I picked up a 386NG recently, have a few hundred rounds through it and so far am pleased with it. The weight is great. The factory Pachmayr's decently handle a .357 cartridge's recoil, but for me personally I don't like the DA with that grip, opting instead for Hogue Bantam's - the drawback being the exposed backstrap which makes shooting .357 fairly uncomfortable.

.38 Special cartridges were a breeze and accurate in about a 3" grouping at the 10 or so yards I was shooting, and .38 + p recoil was no problem. I also checked out the 327 and 329 NG's and simply liked the feel of the 386 better. To each their own.

So it all depends on what you plan for use, nightstand and daily carry being the NG line's strong points. If you plan to shoot .357, I'd op for maybe a 3" or 4" 686, but you'd have no problem in any of the NG's with .38 Special and .38 Special + p. Handle and compare them side-by-side and you'll figure out what you think might be best.

FWIW


Will