-i saw somewhere someone saying that muzzle flash was a concern and that problem could be remedied by a longer barrel? Is it true that muzzle flash is significantly diminished in a barrel 5" or longer?
This is also largely dependent on the powder used in the cartridge. Some .357 loads will shoot a fireball several feet out of the muzzle of a 4 inch gun, others have practically nothing out of a 2.5 inch barrel.
-i can look at bullets and read about their individual velocities, but experience is better.. So can anyone tell me how the .357 compares to 9mm, .38 spl. +p, and .40 s&w?
In a full size revolver the .357 will easily out perform all the others
ballistically in a weight to weight comparision. In shorter barrels, it starts to lose some of that advantage, though. For example, .357 will have a 4-500FPS advantage over a .38 spl +P in a service revolver, while in comparable snubbies that difference may drop to 100-200FPS. IMO using magnum loads in a full size gun is a no-brainer, while using them in a snubbie becomes a personal decision as to whether the increased recoil and muzzle blast is worth the more modest gain in velocity.
The .357 has the reputation as the number 1 "man stopper" in handguns. With newer, more effective bullets the other calibers are not far behind anymore, however. I love the .357 and use a S&W 386 as one of my primary carry pieces. Much of that is personal preference, though, and I'm not convinced that it provides that much more effectiveness than my 9mm or 45ACP do.
-686 or 627? Nothing against the other companies.. I'm just very comfortable with the s&w platform, and have the muscle memory, so that's what i want by my side.
Home defence? Range work? Hunting? Concealed Carry? The larger frame and extra round of the 8-shot 627 are nice if concealment isn't an issue. For a carry piece, I don't think you can do better than the 7-shot 686+.
Sorry for the quibble, but the 627 is the full sized (N frame) .327, more comparable to a GP100. My 686 is more like a Security Six, which is so popular it seems like it should be reintroduced by Ruger.
According to manufacture specs, the 686 and GP100 are within a fraction of an ounce of each other while the Security Six is almost a half pound lighter than either. IMO the Security Six is a closer match for the S&W K frame revolvers.