Trail gun: I need some input!

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Danadae

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I want a new trail/woods gun and I cant make up my mind.

I'm looking for a more lightweight and easier to carry revolver that can shoot hot and heavy loaded .357 Magnum to replace the big and heavy S&W 627 Pro I have now. I don't live near moose or brown/grizzly bears so my main concern is big cats, wolves/coyotes, black bears, and trail thugs/hobos.

The S&W 327 PC Carry is a thick revolver and only has a 2 inch barrel. The price is high too. But it has 8 rounds and weighs the least.

The Ruger SP101 3 inch is smaller and cheaper, but it only has 5 rounds and it still weighs in at 2 lbs.

What do you all think? Here's a picture that sums up my dilemma:

Guns.jpg
 
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I'm planning on picking up one of the new 3" lcrs before my next big hiking trips. Lighter than my snub nose sp101 but with a longer barrel.
 
I'd look at the smith M69. Its a 44mag 4" 5 shot.
plenty of power on tap and carries like any other 4" l frame.
I'm holding out for the snub nose version myself.
 
Of your choices, the 3" Ruger is the one I'd buy. I spend a lot of time in similar places and use either a G23 or G20. Either of them will shoot 200 gr bullets as fast or faster than you can get 180's out of a 3" tubed 357 mag. They hold 3X more ammo in a smaller lighter package.

I'd want at least a 4" barrel on a 357 if I ruled out semi's. You just loose too much speed otherwise. If it had to be a revolver I'd look for a S&W 66 or older Ruger Service 6 with a 4" barrel. You get 6 shots in a gun that weighs almost the same as a 3" SP-101 and the extra 1" of barrel makes a big difference. The extra round might too.
 
I'd want at least a 4" barrel on a 357 if I ruled out semi's.
Click to expand...

I'm with you. If you are going to outdoor, open carry, can't understand limiting yourself to a short barrel or snub. My 6" GP100 is quite comfortable to carry for me, but maybe because I hunt with something much larger.
 
I carry a SW 60-15 (3 inch, full-lugged barrel, adjustable sighted j-frame) as my woods gun. I can shoot light .38 special loads for plinking/target practice or my normal woods round, .357 125 grain Golden Sabres. This is a lightly loaded .357 load and very comfortable to shoot with handfilling closed-back grips.

When hiking in the Rockies, I load this gun with Buffalo Bore .357 180 grain gas-checked flat-point lead loads. Buffalo claims these go 1300 fps out of a 3-inch barrel. These are somewhat of a handfull to shoot, but actually very doable if you are not recoil sensitive and have good grips on the revolver. These is a very easy carrying gun and effective for a variety of uses in the field.

smith_and_wesson_60-15.jpg
 
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A .357 loaded "hot and heavy" would be good for all the things you mentioned OP, but I'd want at least a 3" barrel in order to get decent power.

I know the SP101 is fairly heavy for it's size, but with a good well fiting pancake holster like the Simply Rugged Silver Dollar Pancake, it will make the gun seem much lighter. I have a 4" GP100 and with my Simply Rugger Sourdough Pancake, it is snugged up tight to the body and has 0 movement. I also have a 1.5" Beltman bullhide belt that really helps too. The result is the gun feels like it weighs half as much, totally comfortable. With an SP101 with a 3" barrel, I'd imagine it'd be easy to carry all day. The 5 rounds should be plenty, carry a speed strip or speed loader if you don't think it's enough and practice with it. The SP101 controls hot .357 recoil really well for it's size, allowing for faster follow up shots. I don't know of any .357 magnum 6 shot revolvers with 3" bbls that are considered "light", maybe some exotic intergalactic spaceship metal frame Smith & Wesson, but really the options are rather limited methinks.
 
If .38 Special +P isn't enough gun for you, it sounds like the 3-4" fixed or adjustable sight Ruger SP-101 or S&W J-Frame in .357 make a lot of sense. There are also any number of used guns that would work just fine for this and many of them are quite light, especially if you can live with standard-pressure .38 Special.
 
What part of the country are you in? Are you expecting Big wooly brown bears, or black bear and mountain cat?


Are you stuck on the .357 magnum ? If so ,then Id have to second the notion on the sp101 , you can typicallyfind them in the $450 range used. I like the security/speed six series but youll be paying around the same price for a gun ruger no longer services. You can also use try and find one of the used smith k frames however several people think they were handcrafted by mythical beings and are asking for outragous prices although you can still find people who arent like that with more reasonable prices.


I cc a ruger lipseys superblackhawk in .44 magnum , the gun has a 3.75 inch barrel and weighs at 44 oz unloaded, with a good holster it is very comfortable, while I understand some people wont carry "heavy" its never bothered me or the hundreds of other people who do it everyday .
 
Honestly I think the barrel on the 327 you have posted is way too short to utilize the potential of the 357, and well.......... I just think there are better options.

A 3" gun isn't great either but that's what I chose. I regularly carry a 3" SP101 on the trail, and it is a good gun at an affordable price. I wouldn't say it is well suited to hot and heavy loads though. The last time I was shooting 158 gr loads, I took a chunk out of the web of my hand. Along the road I picked up a 3" 686+ TALO edition with an unfluted cylinder. I put a set of Nill Grips on it, and it is perfect for my trail hiking. However, it is only about 5 oz lighter than your gun.

