arn't made anymore and parts may be a problem years from now.
I would buy a S&W 686 or a Ruger GP100 if I was looking for a jack of all trades master of none .357.

 

[Tamlin]

Agree. 686 or GP100. I have a GP100 with a 4" bbl. IMO, it's the perfect .357

 

[S&W-Keeper]

Look at a 4" prelock L-frame S&W. You will not be disappointed.

 

[warnerwh]

If you want excellence get a Dan Wesson. Unusually accurate and very strong. You can get a nice used one for 350-400.

 

[AKElroy]

686. I picked one up @ a gun show a few years back for less than $400.00; It is easy enough on wheelguns to check function and tightness, as well as bore & gap before taking the plunge, so I am a little less concerned buying used wheelguns. This turned out to be my BEST centefire shooter; I have a lot of other pistols & revolvers, only the rimfires group better than my 686! Brilliant trigger.

 

[orionengnr]

If your choices are S&W and Taurus, do some searches on Taurus. That will make the decision an easy one.

 

[bensdad]

Thanks for the wisdom guys. I've looked at a few more pics now. I like the profile of the 686 better than the 66. I still don't understand the differences in the frames. I better do some homework. I think I'm just about done considering the Taurus. I never even thought about a Ruger. I'll do a search on the SP.

 

[Rob P.]

The SP101 is a hot little number right now - lots of customer demand. It's a fine shooter though. The GP100 is bigger & for those who have big mitts it might fit the hand better.

The S&W is quickly becoming a collectors item line. However, I did notice that S&W is now offering their "classic" line of revolvers so you might want to look at new ones rather than used. Especially if you shoot your guns rather than just fondle them occasionally.

 

[RoostRider]

I have a Taurus wheel gun (.38) and a Smith (.357).... the Smith 686 is a far nicer piece than the Taurus, but the Taurus serves a purpose, being inexpensive yet still reliable...

 

[AStone]

I like the profile of the 686 better than the 66. I still don't understand the differences in the frames.

I owned a 686 first, then sold it and bought my 65.

The difference is the 686 is beefed up to handle a steady diet of hot rounds for years without failure.
The 65 is an older (K) frame that handles .357 mag just fine if not a steady diet of hot rounds.

I don't feed mine that steady diet. In fact, I'm not so interested in "hot" rnds.
My 65 takes moderate 158 gr just fine. I don't feel a need for 125s, but if I do, it'll handle some of them.

Mostly, my 65 is stoked with .38 spl for HD duty.

 

[Oro]

Realize K frames arn't made anymore and parts may be a problem years from now.

K frames still are in production and any part needed for a 66 is available, though I am not sure about factory fresh barrels. A used one would not be too hard to find, though. Finding parts and someone to work on a 66, in the unlikely even the need should ever even arise, is not hard.

I am a big 686 fan, but seriously, if you looked at a 66 for $400, and it passed the "revolver check out" sticked at the top of this forum by Jim March, then go back and buy it. The 19/66 is one of the all-time great .357 magnums. They are made to shoot .38s mostly and .357 occasionally, which is how most people use their 357 anyway. A 4" 66 is a very versatile gun, great for 38 target shooting and plinking, and stout enough to load with heavy loads for facing down the worst things you could want to. I have two 66s, a 19, a 686 and 27. In the past I've had a 28 and another 686. In my mind ANY 4" S&W 357 is a solid choice in a revolver. If you want to reload heavy 357 rounds or shoot a ton of hot loads, I would suggest a 686 or 27/28. The 66 is lighter and handier to carry and shoot than either of the bigger guns. If you want a normal "civilian" 357, scoop up that 66 - that is a good price if the gun is in very good condition or better.

 

[average_shooter]

I'm just looking for a functional, practical, moderately good-looking 357. What else should I consider?

Just to be different I'll suggest a Uberti Cattleman (or other SAA or clone, maybe even a Ruger New Vaquero)

You stated you aren't necessarily looking for a carry gun, and there are different barrel lengths to choose from if you want a shorter barrel. The SAA/clones are truly fun to shoot, in my opinion.

 

[AStone]

maybe even a Ruger New Vaquero

I support that.

I want one of those, too,
or more likely a Blackhawk.
(I just want different grips on it.)

 

[CTSigLover]

A S&W Model 27 (and its slightly less flashy brother the 28) embody "the" .357 Magnum... direct descendants of the Registered Magnum, and IMHO the best shooting and best looking .357's ever made. (Eat your heart out Pythons...). A 27 or better yet pre-27 with a 3-1/2" bbl is pretty close to perfection, and a 4" Model 28 is not chopped liver and is available at a price within reach of most of us...

Blue Steel and wood stocks... timeless. Get something you can both shoot, and which will appreciate in value if taken care of...

Try a 5 screw pre-27, and tell me that any modern stainless .357 revolver has as much "soul"...

 

[ArchAngelCD]

I also agree, in a .357 Magnum you will probably be much happier with a L frame over a K frame. A S&W M686 or Ruger GP-100 would be good choices. If you like 7 rounds look for a M686 Plus or a S&W M620. If you like 8 rounds look for a M627 but that will cost you a lot more. If this is going to be a range only gun you might even consider a 6" barrel.

 

[Oro]

I still don't understand the differences in the frames.

Oh, sorry, didn't answer that, and it doesn't look like anyone else did.

