Well if strength is the main thing, in a sturdy S&W L Frame, my choice would be a blued carbon steel 586 L-Comp. Strength and very high round counts would also seem to bring N frames in to the discussion. But then if the strongest L-Frame money can buy is in play, arguably the strongest built .357 Magnum period in a current production revolver just might be a Korth Mongoose 6 shot.
Frame and cylinder made of a much higher strength and harder steel than popular revolver brands, the same steel commercial aircraft landing gear is fashioned from. Barrel is even more exotic, made of the same steel in open class dragster crankshafts that take obscene loading. Just massive overkill but there it is. Then as evidenced by the pictures below, they machine their steel much thicker. But that and other over-engineering help explain the Korth's current $3,500 price.
Observe the ejector Rod and Ratchet of my cherished S&W Perf Ctr 627 N Frame .357 (pic 1), a the S&W N frame is a very stout customer, and then compare with the Korth Mongoose .357 (pic 2&3). Even accounting for the larger N Frame S&W cylinder, there still a substantial difference in thickness at the ejector rod and ejection star, and the Korth uses higher strength and harder steel. Interestingly, spent shells fall much easier and slicker from the Korth presumably from the harder steel, and the proprietary extra hardening process during chamber boring. Over engineering abounds such as double action that floats on ball bearings arguably giving the smoothest DA experience money can buy in a current production revolver.
But my pictured S&W 627 has had a very nice action job that had good action to begin with, and dollar for dollar is the best purchase as you could own three for the same money as a single German Mongoose.
Pics: S&W PC 627, Korth Mongoose, Korth Mongoose, S&W PC 627
Last edited by dwever; 09-14-2017 at 12:48 AM.
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