If you want a significantly lighter gun than you 627, then I think the SP101 is a better choice. You give up three rounds though, so it depends on your threat level and possibility.
 
The classic gun for practicing with .38Spl and shooting Magnums only occasionally for protection is the K frame 19 or 66 S&W. Or maybe the fixed sight models 13 or 65 for a more streamlined .357Mag gun.

A 3 inch barrel would be a little more compact to carry but you'll get a little more muzzle velocity with a 4 inch version while still being quite compact.

With the fixed sight versions if/when you practice or plink with .38Spl go for ammo that uses a lighter bullet so the rounds print closer to what you'll get with 158gn Magnums. This may require going to something as small as a 110gn in your .38's. But it'll mean you can use less "Kentucky elevation" while practicing.

The thing with the K frame guns is that they are slim and light enough to carry well and yet they are heavy enough to soak up more of the recoil. From having shot some stout .38Spl in a 5 shot J frame gun I'd say that the recoil of a 158gn .357 out of a 4 inch K frame is about the same or near enough. So any followup shots become a little easier to control and aim with a K frame gun vs something lighter and smaller and shorter.

At least that's how I see it.
 
The SP101 is a heckuva tough revolver, accurate, and strong enough for heavy .357 loads. It's also easy on the belt. A 3" gun is a good compromise, too, gives enough sight radius and heavy bullet loads perform just fine out of a 3" barrel. I've chronographed a very hot 180 in a 2" SP101 at over 1300 fps for 660 ft lbs. Same load gives 1400 fps/785 ft lbs in a 6.5" Blackhawk. Comparing 125 grain loads, yeah, the 2" barrel can really hurt, but with heavy outdoor loads, a 3" gun performs almost as well as a 6" and it's a bit easier on the belt even OWB.

If you question this, look up buffalo bore's ballistics vs barrel length on their site. Only thing there is they get a lot more out of a 125 grain load in 2" barrel than I've been able to. Not sure what their trick is on that one.
 
Iffin I were you, I'd give a coupla hundred more for a 3'' 686 plus. Weighs about the same as the SP, has adjustable sights and holds two more rounds. Comes with a lifetime warranty too.

150853_01_md.jpg
 
The Ruger Security Six is the perfect trail gun. Weighing in at 33.5 oz's, it's as light and easy to carry as a SP101, yet holds 6 rounds instead of 5.

Here is mine with some Hogue rubber grips.

PC070207_zpsd114b12a.jpg
 
buck460XVR said:
Iffin I were you, I'd give a coupla hundred more for a 3'' 686 plus. Weighs about the same as the SP, has adjustable sights and holds two more rounds. Comes with a lifetime warranty too.

150853_01_md.jpg
Click to expand...
After several years of beating on my hand with the SP101 shooting 158 grain smokers, that 686 is the exact one I ended up with, and it is a pleasure to shoot. The SP is still in my carry lineup though. It's a different animal than the 686.

Now that 686 is a gun I really enjoy. I want the 5" barrel version also, even though I have no need for it at all. I carry mine in this holster

It's low, out of the way, and really comfortable. It's my very favorite trail gun. The rest of the time it sits in a drawer next to my arm chair.
http://www.diamonddcustomleather.com/Hip_Holster.php
 

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Whatever I pick, I'll be taking this revolver on long hikes and camping trips. This is all really helpful info. Thanks a lot folks, I'm taking notes here!
 
I had the 386 NG revolver from smith , had a 2.5 inch barrel and held 7 shots, that guns was a joy to shoot and extremely light, it is still an L-frame and can handle some stout loads but again theyre discontinued so people will charge their collector prices for them .
 
The 3" 686 is a sweet gun but it weighs substantially (10oz) more than a 3" SP101.
27oz vs 37oz. The 3" SP really is an ideal trail gun. Wish Ruger made it with adjustable sights. Have to go 4" for that.
 
Cycletroll said:
The 3" 686 is a sweet gun but it weighs substantially (10oz) more than a 3" SP101.
27oz vs 37oz. The 3" SP really is an ideal trail gun. Wish Ruger made it with adjustable sights. Have to go 4" for that.
Click to expand...
That's really the thing. If you are looking for significant weight savings below the weight of the 627, the 686 really isn't the answer.
 
S&W TRR8:
-8 Shots
-357 Magnum
-Cut for moonclips (which are both included and commercially available)
-Scandium frame
-5" Barrel (IMO, the best compromise between 4" and 6" :D)
-PC Trigger
-Nice sights (clear blade rear, gold dot on blade front
-Full N-Frame grip (bad for CCW, but mucho comfortable for a lightweight magnum)
-Durable finish & lines that you won't hate yourself for getting field worn
-Utility of rails above and below that --most importantly-- are removable
-Speedloaders are available (but I hate them, so this is a minor point)

There's also an R8 version with permanent rails :)barf:) and polygonal rifling :)barf: :barf:)

TCB
 
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