The K frame was invented as a 38 call frame about 1898. It has proven one of the best and I believe the most popular revolver design ever, with many, many millions of guns made since then. In the '50s, to satisfy LE demands, the cylinders were given new steel and heat treatment to make them safe to use the 357 round, and to create a duty 357 that was cheaper than the 27 and easier to carry all day than the bulkier/heavier 28 (same size as the fancier 27). A classic was born in the "Combat Magnum" - aka model 19. The 66 was introduced in 1971 or 72 I believe as the stainless steel version of the 19.

In the 70s, two things happened in the marketplace - 1) Colt's Python, on a frame size between the "K" sized 19/66 and the "N" sized 27/28, started making big inroads in the marketplace for 357s, which S&W had owned since it invented the cartridge/platform in 1935. 2) A now-defunct ammunition company, Super-Vel, introduced some screaming hot 125gr. high-velocity loads, that cracked the forcing cone on some K frame 357s, usually in repeated long strings of fire at the range. The gun was not designed for this hyper-sonic light load, and it got an undeserved reputation based on this one marginal type of ammunition. The ammunition itself was discontinued as unsuitable, but the damage to the reputation of the K frame 357 was already done.

S&W needed to innovate to beat the Python, so they created the "L" frame, which is a frame tailored to maximize the .357. It is roughly equal in size to the Python. It is about 1/8" wider in the cylinder than the K, and about 3/16" taller in the frame, and slightly longer in the frame. It carries more easily than an N, and only a bit heavier and bulkier than the K. It came out in 1980 to replace the 19/66 as a LE sidearm. A love/hate feature of it is the full-lug barrel - which aids greatly in taming recoil, but also makes the gun heavier to carry and point, and slower to acquire multiple targets.

Normally I would recommend someone who wants a general-duty 4" revolver to consider the 686. It is usually cheaper and easier to find than a nice 66. But if you are already looking at a nice one for $400, I'd say grab that. You can always trade someone a nice 66 for a 686 should you later change your mind. You can't usually persuade a 66 owner to part with his gun in trade for a 686. That should say something.

Here are comparative pics of a 2.5" 19 K frame (same as a 66, just blue), a 4" 686 L frame, and a 3.5" 27 N frame.

 

[sparkyguy66]

I'm a S&W man, myself(revolvers anyway). Not a fan of newer ones, though..IL and all. I've seen several recommendations for the 65, 66, 19 and such..good choices all. Owned a 686, nice gun, but was also a newer one w/o the IL, but had frame-mounted firing pin=didn't like and gave light primer strikes in DA occasionally.
Recently, I bought a Ruger Security Six with 4" barrel, blue. Fair-to-good outside appearance, but rifling was excellent and it has been totally reliable.
I'm surprised I am the first to recommend one, as they are just as solid, if not more than the GP-100, which was designed to replace the security six line(evidently, it cost Ruger more to make than what they made on the ss's)

 

[Clarence]

My personal favorite all-around .357 is the S&W 686 with a 4" barrel.

Ruger makes an extremely reliable and durable revolver but they don't have the eye appeal of a S&W..............IMO

 

[snooperman]

There are so many excellent choices in the highly prolific .357 magnum, with 3 or 4 inch barrels that would serve you well. Ruger SP101,and GP100, Excellent S&W models 19,66, 65,13,586, 686 and Colt Lawman and Trooper, Also some excellent Dan Wessons models 14,15 and 715, are just a few that you might consider that are reasonably priced in very good condition-excellent condition. And of course you have several made by Taurus.Good luck and above all, have fun,and good shooting.

 

[Reid73]

K frames arn't made anymore and parts may be a problem years from now

As Oro pointed out, the K frame is still in production. More to the point, so many K frames have been made through the years that parts availability is superior to virtually any other revolver.

I think I'd pick up the Model 66, assuming it is in good shape. The price is decent.

 

[MCgunner]

I'm glad I didn't have the internet for such "wisdom" when I came across my Taurus 66 at a gun show used. It's tight, perfectly timed, and of the 4 medium frame .357s I've owned, the most accurate. It also has a great DA and SA trigger and is a stronger gun in the forcing cone area than a K frame Smith. It's everything I was looking for in a .357 4" medium frame, sold the Smith M19, traded off the Security Six for a .357 Blackhawk (fine gun, too, but a single action) and traded the Rossi 971 in on a .45 Colt blackhawk. I've kept that Taurus, fantastic shooting revolver, and added a 3" 66 for carry to the collection.

 

[Walkalong]

Security Six, GP-100, 586/686, Trooper Mk III, 27/28

The Security Six is one of the best deals out there. They can be found under $400, as well as GP-100's. Plenty of 586 & 686 guns out there and can be had in the neighborhood of $400 if you are patient. Trooper Mk III's can be had for just under $500 if you are patient. Model 27's aren't cheap, but their brother the M28 can be found reasonable.

I traded my GP-100 for a Buckmark, and don't miss it too much. I sold my 586 and miss it.

The Trooper Mk III and Model 28 pictured are the best for low recoil range work.

Here is a link to a pic showing the difference in cylinder size for K, L, & N Frames.

 

[Oro]

I'm glad I didn't have the internet for such "wisdom" when I came across my Taurus 66 at a gun show used.

Well, if at the time you'd been debating between that Taurus and a S&W 66 sitting cheaper right next to it, you'd WOULD have been wise to listen to others. That's the case the OP is in.